Solved

'And now, I am about to enter the tiger's den,' Hans muttered to himself.

Standing just outside a huge property, Hans gazed at what looked like a European mansion straight out of the sixteenth century.

The grandeur of the estate was matched by the meticulously maintained gardens that could be spotted even from the outside through the iron bars encircling it.

However, it wasn't the only thing that protected the place. Unseen to the naked eye, surrounding the whole place was a formidable magic barrier that enveloped the entire property, which seemed to block both intrusion and eavesdropping.

Hans was aware that some mages were capable of putting up such barriers, but seeing one in person was truly fascinating, the mana was firmly held in place, not allowing it to move even an inch and if someone wanted to destroy it, they would need the power of an A-Rank.

As Hans suspected, the Asura guild spared no expense in hiring such a skilled barrier master.

Just as he was about to touch it, eager to inspect it more carefully, an elegant old man greeted him.

"You must be today's guest. Let's see... brownish skin and amber eyes, I guess not a common combination. Follow me; the master wishes to meet you."

It was early morning and the grass in the garden was still damp from the dew.

After a day's rest, Hans was ready to continue with his plan. He needed to get the last guild on his side and as it happened with the second, he couldn't discount the possibility that he wouldn't need to fight.

He was currently in peak condition, ready to take on anything that might come his way.

As he strode through the garden, the winter cold breeze blew on Hans, invigorating his mind.

Walking among all this green almost felt like a paradise, just that something felt amiss and Hans really couldn't shake that feeling.

There was something extremely disgusting, his keen senses not only managed to pick it up but also amplified it tenfold, making it seem even worse.

The source soon became apparent: it was the man beside him.

Even though he was wearing the facade of a normal butler, the stench of blood stained his elegant clothes.

The fact that a normal man in their mansion had such a stench made Hans truly wonder if it was okay for him to trap himself in such a place.

The large double doors were opened, revealing the main hall of the dimly lit mansion.

In the hall were many low sofas made with leather and as soon as Hans entered, every person who sat on them, turned around, wanting to take a look at the irregular guest.

Hans wasn't welcomed; this was something their gazes clearly signified, nonetheless, he just kept following the butler, walking past the clouds of smoke that hinted more than just cigarettes.

They weren't just normal cigs, something Hans could tell by the strong smell of 'grass' that was mixed with the bloody stench.

Hans noted that the green moquette placed on the stairs was flattened by his and the butler's shoes as they walked upstairs.

The corridors were all exactly the same, making the building look like a labyrinth.

After they walked for a couple of minutes, passing through various rooms and hallways and making numerous turns, they finally stopped in front of a room that looked no different than all the others.

But Hans' eyes and senses could identify a strong presence that was emanating from within.

It was a power akin to his own, it wasn't aura, rather, it was mana.

The quantity was about the same and the quality was almost similar, but there was something about this aura that he could not quite understand.

It had a mysterious feeling to it, making it seem unknown to Hans.

It was the aura of a mage that was one tier higher than him, the aura of a Tier-5 Mage.

Hans entered the room while the butler remained outside.

Currently, three people were present in the room and even if everything was clean and nothing seemed out of place, the stench of blood became so overwhelming that it almost made Hans want to barf.

It was disgusting, making him feel as if he had walked inside a room whose floor was covered in rotting blood.

It was so vivid that he could almost feel it; as if the blood moved under his feet every time he took a step.

But even then, he maintained his composure and reached the seat in front of the two, opposite to which already sat the impeccably dressed "Gentlemen".

Their attire consisted of a black and white, shirt and tie, which made them look more like businessmen than criminals.

Seated in the central chair was the guild master of the Asura guild, also known as "the Berserk", the person who was suspected of having ties with the Crimson Tyranny: Brandon Mitchell.

His defined muscular body was evident even through the clothes and despite sitting on a chair, he still towered over others with his considerable height.

His skin was slightly tanned and his hair was a blend of brown and black, while his scary and furious eyes were colored brown.

And on his right sat the mastermind behind all of the guild's actions, Brandon's most trusted ally and the only Tier-5 mage of Chicago: Zachary Barnes.

The man possessed a quite tall and slim build with pitch-black hair which contrasted his pale complexion, resembling the white snow.

He wore some glasses that were kept slightly farther from the eyes than usual.

These two were amongst the most powerful people in Chicago and were currently sitting right in front of Hans.

