'Crap… that was way too close for comfort,' Damien sighed in relief after barely dodging complete annihilation from his captain's deadly hand. At that critical moment, he remembered from his previous life that the captain of the Black Scorpion Guild loved money above all else, and even more than that, his obsessive fascination with weapons—especially blades. So he quickly lied to the captain about possessing a special weapon that might interest him, which thankfully worked like a charm.
Damien and the others finally arrived at the Guild's imposing base after what felt like an eternity. Night had already fallen like a black curtain over the city, but the guild building was shrouded in darkness that felt far too ominous for comfort.
Just by approaching the heavy wooden door, he could hear loud, chaotic noises erupting from inside the guild house—sounds of violence and mayhem that made it seem like an all-out war was unfolding within those walls.
The cacophony was utterly shocking to him. His former guild master from his previous life would've skinned each guild member alive if he ever heard such disrespectful noise coming from his sacred guild hall.
"Finally, we're here at last," Eric Dimelio announced with genuine excitement. He had introduced himself earlier to Damien after heroically helping him avoid complete disintegration by desperately begging the captain for mercy.
"What the hell is with all this damn noise?" Captain Steffen growled as he approached the door and stepped on it with just a little force—completely obliterating the entire door into splinters and dust.
"Captain! Why can't you just open the door by the handle like a normal person?! We've already replaced this door seven hundred times!" Eric practically screamed at the captain, who just tilted his head with complete nonchalance. Damien was already beginning to feel deep pity for the poor guy.
As soon as the thick dust settled and cleared, the interior of the guild was revealed to be absolute chaos—a complete battlefield. Guild members were viciously fighting each other with reckless abandon, shattered bottles and broken chairs littering the entire floor like debris from a war zone.
One member was playing a guitar so obnoxiously loud that even if someone screamed at the top of their lungs, they wouldn't be heard over the deafening noise. Meanwhile, others were busy drinking booze to their heart's content, completely wasted.
'What a complete fucking mess,' Damien muttered under his breath in pure disappointment.
"Everyone, we're back!" Eric announced with a bright smile, but to his ultimate embarrassment and humiliation, he was completely ignored as if he didn't exist.
"Everyone, I said we're back!" Eric repeated with a twisted, forced smirk plastered on his face, but still received absolutely no response whatsoever.
"Hey everyone, quit the goddamn noise, would ya!" Captain Steffen bellowed as he casually smashed the solid wall behind him with his bare fist. The entire wall collapsed and crumbled to the ground in a thunderous crash.
'As expected from the captain who was infamously known as the Lord of Destruction in my previous life,' Damien sighed with grim recognition.
But the moment Steffen's powerful voice echoed and reverberated through the entire house like thunder, everyone instantly came to a complete standstill. They all turned their heads toward the captain with wide eyes, then suddenly rushed toward him like excited children.
"Captain!!!" They all yelled in perfect unison and enthusiastically hugged the intimidating man, completely ignoring Damien who was standing right next to him like he was invisible.
"Hehe, how was your trip to the entrance exams, captain?" one of them asked with sparkling, curious eyes.
"Hey captain, I heard that five students were chosen as the new Phoenix of this generation!" another member said with breathless excitement.
"Hey captain, come spar with me right now!" yet another member yelled with aggressive enthusiasm. All of the guild members were relentlessly throwing questions at the captain like bullets, which was clearly beginning to get on his already frayed nerves.
Suddenly, his scarred face darkened ominously, his eyes glowing with that familiar menacing purple light as his terrifying mana slowly began erupting from his muscular form, sending bone-chilling shivers down every spine in the room.
"Oi, all of you worthless idiots, sit the fuck down this instant," Steffen commanded, his voice eerily calm yet dripping with deadly threat. The members instantly dropped to the ground and sat like obedient dogs.
"Yes, captain!" They all responded with unwavering loyalty in perfect unison, like well-trained pets. Damien couldn't help but imagine them wagging invisible tails.
"Now listen carefully, everyone. This here is our newest member—Damien." Captain Steffen announced as he roughly grabbed Damien by the head and shoved him forward into the spotlight. For the first time since arriving, their collective gaze finally shifted to acknowledge Damien's existence.
"Ah, hello there…" Damien said awkwardly, raising his hand in a hesitant wave. But to his complete embarrassment and frustration, they simply ignored him once again. They must have been thinking he was just another pathetic outcast brought into their guild, judging by his tattered, worn-out clothes.
"So captain, tell us everything—how were the Five Phoenix? Were they as strong as the legends say?" the members asked eagerly, their eyes absolutely sparkling with burning curiosity and excitement.
"Come on, guys. Damien hasn't even finished his introduction yet," Eric interjected as he stepped behind Damien, placing supportive hands on his shoulders.
