CHAPTER 83: THE EVALUATION

While the villagers repaired what was left of their village and recovered their resources, the children ran around, dancing and pursuing each other.

Lucien stood on the hill of the field, staring into the distant mountain with a blank expression on his face.

He was still thinking about what had just happened. Somehow, like a play, he really couldn’t log out again and didn’t even know what was going on in reality.

To make things worse, if he died in the game, he was going to die in reality too.

Lucien bent down and clutched his hair, groaning but at the same time stifling the groan.

"Agh! Damn it! Damn it! What exactly is all of this? Who did I offend?! Who just barges into someone’s house and beats someone to death?"

He released his hair and looked up with a suspicious frown.

"Could it be my dad?"

Lucien shook his head.

"He’s a piece of shit, but he’s still my father at the end of the day."

He exhaled and dropped his head. Then a face flashed before his eyes.

"Right!"

There was the person who had spat on his face. Lucien remembered seeing the person somewhere—the long hair and the face were very familiar.

"The bastard even spat on me... I swear I’m going to find him! I owe him at least a good spit in the face."

He sighed again and looked around. He looked at himself and remembered the scenery, how the pain had felt.

"At least... I’m alive."

Then he lowered his head somberly.

"I have to find a way to survive here, though. First, I should contact PinkLashes. It was a good thing she added me as friends on the game... I can explain things to her, and then we’ll meet. Perhaps I’ll be able to get my profits as in-game money... I don’t know if I can trust her... but right now, I don’t have much of a choice... or I could contact Harun..."

Lucien paused and hesitated.

"No."

He didn’t consider Harun a good choice because he felt he’d be bothering the guy yet again.

"PinkLashes has something to gain; Harun doesn’t. So let’s go with PinkLashes."

"What do you keep mumbling to yourself about?"

Gaya uttered as she walked closer to him.

She stood next to him and lowered herself, sitting on the ground while Lucien bent down.

He paused and looked at her with a strange expression, so much light of doubt in his eyes.

"The Great Mage sitting on the floor could be bad for your image, you know?"

Gaya frowned.

"Don’t tell me what to do... Lord Cien."

Lucien looked at her, blinking for a few seconds. Then he chuckled.

"You know you don’t have to call me Lord Cien. You can be... however, whoever you are..."

Gaya’s face reddened.

"Shut up! What do you know?"

Lucien smiled a little.

"Ai ai, I don’t know jack shit."

Gaya stayed silent for a while and turned front. She seemed to want to speak but pursed her lips.

Lucien glanced at her.

"I have a question..."

She turned her head, her facial expression straightening.

Lucien frowned slightly, still looking forward.

"Why?"

Gaya raised a brow.

"Why what?"

"You seem to be going to so much extent for me. Clearly you are powerful, so why do you keep following me?"

Gaya was silent for a couple of minutes, then she narrowed her eyes.

"Because only you can beat him."

Lucien turned and frowned.

"Really, you are still on about that?"

Gaya shook her head.

"You don’t understand. I am not trying to force anything on you, at the end of the day, it is your decision in the end. But I think you deserve to know the truth of the world before making a decision. While this is personal for me, if taken lightly it could spearhead the destruction of both worlds."

Lucien frowned.

"Both worlds?"

Gaya chuckled for a bit.

"Let’s just say, I want to make sure you grow, become strong, I will protect you till you can protect yourself, moreso, the Moonshade, it can’t end just like that, they will definitely come after you."

Lucien sighed.

"Right. The Moonshade."

Both of them went silent for a couple of seconds, before Adrian also joined them.

The moment he was walking towards them on the green field they stood up and both exhaled for a moment before turning.

"We have to report things back."

Adrian looked at Lucien.

"We also have to get Lord Cien’s examination result."

Lucien exhaled.

"Yea. I guess that is long overdue."

’I should do that and fix a meeting with PinkLashes, maybe she can come to me in Rhamira.’

The three of them together went back to the village, bid them farewell, while Gaya promised to check back.

She seemed to have grown somehow tied to Elara, perhaps a master student relationship. Lucien did not know exactly, seemed like a girl thing?

After the farewell, the three of them journeyed back to the Federation and after a couple of hours and tiring walk, they were back in the Adventurer’s guilds.

And again, Lucien and Gayanna were standing before the Guildmaster while Adrian gave the entire report of what had happened.

The Guildmaster took a time to breath. Through the explanation, he had almost at a point felt like he was going to lose his breath because of the things Adrian kept saying.

The stupid boy too would chuckle and laugh shyly as though he had just said something that would leave the jaws of world leaders wide open.

The Guildmaster clutched his hands together on the table. He looked down for a bit, his eyes somewhat spent, energy drained.

"So... you... you are saying Sir Cien here... dealt with the goblins on his own. All of them."

Adrian nodded.

"He dealt with a level 50 Deviant Boss."

The Guildmaster leaned back, and placed his palm above his forehead, he exhaled once more and leaned forward.

"I’m sorry Sir Cien... is it alright with you if we confirm your level?"

Lucien shrugged.

"Level 57 now. Why?"

The Guildmaster’s eyes widened. He tried to speak but it felt as though the words kept breaking before they could make it out.

"I’m sorry... level 57? And you dealt with a monster of level 50? A deviant for that matter?"

Lucien shrugged again.

"I mean, if it means anything I defeated one of level 180, a guardian rank and I wasn’t even level 50 then."

The man trembled.

His eyes were going to fall off their socket, he was gripping his table so hard that the edge he was holding was already fracturing.

"Sir Cien... have you any idea what you are saying right now?"

He glanced at Gaya, still very confused.

’Why are they making so much fuss about it?’

He chuckled shyly for a bit.

"Ah, ah, it really wasn’t easy. It was not like I just came and overpowered the monster and chopped their bodies into pieces or something, there were a lot of things that I did... a lot of preparation before I could eventually defeat them."

The Guildmaster raised his brows.

"Them?"

Lucien nodded.

"Yes. There was a level 80 elder, and there was a level 180 guardian and both of them were kind of troublesome. Even after being defeated the Elder was still difficult to kill. I think it was the bone of a god or something. But either ways, resilient won. But I struggled alright. I’m not going to make it sound like I didn’t, I even almost died several times."

The poor guildmaster, with pale eyes chuckled.

"Ah ah... I’m sure you almost did."

Lucien confirmed, and nodded.

"Yes. Several times I tell you..."

His voice went low.

"And now... I really might die for real."

The Guildmaster looked at him.

"I’m sorry what?"

Lucien shook his head.

"It is nothing. So tell, after all this, do you think I qualify to be a tier 3 adventurer?"

The old man looked at him, his face paler than ever.

"Tier 3? Really?"

Lucien face went low for a bit. He looked genuinely sad.

"Did I not make the cut... I guess my rashness and decision to take care of everything could also be evaluated, that was inconsiderate of me and it could have cost me to lose my teammates if I had, and even myself."

The Guildmaster looked at Lucien with a blank face, blinking.

He leaned forward and smacked the table, causing everything in the room to jolt, even Gayanna.

"Are you serious right now Sir Cien?!!"

Lucien flustered a bit by the sudden slapping of the table, examined the Guildmaster with a strange look in his eyes.

"What? What? Is it that bad? At least I’d qualify for tier 2? Or am I asking for too much?"

The Guildmaster chuckled yet again. He seemed to be short of breath.

He coughed and beat his chest.

"Sir Cien. It seems you really underestimate yourself a lot."

Lucien frowned a little.

"I wouldn’t say that...?"

The man exhaled, his face got stern.

"Well, I will have to evaluate you as tier 5. And I will tell you why."