(Twin Fang Planet, Black Serpents Guild Headquarters, Vice Guildmaster's Office)
Antonio took his seat behind the wide office desk, fingers already gliding across the embedded crystal panel to pull up Leo's mission file, his sharp eyes scanning through the contents with quiet intensity.
The air in the room was still, save for the occasional tapping sound of his fingers, as he scrolled through Leo's mission data.
Across from him, Leo sat with a composed expression, his posture relaxed yet alert, the calm glint in his eyes betraying no sign of fatigue or insanity, something that stood out immediately to Antonio.
"Hm."
Antonio leaned back in his chair, one leg crossing over the other as he kept reading.
"Nearly a year," he murmured to himself. "You've been exposed to the tainted mana of the stilled world for an entire year, yet you don't show any signs of mental breakdown, your mental fortitude must be elite level,"
He tapped the table lightly, the sound soft but deliberate.
"Usually when we have candidates return from the time-stilled world after a prolonged stay of 180-200 days, they show signs of schizophrenia and have trouble sleeping at night.
However, you seem to be fine—"
His eyes returned to Leo.
"Either you're made of sterner stuff than the rest… or you're hiding some secret that I don't know."
Leo said nothing, offering only the faintest shrug of acknowledgment—neither confirming nor denying.
Antonio's gaze lowered as he read further, pausing at a section flagged in red.
[ Team Member: Karl Maxtern.
Threat level: High.
Affiliation: Evil Cult.
Remarks : Capture immediately if returns ]
The Vice Guildmaster's expression didn't shift. He read it, digested it, then closed the panel with a flick of his wrist, as he chose not to comment on it as of yet.
Instead, he leaned forward, folding his hands together as his voice dropped to a more focused tone.
"So… let's see it. Where is the origin metal?"
Leo, anticipating the request, nodded once and reached into his spatial ring as he pulled out the block of origin metal from within and placed it on the table with a soft *Thud*.
Antonio's eyes narrowed.
Even without touching it, even without scanning it, he could feel it.
The origin metal. Heavy. Pure. Saturated in energy older than most planets in the current galactic cycle.
But he didn't reach for it.
"Please," he said, voice cool but unmistakably firm, "empty both your spatial ring and pouch."
Leo stiffened ever so slightly.
There was no aggression in Antonio's tone, but the implication was clear: complete transparency… or complete mistrust.
A long second passed before Leo nodded.
He unclasped his ring and pouch, emptied both across the desk in full view, as small clusters of objects tumbled onto the table's smooth surface :
Food ration packets, mana potions, mana stones, night goggles, thick ropes, glowstones, a fire starter kit, a handful of antique scrolls from the conclave, and a few stolen frost grenades.
But there was no additional metal to be found inside, or nothing alarming that would flag him as a threat.
Antonio eyed the spread, his fingers tracing lazy circles in the air as a thin sweep of violet mana pulsed from his palm and drifted across the objects, scanning for hidden enchantments or cloaked items.
Nothing flickered.
No false readings.
After a few seconds, he gave a single nod and slid the storage ring and pouch back across the table toward Leo.
"Thankyou for your cooperation," he said quietly.
Then, and only then, did he finally allow himself to touch the origin metal, as he picked it up with surprising ease and held it between his palms as he pulled it closer to his eye for inspection.
For a moment, he said nothing, his eyes focused only on the strange material in his grasp, as a frown slowly formed on his brow.
"I can see traces of enchantment on this–" he said, as Leo nodded, and showed the burn marks on his palm.
"As soon as I grabbed it, the metal seared a burn mark into my skin in some ancient language I can't read.
I assume it was enchanted to protect from theft," Leo replied, as Antonio took a close look at his palms before finally nodding, seemingly satisfied with his reply.
So far, the interview had gone smoothly for Leo, however, that was only because of his foresight to already ship the metal before coming here to claim his rewards, as if he did not take that step, then he would have been busted when Antonio asked to check his ring and pouch.
'This guy is thorough–' Leo thought internally, as he could feel the pressure rising, as Antonio increased his scrutiny.
"The mana stones you retrieved from the Time-Stilled World still exhibit traces of soft corruption, likely a result of prolonged exposure to the tainted mana in that environment. So yes, I believe you have indeed been there," Antonio said, inspecting the stones placed on the table carefully.
"The guild records also confirm your entry and return."
He leaned back in his chair, his expression turning more serious.
"That said, belief alone is not enough."
His tone grew firmer.
"I need a complete account of what happened to you and your team inside the Time-Stilled World. Only then will I mark the mission as completed and authorize your reward."
He folded his arms and fixed his eyes on Leo.
"Start from the beginning. Tell me how you lost your team members or became separated from them. Explain what measures you took to protect your mind from the world's corruption. Describe how you identified the Evil Cult operative and how you dealt with him. And finally, explain how you managed to recover the origin metal and make it out alive."
His voice was calm but unyielding.
"Do not leave anything out. Take your time and walk me through everything."
Leo took a slow breath. He had anticipated this exact moment and prepared his story well in advance.
What he shared was truthful for the most part, with only one omission, as he said nothing about stumbling upon the Conclave or his meeting with Moltherak.
As that was the one part, he chose to keep to himself.
—-------------
Antonio listened to the entire recounting with rapt attention, occasionally cutting in with pointed questions that Leo answered with precision and composure.
By the time the tale drew to a close, even the seasoned Vice Guildmaster found himself stunned—momentarily speechless by the sheer scale of adversity Leo had to overcome.
"I still can't believe you managed to defeat a transcendent-level cult operative while only being a Grandmaster," Antonio finally said, his voice low with a mix of awe and disbelief. "There are very few warriors in the universe who could have pulled that off."
His tone, which had started with scrutiny and measured skepticism, now carried a distinct note of respect.
Leo's story had been airtight—detailed, coherent, and devoid of exaggeration. It was the kind of account that demanded belief not just for what was said, but for how it was said.
"I'll admit… if there weren't eyewitnesses to corroborate your claims, I'd probably have dismissed most of it as bravado," Antonio said, leaning back in his chair. "But still, I will be confirming everything. It's standard procedure."
"Of course," Leo replied smoothly, nodding once. "Please do. I've never had a reason to boast, nor the need to embellish."
Antonio gave a small nod of approval.
"Come with me," he said, rising to his feet. "Warriors of your rank don't usually get an audience with the Guildmaster himself—but I think an exception is warranted."
He gestured toward the door.
"Let's hand-deliver this metal to him. I suspect Dupravel will be very interested in meeting you."
With that, the two stepped into the private lift once more, ascending toward Floor 72—the level reserved for the Guildmaster's personal office.