The next morning after a quick bath and daily meditation, Lukas already had an idea of how his day would go. He would prepare himself well, go to the Adventure's Guild, get his badge and his rewards and then stroll around the Golden City to enjoy the sights and the smell of a real fantasy world. On the way, he would buy a few things he would deem important before he journeyed back to the Cathedral the next day, ready to research for more spells and skills so he can act on what he had learnt as soon as possible.

Wearing a clean white robe that fitted him quite well, he tightened his belt, took his Starlight Staff and was already out of the Greenery Inn within a few minutes. Since he had already paid for the room for five days in advance he wasn’t afraid to leave the rest of his belongings inside. After securely locking his door, he quickly rejoined the morning hustle and bustle of the waking city. Carts and carriages were dragging themselves on the cobbled rood with vendors neatly arranged, already shouting their prices over the din and laughter of playing children and haggling customers. He would have almost felt like he was home if it weren’t for the glaring differences in attire and the architecture all around him.

Along the road, he met warriors, a few rogues and more than enough mages donned in a similar white garb milling around the streets. Presence of outer sect disciples from the Cathedral of Light were very common in Golden city so it wasn't surprising that he could see a flicker of a white in almost every corner he took. His eyes flitted above as he admired the huge statue that towered over the City like an eternal guardian. According to the information he gathered, the statue was raised in the inner most part of the city where only the influential and powerful people could reside in, representing a higher hierarchy at work.

He swiftly arrived at the head quarters of the Adventurer’s Guild and quickly entered. Walking confidently this time, he was glad to find Representative Malten beside the reception area waiting for him. Lightly nodding on his arrival, he began walking, leading him inside.

“Mister Lukas, this way please,” he said guiding him through the usual corridors; his eyes glinting as they intently stared at him for a while before turning away. Lukas barely noticed as his heart thrummed with excitement. He might have thought the Representative gaze was strange but his mind was busy constructing plans he would start immediately after getting his rewards. He would be able to push his body even more and then properly research if rune mastery was a worthy profession to pursue. At the same time he would also try to find if he could transform his previous world knowledge into something profitable. There was no use being reborn in a new world if he couldn’t take advantage of his past life. Of course he would have to be careful with how he went about it.

They walked through quite a few hallways before he was brought into a different room. Taken by surprise, the room was lavishly decorated in the subtle colors of silver and gray with the banner of the Adventurer’s Guild donning the white washed walls. The banner held the insignia of a staff, a sword, a bow and the shield all placed geometrically, held by a dagger in the middle. It was meant to signify the presence of all the collective classes in the continent of Lush and the fact that there was no favoritism amongst them. The Adventurer's Guild only paid attention to one's strength. Short of that meant one had no hope of joining in the first place.

He found the rest of the team either sitting or standing around the chairs arranged in a half circle. At the front, there was a raised podium where Representative Malten currently stood, clad in his full robes of silver, matching the room's décor perfectly. The whole room looked like a ceremonial hall. As he found his way to a seat, he crossed eyes with the rest of the members where they exchanged warm smiles in silence.

Rexsi attired in dark leather armor, with his iconic red scarf winked at him while Renesme gave him a subtle nod, her figure hidden under the green cape. Mira gave him a meaningful smile as she was wreathed in another fiery robe while the moment he crossed eyes with Geoff, the connection only lingered for a moment before they both turned away, watching and waiting for Representative Malten to start.

It didn't take long.

“Welcome Cadets,” he began, “You all performed exceptionally well in your Qualifying mission. Seeing such young blood joining us on this path fraught with danger and opportunities at every turn fills our Guild with hope and raises my anticipation on where this journey will lead you all.”

Rexsi snorted but the Representative didn't let that faze him at all.

“As for the rewards…” he paused dramatically before he continued. “To make this short, we admit we erred on our side as we did not account for an existence of such a beast in the catacombs. As our responsibility and a form of compensation, we increased the base reward from the previous 20 to 100 Gold pieces.” Representative Malten proudly announced, positively expecting some form of reaction from them.

But contrary to his surprise no one in his vicinity was particularly moved. Although Lukas also looked calm on the surface, his heart twitched with excitement at the sound of the additional gold.

