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"I'm Layn. It's a pleasure to meet you.

" In the end, the archmage didn't have anything against the guild or its master in the first place. If this was the kind of ritual that everyone joining the mercenaries had to go through, then there was no need to bring his personal pride to it.

nAs stupid and uncivilised as the tradition of bullying newbies in the submission could be, it was effective. Even in Layn's own time, various forms of initiation still existed, even if they were lesser in scale and intensity. Because when it came to creating bonds between people who had to trust each other, only by pushing one to the limit would others learn his true value.

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"Tell me, lad, did you come here to join our guild? While it's not the best job that one could dream of, if you are not a merchant of craftsman and your spirit doesn't wish to toil the earth till the end of your days, there is hardly any better job out there!

" Patting a huge board with various pieces of drawings snapped to it, Kashar smiled.

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"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea yet. Since my foundations are pretty weak for now, I would rather focus on improving them for now.

" Replying with a smile to a smile, Layn looked at the ancients surrounding him.

"Once I will make sure that I'm not a pushover, I will gladly take you up on your offer.

"

nFor the ancients behind the archmage, it was actually quite hard to keep their faces straight. GIven how they experienced this single, humble man taking on an entire group of experts, most of which were two stars, hearing how he claimed to be a pushover, only a single question appeared in all of their heads at once.

n'If you are a pushover, then who the heck are we?'

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"Ah, it's a pity. But I won't be as reckless and irresponsible as to invite someone too weak to participate in the missions.

" Slamming his fist against the counter of the reception to accent his words, Kashar smiled.

"Once you reach the rank of a one-star soldier or two-star novice, we will welcome you with open arms!

"

nMaking his claim, the guild master lightly beaconed with his hand. As if it was some kind of secret code, a servant with a cup of beer appeared almost in an instant, only to pass the mug to the giant man.

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"Until then…

" Taking a huge sip of the beer, Kashar then slammed the contained down on the table before waving the group away with a huge smile on his head,

"get the ** out of my sight, you arrogant prick!

"

nEven though the words were harsh, the smile on the man's face proved that he wasn't really angry.

n'I guess there will always be some rowdy people all over the place.' Smiling to his own thoughts, Layn followed the rest of his group as everyone prepared to leave. But right as they stepped outside, Irea instantly latched to his side.

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"How could you be so reckless!

" Several light hits to Layn's shoulder later, Irea's fist finally stopped attacking the archmage.

"He was a damned guild leader, you know? Don't scare me like that in the future!

"

nTurning her words into mutter as she realised what she just said, Irea wanted to back off, only to realise that Layn already grabbed her arm, refusing to let her go.

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"In the future?

" Feeling better after soaking in the familiar atmosphere of rowdy mercenaries, Layn decided to conquer his own fears. After the pitiful end of his last relationship, he was quite repulsed by the idea of starting a new one. But with every moment that he spent with this particular girl, not teasing her was turning harder and harder!

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"What kind of future, I wonder?

" Pulling on the girl's arm, Layn stepped closer himself, only to put his face right in front of Irea's eyes. Looking deeply into her eyes, Layn waited for a moment before suddenly retracting himself and taking a step back.

nRaising his hands in the air, he then added.

"Just a joke. I'm not that boring to catch you by the words.

" Gracing the girl with a mischievous smile, Layn finally resumed his normal walk. But after following the ancients for a short while, he suddenly recalled quite an important question.

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"Hey, Irea!

" Calling the girl out, Layn successfully managed to get the girl's attention.

"Would you be so kind as to give me an advice? While I know what I'm lacking, I'm not really sure what should I do to compensate for it…

" This problem was pretty clear to the archmage ever since a while ago, but he simply didn't want to tackle it before he would be forced to.

nAnd now that they were in the city, the time when Layn would inevitably split ways with the group was looming closer and closer.

n'In the end, I cannot leech on their sympathy for much longer.' It wasn't even a problem of morals, but of Layn's personal beliefs. In the end, as long as he could obtain just a few monster cores, he could quickly recreate the power that made him the royal archmage back in the future.

nWith such possibilities in the background, relying on the help of the ancient would not only make it hard for Layn to cooperate with them ever again, but it would also even slow his rate of growth!

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"Ah, isn't it obvious?

" Contrary to all the elaborate plans that Layn already set for his near future, Irea didn't seem to treat his question as anything serious.

"Didn't you notice that we only exchanged a small number of tokens?

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nAs soon as the topic appeared, the rest of the ancients within the group suddenly wobbled in place, before quickly regaining proper walking pace. Although their strange behaviour was only momentary, the fact that all of them turned their heads away from the archmage was enough to prove that something really was going on.

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"Yeah. But after your explanation, I thought you were just going to venture further inland to get a better price for them. Isn't that the case?

" While he didn't know the exact numbers, it was clear that those ancients could obtain more money just by travelling deeper into the continent. And given how the desert would be hidden behind the barrier for the next three months, wasn't this the most obvious course of action for them?

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"Ah, silly. We all decided to save a hundred tokens not to sell them somewhere else for a better price..

" Stopping in her tracks, Irea turned around and graced Layn with a lovely, happy smile of hers.

"We saved those tokens to pay for your enrollment!

"

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