Only Wisdom Awakened

Chapter 39: Fiery

The next morning, the early sunlight painted the sky with a gentle red hue, casting a beautiful view from the window of Hans's flat.

He stirred shortly after, the allure of the sunrise quickly fading as Hans sipped his coffee and took a shower.

By the time he finally left the apartment, the sky was covered in gray clouds and a chilling wind swept through the few people that stood in the lonely streets.

Hans was one among these few people and step after step, he boarded on the city bus and settled on the uncomfortable seats.

Despite having already taken the written exam and applied for it, his driver's license was yet to be issued and he still needed to pass a practical test.

So for now, he had no option but to go around like this.

The bus speaker announced: [Next stop, "Greenfield train station"]

This was one of Chicago's largest train stations and also the district that housed one of the three big guilds: the Blaze Guild.

Hans got down from the bus and walked a bit before finding himself in front of an imposing building. Unlike the Vortex guild's towering structure, this building sprawled horizontally, its size more pronounced than in height.

Entering the building, the young man was once again greeted by an incredible sense of tranquility and despite the occasional cluster of people gathered here and there to watch a battle or a duel, it was still harmonious.

But what truly stood out the most and captured his attention was high up above Hans's head, the rooftop.

The ceiling was built entirely out of glass panels and it wasn't in just any plain shape like normal roofs, instead, it was unique, crafted in such a manner that it resembled the shape of fractured waves.

The sunlight filtering through this strange roof's structure created the enchanting illusion of being underwater.

It was truly a sight to behold.

The moment he arrived at the gate, an assistant approached to greet him and guided him directly to the Guildmaster's office.

It seemed like even for information from the inside of one of the three guilds, it would be difficult not to reach the ears of the other two.

Rumors of his visit to the Vortex guild had likely reached the Blaze guild's master.

The assistant who had escorted him until then stopped before a dark wooden door with a golden tag on it.

Written in black on the golden tag was: [Sophia Lewis]

"Come in."

An authoritative female voice came from the other side.

Hearing the response, he grabbed the door's cold handle and pushed it down, opening it.

As he did so, Hans was greeted by a woman, reclining on a low chair.

The woman's hair was bright red and so were her eyes and was dressed in a top and some trousers, revealing a portion of her abs.

Although she could not be called particularly young, she definitely was not old.

Her muscles were neatly toned and defined, showing a body that belonged more to a man than to a woman.

Even if relaxed, she gave off the feeling of being a predator.

Though it was not at the same level as the one showed by Benjamin, Sophia Lewis's aura was intimidating and contrary to the Vortex guild's master's, her aura was always active, deterring everyone around her except for a few high officials of the guild and the vice-guild master who could withstand it, making her unapproachable by all the other members.

Her hair was unkempt and even her chaotic stance gave off the feeling of the presence of a wild beast.

At that moment, Hans recalled Garrison's words which described the woman who was before him right now, "If you do manage to convince Benjamin, the next person you want to aim for is Sophia. She is an unpredictable wild beast and I have no idea as to what she could ask from you."

"But I know one thing for sure, that woman is obsessed with strength if you manage to show off a bit in front of her, it'll be more than useful."

"The things you have to be wary of while you're around her are many: your first worry however, has to be about your artifacts and equipment."

"Of the numerous things she is known for, being a freak over treasure is one of the most widely known among the hunters."

"If you have a treasure, definitely do not try to flaunt it in her presence, or else you won't be able to hold it till tomorrow."

"That ring the association has crafted for you... I think it could be used as a bargaining chip to bring her on our side, so be ready to give it up."

'No way I'll do that,' Hans thought, remembering how much he had to suffer in order to get the ring.

Having nearly lost his life battling that moon python, handing it away to someone for free was definitely not a part of Hans' plan.

But it would depend on how the situation turns out.

Hans sat in front of the woman, who did nothing but have her gaze fixated on him, after that she scanned him from chest to abdomen before her gaze lingered on the golden flaming ring adorning Hans's right hand.

A smile flickered across her face, her eyes greedy as they glared at the glinting reflection of the light from the golden accessory.

Her avarice seemed so boundless that she had started salivating, akin to a lioness eyeing her prey.

Sensing her unsettling stare, Hans raised his finger, the one adorned with the jewelry close to his face, drawing the other side's attention back to him.

"I heard that you have come here to ask a favor. Is it to crush those Vortex bastards? I'd love to do that," she inquired.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no," Hans replied, eliciting a click of annoyance from Sophia.

"Tch."

"What have you come here for then?" the woman pressed.

"I am not here to ask for a favor today. I'll leave after getting your authorization to proceed without interference from the Blaze guild in a certain matter," Hans clarified.

"Hoho, let me hear about it," Sophia urged.

"Logan Harris. I plan on firing him," Hans stated.

Sophia's gaze intensified, staring even more carefully at Hans, who in reply just specified, "About the incident that happened three years ago, nothing will be revealed, I can assure you."

"I can't risk my guild's reputation on a promise from a mere kid. How do I know that it won't be leaked by him after getting fired?" she countered.

"Removing him from his position would mean unleashing a crazy dog that was chained by his work loose. It would do more harm than good. Go back, you won't have my support," she declared.

To what sounded like the conclusion of the meeting, Hans added one last phrase that reopened the conversation, "I'm certainly not planning... on letting a mad dog run crazy."

The moment the woman heard Hans' words, her expression shifted as if she had deducted something from them. Unable to contain it inside, she muttered, "Does that mean.."

Hans confirmed, finishing the phrase, "Yes, Logan Harris will meet his demise under 'unidentified' circumstances the day after his retirement."

She took a moment to process what she had just heard before finally coming up with a proposal.

"Me and my guild won't butt in your business, but under one condition," she stipulated.

"You see, my fighting style just happens to be centered on fire and it seems to me that you are in possession of something really... special."

Her greedy eyes traced Hans's hand, more precisely, his blood eye ring that shone as bright as a star in her mind.

"Are you planning to rob someone in broad daylight?!" Hans asked, hiding the artifact with his other hand.

"No, no. I'm not going to request it, but I'll bet with you, how about it."

Hans didn't respond, letting her speak, "If you win, I'll just promise to take your side without receiving anything in exchange, but if you lose, I'll take that beautiful piece. Are you in?"

"Can you first tell me about what we are going to bet on?"

The woman grinned, "Oh it's nothing much, as the new branch leader, you must be pretty formidable, right? How about proving it?"

Her aura expanded even more, becoming on par with that of Benjamin's.

Though Hans had already experienced it, this time felt different. The first time, he felt as if he was about to die from a sudden slash, but this time, he felt like his body was slowly melting under the aura, akin to being placed in pure magma.

"Don't tell me that... I'll have to fight you," Hans muttered under his breath.

[Name: Sophia Lewis

Age: 37

Lvl: 229

Class: Fiery Fighter

Strength: 383

Agility: 209

Endurance: 255

Wisdom: 31

Class skills:

{Fiery Greatswordsmanship (Rare)

Description: Fiery swordsmanship which allows the user to embed their great sword with fire, enhancing the blows' power and damage, if not resisted, the target hit by this skill will be under the status effect: {Burn}}

{Fiery Path (Rare) (PASSIVE)

Effect: The user's mana mutates to the fire attribute, becoming more violent and hot, melting whatever comes in its path.}

Description: A strong-willed woman who revels in combat, currently too formidable for the host to confront.

Evaluation: high Rank-A.]