In the Continent of Lush, 1 gold coin equaled 100 silver coins in currency. This meant just from the base rewards, he already had 10,000 silver in his hands. Such amount was more than enough for him to push his body training to the next level. No wonder Adventuring became one of the most lucrative professions in the Continent he thought, considering one had to be alive after to reap the benefits…

Impressed, Representative Malten went on.

“But there is more. The Midnight Herb, a profoundly rare Grade 2 herb you all discovered in the catacombs was sold for a surprisingly 400 Gold, which split equally amongst you counts for amount of 80 gold coins each. Adding the low Tier 1 beast core which was sold for 100 gold due to its rarity, it has net 20 gold coins to each one of you. Collectively all of you earned 200 Gold from just your first run in the Catacombs of the Golden city."

Before they could even react this time, Representative Malten continued.

“Without forgetting, an extra 10% of the base reward was promised on a mission well done, which ends your collective sum at 210 Gold coins each.” He slightly paused. “For the one who proved to be most useful during the mission, the most resourceful and brave during the dangerous times, the 20% dividends will be awarded to Lukas from the House of Raydore increasing his final amount to 230 Gold. An additional 20 coins were added as a courtesy of the guild rounding his rewards to 250 gold coins perfectly.”

Stunned Lukas could only stare at the Representative with disbelieving eyes. The rest of his team joyously clapped for him and in a confused but grateful manner he rose from his seat, and slightly bowed towards the Representative and everyone else. 20 extra gold coins might not seem enough compared to his total rewards but Lukas was not about to forgo any additional money.

The rest of his team might have been a little puzzled at the distribution of rewards but they fully acknowledged that he truly deserved the prize. In addition to the fact he always carried himself in a simple and elegant manner, with none of the arrogance most nobles were known for; in their eyes none deserved such honor than him. By the end of the applause, Lukas could tell he had gained favors from everyone around him including the Representative himself.

After waiting for the commotion to end, Representative Malten only clapped his hands once, and another personage appeared beside him. He carried a tray with 5 bronze badges that shimmered under the daylight. They were neatly arranged with the one in the middle lightly marked with a star that pulled their attention immediately.

“These badges…” Representative Malten waved his hand over them, "…represent that from now, all of you are officially recognized as Adventurers in our Guild. They will serve as a form of identification and give you access to countless of missions on the board. It is heavily recommended to wear them when you are in the vicinity of our Headquarters. Don’t forget to bind them with your mana and if one's badge gets lost for any other reason, your identity will need to be reconfirmed and a sizable fee will be charged before you are issued another one.”

He turned towards them. “These badges will also function as token for your rewards held in the Trading Pavilion. It’s rather inconvenient to carry that much gold around so a temporary account was made with further instructions given upon arrival.”

He waved for the personage to recede a little before he went on.

“Presently there are few things to be aware now that you are all officially recognized by the Guild. There are 4 types of badges in our Guild, each assigned to the corresponding strength and capabilities. Generally Bronze badges are for Mortal Ranked, Silver badges are for the Earth Ranked. Obsidian badges are specifically for the Crystal Ranked and the Golden badges are reserved for the Heaven Ranked."

He continued, “These badges allow one to take certain missions which a roughly ranked from Grade 1 Missions to Grade 4 Missions. Bronze badges are allowed to take Grade 1 missions with occasional Grade 2 missions while Silver Badges give full access to grade 2 Missions with the occasional grade 3 Missions. It is strictly prohibited for a badge to take missions ranked 2 times higher than its level. This means that while Bronze badges can access occasional Grade 2 missions, Grade 3 mission are strictly off-limits. Is that clear?"

They all mumbled in agreement before Representative Malten mysteriously smiled as he summoned the star marked badge into his hands.

“On those rare occasions where the Adventures Guild acknowledges one's strength and potential, a star is bestowed as a token of appreciation and a mark of prestige. They are usually given when a feat unheard of was accomplished or a deed done that cannot be ignored. They are very rare and very hard to obtain as they are awarded only when the Guild sees fit to do so.”

Knowing full well he had their full attention. He went on, twirling the Star-Marked badge in his hands.

“Each single star acts as a mark of honor and status as one can enjoy many perks depending on how much you have achieved. They can range from small discounts from the Market to certain priorities granted during auctions. Collect enough of them and you can have access to special missions, usually reserved only for the best and the daring. The dividends are so bountiful that they can promote your cultivation to unimaginable heights.”

