The entire guild hall shook, glasses on the table began to crack, the sound of thunder rumbled, dark clouds loomed outside the guild.

“Derr.. deer.. derr,” the sound of lightning struck outside.

The wooden guild door creaked open and cracked.

“Kreeek,” the sound of splintering wood.

Then came the sound of heavy, terrifying footsteps.

“Dumm.. dumm.. dumm,” loud stomps echoed from the entrance.

A tall and burly man appeared, wearing a tattered black cloak and clothes—a sign of tremendous battles. He carried no sword, only bare fists wrapped in metal.

The man walked toward Silvia. As he moved, everyone stepped aside instinctively, leaving only Syura standing in front of the registration desk.

“Welcome back, Gyuta.”

“The strongest person in this guild,” Silvia said.

The guild fell silent. Even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly, then Gyuta began to speak in a deep, intimidating voice.

“I have failed… to complete that mission,” he said in a heavy tone, his gaze sharp and piercing like a blade to the chest.

Silvia was shocked, so much so that she stood up, her body trembling.

“T-th-that’s impossible!”

“You’re a G+ rank!”

“The peak rank of all…”

“The peak of power,” Silvia said, sweat dripping, her body shaking.

Syura, with an innocent look and an apologetic face, asked softly and politely while looking up at Gyuta,

“S-s-sorry, may I ask what mission that was, Sir Gyuta?” he asked innocently.

Gyuta looked at Syura and placed a hand on his head. He used a teleportation skill—something only those of G+ rank could master.

“I can’t explain it in detail, but… see for yourself,” he said deeply.

Gyuta raised his hand above Syura’s head.

“Wooose.” Gyuta and Syura vanished in an instant.

Gyuta and Syura arrived at the mission site. From afar, they observed the surroundings.

“Now open your eyes,” Gyuta said in his heavy voice.

When Syura opened his eyes, he saw from a distance a massive black dragon with incredibly thick scales. But not only that—on top of the dragon’s head was a figure clad in white armor and a black cloak, holding a long sword.

“This mission is called… the Millennium Mission.”

“A mission no one has ever been able to complete,” Gyuta said gravely.

He raised his hand again and placed it on Syura’s shoulder. He teleported once more.

“Wooose.” Gyuta and Syura disappeared.

They returned to the guild, landing right in front of the registration desk where they first teleported.

“What did you just see, Syura?” Silvia asked in a trembling voice.

“Let me explain it later.”

“For now, I want to go to the top floor. To meet Master Drake,” Gyuta said in his usual deep tone.

Gyuta left the registration area and headed for the stairs. Before stepping onto the first step, he looked back slightly.

“Your name was Syura, right?”

“Climb to the top… and fight him,” Gyuta said heavily.

The guild was silent, not a sound. A light flickered once. A heavy, tense atmosphere hung in the air—until, once again, Syura said something ridiculous.

“G+? No. I’ll surpass all of that.”

“I’ll even surpass you.”

“From now on… we’re rivals,” he said, his eyes blazing with fire.

Right after he said that, the guild room was crushed by intense gravity. Gyuta released a thick black aura. His cloak rose as if caught by wind, and his hands burned with a mixture of black and white aura. Then, in a flash, faster than anyone could see, Gyuta was suddenly right in front of Syura.

“I’ll be waiting for that moment to come,” he said, deeper than ever.

Then…

The gravity returned to normal. Gyuta vanished from Syura’s sight, teleporting to the top floor.

Without saying anything, Syura left the registration area and walked toward the exit.

The guild was still silent. Only Syura’s footsteps echoed. Only the sound of the cracked door opening was heard.

“Tapp… tapp… tapp.” Syura’s footsteps faded from the registration desk.

“Krekkk,” the sound of the door opening as Syura left.