My Soul card is a Reaper

Azzy could only complain in his head and accepted the upgrade of medallion he received from the reception before leaving the guild in disappointment.

Even though the work was completely done by his undead army, he still killed over 26000 sand vipers in a desert. He expected atleast a triple upgrade, as the quest difficulty is supposed to be A class.

He wasn't aware that the quest difficulty rewards would be adjusted based on when he submitted them. In this case, Azzy could only blame himself for submitting Vyzrath's corpse to the other guild before the venom glands here.

Feeling embarrassed about his own choices, Azzy had to get out of there in the name of taking a break and returning to Everlasting guild to ease up his mind.

Earlier, he didn't take any other quest to take a break, but now Azzy felt like he should take another quest instead.

As soon as he stepped inside the guild, the adventurers stopped what they were doing and stared at him, murmuring among themselves. They had just seen him an hour ago and he revisited the guild, making them wonder whether he completed another quest this time or something.

The guild manager, Lantern, rushed down from his office to meet him at the guild hall as Azzy was looking at the A-class quest board.

"Mr. Gary? I thought you weren't interested in taking another quest," He said, acting a bit casually for the sake of maintaining his image in the guild. You know, being chummy with such an expert would obviously improve his image.

Azzy also didn't mind his tone and simply plucked out a scroll pinned to the Quest board and waved it to him, "Well, I changed my mind. Lantern, I want to take this sparring partner quest. By the way, what do you know about this Master Alaric?"

*

Quest: Sparring Partner needed.

Client: Master Alaric Steelclash

Eligibility: Soul realm Tier-70, and proficient in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand techniques.

Risk of Death: Nil (However, the client isn't responsible for any injury you receive during the spar)

Details:

Master Alaric Steelclash, a renowned swordsman and a combat instructor seeks a capable sparring partner for a week-long training regimen to complete his sword technique. The chosen adventurer will engage in intense combat practice to help refine Master Alaric's techniques. The client requires a partner with proven combat skills and stamina.

Job conditions:

Duration: 7 days.

Sparring sessions: 25-solatis (15-minute) sessions.

Minimum of 2 sessions per day (required)

Maximum of 10 sessions per day (based on client's needs)

Location: Steelclash Estate, West Ocean City.

Reward:

10,000 grace shards per sparring session.

Additional performance bonus if deemed exceptional by Master Alaric.

Additional notes:

The quest requires punctuality and dedication. Missing sessions without prior notice will result in the termination of the contract and a hefty penalty of 50,000 grace shards.

Healing services will be provided by Master Alaric, free of charge, after every sparring session. However, it is only limited to external injuries.

Adventurers interested should meet with Master Alaric directly at the location for a brief assessment before starting.

*

Lantern explained, "Master Alaric was one of the most powerful swordsmen of his generation. He is a legend, a hero, and an inspiration for every swordsman out here.

Two decades ago, a powerful demon suddenly popped up in the middle of West Ocean City and caused chaos. It was the work of a teenager who summoned it using his soul as a price to take revenge on the city lord, but anyway… Tens of thousands of casualties occurred, and more than a thousand adventurers died fighting that monster. Everyone lost hope and focused on their own survival, running away from it, but it was Master Alaric who fought valiantly against it for three days and nights in a row and put an end to it.

Sadly, he lost an arm during that battle and was forced to retire, becoming a combat instructor instead and running a training hall. For his efforts, the city council bestowed upon him with the surname of Steelclash. Not even Adamantine class Adventurers are bestowed with surnames you know. That is a big deal around here."

Lantern absolutely had this look of a fan as he was explaining about this particular client. Azzy's curiosity only increased as a result.

Azzy left the guild and took a cab to the neighborhood of Dariam, a residential district that mostly filled up with independent houses rather than apartment complexes.

He got down and walked into the premises of a two-story house; he rented the upper portion.

As he was about to climb the stairs, a voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned around to see a middle-aged woman stepping out of the door on the ground floor's residence, "Rynmere is out with Sophia. Here are the keys."

"Eh? They went out?" Azzy was slightly taken aback, walking back to her and taking the keys from her, "For what?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, it is just grocery shopping. Not what you think it is, son…" The middle-aged woman chuckled.

"Umm… But neither of them don't even eat food in the first place. Is it really okay for them to send them for groceries? Can they distinguish the items? I saw that no supermarkets around here put labels on the items," Azzy questioned.

Marley replied, "Don't worry. Sophia has been shopping for me for a decade. She knows."

"Okay… I'll have to leave in a bit. After they return after my departure, can you inform Rynmere that I'll be out of the city for a few days?" Azzy vaguely explained that he had to go to West Ocean City because of a quest.

The house owner was surprised a bit, "Haven't you gone for a week for the quests? You are leaving for another week? You are working too hard."

Azzy could only embarrassedly smile, scratching his cheek, "Well, it isn't much. I had plenty of rest. It is just that I'm just starting as an adventurer. We can't miss any opportunities we get. Moreover, when do we work hard if not in our youth?"

"Hmm… I agree," She nodded, crossing her arms, "If only all youth had your grit. My useless son just spends his time on things like parties all day, and my daughter only knows how to splurge all my money into fashion. Sigh… it is indeed tough to be a parent."

Azzy didn't comment on it and stayed silent.

Eventually, he went back to his room, packed some clothes from the cupboard into a traditional backpack, had a quick lunch, and left for the West Ocean City, following a GPS tracker.

This world didn't have any smartphone technology, despite having satellites in space; they still use landlines and communication scrolls. Hence, he didn't have any means to contact Rynmere and didn't want to bother himself searching for his presence as there was no point.

Azzy took a Lightstrider to West Ocean City instead of flying around, as in this place, only Angels with Tier-90 strength can do that without wings or having any mini tornado beneath their feet (wind manipulation).

Trying to stay out of people's attention is indeed damn inconvenient for Azzy here.

After three hours of travel and paying more than ten thousand grace shards to the driver, he arrived at West Ocean City, otherwise known as the City of Healers.

As its title suggested, many Nephilims residing in this city have light attribute and take the path of a healer. Many hospitals, aka healing centers, were found everywhere in the city.

Azzy walked into the Steelclash Estate, and he was instructed to go to the training grounds by the security as soon as he showed him the quest scroll.

While walking, he took the liberty to scan the entire estate. However, he furrowed his brows almost immediately, "The requirements asked for a 7-star Arcana Master as a bare minimum. And the client is supposed to be a strong swordsman in the past. It goes without saying that his guy is in the Exalt realm, but the strongest presence I could feel is Elite. Then, why was this taking me to the training grounds if the house owner was absent? Is it possible that someone else is going to test me?

But, the rest of the Nephilims here are also too weak, far weaker than your average adventurer. All are 2-star and 3-star Arcana Masters. I seriously wonder how this guy is protecting his home from robbers with such weak security."

Eventually, he reached the training grounds and waited as instructed.

2 minutes passed, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and even after 30 minutes, there was no sight of the client. Azzy slowly started losing patience as a result.

Meanwhile, inside the mansion;

A middle-aged man in his late fifties was engrossed in his meditation.

Three to four knocks on the door were often heard, once every few minutes, but there was no response from him until he suddenly sensed great danger and abruptly opened his eyes.

As he turned his head to the side, through the window glass, he saw a concentrated beam of energy shot into the sky, giving him shivers all over his body as if a gust of cold wind struck him, "An attack?"

*knock* knock* knock*