When I left the room, I saw a furious Jack grabbing someone by the throat and slamming him against the wall. He then walked towards him, picked him back up by his shirt, and pulled him closer.

"So, ya little shit. Do you want to say that again, or are ya too scared?"

The man was trembling, but he still managed to repeat himself, even though he stumbled over his words a few times.

"Like I said! Y-you element less trash! How is it even possible that someone like you is S-Rank? I bet you paid a whole lot of money to the guild, you wealthy bastard!"

Jack was furious. I was ready for the worst. I expected him to rip this guy apart, but he instead shoved him forcefully to the side, slamming him against one of the wooden pillars.

"Now I see how it is." He crouched down to look the guy in the eye. "You're jealous. Ya think that just because I'm elementless, I'm inferior to you. That's just pathetic. But well, a lowly C-Rank like you wouldn't understand how strong I am even if I ripped ya to shreds here and now."

Jack stood back up and turned his back towards the man. "I give ya a piece of advice." He glanced back at the man, and the atmosphere in the room instantly grew tense. A shiver ran down my spine, and it became harder to breathe. I leaned on the reception table for support, struggling not to lose consciousness. It was no different for the other adventures, some had even already collapsed.

Is this bloodlust? This pressure is no joke! What kind of monster is Jack?

With a wild grin, Jack then told him. "Ya can be happy that we are inside the guild. But the next time I see ya, I won't show such mercy like this!" He then burst out into laughter and walked towards me. The man at the pillar went pale and fainted.

The atmosphere inside the room became lighter, and I was finally able to breathe normally again. I took a deep breath and slowly collected myself. Most of the adventurers had already collapsed. I figured that the few who were still standing must have been rather strong.

Jack stopped right before me and let out an impressed whistle.

"I didn't think that you would still be standing. That takes ya, even without training, above these guys here. I guess ya have what ya need?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes, I have this old book." I took the book and showed it to him. "It's a magic guide for beginners. I think this should be enough for now."

Jack nodded in approval. "If ya can learn one or two spells with this, then Tony will surely see your potential!" He turned back and made his way towards the exit. "Come boy! Let's get back to the inn, so you can begin to study!"

I still can't trust him, but it's better to stay by his side for now.

I reluctantly began to follow him, unsure what to think about this situation. Gladly, no one died, but the new face of Jack that I saw today terrified me.

We left the guild without looking back and made our way back to the inn.

On our way back, I started to ask Jack about some things that intrigued me.

"Say Jack, what is an element-less mage?"

Jack looked at me, and I immediately became worried that I might have said something wrong. But luckily, he simply looked up into the sky and began thinking while stroking his beard. After a short while, he then began explaining as best as he could.

"Ya know, every mage is born with an element. But in some cases, one is born without one. Those are called element-less mages. I'm one of them. But even though I can't use an element, that doesn't mean that I'm weak. In exchange for not having an element, my body is stronger than normal, and my enhancement magic is on a much higher level than that of a normal mage. But I guess an example would be better."

He stopped and began scanning the area. When his eyes landed on something, he promptly walked towards it, coming to a halt directly in front of a tree.

"Watch closely" Clenching his fist and taking a deep breath, he took a mighty swing at the tree, breaking it in half. Splinters of the tree flew everywhere at a rapid speed, and the other half of the tree was launched a couple of meters away before it collided with another tree, causing a loud crash.

He then slowly walked back to me with a proud face. "That's just a small portion of what I can do, even without strengthening myself with magic So what do ya think?."

I was speechless, to say the least. Even though I knew nothing about this world, my gut told me that this was something a normal mage shouldn't be able to do without using magic. 

"Can every mage do something like this?"

"If he is at least a Circle 4 mage and proficient in enhancement magic, then yes. Without enhancement magic, then no."

"A circle 5 mage?"

Jack sighted. "Read that book of yours, I can't explain everything to ya." He looked slightly annoyed.

"Then at least tell me the difference between a C-Rank and a S-Rank."

Jack put his hand inside his pocket and pulled out something that looked like a card.

"When you register yourself with the guild, you get something like this, a guild card. You start at the bottom as an E-Rank and can work your way up to an S-Rank. The higher the rank, the higher the rewards and the more difficult the quests. So S-Rank is the highest rank, and C-Rank is the norm. Everyone inside the Guild today was at least C-Rank"

I began to think. "So, when you said that I'm above those guys...."

Jack interrupted me and gave me a slap on the back. "Then I meant that with good training, you could easily surpass B-Rank in one or two years! Bahahaha!"

I scratched the back of my head, slightly embarrassed. 

"Do you really think I have this much potential?"

Jack looked at me, confused. "Ofcourse. If I hadn't thought that, I would have let ya die inside the forest! Bahahaha!"

Jack stood there, laughing like he had made the best joke of his life. I just laughed with him nervously and tried to ignore the bad feeling I had.