The Apex Guild, Luminous Guild, Tyrannical Vanguard, Black Lotus, and Shadow Executioners—these five were the top guilds in the world.
The power and influence they wielded were immense. A single command from them could shake the foundations of the world, no matter how unlikely it seemed.
For most, the idea of joining one of these guilds was almost unthinkable. Yet, for those who had the chance, it was an opportunity no one wanted to miss.
Under the fanatical gazes and awed expressions of young men and women, the guilds stationed their hovering aircraft and set up their booths to accept applications.
Each booth bore a distinct symbol, signifying the guild it belonged to.
The Apex Guild's symbol was a black mountain with the silhouette of a golden eagle perched at its peak.
It represented supremacy, dominance, and perseverance.
Many people had already lined up to submit their applications to the Apex Guild and the other top guilds—almost a hundred of them.
Victor was astonished.
'Did this many people already reach level 10? And here I thought it was incredibly difficult. Or... did I just not try hard enough?'
A wave of uncertainty washed over him.
'What should I do now? Should I stand in line like Kierra said? But what if she fails to help? Wouldn't I just become a laughingstock?'
He suddenly shook his head, as if shaking off all his worries.
'No… what am I doing? I can't cower like a child. Whatever happens, happens. If I get rejected, I'll find another guild.'
After clearing away his hesitation, Victor walked straight ahead and joined the line for the Apex Guild, where about 30 people were already waiting.
His actions did not go unnoticed by his former classmates.
"Hoho, look at that… that nerd is really doing it, Boss," Jack said, chuckling in amusement as he observed from a distance.
"Let him try," Alastor sneered. "The Apex Guild officials will punish him for lying. They have a level detection device that will expose his pathetic attempt. We just have to wait."
"But, Boss, what if he somehow actually gets into the Apex Guild?" one of the lackeys hesitantly voiced his concern.
Alastor shot him an annoyed glare, his expression darkening as if the mere thought was unbearable.
"If that happens, I'll have to kill him myself," he said in a low, chilling tone.
His cold, merciless gaze and unforgiving aura sent a shiver down his lackeys' spines.
There was no doubt that he meant every word.
"Hey, Isn't that Raizel Ashblade?"
"Wasn't he just some nobody at our academy?"
"Why is he in the Apex Guild line? Doesn't he know you need to be level 10?"
"Haha.. Maybe he's just here to embarrass himself."
"He is a fool."
Victor ignored them. He had already expected this kind of reaction.
He moved steadily, feeling the condescending gazes of his former classmates burning into his back, but he didn't let it bother him.
The line moved slowly as each applicant stepped forward to present their credentials. At the front, a large, mechanical scanning device stood beside the Apex Guild's recruitment booth. A towering Apex Guild official, clad in sleek black armor with golden insignias, held a tablet-like device that displayed the scanned applicants' level and combat data.
Victor watched as one applicant after another placed their hand on the scanner. The machine emitted a soft humming sound, and their levels appeared on the screen for verification.
Most of those in line seemed confident, likely because they had met the level 10 requirement.
Or maybe not.
"You didn't reach level 10. Fail!" the towering guild official said in a cold, ruthless tone.
The young man shivered under the black-armored man's gaze and scurried away without hesitation.
"Hahaha... what a fool! Did he think he could fool the Apex Guild? Ridiculous!"
"Yeah, some people just don't know their limits," Alastor added with a smirk, gazing condescendingly at Raizel as if waiting to see another embarrassing failure.
"Just wait, boss" Jack whispered, his voice dripping with malice. "The moment he places his hand on that scanner, the officials will expose him.
" I am waiting for it.."
Not just them, his former classmates, many curious onlookers, and a few higher officials piqued interest on Raizel.
His poor, tattered clothes, tainted skin, coupled with snow white hair drew their attention. The boy seemed poor, but the temperament and courage he held was something noteworthy.
Meanwhile, his family was anxious as if on hot pans.
Finally, Victor reached the front.
The Apex official in black armour glanced at him with a neutral expression. "Place your hand on the scanner."
Victor exhaled slowly and stepped forward, pressing his palm onto the cool, metallic surface.
The scanner lit up, and for a brief moment, there was silence.
Then—
BEEP!
The screen displayed his level. The official's eyes flicked over the information, his expression unreadable.
"Level 9?" the guild official murmured. "Are you Raizel Ashblade?" he asked.
"Yes," Victor confirmed, meeting the man's intimidating gaze calmly.
The man studied him for a few seconds before declaring,
"You are qualified. Here, fill this out and submit the application quickly."
With that, the man handed a piece of expensive-looking paper to the surprised Victor.
'He just said I'm level 9, right? So how did I qualify?'
Then it hit him.
Kierra.
That little girl must have done something.
'Sigh, Looks like he owed her one more favor.'
As he stepped aside with the application form in hand, sparkling under the light, the onlookers were left stunned and speechless.
"B-Boss..." Jack stammered, glancing nervously at Alastor. "He's really at level 10. We were all wrong."
Alastor's expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he clenched his fists hard, feeling humiliated and ashamed.
He—the favored son of heaven—couldn't even qualify for one of the top five guilds, while this so-called "poor mongrel" had done it as if it were nothing.
It was a slap to his face.
Not just to him, but to everyone who had looked down on Raizel.
The sheer weight of that realization almost crushed their pride.
"H-How?"
They couldn't even comprehend how things had turned out this way.