"While I let them rest, it's time to find what will be next milestone of their careers." ~Shallies Mythernal

"Vice-Guildmaster Coraline, I'm Shallies Mythernal. It's a pleasure to meet you. I appreciate your willingness to keep my simulacrum a secret."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Shallies. Thank you for cooperating with our request."

Shallies gave a confident smile. "Yes. I look forward to your generous patronage."

The two sat at a small table in The Adventurer's Beginning. Vice Guildmaster Coraline had arrived early in the morning. After a small breakfast, the two of them started talking shop.

Shallies' students were given time off. No training, at least, as far as the Godkiller was concerned. On top of that, she only specifically restricted them from taking another quest. Not that they would be insane enough to do so in the first place, but she gave them the instruction to make absolutely sure they wouldn't even take any of the easy ones.

As for Stachie, the Goddess of Loneliness and Isolation returned to her Lonely Tower. She would be more comfortable operating there. But she was sure to let Shallies know that she was willing to return anytime despite that.

The seraphim were also out training. Since they wanted to participate in the Thrush'ven Alir Raid, Phey'lan and Valor'el went to make sure Arun'dul had a handle on how raids worked. Not to mention, the young seraph still needed more guidance with how to navigate the outside world.

That left Apple as the only other person in the tavern. The teacup fairy gave some entertainment through her little piano, making compositions that were calming and soft. She was creating a new song, one that didn't contain any lyrics within.

"My daughter mentioned you have three mentees that you want to join the Thrush'ven Alir sub-raid," Coraline started. "She said two were Advanced Class holders, and one was a Base Class. Normally, I would decline this request, on account of their safety. Being a Hero Class holder yourself, you know how raids go for adventurers lower than your tier. They never come back.

"But since this is a request, and we owe you compensation for letting us use your land, I'll at least hear out your reasoning, Miss Shallies. If I deem it sufficient enough, then I think there's a possibility that I can enlist them for backup."

Shallies controlled herself. Backups for a raid like Thrush'ven Alir would still see some action, but not as much as a sub-raid would. A raid could last anywhere from a week to years. The raid in the Southern Fissures, called the Decade Battlefield, had a nonstop onslaught of monsters that would only halt for a year every ten years. There, backup groups could find some activity once a week.

For Thrush'ven Alir, however, backups might only see a single encounter for the entire raid.

As far as Shallies was concerned, that wouldn't be enough for her students. She would rather just send them into another Advanced Dungeon, before letting them serve as backups for this raid.

But the Godkiller wasn't without chips to bargain for a better deal.

"All three of them are doublers with one Advanced Class each now, Miss Coraline. Grace made the best of her opportunities and has almost caught up with her party members. They've each achieved more than 20 Levels since we last spoke with Miss Yoshelle."

Coraline froze while reaching for her cup of tea. Her eyes were in disbelief, and she was fighting the urge to challenge Shallies' claim. Absurd as it was, the Vice Guildmaster understood that the information could be easily confirmed with a Scan. And she trusted that the mentor pitching in her mentees wouldn't slip up with something so easily verified.

Therefore, Coraline could only conclude that Shallies was telling the truth.

The Godkiller smiled, pressing her advantage in the negotiation.

"I brought them to clear an Advanced Dungeon three days ago. Due to an opportunity we found within the dungeon, we decided not to close it. But as it turns out, the place was a Joint Dungeon."

While presenting this part of the pitch, Shallies brought out a small jar of powdered chuchili. The Vice Guildmaster understood the gesture and began to Scan the item. She was able to piece them together.

"You're saying that these youngsters of yours killed an Advanced Dungeon Boss?" Coraline asked.

Shallies opened her System Console and showed an image of the defeated Blue-Fire Great Serpent-Kraken. It included her three students.

"I provided them with all my buffs, but they were the only ones who engaged the Dungeon Boss," Shallies clarified. "The quest was provided by a Guild Hall in a secluded town. Given your status as a Vice Guildmaster, I'm sure you have authorization to access Rullzia Town's logs and can confirm the result of their quest."

At the very least, Coraline seemed to have caught herself gawking in disbelief, and managed to reel her poise back. She cleared her throat.

"Even with Food Buffs and Guiding Star Buffs, it's hard to believe that they managed to engage and defeat an Advanced Dungeon Boss on their own. What type was it?"

"Evolved Tier. Level 69. Type C, Dungeon Boss," Shallies replied. As far as Advanced Dungeon Bosses went, this level and type was around the average. Meaning, three Advanced Class holders had no business defeating it on their own. "I should also clarify that the Food Buffs my students had during this encounter were not combat related. One was for water-breathing, another was dark-vision, and the third was the experience boost from the chuchili."

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"You know that argument makes this whole thing more unbelievable, right?" Coraline asked. She still looked calm, playing with the ends of her black hair as a way to maintain composure.

"Well, as unbelievable as it sounds, I'll have to add that all three of them can tap into any of their Attributes at will," Shallies said, sipping from her cup of coffee.

"That's something an Advanced Class holder nearing Level 50 would learn," Coraline said.

"The highest one among them is Level 17."

"What kind of training did you give to these kids?" With that question, the cracks in Vice Guildmaster Coraline's facade started to show. She could barely hide how unbelievably impressed she was with their capabilities.

Shallies smiled. "Now, I don't want to sound disingenuous, Vice Guildmaster. But what if I told you that all three of them can also engage their Attributes?"

Vice Guildmaster Coraline closed her eyes and relaxed. She quietly placed her teacup back on the table. Then, with a quiet determination, she opened her eyes and leaned towards Shallies.

