Chapter 259: Are You Worthy?
The taxi dropped Daniel off directly in front of the Everlight Moon Guild building entrance. After paying the fare, he walked toward the building, momentarily stunned by its beauty.
The Everlight Moon Guild’s main building looked like a majestic palace, with a façade of white and gold marble, streaked with shimmering silver and black veins.
Massive columns, engraved with dragons and famous powerful corruption beasts hunted by the guild, framed the double doors at the entrance, which were made of black and gold metal, adorned with a sword and crescent moon emblem.
Tall arched windows with stained glass depicted epic battle scenes, scattering the incoming light into vibrant colors.
The roof was covered with silver and dark blue domes, the central dome topped with a crescent-shaped crystal that shone like a star at night. Narrow spires at the four corners were topped with crystalline moon statues that emitted a silver glow.
After taking a quick look around, he stepped inside and made his way to the reception desk. As expected, it was very crowded, and he had to wait in line for a while.
"Excuse me, I’d like to meet with the management," he said once it was his turn.
Truthfully, even Daniel didn’t know exactly who he was supposed to meet. The only person he knew here was Naya, but August had told him to simply say he wanted to meet with the management once he arrived at the building.
So, he just repeated what August had told him.
"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked patiently.
"I don’t think so? But I’m sure if you give them my name, they’ll let me meet with them."
The receptionist gave him a strange look, making sure he wasn’t some scammer. Still, Daniel’s striking looks made her sigh as she picked up the phone.
"What’s your name?"
"Daniel Noir."
Once the call went through, she asked around, and her eyes twitched slightly at the reply. She hung up and looked at him.
"You can head to the seventh floor. The Guild Leader’s office is there."
"Thank you very much," Daniel said politely before heading to the elevator and stepping in.
Once he was gone, the receptionist let out a quiet sigh of relief. When she had called and given the boy’s name, the Guild Leader’s secretary had immediately told her to send him up as quickly as possible.
This was the first time she had heard the secretary sound so serious.
"Who was that boy, anyway?" she muttered.
Meanwhile, Daniel arrived at the seventh floor. It seemed like the entire floor belonged solely to the Guild Leader, as it was one massive open space with just a single office.
"Welcome, Mr. Noir," a beautiful woman with glasses greeted him as soon as he entered.
"Thank you," he replied politely, not saying anything extra.
The secretary then guided him straight to the Guild Leader’s office.
"You can go in. They’re expecting you."
Daniel nodded, knocked on the door, and stepped inside. Crossing the threshold, his eyes immediately fell on the people in the room.
The first was a girl who looked to be in her early twenties. She resembled Naya, but was taller, more mature, and exuded a dangerous aura.
In fact, she made Daniel instinctively feel threatened, which surprised and shocked him. It wasn’t that he had never felt threatened before, but this was the first time he felt danger from someone not much older than himself.
The other person was an old man with a charismatic, masculine face, neatly groomed beard, and long hair tied back.
"Welcome, young friend," the old man was the first to speak when he saw him.
"Thank you, Mr... Mr. Everlight, right?" Daniel smiled as he stepped forward.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this old man had to be Naya’s grandfather, one of the most powerful men in the country—and even the world.
But wasn’t he supposed to be retired by now? Shouldn’t his son be the current Guild Leader? So where was his son?
The old man simply nodded, and then the girl, who looked a lot like Lana, stood up.
"My sister’s been talking about you non-stop ever since she came back from the city of Santcis. Now that I see you, I understand why... It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lana Everlight, Naya’s older sister."
"I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Lana," Daniel extended his hand, shaking hers.
"Please, take a seat," the old man gestured for him to sit down.
Daniel nodded and sat on the couch opposite Lana.
"My name is Schneitz Everlight. We’ve been waiting for you for a while. When that little girl Naya first told us about you, you should’ve seen how much she praised you—she was practically fangirling over you, haha."
"Grandfather," Lana gave him a sharp look.
"Ahem, sorry. Anyway, where was I? Ah, right. August contacted me and told me about you and your accomplishments."
"I’ve heard what happened to you from August, but why don’t you explain it in your own words?" Schneitz asked with a calm smile.
"Well..." Daniel briefly recounted the events of the first floor of the Tower, and then how Kaelos had kidnapped his family.
As expected, their expressions shifted multiple times throughout his explanation. Schneitz was clearly surprised, while Lana seemed almost unable to believe it.
"I see... so you conquered a Hell-difficulty floor and even killed Kaelos’ younger son," the old man chuckled, now looking at Daniel with more interest.
"Now I understand why August spoke so highly of you. You’re truly talented enough to be worth protecting... but you must know your enemy isn’t an ordinary person, young friend."
"I understand. That’s actually why I came for help. I’m willing to do anything you ask in return for it."
"Well... as long as you become a loyal member of our guild and swear an oath, I’ll personally help you. But you must know—it won’t be easy. Convincing Kaelos is impossible. A war will likely break out," Schneitz sighed.
Daniel nodded. He also knew this wouldn’t be resolved peacefully—battle and bloodshed were inevitable.
His only concern was what Schneitz’s stance on the matter would be. As long as the old man was willing to help, Daniel had no problem joining the guild.
After all, he had already planned to join a guild sooner or later. Guilds had their downsides, but their advantages far outweighed them.
But ultimately, everything depended on this old man’s decision.
"Before I decide whether to help you or not, I’ll need to test a few things... You don’t mind, do you?"
"Whatever it is."
"Grandfather, is that really necessary? He conquered a Hell-difficulty floor. And if the first floor had a Hell-difficulty rating, I’m sure the second floor does as well," Lana interjected suddenly.
"You’re right, but I want to see this kid’s depth for myself," Schneitz chuckled and waved his hand.
The space around them suddenly shifted, and in the next moment, they found themselves in a training ground.
"This is our guild’s recruitment testing ground. Every Awakened shows their abilities here. If you want my help, show me your strength, and I’ll decide whether you’re worthy of it or not."