Though their presence didn't intimidate him, it made him realize just how much he had progressed in the past few months.

He had awakened just about three months ago and now he was already at the same level as an A-Rank. Yet, he knew well that it was nowhere near enough to what he needed to achieve in order to reunite with his family.

The first person to break the silence among them was the guild leader, who immediately reprimanded Hans' actions, "Are you the little boy who met with both Benjamin and Sophia? I wonder how those two even granted you access to their guild hall. Anyway, is there a specific reason why the Berserk guild is the last on your visit list?! Are you underestimating our guild just because we're newly founded?! If so, I don't think the Association and the Asura Guild will be on good terms while you're its branch leader, you better give me an explanation."

His tone was stern and he sounded genuinely angry over something so simple, just as people described him, he was the definition of all brawn and no brain.

Maintaining the facade, while trying to be as friendly as possible Hans said, "Haha, they suggested that I should keep the best for last, so that's precisely what I did."

"Haha, is that so? Then you're in the clear," the man seemed genuinely pleased with the answer.

"So? What are you here for?"

Hans tried to keep it as simple as possible, ensuring that even the muscular bear in front of him could understand.

"Logan Harris, the security team leader of the association, he wronged me and must pay for it. I need him stripped down from his position, but to achieve that, it's better to have all three of the major guilds' votes. Since both Vortex and Blaze agreed, I hope you will also not have any complaints regarding my decision."

"As for the secrets he holds, I can assure no other soul will know about them. In the end, I'll be doing you nothing but a favor."

Indeed, Logan's possession of sensitive information about all the guilds proved both a lifesaver and an eyesore for them. Even the not-so-bright guild master recognized that and was on the verge of agreeing when the vice guild master intervened, extending his hand toward Hans for a handshake.

"I'll take it from here. It's a pleasure to get to know you, Hans Ritcher, or should I call you, Mr. Unknown?"

_____

Just fifteen minutes after his arrival, Hans managed to walk out of the mansion, bringing with him favorable outcomes.

With all three guilds on his side now, Hans only needed to pay a bit of money to the associations' other important personnel to have an assured victory in the voting.

But... he couldn't help but wonder that if Garrison had described his success in getting the three leaders on his as 1%, then why was it this easy, there was definitely something wrong.

After returning home, Hans dedicated the next two days to studying a bit about the association, after all, even if he planned to leave the position as soon as possible, he knew that he would still need to maintain it for at least a month or so, otherwise, the public opinion about him would probably fall rock bottom.

Though he poured in six hours of reading each day, his wisdom increased by only a mere 3 points.

It seemed that after having the taste of magic spells, his skill {Knowledge Hunger} wasn't so interested in conventional books anymore.

Finally, the day arrived. Today, he would assume the role of the association branch leader.

A press conference was organized by Garrison, since, apart from the three guild leaders, no one knew the identity of the individual who would be entitled to such a prestigious position.

Among the crowd waiting for the press to start which included countless journalists, stood a familiar mage.

The leader of the third team from the C-Rank gate raid, who used to boast about his strength.

He hoped to secure the position of the association's branch leader since he wasn't affiliated with any guild. However, unfortunately for him, Garrison had already made his choice, leaving him curious about who might be the chosen successor.

In the backstage, Hans had just finished changing.

For the first time in his life, he was dressed in elegant attire and since he knew nothing about style and such, he just made the association helpers do everything.

They chose his suit and his hairstyle, even if truthfully, it hadn't changed that much.

He was wearing a black suit with a dark orange inner lining, correlating with his amber-colored eyes.

"Mh, mh," Garrison cleared his throat to direct everyone's attention towards him with the sudden halt of the chatter.

Just as he hoped, everyone's eyes turned to him and so did the cameras.

The moment he started speaking, a sea of flashes went off, blinding his almost closed eyes.

"As you've guessed, I have gathered all of you here today to announce the new association branch leader. Last time, I spoke of my momentary retirement and this time, I'm proud to say that I have found the perfect person to act as my successor."

"Even though he may be young, his skills are top notch and his decision-making is impeccable."

Without further ado, Garrison continued.

"I would like to introduce to all of you…the new association leader of the Chicago branch: Hans Ritcher."

Be it on the screens of the TVs of most citizens, on the coffee televisions, and even on a small screen hanging in the hospital room hosting Hans's parents, the young man's name resounded throughout all of Chicago.