"Wait! Cian, you're new here. You have no idea what an S-Class Mission entails!"
Elfman dragged Cian into a corner, his voice a frantic whisper. He was desperate to stop the rookie from making a fatal mistake. He couldn't bear the thought of losing another comrade to an S-Class job.
"You don't understand the danger! We aren't S-Class Mages, so we aren't even qualified to accept this! A mission like this requires an S-Class Mage."
"But we've already taken the job," Cian countered, his voice calm. "Today is the deadline. Are we just going to stand by and watch the client get slaughtered?"
"This..."
Elfman stammered. He couldn't admit that in front of the Mayor, but Cian was right. Still, an S-Class Mission was synonymous with extreme danger. One wrong move meant death. Even seasoned S-Class Mages wouldn't accept a job like this lightly.
Moreover, they were out of time. Even if an actual S-Class Mage accepted the request right now, the Mayor would likely be dead before they arrived.
Cian saw the hesitation and pressed his advantage. "Elfman, think about it. It's an S-Class Mission. Don't you want to challenge yourself?"
Elfman paused, visibly tempted. It was true—at his current pace, it might be years before he was allowed to take the S-Class Trials, let alone accept an S-Class request.
"This is a rare opportunity," Cian urged. "If we miss this chance, who knows when the next one will come?"
He leaned in closer. "Don't you want to see the view from the second floor? If we pull this off, the Master will have to recognize our strength. We might get upstairs early."
Cian delivered the final blow.
"Besides... aren't you Elfman? A Real Man? Are you going to let a client die at the hands of villains while you run away?"
Elfman's face flushed red, the veins in his thick neck bulging. He was completely swayed.
"A REAL MAN!!"
Hearing the magic words, Cian smiled. Hook, line, and sinker.
He turned back to the trembling client. "Mr. Mayor, we accept the mission."
"Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!"
Mayor Cost looked on the verge of tears. Ever since the death threat arrived, he had been living in a state of constant terror. Even with the Magic Council's Rune Knights patrolling the grounds, he felt unsafe. That was why he had reached out to the Guilds.
Ideally, he wanted an S-Class Mage, but these two would have to do.
Cian looked at the Mayor. "Mr. Mayor, since the enemy plans to attack us, there's no need to go hunting for them. We'll wait right here and let them come to us."
"But will they really show up?" Elfman asked doubtfully.
The estate was locked down by the Rune Knights. There were layers of guards and magical traps. Surely the enemy wouldn't be foolish enough to walk into such an obvious ambush?
"He has to," Cian said dismissively. "He already sent the threat. If he backs down now, he'll be a laughingstock for the rest of his life. The fact that he warned you in advance proves he's arrogant enough to believe he can't be stopped."
Cian's expression hardened. "Mr. Mayor, from this moment on, you do not leave our sight. If you wander off, I can't guarantee your safety. I'd hate to kill all the bad guys only to find there's no one left to pay the bill."
Cian's tone was calm but heavy with pressure, making the Mayor sweat nervously.
"Alright... I understand!"
"Good. Elfman, you stick to the Mayor like glue."
"What about you, Cian?"
"Me? I'll be handling the extermination." Cian smiled.
"Wait! Cian, that's the King of Assassins we're talking about!" Elfman exclaimed, unable to believe Cian wanted to go toe-to-toe with such a notorious figure.
"So what?"
Four simple words. Elfman was left speechless by the sheer audacity.
"Mr. Mayor, have the kitchen prepare a meal. We've got a big fight coming up. Can't fight on an empty stomach."
"Right away! Right away!"
Seeing Cian so composed, Mayor Cost felt a surge of confidence. He immediately ordered the servants to bring out a feast.
Soon, a spread of hot food arrived. Cian dug in with gusto, eating as if he hadn't seen food in a week. Elfman, on the other hand, barely touched his plate.
"Hm? Elfman, you're a big guy. Why are you eating like a bird?"
"Cian... it's S-Class..."
Cian swallowed a mouthful of steak. "I know. That's what makes it fun, right?"
"..."
Elfman finally understood. Beneath that average-looking exterior, Cian was a complete lunatic.
After eating and drinking his fill, Cian sat back on the plush sofa and pulled up the system interface visible only to him.
[S-Class Mission: Eliminate the Phantom Bandit Gang.] [Reward: Ten-Fold Summon (10-Pull).]
The quest status had updated. This reward was the main reason Cian was risking his neck.
He tapped the screen, entering his character inventory. He selected every card except for Ulquiorra.
[Are you sure you want to recycle all selected characters?]
"Confirm."
[Ding! Recycling successful! Host's Magic Power increased by ★☆ (Half Star)!]
This was a core function of the system. Extra or useless characters could be "recycled" into raw magical energy to permanently boost the Host's base stats.
"Half a star? System, aren't you being a bit stingy? I sacrificed a Blue Elite card there. That was my first draw, it had sentimental value!"
[Calculations are precise. If the Host wishes to increase Magic Power further, please recycle higher-quality characters.]
"Forget it. Guess I'm just too generous."
Recycle higher-quality characters? Yeah, right. He only had Ulquiorra. If he mulched his Gold Legendary, he'd be defenseless.
Gold characters were incredibly rare. The "pity" system guaranteed a Gold only after 100 draws. Since an S-Class mission rewarded 10 draws, he would need to complete ten suicidal S-Class missions just to guarantee one Gold character.
That put into perspective just how precious his Ulquiorra card was.
And naturally, the power justified the rarity.
[Host: Cian] [Age: 18] [Race: Human] [Magic Power: ★☆ (1.5 Stars)] [Magic: Take Over Magic] [Character Card: Ulquiorra Cifer]
Cian analyzed his new stats.
"With one-and-a-half stars of Magic Power... I should be able to sustain 10% of Ulquiorra's full power for about three minutes."