Chapter 137: Ironclad Guild

[Silverspire City — Headquarters of the Top 150 Guild, Ironclad Guild.]

​"Look over there! That’s the strongest team in our entire guild." A young lady said with a bright, admiring smile, pointing toward a squad of heavily armored members strutting through the grand archway of the main hall.

​"Yeah, I heard they can even clear A-Rank Dungeons when they work together." A man standing beside her muttered, crossing his arms with a mix of awe and mild envy.

​"Soon... once I accumulate enough resources and get stronger, I’m going to submit an application to join their vanguard," she declared, her eyes burning with quiet determination.

​"That’s going to be a long, brutal road, kid... Advancing your core from D-Rank to B-Rank isn’t something you can just wish into existence," the man sighed, pulling out a creaky wooden chair behind him and slumping into it with a weary groan.

"Besides, you don’t have the backing or the evolution stones for that. The guild certainly doesn’t either... Let’s be real, we’re all completely broke."

​"Yes... naturally, we’re all poor. And now, the guild itself is drowning in debt. We’re basically hopeless." She nodded slowly, her determined expression deflating into a somber frown.

​"We can’t do anything about the guild’s finances... All we can do is keep grinding away at low-rank dungeon rifts, sell off monster materials, and hope that maybe, just maybe, we gain enough recognition to get recruited by one of the powerful Top 50 guilds in the central district." he said, shifting his gaze back toward the elite team, which had just come to a stop in front of the guild’s main exchange counter.

​"That’s easy for you to say! You’re already a registered C-Rank Awakened... While I’m stuck at D-Rank."

​"Come on, D-Rank is still miles better than E-Rank. At least your energy pathways are actually getting somewhere," the man offered her a small, reassuring smile.

​"WHAT THE HELL?!"

​A furious, booming yell echoed out from the exchange counter, instantly catching the attention of every Awakened lingering in the hall. Heads turned across the room as everyone looked over at the guild’s star team.

​"How dare you give me such a insultingly low offer?! This pelt cost over one thousand dollars!"

​The leader of the team yelled, slamming his hand onto the counter and pointing an accusing finger at a tuft of crimson fur resting on the wooden counter.

​"Please, Mr. Tobias, you need to understand how the market works." The receptionist across the desk said, maintaining a stoic, albeit visibly strained, composure as she stared back at him. "This is a standard E-Rank pelt. On the open Silverspire market, it’s only worth 50 dollars at most."

​"Hey! This came from a Red Moon Rabbit! They’re exceptionally vicious, fast-moving monsters!" Tobias quickly snapped, leaning over the counter to loom over her.

​"Mr. Tobias, no matter how intimidating the creature’s title sounds, the association’s material ledger strictly calculates payout based on core ranks..." The clerk explained calmly:

"It’s an E-Rank beast, so the base payout is one hundred dollars. Normally, the buyback rate would only offer fifty dollars, but because of your team’s elevated contract tier, the system pushed it to a hundred. I am truly sorry, but our vault cannot go a single cent above that."

​"You little...! I am the strongest Awakened in this entire Guild—a registered B-Rank Awakened!" Tobias roared, his face flushing red as he pointed a finger directly at the lady’s nose:

"You low-rank clerks should all be bowing at my feet, but here you are dare arguing with me over chump change!"

​"Mr. Tobias... if you want to receive higher payouts, you simply need to step inside higher-tier dungeons and bring back stronger creatures." she replied. Her voice remained impeccably polite, but the subtle jab beneath her words cut deep:

"As a proud B-Rank Awakened, isn’t it a bit embarrassing to be standing here screaming at a desk clerk over an E-Rank rabbit?"

​"You...!" Tobias gritted his teeth so hard his jaw visibly quivered. Veins bulging on his neck, he whirled around to face the four members of his team—a tight-knit squad consisting of three men and two women.

​"What should we even do now?" one of the members grumbled.

​"Hmph. The second I manage to advance my core to A-Rank, I am handing in my resignation and leaving this dead-end guild behind." A female mage on the team muttered, her arms crossed in a tight, annoyed scowl.

​"What else can we do right now? We’re only B-Ranks. I say we just manage with this payout for now, pool our funds for more resources, and push to advance our ranks..." The bulky knight in the group added, rubbing his broad neck:

"Though, relying on cultivation takes way too long without Evolution stones."

​"Yeah, I think you’re right. We just need to save up for Evolution Stones and get the hell out of this dump." The second female member, a sleek Assassin, revealed, casting a harsh glare over her shoulder at the exchange clerk.

"Though this poor excuse for a guild only has D-Rank Evolution Stones in its vault at best... Only the Guild Leader himself is hoarding at least ten B-Rank Evolution Stones in his private storage."

​"Maybe... Maybe we should just steal the stones from the office." The second guy, a slim assassin-type Awakened, suggested in a low, conspiratorial whisper.

​Tobias stared at him for a moment, his eyes flickering, before casting a wary glance back at the clerk. "We will discuss that private matter later..." he muttered under his breath. "For now, let’s just exchange the rest of our loot, grab some fresh dungeon keys, and move out. Even if they’re only E and D-Rank keys, it’s still better than sitting around doing nothing."

​The four looked at one another and gave firm, synchronized nods:

​"Alright."

​BAM!

​Without warning, the double-reinforced steel doors at the main entrance of the hall blew wide open, the violent metallic thud echoing like a thunderclap through the cavernous room!

"....?!!"

​The sudden noise instantly drew every pair of eyes in the facility. Conversations died down as everyone blinked in absolute shock, watching a woman with wild, messy green hair and glowing emerald eyes walk casually into the hall. She wore a sleek, pitch-black combat outfit and was lazily spinning a Divine-Tier dark-steel dagger around her index finger like a cheap toy.

​"Alright, listen up, cuties." She said, bringing her steps to a halt right in the center of the vast hall, her gaze sweeping over the crowd with indifference. "Call your Guild Leader out here right now."

​The Awakened gathered throughout the room stared at her in utter disbelief, completely frozen by her sheer audacity.

​"Hey... who the heck is that?" The D-Rank lady near the back asked in confusion, leaning closer to her companion.

​"How on earth would I know? This is the first time I’ve ever set eyes on her," the man whispered back, his instincts flaring with an odd, instinctual sense of dread.

​"Is she some wild rogue here to register?" someone else murmured from the crowd.

​"I don’t know... maybe she’s trying to make a scene?"

​Before the murmurs could spread any further, a tall, well-dressed man stepped out from a private side hallway. He adjusted his collar and strode forward, bringing his steps to a halt a few paces in front of Juanita, his expression laced with cold authority.

​"Miss, I am the Vice Guild Leader of Ironclad Guild." he declared, puffing out his chest. "State your business."

​"Vice Guild Leader?" Juanita tilted her head slightly to the side, her messily cut green bangs falling over her glowing eyes as a cold, mocking smirk touched her lips.

​"You are far too insufficient to speak to me." She stated plainly, her voice carrying a terrifying, unspoken weight.

"Go run along and call your actual Guild Leader over."

​"....?!!"