Noah found himself in front of the same rickety old wooden hut he had greeted the revered master not long ago, knocking with a single rap and lightly whispering the passcode next to the door. He assumed their heightened constitutions would be able to catch his meaning, and sure enough, the door swung open- followed by a mighty force that yanked him by the arms, closing the door the next instant.

The first thing that struck him was the darkness, despite being daylight the old hut, which had plenty of minute gaps in the ceiling that should allow light to pass through, yet it was nothing but an all-pervasive darkness that barely allowed him to make out five silhouettes in the darkness.

A moment later whatever illusion or power that engulfed the area in blackness was dispelled, allowing Noah to make out three other figures standing next to the revered master, all equally ancient looking men wearing dilapidated robes and looked as if bathing was a completely unfamiliar concept to them.

A fifth man stood near the very end of the hut, as if we were addressing, or rather commanding the other four to do his bidding. Instead of wearing flowing robes as seemed to be tradition in the Sect Town of Saemanis, the man was fitted with a level of armor that Noah couldn’t help but be completely awed by; His wisdom sense told him that there was no fighting this man, no defying his instructions, the intangible black aura that surrounded him, visible yet invisible at the same time, was something that could destroy Noah before he could even raise a sword in protest.

Blazing red armor painted with black runic symbols that, for some reason Noah could tell, roughly implied ruin and destruction, a wrath that could not be contained and threatened to douse the world around it in purgatory. The helm the man wore was fashioned in the shape of a ferocious, wolf-like creature through who’s eye slits the man’s piercing grey eyes stared at him. Between the man and the beast, Noah felt it prudent to take his chances with the beast instead. A large, two handed sword that was serrated from both edges, like the misshapen teeth of some large shark, lay stabbed into the ground in front of him. The coat of red paint on it felt different, as if actual, fresh blood had stained the blade to give it the color it now possessed.

He knew, without a doubt that this was either Rare armor, or a tier even above that. The difference was so crushing, so vast, that he didn’t have the words to explain it; In front of the revered master he would suffer a pitiful defeat, but in his Titan Form he wouldn’t go down without a fight; But in front of this man, Titan Form or not, a single shot would fell him.

A deep, commanding voice echoed out, startling Noah from his musings, “Is this the assassin you have selected, Azmahak? “

“Yes, Sir Prayn. He may not look like much, but the ability he possesses is perfectly suited for assassination; Even I am unable to see through it,” The Revered Master responded with a humble tone, the deference in his tone unmistakable.

“Oh-ho, then you have truly outdone yourself, Azmahak. It was truly correct decision to leave the matter of selection to a Sect of Assassins,” Sir Prayn replied with a pleased expression on his face, that of a superior satisfied with the work of his underlings. “Is it possible to witness a display of this ability?” he asked, but it seemed more like a command.

“It is possible, Sir Prayn, but I fear some Origin may be lost in the process,” Noah replied humbly, but inside curiosity burned inside him. The other three individuals he recognized as the reserve force of the 3 other Sect’s that were allied with the Wailun Clan, but this man was on a completely different level of existence. If such a person existed, then it made little sense as to why the Saemanis Sect could ever step foot into this city. His wisdom sense tingled, he was close to solving the puzzle… the answer seemed as if it were right in front of him, taunting him.

“Ah don’t worry about such trivial matters,” Sir Prayn said with an amused chuckle, tossing a milky white bottle towards Noah; He already knew what it contained, but when he saw its description, he was still slightly surprised.

Origin Potion, Uncommon

Replenishes 100 Origin Points instantly upon drinking. May only be used once every 24 hours.

‘Fair enough,’ thought Noah, and created an illusion right next to him that was just standing there; He didn’t wish to make any overt threat lest that lead to him getting vaporized.

“A very high-level art, but incomplete in nature. How intriguing,” Sir Prayn said with a musing tone, directing his gaze at Noah but soon turning it back towards the others. “Ah, I suppose I haven’t introduced myself. I am the Chief Inquisitor of the San Sect, Prayn Novigestus.”

Chills ran down Noah’s spine as he realized that this man belonged to the Sect he had been impersonating for so long. If the man somehow got to know, he’d be smited on the spot; Then he realized the audacity of Liam’s plan, the sheer fucking gall of it. If he could send a murderous glare without attracting scrutiny, he would.

“What?” Liam asked innocently. “You think we could just make up some random sect name and the Tower would buy it? Of course not. Each piece of information has to be methodologically obtained through a series of tasks and espionage, and let’s just say we skipped the boring bits,” Liam tried to suppress his amusement near the end, but failed miserably to do so.

“Uh, Sir Prayn, may I ask why you require our help in the assassination?” Noah left the other half of the sentence unsaid, ‘When you are capable of doing it on your own?’

“Has he sworn the pact of secrecy?” Sir Prayn directed his question to Azmahak.

“My nephew would have made sure of it before sending him to me,” Azmahak replied with a certain degree of surety in his voice.

