The lobby hadn’t changed one bit since the last time Dallion was here. Even after spending close to two years in the awakened world, Dallion still felt as if he were entering a bank. Four wooden desks were placed at strategic spots, with doors behind, each occupied by an administrator whose job it was to go through the jobs the guild got and assign them to members. Back when Dallion was part of it, he constantly wore a guild ring with an echo of an admin inside. Several times per day he’d enter the ring realm, to check if he had to drop by the guild.

There was one major difference, though: the reaction of the people. From the moment Dallion walked in, several of the guild members stopped what they were doing and looked in his direction. Some knew him from his time at the guild, the larger part had only heard the rumors.

Newbies, Dallion thought. He recognized the looks of eagerness on their faces.

“Dal!” a loud yell boomed through the room. “You’re back!”

“Heya, Estezol.”

Estezol was the person who had helped Dallion fill in the application forms all that time ago. He was a small, funny man, with an increasingly large beard, who took care of a large part of the practical administration of the place. Officially, he had next to no power. At the time, Dallion had considered him an over-glorified secretary. However, it had soon become obvious that he had far more access than people gave him credit for. In all his time here, Dallion had only seen the guild master, probably twice from a distance; Estezol had weekly talks with him and everyone else of importance within the guild.

“It’s so good to see you!” The bearded man rushed from behind his desk. “So, you’re a hunter now? I’ve been hearing all sorts of rumors. Is it true that you actually fought a dragon on your own?”

“That’s slightly exaggerated.” Dallion smiled. While it was technically true, the creature was a shadow of its former self and weakened to the point that Dallion managed to defeat it. “What’s been going on here? Any new promising newbies?”

“Compared to you?” Estezol laughed. “Not a chance! Hey, how are the Lurs? Any chance they’ll be joining us anytime soon?”

“No idea. I’m… not as close to them as I used to be.”

“Oh…” The man’s smile faded.

“It’s nothing serious. We just have different interests now. They’re working on putting Dherma on the map, and I… Well, you’ve heard the rumors.”

Estezol nodded.

“I heard what happened to Jiroh. Sorry about that. I miss her a lot.”

“I know. She’s fine, though. It’s what she wanted. Anyway, I heard that there might be a job for me.”

“Looking for work here?” Estezol arched a brow. “Don’t you have enough on your plate? Hunters are very in demand lately.”

“Estezol…” Dallion whispered. “I know there’s a job for me. Do you prefer I went home and wait for someone to call me?”

“That’s not necessary,” a female voice said a short distance away. Looking up, Dallion saw a woman wearing full plate armor.

March, Dallion thought.

When he had learned that she had asked for him, there had been a moment during which he hoped that his current level would put him on an equal footing. He couldn’t have been further from the truth. All the experience he’d received, all the achievements, the level increases, even the familiars, and weapons, didn’t seem to have narrowed the gap by an inch. March was considered the golden girl of the guild: a current captain and former imperial soldier, she was the main drive that brought recruits to the guild, and unofficially the third most important Icepicker. She was also probably the only person who walked about in full armor more often than not, even when there was no reason for her to do so.

“You look well, Dallion,” the woman said. “Join me upstairs.”

There was an awkward moment of silence. People stopped pretending to do whatever they were doing and openly followed the exchange.

Good to see that you still have an impact on this place, Nil laughed.

Yeah, Dallion thought. Almost as great an impact as when I quit.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, and followed her upstairs.

The two made their way to the fourth floor.

“There’ve been a few changes I see,” Dallion said as he saw the single metal door. In the past, all of them had been wooden. This one not only was made of a solid alloy, but Dallion could feel that the walls beyond it were as well, making it more vault than room.

“A few changes were needed after your last adventures,” March said calmly. There was no anger in her or her voice, although Dallion could sense lingering traces of disappointment. “Go in.” She pulled the large door open, revealing nothing but darkness inside.

There was a slight moment of hesitation, but ultimately, Dallion did as he was asked. The woman was at least ten levels above him, possibly twenty. That was quite impressive, considering Dallion had reached the mid-fifties; it also meant that she wouldn’t have a problem forcing him inside, if that was her intention.

Slightly on edge, Dallion stepped in. March followed and closed the door. The moment she did, the entire ceiling lit up. No less than a dozen light crystals were visible, all glowing in a bright white light. Given the cost of each so far east, someone in the guild had spent quite a lot of money on this. Though that wasn’t the most astounding thing Dallion witnessed. He had expected to find the world sword in the room. However, he had never seen two side by side.

“Another request from our patron,” March said.

“I didn’t think he’d have two,” Dallion whispered. He had heard of their existence, but he never imagined he’d actually see them.