"It’s been a while, kid." The beautiful woman gave him a smile. Even though her face looked friendly, in the depth of her eyes was the intent of a powerful sword.
It seemed like she was ready to jump into a battle at any moment. Her aura was only at rank A, but it gave the people sitting near them a sharp feeling of danger.
Daniel, however, didn’t care. Instead, a smile appeared on his face.
"It’s been a while, but you’re as beautiful as ever."
"Heh, you sure have a sweet tongue. Don’t worry, I’m not angry," Selenia said lazily.
"Sorry, but I didn’t expect things to get this complicated." He sighed and spoke. In truth, he wasn’t worried and didn’t care at all.
After all, right now he was much stronger than this woman. The one sitting in front of him was the Black Sword of Dawn, Alice’s teacher and also one of the officials of the Fallen Sun guild.
"I’ve heard a bit about the situation from your sister, and it’s understandable. Really, I’m not angry. It’s only natural that our guild is too small for a genius like you." Selenia sighed.
She was a swordswoman, and swordsmen had the sharpest and strongest instincts among all Awakened. That’s why from the moment she sat beside this boy, her body was tense and on guard.
The reason was simple: her instincts told her she was sitting beside a monster. A monster she couldn’t possibly defeat and who could probably kill her in a single strike.
She was truly shocked and amazed. Only a few months had passed since the last time she saw this boy, and yet he had already reached a level of power that could terrify even someone like her.
"How is my sister doing? Are you satisfied with her?" Daniel changed the subject, since he could already read this woman’s thoughts from her expression.
Even he sighed inwardly. Not much time had passed, but everything had changed. It felt like just yesterday that the Black Sword of Dawn had been like a legendary figure to him.
And now? This woman was sitting beside him, and he couldn’t care less. More importantly, he could kill her with a single move whenever he wanted.
"Alice is truly a prodigy. In swordsmanship, she’s even more talented than me. She has a really strong will too. Ever since I first saw her, she’s always been training and trying to become stronger," Selenia smiled as she thought about her student.
"If it weren’t for the rules stopping her from entering the Tower, she’d probably reach rank B in just a few months."
"That’s true. Unfortunately, those rules are holding them back. What about Tiana? Do you know anything about her?" Daniel asked with a smile.
"I don’t see that girl much. After all, she’s a mage and trains with the guild’s mages. But she’s also a prodigy—the only one I’ve seen who can compete with Alice on equal terms." Selenia paused for a moment before answering.
"That’s good."
"I’ve heard you train them a lot. In fact, my precious student says the biggest reason for her progress is her brother, right?"
"That’s not wrong, but the biggest reason for their progress is their own will," Daniel nodded.
"Would you like to join our guild as a teacher? Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen to your membership in your current guild," Selenia asked with excitement.
Now that she realized what kind of monster this boy truly was, she didn’t want to miss the chance to deepen their relationship. If she could pull him into their guild, then in the future, when he reached the peak, the Fallen Sun guild would surely benefit greatly.
"It’s a good offer, but I’ll have to decline." Daniel didn’t even think about it and rejected her directly. What a joke—he had no time for that.
"Well..." Selenia sighed, and seeing how quickly he rejected the offer, she didn’t try to persuade him anymore.
"Anyway, what’s this Sun Spring? It seems like something really valuable."
"The Sun Spring? It’s the foundation of our guild, our most precious treasure. For the guild, it’s like a sacred place that contains the essence of the sun," the Black Sword of Dawn said before continuing.
"Most rank S Awakened use it to get stronger, and young elites use it to strengthen their foundations. If they’re lucky, even their potential and talents can evolve."
"I didn’t expect your guild to have such a legendary place." A light sparked in Daniel’s eyes, and his view of this guild changed even more.
"Don’t look at me like that. Your guild has something similar too. Haven’t you heard about it?"
"No, I’ve heard." He nodded. The equivalent in their guild was the pocket dimension that Naya had trained in for a while.
While they were talking, more than four matches had already finished, and the fifth one had begun.
Of course, during all this time, Daniel was still paying attention to the battles, observing both sides. Once he was sure their strength couldn’t pose a threat to his sisters, he stopped examining them further.
’Looks like Alice and Tiana really are way too strong.’ He muttered to himself. These other participants were really weak.
From what he saw, they might not even be able to endure a single strike from Alice. At least Tiana was more merciful and might show them a bit of leniency.
"By the way, what’s the deal with this promotion that goes to the top ten?" Daniel then remembered something and turned to the woman to ask.
"It’s their ranking in the guild. All the ones competing in this tournament are considered Newborn Suns. After that comes Young Sun, then Adult Sun, then Great Sun, then Radiant Sun, and finally Fallen Sun," Selenia explained.
"The higher the rank, the more monthly pay, influence, and authority you get in the guild. The Radiant Sun is the guild leader’s current position, and the Fallen Sun is the position of the founder."
"I see. Our guild has a similar system," Daniel nodded.
"Most guilds, especially the top guilds, have systems like this," Selenia said.
Before Daniel could say anything else, suddenly a voice echoed, drawing their attention.
"The next battle is between Alice Noir and Amelia Baker."