Their eyes shone in wonder and fervor as they hungered for the badge that flitted around his hands. Who wouldn't want to advance their strength, especially in a world where one's magical aptitude is venerated and worshiped?

They were just about to ask whose badge was it before he swiftly answered for them.

"But this one …" he teased, his fingers lightly tracing it “can only be given to Lukas.” He announced, stunning the whole hall in surprise.

Lukas wryly smiled while Rexsi couldn't help but feel a trace of envy inside. They couldn’t even raise a word of protest as they had all witnessed his capabilities in the Catacombs. If they were to gauge his real strength, they knew he possessed the prowess of a Late Mortal Mage with his Mid Mortal cultivation showing that he had the potential to be a future powerhouse especially if he maintained the same proficiency at higher stages. The only question that persistently arose in their minds was…how was their Representative so acutely aware of what happened in the dungeon?

“You will be amongst the rare mages ever given a star at bronze rank.” The Representative continued as he played with badge. “The rest of its uses will be upon you to figure them out. Take it as a little test from me. I can also promise that for as long as you are an Adventurer in our Guild, this star will forever follow you. All you have to do is wear it with pride.”

He smiled at Lukas before he settled the Star marked badge back to its tray and as a sudden stifling atmosphere descended upon the room like a heavy cloud.

“Before you take your badges,” Representative Malten began, “I thought it might be wise if I gave a few words of caution before we part.” He paused, eyeing each of them in turn.

“Even if you haven't figured it out by now, there is no harm in telling you this. For the sake of taking precautions, I had a special quest follow and protect you all from the shadows. In the wake of last events,” His eyes flickered at Lukas, “I didn't want any unnecessary risks in an exam under my watch. That meant I am also aware of everything you all saw, did and…learnt.”

At first they felt indignant at the fact that they might have had aid the whole time they were in catacombs. It didn’t feel good that they might have nearly died while their supposed guardian watched, hidden not raising even a finger to help. But then as they continued to listen, they immediately understood what the Representative was speaking about. Apart from heavily rewarding Lukas who was the key figure in their completion of the dungeon, they knew the Representative was talking about the secret they had stumbled upon the darkened halls and endless corridors that snaked underground of the Golden City.

Unluckily for them, Representative Malten didn't fail to notice their changing expressions.

“It was on my order that he wasn't to interfere until it was absolutely necessary. How would you all grow to be accomplished adventurers without facing true peril? This time it was under my careful watch that you were all protected from the inevitable demise but next time you will all find yourselves in the real world where you will face treacherous perils the likes of which you can never imagine.”

He sighed,” The truly strong are born through adversity. If you all have any hope to be adept and competent, then you will have to be mentally prepared to face threats that will lay claim to your lives regardless of whether you are ready or not.”

He took a breather before he warned them.

“There is a lot about this city that you are all unaware of and its best if it is kept that way. I never would have expected one of you to be aware of the old knowledge. All I can say on the matter is that it’s true those catacombs once belonged to those of the old religion. Although many years have passed, their actions still reverberate until now so it will be for your own good if such knowledge is best left to rot under the depths, never to see the light of day. Do you all agree?”

If they had questions on their minds about the forsaken statues and the crazy cults, they all died as soon as his voice thundered across the room. His body radiated so much power and pressure that it robbed them of any curiosity they might have once had. They had no choice but to fervently shake their heads, fully realizing the weight of what they now know.

Representative Malten exhaled, letting go of his power. To use his strength on a couple of apprentices was something he did not feel proud but then he had no choice if he wanted to drive his point home.

“I know all of you have a lot of unanswered questions.” he said softly almost to placate them, “But there are some things that are better left all alone, especially when you are all still to awaken to your full potential.”

He collected a few of the scrolls from the podium before placing the tray with their badges on it, right after relieving it from the hands of the personage who previously carried it.

He gave them one last look before he said. “Do be careful out there. It's a dangerous path you have chosen.”

His gaze lingered on Lukas for a second longer before he made for the exit, leaving all four of them dazed and confused with their badges staring at them with promises of wealth no longer alluring as it once was.