"Miss Shallies, I will give you every benefit of doubt you would like to receive, but what you're claiming is next to impossible. Even for most of our Hero Class holders, the best they can do is engage their most favorable Attribute. And you're claiming that three students of yours can engage all of them?"

"In my students' case, they can engage an Attribute one at a time," the Godkiller clarified. "Grace can switch her engaged Attribute seamlessly. Ren can engage all of them at the same time for a few seconds. And Tayin can engage her Attributes the longest.

"Everything I've told you isn't without precedent, Vice Guildmaster." Shallies toned down her smile. She showed confidence, rather than pride. "There have been extremely gifted and hardworking Advanced Class holders before who were able to achieve the same thing because they had an excellent teacher to guide them."

"But three at the same time, and this far out in the country…" Coraline massaged her temple.

"I suppose I'm just that lucky," Shallies commented. "Besides, my students won't shy from a challenge. If you want to test them and confirm for yourself, I'm sure they will be more than happy to meet, and exceed, your expectations."

"I…" For once, Coraline hesitated.

Shallies quickly identified her dilemma. If the Vice Guildmaster were to provide a test, it wouldn't be simply to assess the three's combat capabilities. She would have to ascertain their survival instincts as well.

Their cooperation would be also important, which meant she would have to identify their tendencies while operating within a large group. People who never followed the strategy, whether because they thought they could do better or because they just wanted to show off, would always result in casualties, one way or another.

So more than just a test, Vice Guildmaster Coraline would have to be personally involved with three strangers she didn't know, nor would have guaranteed future involvement with The Gaiamaxims moving forward. She would certainly be investing a lot, in that sense.

But that was technically part of the reason why Shallies never formally asked for any monetary compensation when she accepted their request to use a third of her land. It was all so that her students could experience something this big early on. It was crucial that they obtain first-hand experience, if they were to eventually be a part of a Divine War.

And, it wasn't as if she hadn't prepared for this particular scenario.

Vice Guildmaster perked up as she finally noticed another presence approaching the tavern. Shallies had acted as if nothing was happening all this time, matching Coraline's realization with her own timely act. He had a good veil, in the first place.

A knock eventually came from the door, and Apple quickly went to open it for their new guest.

"Coraline, didn't expect you to be here," said Guildmaster Maxims. Slightly long and wavy hair started out red, with the ends turning into silver. It gave an appearance almost like that of a smoky flame. Black eyes looked in surprise at the Vice Guildmaster. He tried to fix his clothes, but he was wearing a ragtag combination of a shirt and jacket with slightly old jeans, all matched in tone.

Coraline raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd be gone for a few more days?"

"Oh, I heard Grace and the others were back in town, so I wanted to speak with their mentor."

"Me?" Shallies asked, acting innocent. She stood up and gave a bow. "I'm Grace's mentor. My name is Shallies Mythernal. Pleased to meet you, Guildmaster Maxims. Please take a seat. If you wish to eat something, Apple here can take your other."

"Oh, ah, I'm good with the food. Thank you for your offer." Maxims returned the bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shallies. I apologize for my wife acting a bit too early than we originally agreed."

"Oh, not at all," Shallies said, taking the new information in stride. She already knew that they were married, and that Yoshelle was the princess heir to The Gaiamaxims Guild. But since she didn't know how to act surprised with this information, without making things awkward, the Godkiller simply moved on. "You said you wanted to speak with me?"

"That's right." Maxims sat beside his wife, sneaking a small kiss on her cheek before clearing his throat. "I've been informed that someone from the Divine Authorities favor Grace, Tayin, and Ren."

Coraline's wide-eyed look turned from her husband, to Shallies, then back to her husband. "So that's why. It all makes sense now."

"What? What all makes sense?"

"Wait, really?" Shallies asked. Though she loathed acting dumb and spinning people with her Acts, it was still a necessary thing that the gods and herself had learned to rely on. It reduced the resistance to the call to action significantly. But it also meant that she had to play the part as convincingly as she could. "Which Divine?"

"I'm not allowed to say," Maxims said. "I think mentioning this to you, and my wife, and the cute teacup fairy over there, is already threading the line of my restrictions. But I would like to get your help in convincing the three of them to join the Thrush'ven Alir Sub-Raid."

"Oh…" The way Coraline played with the ends of her hair was more panicked than it was a habitual act. "We were just talking about that, actually."

"Oh, really?" Maxims asked, smiling. "That's great then! Yes, I'd like for them to join. But I was asked to provide them with a test before we officially receive them."

"Umm…" Shallies started, smiling. "That's what I told your wife earlier, actually…"

"Oh, you guys already beat me to it! Great! Once they're properly rested, I'll give them the test."

Shallies controlled herself and turned to the wife first. She felt it was natural to return to the person she asked for permission first, as a way to confirm, before taking the decision made by someone who just barged in on the conversation.

Fortunately, the sigh that came out of Vice Guildmaster Coraline wasn't one out of anger.

"If the Guildmaster says we will give them a test. Then we shall give them a test."

Shallies gave her gratitude with a bow. "Thank you very much for your consideration."

"Alright!" Maxims tapped the table ones and hopped on his feet. "I guess with that, I'll go check in on our guild, make sure things are going well."

Coraline followed. "By the way, Miss Shallies, the Same-Plane Rift still has two more weeks before it starts threatening to open. We will give your students a week to rest or get stronger a bit more, which being up to you, before we give them the test. If they are to join our sub-raid, we'll need to give them ample time to prepare and acclimate with us."

"I'll note it down, thank you." Shallie stood, making another bow. "Will we know beforehand what the test will be?"

"Oh, it's nothing complicated," Maxims said as he opened the door. "Just a simple duel should be enough."

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