"Damien here is actually one of the legendary Five Phoenix, and he's also the warrior who fought and completely defeated Princess Anita von Britton in single combat," Eric announced with a proud nod.
For a long, tense moment, there was absolute silence that seemed to stretch for eternity. Every head slowly drifted back toward the captain, desperately seeking confirmation of this impossible claim.
"Hmm… yeah, yeah, he is one of them, and he did defeat that monstrous princess," Captain Steffen confirmed casually as he slumped down on the worn couch, lighting up a cigarette with practiced ease. But the instant those words left his mouth…
"WHAT?!!!" They all screamed in perfect, shocked unison as they rushed toward Damien like a stampede, bombarding him with far too many annoying, overwhelming questions.
"Really?! Did you actually defeat that legendary monster?!" one of them asked with eyes practically glowing with awe and disbelief. Before Damien could even open his mouth to answer, another rapid-fire question shot out…
"So tell us everything—what exactly is your magic ability?!" another member demanded with intense curiosity.
"Everyone, that's enough! Just introduce yourselves already and spare the poor kid from your annoying interrogations," Captain Steffen commanded with authority. Everyone immediately ceased their questioning like trained soldiers.
'Ah, my life saver,' Damien sighed with overwhelming relief.
"Alright then! My name is Speed, and I'm a lightning attribute mage!" the first boy announced with absolutely sparkling eyes and boundless enthusiasm. He had light brown hair that caught the dim light and was almost the exact same height as Damien. He was clearly the most childish and energetic member in the entire guild.
"I'm Iris, and I use transformation magic," a woman said next, her voice sultry and confident. She appeared to be at least twenty-three years old with sleek black hair and a bottle of strong booze clutched firmly in her hand.
She was undeniably beautiful with striking features, but what kept unsettling Damien was the shocking fact that she was wearing only a skimpy white tiger-striped fur bra and an extremely short tiger-striped skirt that barely covered anything, occasionally revealing glimpses of her panties.
"Oi, you better listen carefully—you have one absolute rule here. Don't you ever act cooler than me, especially not in front of my precious little sister, or else you're fucking dead," a tall, white-haired guy declared with such deadly seriousness that it made Damien's blood run cold and his body shiver involuntarily.
"Ah, I'll definitely keep that in mind," Damien replied with a nervous, flimsy smile that barely masked his unease.
"Don't pay any attention to him—he's Freezer, and he uses ice magic," Eric explained with a dismissive wave.
"And that guy who's ceaselessly smashing his head against the wall like a complete psychopath is Gordonor. We're honestly not entirely sure what his magical attributes are yet, but… well, that's everyone. Oh, and of course, the members who aren't here right now are out on missions," Eric concluded with a slight grimace. Damien's gaze slowly drifted to the massive guy—extremely fat and at least seven feet tall—who kept violently slamming his head against the solid wall like an absolute maniac, each impact creating sickening thuds.
'Eric is absolutely right. Is he a psychopath or something… tsk. So these lunatics are my new guild members,' Damien sighed deeply with growing dread.
"Well then, Damien, welcome to the…" Before Eric could finish his welcoming speech, he was abruptly cut off.
"Not so fast, newcomer!" A guy who had been lounging on the couch suddenly declared with dramatic flair. He had the most unique, bizarre hairstyle Damien had ever seen—completely bald on the left side and part of his head, but at the center, he sported a long, straight line of bright red hair that stood up like sharp spikes and stretched all the way to the back of his skull.
Dark black shades covered his eyes completely, hiding them from view, and his fingers were adorned with way too many flashy rings. He suddenly stood up with theatrical grace, clutching an electric guitar in his hands.
"Ah shit, I completely forgot about him. He's Max, also known as MadMax around here. He's a…" Before Eric could finish his explanation once again, Max dramatically cut him off.
"I absolutely don't believe that you actually defeated Princess Anita von Britton in combat," Max declared boldly as he took a confident step forward, flipping his silky black leather jacket with practiced coolness. Damien's lips curved into an amused smile.
"Well, is there a particular way you want me to prove it to you?" Damien asked calmly as he stepped forward to meet the challenge head-on. Max's face twisted into a cocky smirk.
"You catch on quick, I'll give you that. Well then, if you can successfully withstand just three of my devastating attacks, I'll acknowledge your strength and accept you," Max announced with supreme confidence.
"Tsk…" Damien scoffed quietly under his breath. "I'm not really looking for your acknowledgment or approval, but if you're seriously doubting my hard-earned achievements, then…" Damien said as he stepped forward with determination blazing in his eyes.
"I happily accept your pathetic challenge," Damien declared with a fierce, confident grin.