—

Roughly twenty minutes later…

Kieran arrived before the War Deity Council’s temple entrance with a distant look in his eyes. He could have reached this place faster, but he took his time to ponder the best approach.

‘Interacting with the Emplenan Few won’t be easy. They’ll view me as nothing more than a grotesque human without something to prove my innocence and separate me from the vile ways of the higher organization.’

While in thought, Kieran crossed the temple’s threshold and walked through with echoing steps. Laughter sounded not too far away, but it petered out once they noticed incoming footsteps.

Kieran looked up to find two people. He was familiar with one of them, however, the other’s presence was extremely vague in his mind.

Harlan scrutinized Kieran’s appearance with an aghast expression. ‘If not for my strong senses, I would have thought a Barbarian appeared before me. This aura is familiar, but at the same time, it’s growing unfamiliar.’

The changes Kieran experienced influenced Harlan’s opinion of him. This influence inevitably affected how long it took to recall this person before him. “Aatrox, right?”

“Correct,” Kieran nodded.

After glancing between Harlan and this other unfamiliar lady, Kieran continued speaking. “I have completed the task you gave me. Mayor Lowe’s worries have been dealt with.”

“When you say dealt with, you mean you have guarded a caravan and returned?” Harlan’s brows furrowed while hoping his understanding of the situation was wrong.

If Kieran merely guarded one trip, taking this long to return signified a lack of skill. A lack of skill wasn’t worthy of the War Deity Council!

After all, Harlan gave Kieran this assignment roughly one week ago!

“No,” Kieran shook his head. His eyes radiated confidence as they dissolved Harlan’s concerns. “I didn’t only guard them. I have eradicated the entire organization responsible for the thefts.”

“You did what?!” Harlan’s jaw dropped after listening to Kieran’s recount.

This revelation was outside of his expectations. At most, he thought Kieran would guard a few trades and return afterward with proof of his achievements.

Eradicating an entire brigand organization was unthinkable!

The outlandish nature of Kieran’s claims made Harlan question the authenticity. Did Kieran take the War Deity Council as a joke? It was one of the strongest organizations in this world.

A single outlandish claim could get him barred. And blaspheming the name of the War Deity could get him maimed!

The lightest punishment would be being hunted by the council’s most ferocious youths.

Kieran noticed the doubt in Harlan’s gaze, so Kieran waved his hand. The head of Vidal and Facina dropped on the counter before the aghast Harlan.

“I can’t deliver the leader’s head because it’s in Mayor Lowe’s possession, but these are his children. I’m sure you can grasp their strength by sensing the residual Mana remaining.”

The stronger one became, the purer their Mana grew. Mana Purity was a decent indication of strength, which is why Kieran suggested Harlan test for it.

Harlan hovered his palm above the two heads, and as per Kieran’s instructions, he sensed their general strength, finding them to be above Kieran’s initial level of power.

‘Those eyes…’ Harlan inwardly thought. The emotionlessness and disregard while speaking of his kills left Harlan astonished. Only seasoned Adventurers would be this inured to death.

Harlan retracted his hand after understanding what he needed to know. “What level badge do you hold with the Adventurers’ Guild?”

“Gold. But I’ll be applying for a Platinum Badge soon.”

Harlan fell into deep thought while considering if he should extend this offer or not. While he appreciated Kieran’s barbarity, he didn’t know how loyal he was.

However, Harlan soon felt it was best to extend the offer regardless of Kieran’s loyalty. They could have the proper authorities deal with him if he became a problem.

“If that’s the case… would you like to enter this year’s Gladiator Coliseum?”

The Gladiator Coliseum was a special property of the War Deity Council. It possessed two reasons for its existence. One, the War Deity Council felt youth was when competition should blaze. The conflagrations of conflict should temper these youths and promote increased ferocity.

The Gladiator Coliseum was one of the reasons Scar was so fierce. He went through it at an extremely young age, influencing and perhaps altering his persona.

The other reason the Gladiator Coliseum existed was its identity as a rite of passage. A nominal member couldn’t truly be called a member of the War Deity Council until they went through the Gladiator Coliseum and achieved satisfactory results.

Kieran wasn’t too surprised by Harlan’s question. Why? Because anything below a Gold Adventurer Badge was unacceptable in the eyes of the War Deity Council. Granted, the council considered age, so this applied to youths only.

The standard for adults was astronomical in comparison.

