It wasn't just Olvia who was surprised, but also the other members. They didn't understand why Klaus excluded the only A-Class woman in Rays of Hope. Regarding statistics and abilities, Olivia was an awakener with above-average skills. Of course, this raised a question.
Olivia snorted. "Is it because I'm not a regular guild member, so you're not giving me one?"
Klaus shook his head. "That's not the reason. You just won't get anything."
"What!?" Olivia furrowed her brow, unable to believe what she had just heard.
Suddenly, she laughed bitterly. The guild members around her twisted their faces in confusion.
Her laughter implied irony. Olivia had been through a lot during her career as an awakener, from being underestimated by her peers to being kicked out of the guild. Of all the bad things that happened to her, being mistreated was the thing she hated the most.
Not long before, the exotic-skinned woman gave Klaus a sharp look.
Hissing, she said, "Then because of what? Is it because I was kicked out of the guild? Is it because of our past troubles? Just tell me, why are you doing this to me! I've even become good friends with your younger sister. I also work hard despite my wages here. What exactly did I do wrong? Don't tell me you're doing all this just to humiliate me!"
While the exotic-skinned woman was erupted, the people around her were silent as they lowered their shoulders. They felt guilty and sympathetic at the same time. The person who felt this most was Joanna. She bowed her head in regret.
In contrast to Olivia, Klaus remained quiet. His face looked as calm as the water on the surface of a lake. He knew that Olivia could not maintain her emotions, so he let her let out all her anger.
"Just tell me, what did I do wrong?" Olivia ended her outburst with this word.
They both stared at each other for a moment. Silence enveloped them as the tension began to calm. Then, Klaus sighed.
"You really want to know why I didn't give you artificial arcana?"
Squeezing her hands, Olivia prepared herself to hear the truth. "Yes, I want to know."
Klaus nodded. "It's because you are hopeless."
Naturally, Olivia furrowed her eyebrows in anger.
Klaus didn't want to tell her this in front of his men, but she wanted the truth, so he gave her what she wanted.
He told Olivia that she was incompetent.
Justin always sent the guild members' performance data to Klaus, so the owner could monitor his men, even though he rarely visited the guild. Klaus saw all the data of every member without exception.
When he saw Olivia's data, he always sighed heavily. The girl showed no signs of progress over the past few months since she joined Rays of Hope. She could not kill monsters and used [Telekinesis] more often than her sword skills.
The quality of an A-Class awakener with unique abilities and strong elemental affinity did not make one better. That person had to contribute. And Olivia, with her qualification, didn't contribute much to the Rays of Hope.
"Why would I give arcana to an awakener who can't kill a monster? Even if I give you one, you can't use it to its full potential. "
"Then why did you recruit me after you learned that fact? Do you think I'm a joke?" she asked in a bitter tone.
Klaus shook his head. "Nope. It's because I owe a lot to Julia Winston, your mother. Without her, I might have a hard time finding investors to revive SoHo."
Olivia bit her lip, silent in shame. She didn't know whether to smile or cry.
On the other hand, the rest guild members felt sorry for Olivia. Justin, as the guild master, felt guilty for her. He couldn't get one of his men to improve even though he met her every day. Even Sylvia, who disliked Olivia, also felt bad for her now.
The red-haired woman then approached Klaus, trying to persuade him to give Olivia a chance.
"I think you need to give her a chance," the red-haired woman said. "I've been watching Olivia train hard. She can learn and keep getting better."
Klaus raised his eyebrows. "Don't joke, Sylvia. I've given her a chance since I took her to Rays of Hope, and it's generous of me to let her stay here. She has to show me the results."
Sylvia bit her lip. "At least appreciate the hard work. The process will never betray the result."
Klaus laughed. "It's a work, Sylvia. Not a school. Results come first. I don't know how, but you must contribute significantly to the guild. Especially with such high qualifications as the A-Class."
Instantly, Sylvia fell silent. She knew no one could change his mind after he made his decision.
Akio and Michael approached Olivia. They both could only stand next to her to comfort her.
Feeling the atmosphere become heavy, Klaus saw people strangely looking at him. Then, he decided to end his business here.
"That's all I have to say. Back to work."
Having said so, he turned around and walked out of the training hall. Sheila followed suit, as did the group of Mors Industries employees. Klaus left them in a bad mood.
He knew his actions would probably make the guild members hate him. But he didn't care. In the end, he could not please anyone, even if he tried.
"What a troublesome day," Klaus muttered.
As they walked down the exit, a group of men in black suits walked past them. The man standing at the front was a very familiar figure to Klaus. White hair and brown skin like a sunburn—Director Logan.
Of course, Logan's appearance did not make Klaus happy.
"Klaus! I haven't seen you in a while. I've been dying to see you for past few months, but your secretary always says you're busy."
Director Logan gave Sheila a displeased look while she tried to maintain a fake smile.
Klaus nodded. "Yeah, Director Logan. I've been too busy taking care of the Elemental Gun. You know, I've been swamped."
"That's fine. But since you're here, you have some free time to chat, right?"
Klaus had always refused Director Logan's calls or requests to meet. Without having to ask what his reason was, Klaus knew that the cunning man wanted a long-term cooperation contract with Mors Industries, just like the Divine Ursine Alliance.
Klaus could not continue to refuse him. He might need the Awakener Association's help someday, even if he had already obtained exclusive raid rights to the dungeon.
"Sure," Klaus replied.
Director Logan smiled. "Thank you. Your guild master's office might be a convenient place to chat. And I have something to discuss with that former celebrity too."
Klaus raised his eyebrows. "Of course."
...
The sun streamed through the window, illuminating the entire minimalist office with soft shades. Klaus sat on the sofa, facing director Logan. While they stared at each other, Justin sat between them like a duck.
"So, what are we talking about?" Justin opened the subject before it got any weirder.
Director Logan smiled. "I'm glad you're a straightforward person, Justin."
The gray-haired man took a brown envelope from his coat pocket and placed it on the table. A curious look appeared on Justin and Klaus' faces.
"What's this?" asked Justin.
"You'd better open it."
Opening the brown envelope, Justin pulled out the photos from inside. His eyes opened wide as he looked at them as if witnessing something shocking. He then handed them to Klaus.
After seeing the contents of the photos, Klaus understood why Justin's reaction was like that.
"Is it... Wyvern?"
"Yes."
Wyverns were legendary creatures similar to dragons but had some differences in appearance. These monsters were usually depicted with two legs and a pair of giant wings that served as a means of flight. They also had a long tail with a sharp or poisonous tip.
These smaller versions of dragons were high-class creatures and could only be found in orange dungeon.
"Why did you give it to us?" asked Justin curiously.
"The question isn't why I gave you the pictures, but where I took the pictures of the wyvern."
Justin frowned. "Don't tell me it was taken from outside the dungeon."
"Yeah, you're right. We took a picture of the wyvern from the Atlantic Ocean."
One day ago, a navy patrol ship rescued a fishing crew floating for two days. When the sailors rescued him, he said that the fishing boat he was on was attacked by a monster.
A monster that comes out from roaming the Earth, then it could be concluded that a dungeon break occurred.
The problem was the location of the rift was unknown. If the rift continued to be left open, there was a chance that hundreds of other wyverns would storm to Earth. Millions of lives would be lost if the rift was not closed immediately.
