115(1) – Something!

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PART 1 – Decisions!

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For Anna, her reunion with Skarla wasn't what she expected.

She anticipated something more emotional, perhaps a more aggressive tone, even a touch of humiliation. But it was a simple interaction, as if they were two people who had just met.

This showed that Skarla is willing to restart their relationship. This made Anna happy, but unfortunately, her usefulness to Skarla is practically nonexistent.

She thought about how to be useful. But even after finishing her basic studies, she doesn't feel capable of great intellectual feats, and even with Internal Energy Cultivation, she doubts she'll reach a worthwhile level.

But she needs to become a Legend first. The cultivation rejuvenated her, but didn't significantly increase her life expectancy; it only gave her a suitable body to perform at her best even in old age, delaying the consequences as much as possible.

If she wants a chance, to stop racing against time, she needs to become a Legend, where her life expectancy will be greatly extended.

Considering Skarla's national speech almost two years ago, she has about 18 years left until Skarla steps down from government leadership.

So what is Anna's objective in all this? Why is she so obsessed with pursuing Skarla?

Is this love? Unlikely. At most, Anna has some sexual interest in her, nothing like love.

But what is love? There's no such thing as love at first sight; at most, it's a strong sexual attraction. True love is something nurtured over time, provided both parties like each other at least minimally.

Love is appreciating the other person, their successes and failures. So Anna doesn't love Skarla, but she desires her and also yearns for her for selfish reasons. Not because of how strong Skarla is or all the wealth she possesses; Anna was interested in her long before that.

It's just that now, Anna, who lost everything because of her faith, giving up so many opportunities, doesn't want to lose anything else. Skarla is the greatest example of her loss. She could be by her side now, she's sure of it. Having her children, feeling proud of what she achieved.

Instead, she spent decades rotting in a monastery. It was only when Skarla struck the point that Anna felt alive, felt hope, opportunities, and she decided she would seize them with all her might.

That's why she's here, that's why she so desperately wants to prove herself worthy and capable. That's why she wants Skarla. She just doesn't want to lose anything else she considers important.

……

Anna prepared to join the Adventurers' Guild, which is managed by Lohan Verona, Skarla's eldest son.

She learned that it's an independent organization not connected to any government, following strict rules that were specifically negotiated with each existing nation.

Adventurers' Guilds are central hubs for capable and talented individuals seeking opportunities for growth, but without having to submit to nobles or pay exorbitant amounts of gold for ultimately little return.

Adventurers of old had to rely on their natural strength and self-learning, or be taught by veterans who did so in exchange for favors or large sums of money. But the secrets to the best techniques, magical knowledge, etc., were found within noble families or magical towers.

In other words, the powerful held the knowledge to remain powerful and generate even more powerful individuals. But the cost of this was servitude or burdensome contracts.

That's why adventurers of the past were so "weak," because they were too simple.

But now, the Adventurers' Guild has training programs that teach various techniques that can become important active skills, not to mention the knowledge to unlock various passive skills or even generate talents.

It goes without saying that the Adventurers' Guild is highly valued among the common people, and being an independent entity protected by individuals of extremely high power, it grants the organization even more independence.

Of course, there were many nations that didn't want to implement such a thing; they wouldn't have control over it. Even if they wanted to be on good terms with Skarla, it would take too much power away from her.

But they had no choice but to accept. The world is changing, its size is increasing, new wild lands are emerging, the level of monsters is increasing, along with their numbers, not to mention the existence of higher-level Dungeons.

In the early years, they believed they could handle it without problems, and in fact, they managed to control the Dungeons. As for the monsters in the jungle? They left that to the lords of villages and cities to deal with.

But the worst thing one can do is compare. They compared what happened in their lands with those that accepted the Adventurers' Guild. They compared their management to that of the more organized system, from group formation and sending adventurers to delivering rewards.

Finally, and most importantly, these Adventurers were the true elite compared to their predecessors. And the Guild's fame spread so widely that it reached the ears of independent adventurers, as well as the common, but talented, people.

They dreamed of being strong, so they did everything to join the Adventurers' Guild. Many governments tried to stop them, but the moment they were registered, they were protected by the guild, and no king or emperor could reverse that.

And so these nations found themselves losing talent, where managing the lands became more complicated without capable warriors. This forced many nations to accept, as the nobles were under immense pressure.

And when the Adventurers' Guild was implemented, the result was instantaneous.

Thus, the Adventurers' Guild is constantly expanding, and according to rumors, they are gathering excursion groups to explore new continents and unknown lands, searching for their treasures; the pay and opportunities are limitless.

…

Anna went to the Adventurers' Guild and registered without complications.

“Anna?” – A cheerful and familiar voice sounded. Anna looked and saw that it was Lina.

“…Lina?” – She asked.

“It’s me. I didn’t expect to find you here, it’s great to see you.” – Lina laughed while on her chest was an orange emblem, indicating that she was a Legendary Level Adventurer (21~40), but she didn’t have any rank.

The Adventurers' Guild classifies its adventurers in two ways: their overall power level, then their degree of contribution to the guild. Being strong gives you advantages in the eyes of the world, but it’s irrelevant to the guild; it only helps to give you missions more suited to your level. Ranks are what truly matter. With higher ranks, you get better discounts, access to guild associates who craft custom items, among other benefits that are difficult to quantify on paper.

“Oh, a gold emblem?” – Lina sees the emblem on Anna's chest and smiles.

Gold indicates Master Level (16~20). – “I see you've just started too.”

“Yes. I finished my studies and I feel comfortable following this path.” – Anna smiles slightly.

“That's good.” – Lina smiles. – “What do you think about forming a team?”

“Team? But you're a Legend…” – Anna blinks. – “There are others out there, why not join them?” – There are literally others with orange emblems.

“I don't like them.” – Lina shrugs. – “And you have a relationship with Skarla, just like me. I think that’s enough for us to help each other. If you weren’t at least somewhat trustworthy, Skarla wouldn’t give you a second chance.”

“…are you sure? The difference in our levels is too great, I could drag you down.” – Anna said worriedly.

“I don’t care, besides, I haven’t been in this world for very long, I still have a lot to learn, my common sense isn’t very good. I think it’s better to interact with someone who knows my situation than strangers who may or may not be trustworthy. And when they find out I’m friends with Skarla, it’s going to be a headache.” – Lina rolls her eyes.

Anna hesitated, but in the end she accepted and so they would form a team. – “Can you be the leader?” – Lina asks.

“What?! But you’re the strongest…” – Anna blinks confused.

“I’m terrible at leading. Every time I’ve led in the past, allies always died. I’m impulsive, crazy, selfish, arrogant… what else have they called me?” – Lina seemed thoughtful. – “Well, I’m terrible at making decisions, I’m better at following instructions or working alone, but I don’t want to be alone…”

Anna noticed something in her tone. – “Do you want to talk about it?” – She asked.

“…I don’t want to go into details, especially since we’re only exchanging words today, but I’ve lived alone for a long time. I’m just tired and I want to have allies I can trust. I had that with Skarla and Zenyo, but it wasn’t the kind of dynamic I would choose a second time. So I want to experience new things in this life.”

Anna nodded, understanding. – “Okay… I was a Paladin and I was trained to lead, I also took care of a monastery for a few decades.”

“So besides having leadership skills, you know about finance? Perfect!” – Lina laughed happily and they went to finalize the team registration. In a short time, the first mission was accepted.

A mission that requires up to 3 Master-level individuals. Lina is anxious and Anna is apprehensive, but still excited.