"I really thought you all chose to enter because of Suzaku guild's old reputation," the hunter, who was a fan of Suzaku, replied.
"Hah, that is just hype. I admit many owe them their lives for how they operated in the past.
But let's be real here; who will join a new emerging guild without a real reward? You know how competitive the rewards for other guilds are."
"No matter what reward they give, nothing beats the possibility of becoming stronger," Belmond said with a grin.
The other hunters also agreed with what Belmond said.
Contrary to other guilds, since the Suzaku is focusing more on the academy, the rewards they offer for new hunters are just average.
Alex and the others didn't know about it, but the biggest reason they got so many applicants was because of the rumor that they bought the magic cultivation system.
As for the one responsible for spreading the rumor, Alex and the others would find out in the future.
The dragon-like lightning exploded, leaving behind a deep crater on the ground.
Zold landed in the area, seeing the robot's scattered parts. The red eyes were still flickering, but Zold threw his dagger, which was coated with electricity, to make sure it was completely destroyed.
After making sure it was dead, Zold left to let the association take care of the mess.
Usually, they should have a priority to take the loot for the successful mission, but the only loot existing is banned technology, leaving them with just money.
Unfortunately, little did Zold know the robot was not really dead. After he left, something started coming out of his head. It looked like a mechanical worm. The worm then tried to dig underground to escape, but before it succeeded, a figure appeared and picked it up.
Seeing the grin on the man's face, the mechanical worm struggled, but it was useless. An invisible power then sucked the worm, and the next thing it knew, it was in utter darkness.
Meanwhile, Alex was now sparring with MingYue. Her broken sword had been repaired by Alex, so she was trying it now.
The sword gave MingYue a unique feeling since it was now carved with runes that enhanced her ice element.
Her movements were swift and agile as the sword clashed with the hammer non-stop.
Each clash created a spark of steam as fire met up with ice.
"You have improved," MingYue commented. She compared his performance with the last time they sparred together.
"Of course, I learn things quickly."
"Don't get conceited. There is still much to learn."
"I could say the same to you, too," Alex said with a chuckle.
He then tried his new movement. Kicking his feet on the ground, a firewall appeared, blocking MingYue's gaze.
MingYue slashed forward, using her ice to douse it down, resulting in a huge amount of steam.
But the next moment, she felt an attack from behind. MingYue looked back, parrying the attack, only to find out it was something like a projectile.
Realizing what happened, she looked upward and saw Alex pointing his hammer with a grin. MingYue could continue to counter-attack, but doing that would go further than just normal sparring.
"That is a good move."
Alex landed on the ground, not responding to her praise. "Well, how about the sword? If it's working for you, I should modify the other one too."
MingYue slashed the sword a few times more. After Alex's modification, she felt it was easier to infuse energy into it.
The conversion was also far smoother. Usually, she needed to convert her qi to ice energy before infusing it into the sword. Now she could just directly infuse qi.
Responding to Alex, she threw her other sword at him. "How long will it take?"
"Won't be long since I already know what to do. The first time took half a day because I was experimenting on the staff."
"Why do you want to go shopping again?" Alex asked with a teasing tone.
Lately, MingYue has often gone out with Emily. Alex didn't know where she went in detail, but he suspected it was the mall.
"Who said I am going shopping? Your sister just brought me to some restaurant in the city."
"I see," Alex replied, realizing that made more sense than shopping. "In that case, how about I bring you somewhere? The place has a good view. I can then cook for you."
MingYue considered for a moment before replying. "Don't you need to modify the sword?"
"As I said, it won't take long now." After saying this, Alex moved and put the sword on top of the table. Green particles started coming out from his fingers as he moved with proficiency, carving new runes.
"The other sword took far longer as I also needed to repair it. This one, I just need to carve a rune formation on the sword."
It didn't take Alex five minutes to finish everything.
"You really improve so quickly. It's not even a month since you learned how to use runes from Vesa."
"My ability has its perks. If only I could use it directly in real combat, I am sure I would be almost invincible."
"So you say you can beat a progenitor alone if you can use it effectively?" MingYue asked with a chuckle.
"Of course not. I just mean invincible. I knew I couldn't beat the enemy and ran away as fast as possible.
Just think about it, a progenitor or being above that level, I am sure they could easily disguise themselves to us. If I use my ability, I should be able to figure them out."
"You think that is enough to break their disguise?
As you said, a being at that level could easily disguise themselves, and they probably have many methods to make sure no one could find out the truth."
Alex put his finger on his chin, tapping it multiple times, "Fine, you are right, I overestimated my ability.
But I am still sure that if an enemy is only a little bit stronger than me, I will be able to defeat them. Anyway, your sword is finished. Take it."