Harlan would have never extended this offer if he held a Bronze or Silver one. But, Kieran knew this. It was why he requested a Gold Adventurer Badge during his visit to the Adventurers’ Guild.

“Harlan, you think he’s ready for the Gladiator Coliseum? I hear the current batch of contenders trump several past generations. He may even be ripped apart!”

Harlan turned toward the lithe beauty by his side with peach blossom-colored hair styled into a long ponytail that flowed down her back.

“I have heard of the rumors, Alythia. But, he has completed all requirements thus far. It’s customary that I extend this offer. Besides, have you forgotten?”

Alythia furrowed her brows. “Forgotten what?”

“Aatrox is Commander Scar’s legatee. Don’t you think he is just as fearsome as the rest?” Harlan remarked.

Alythia scanned Aatrox’s appearance and found similarities to Scar, but she still felt her opinion was reasonable. “That might be true, but those guys have been groomed for years—some of them since birth. There’s no telling how long he’s been trained.”

Kieran smirked while listening to Alythia express her opinion. All of her points were sound. The War Deity Council was famous for its brutal members, so it wasn’t too bizarre to think some of the youth carried those properties.

However, Kieran wouldn’t lose to anyone in terms of brutality, ferociousness, mercilessness, and a few other qualities found in warriors, especially not with his Vengeful Soul.

“I appreciate that you care for my well-being, but I’m interested in this Gladiator Coliseum,” Kieran voiced.

Alythia pursed her lips after sensing Kieran’s confidence. She felt it was vain because Kieran didn’t understand his competition.

“So that you know, the grandson of one of our Commanders is part of this batch. He’s the lead prospect in being the one to set the record this year. That boy has been groomed since birth to be a warrior,” Alythia said.

She revealed this information to inform Kieran of the stakes and deter him from lightheartedly going through with this action.

Harlan grimaced because he understood Alythia’s intentions but personally disagreed with them. After all, one of the War Deity Council’s cardinal rules was not to deter a fellow member from making a decision if it could potentially inhibit their growth.

The War Deity Council chased superiority, not cowardice.

“Alythia, stop,” Harlan commanded with a stern expression.

“But Harlan—”

“Stop,” Harlan interjected forcefully. His tone expressed his unwillingness to listen to her reasoning.

“Okay,” Alythia begrudgingly relented.

Afterward, Harlan turned toward Kieran with a contrite expression. “Forgive Alythia. She has always had a tender spot for newcomers. She can’t help but abide by her nature.”

“It’s fine.”

Kieran dismissed Alythia’s concerns because he could feel they didn’t stem from a place of malice or contempt. Alythia genuinely feared some of the War Deity Council’s youths, which showed in her current expression.

Regardless of Alythia’s suggestion, Kieran had no intentions of shying away from the Gladiator Coliseum. “When do we go there?”

“It won’t happen right this moment. There are a few contenders that are unprepared. But, it’ll happen in a week at the latest. Once it is time, we will call upon you. A moment please, I’ll carry out the necessary procedures,” Harlan said.

He placed Kieran’s hand on the counter but slapped his forehead for a rookie mistake. “Oh… your other hand, please. Commander Scar’s emblem is too powerful to be overwritten.”

Harlan retrieved a slip from the desk and pressed it against the back of Kieran’s hand. A low sizzling noise persisted for a few seconds. When Harlan retracted his hand, a fierce-looking symbol etched with a unique energy signature surfaced on Kieran’s hand.

It somewhat resembled a cross between a lion and a tiger.

〈System: You have received a «Lesser War Crest»!〉

〈System: Congratulations on becoming a nominal member of the «War Deity Council»!〉

The Lesser War Crest didn’t present any benefits aside from being recognized as a potential council candidate. If Kieran wanted to draw any benefits from the crest, he would have to perform well inside the Gladiator’s Coliseum.

“Are you interested in perhaps training or guidance?” Harlan questioned.

The council welcomed him now that Kieran possessed a Lesser War Crest. However, he could only spend a finite amount of time inside the temple.

Because of this fact, Kieran decided not to take Harlan up on his offer just yet. “I would, but I need to meet with Scar.”

“Understood,” Harlan smiled amicably. “Best of luck. I hope Commander Scar doesn’t work you too hard.”

Kieran waved goodbye before running his finger over the Lesser War Crest. The thick lines made it feel like a tattoo, which brought his attention back to Agrianos, who bore several ancient markings on his body.

‘I’ve acquired several insignias, crests, and such. Will I inevitably end up looking like him?’ Kieran wondered.