The Invincible Young Master

Suddenly, the door to the guildhall swung open with a loud knock. A group clad in white armor entered, covered from head to toe, with only their sharp eyes visible. Following behind them, another group entered, led by a tall, muscular man. They wore red armor plates and marched with a disciplined uniformity.

Those still present in the guildhall began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Hey, why is the city lord here with the soldiers?" a man whispered, staring at the muscular man in red armor.

"Yeah, what are they doing here?" another wondered aloud.

"And who are those people in white armor?"

While the whispers continued, the two groups disappeared behind a door, leaving the guildhall empty once again.

A few moments later, the receptionist's voice resounded in the hall. "Those with tokens for the joint task, please enter the meeting hall."

Hearing her announcement, a few of the seated people stood up. They appeared aged, experienced, people. Leon, too, stood up and made his way toward the door the groups had disappeared behind.

As Leon entered the meeting hall, he noticed, despite this building being in the desert, it had a grand design—high ceilings adorned with intricate carvings, and walls lined with antique ornaments.

The room was illuminated by an elaborate chandelier hanging in the center, its crystals refracting the light into a myriad of colors.

A large round table stood in the middle, with the city lord and the armored soldiers standing at the edges, their gazes fixed on the center of the round table.

Leon, also, shifted his gaze toward the center of the table and noticed the round table wasn't just any ordinary furniture. There was a faint projection on the table, with small hills and other details. Seeing the city marked on the projection, he realized this was a map of the desert.

"Welcome," the city lord began, his deep voice echoing through the hall. "We have gathered here to discuss a matter of great importance."

Leon stood with the others, his curiosity piqued. The city lord gestured to the group in white armor. "These white-armored warriors are visitors from afar. They have come here to help us in our perilous situation."

One of the white-armored soldiers, clearly the leader, stepped forward, removing his helmet to reveal a princely man with golden hair and piercing green eyes.

The man pointed at the projection map on the round table and began. "Our research team has calculated the emergence of a ruin to the east of the city. From the fluctuations, we've determined this is an intermediate class ruin."

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"An intermediate class ruin…" Leon muttered under his breath.
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Murmurs spread through the room as the city lord continued, "The reward for this task is ten thousand gold coins per participant. We require skilled warriors and experienced mercenaries to join us in this perilous expedition to eradicate the threat. This is not a task for the faint-hearted. Only those who meet the requirements should proceed."

Hearing about the Intermediate class ruin, Leon felt a surge of determination. He knew this task would be dangerous, but the promise of gold and the chance to see inside an intermediate-class ruin was too enticing to pass up. He glanced around at the other participants, noting the resolve in their eyes.

The city lord addressed them once more, "If you are willing to join this expedition, prepare yourselves. We will depart tonight."

Upon learning the details of the task, those initially determined experienced a slight change of heart. However, despite their hesitation, they couldn't let go of the temptation and chose to participate in the expedition.

Leon, now, understood why they planned this meeting at night. Marching during the day under the scorching desert sun would be inconvenient; traveling at night was a more practical choice.

"Does anyone have any inquiries?" asked the city lord, his gaze scanning the crowd.

A man with a grizzled beard and a scar across his cheek stepped forward. "What kind of threats are we expecting in this expedition?"

The city lord responded, "We anticipate encountering dark beings that have been plaguing these ruins and other corrupted beings. These creatures are formidable and will require teamwork and strategy to overcome."

A bald old man raised his hand. "What's the duration of this mission?"

"We estimate the mission will take two to three days, depending on the challenges we face," the city lord replied. "We will provide provisions and supplies for the journey."

"I also want to ask something," Leon suddenly raised his hand.

"What is it?" asked the city lord.

"How did the city lord know there would be a ruin emerging in this desert?" asked Leon, curious. From what he knew, It was impossible to track the ruin's emergence; one could only wait for them to emerge naturally.

"It's true, there aren't any tools or magic to foresee the emergence of ruins," replied the golden-haired man. "However, it's not entirely impossible to intercept their emergence by observing natural phenomena such as desert storms, earthquakes, and shifts in land formation."

Leon thought for a moment and nodded, finding the response reasonable. "I see."

This explanation was plausible; otherwise, they would have to wait for the miasma to spread over a large area before locating the ruins. By then, the surroundings would be contaminated, and beasts would be corrupted, making it harder for people to conquer the ruins.

"What a curious fellow," the white-armored captain remarked, staring at Leon. "Are you a traveler?"

"Yes," nodded Leon.

"What's your name?" asked the white-armored captain.

"Leon," he replied.

"Hmm." The man nodded, holding his chin as if in contemplation. "That's a good name, synonymous with bravery."

"I am Dwight Reynold," the man introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."