“I suppose that is enough, you are the ones that will risk destruction if word of this ever got out anyway,” Sir Prayn replied nonchalantly, as if such trivial matters were beneath him. “The Saemanis Sect was originally called the Havis Sect, a small power belonging to the Western Prefecture. A few years ago, they suffered disastrous losses in an unexpected war with the Malasa Clan, a middle-ranked power that destroyed over half the Sect’s core fighting strength. Such happenings are not uncommon, the Western Prefecture by its very nature, is a highly competitive place. Thus, it came as no surprise to anyone when they decided to flee. A perfect plan, except for two crucial mistakes,” Sir Prayn explained with a devious smirk, making Noah even more wary of the man.

“They failed to consider that the intelligence capabilities of the San Sect stretched as even the very fringes of the Eastern Prefecture, and our dedication to unearthing the truth behind the matter. Initially, the Malasa Sect refused to provide the proper reasoning, and when pressed, they explained it was a common resource dispute, that the Sect Leader, in his fury, decided to escalate. A reasonable explanation that we would have believed, were it not for our spies in the Malasa Sect telling us otherwise. You see, the Havis Sect assassinated one of the concubines of the Malasa Sect Leader, an utterly illogical act and suicidal act that had just enough evidence left behind to attribute it to them. A humiliation so grave, the Sect Leader would never admit to it, not even in death,” Sir Prayn explained with the tone of a hunter getting closer to his prey, but Noah couldn’t figure out what he was implying towards.

“Our Truthseekers looked at the matter from all angles, concluding that the matter only had two possibilities: Either they were framed, or they intentionally sought their own destruction. The initial outcome seems more likely, but further investigation revealed it, without any doubt, to be the later. A marvelous feint that makes one ask: what secret is so profound warranting a sacrifice of more than half the sect’s fighting power? For your own good, I shall only reveal that the answer lies with an artifact of lore that is suspected to be within the Sect Leader’s possession. One that the San Sect shall stop at nothing to acquire, and one who’s existence shall must go beyond this room. You think of me as powerful, but in reality, my hands are tied; The Truthseekers of the other two great clans cannot know of my involvement, they are already beginning to suspect my motives. I warn you; the San Sect can and will protect this treasure, but mere knowledge of it having passed through the Sect City of Saemanis will bring complete and utter annihilation,” Sir Prayn explained in a grave tone that promised heavy retribution if the truth were to ever come out.

Congratulations, you have completed the Optional Quest: Solve the mystery behind the Saemanis Sect!

Completion %= 100

Reward: Common Ornament Chest x 1

Title: Veil Piercer (+)

A title awarded for figuring out the true identity of the Saemanis Sect and leaving no stone unturned in your quest for the truth.

+15 All Stats

+3 LUK

Noah felt underwhelmed by the rewards, the stat bonuses were good; he immediately felt a burst of enhancements flow through him, but a common ornament chest? Really?

“Oh, bollocks, that’s one hell of a reward,” Liam exclaimed with some degree of surprise, which was surprising in itself.

Noah had a puzzled look on his face, so he explained further.

“Lad, you have no idea how rare ornaments are, even on the main floors. Entire guild wars have erupted over these little trinkets, and those who dare to wear them openly are top rankers that do not fear reprisals or theft,” he explained, and Noah’s eyes widened in disbelief. Why the hell would wars erupt over some ornaments, instead of say, a legendary sword or piece of armor? “I wouldn’t open that box until you select a class, so just forget about the box for now,” he added, dampening some of the excitement but also slight relief at the fact that he hadn’t just wasted a great opportunity.

Noah nodded with a pale face towards Sir Prayn, as he should when threatened with extinction. “I understand, Sir Prayn,” he nervously uttered, receiving an acknowledging nod in return.

“Very well. Have you prepared the captive, Halaui?” Sir Prayn looked towards one of the four men, who nodded and moved towards an elongated wooden box that was rectangular in shape, opening it to reveal an unconscious man in plush golden robes.

Halaui grunted, and a dazzling silver aura coalesced around him, his pupils also assuming the same color.

“Wake up,” Halaui said, in a commanding tone, and the unconscious man suddenly snapped his eyes open, stepping out of the box with a blank expression on his face.

“Tell the Sect Leader that the coalition of the four sects know the truth. Oh, Havis Sect, we know. Oh, Sect Leader, we know the invaluable item that is bound to you, the invaluable item that will bring destruction and annihilation to us all were the truth ever to come out. You have humiliated us, yet we offer you a chance at salvation. Follow this puppet and send the real Sect Leader, alone; any deception, any treachery and the truth shall be made known to the three great sects of the Western Prefecture,” Near the end, Halaui pressed his palm over the man’s face for an instant, causing him to nod in response and head outside the door in hurried footsteps, towards the golden pagoda.

Noah felt creeped out by the whole endeavor, wondering how had he done that without transforming completely.

“Once you gain complete mastery over a primordial spirit, you can summon aspects of your power without transforming fully,” Liam explained as if he read Noah’s mind.