MMORPG : Ancient WORLD

"It appears that you acquired what you came looking for," a calm voice greeted Alex as he stepped through the dimensional gateway.

Alex smiled back at Asher, who stood mere meters from the gate, with two beauties standing by his side, one being Lady Elara, the other being her daughter, who was the spitting image of her mother, except for her cyan blue hair and bright blue eyes.

Lady Elara took the lead as she walked toward Alex, closely followed by her daughter, stopping a hand's distance away from him. With a slow, deliberate motion, she placed her hand over her chest, a gesture of peace and respect.

"Hidden One, you have my undying gratitude for saving my daughter," Lady Elara said. Her eyes softened, though her gesture remained firm, a silent vow sealed by the weight of her words.

"You have earned more than just my thanks; you have earned my respect and a debt that I would pay in full, even if it means putting my life on the line."

"I also know that it cost you greatly to make contact with me since I was inside the protected domain of Asher, so please accept this as a small repayment," Lady Elara said, handing Alex a black ring, bearing a familiar face.

The ring was forged from pitch-black metal, its surface smooth yet unnervingly cold to the touch. Its centerpiece was the sculpted head of a four-eyed, jackal-like creature, its features resembling a snarling dog.

The four gleaming eyes were set with tiny shards of smoky gems, the upper ones fierce red, while the lower ones gleamed with a pale, cold yellow.

The ring bore the face of Vykan Zeld, so it was not hard to guess that it belonged to him, and a quick look told Alex that each of the four crystals held a pocket dimension of its own, and a look inside just one of them made him suck in a deep breath.

"The ring holds all the wealth that filthy maggot had on him, including his body, except his Law core, and it's all yours to use as you please," Lady Elara said, making Alex feel butterflies in his stomach.

"Lady Elara, I appreciate your kindness," Alex said with a polite bow, not jumping on the favor she offered to get intel on Zarach because he still had to talk with Asher, and depending on how it ends, he might not even join the clan for the trials.

"Sir Hidden One, my name is Faylen Winter, and you have my deepest gratitude for saving my life," Faylen said with a smile, offering her hand, which Alex happily accepted.

"We will be celebrating the safe return of our daughter, and most of the influential figures of the Drakaryx clan will be present. I hope to see you there since it would be a great opportunity to meet them."

"Father said that you would be joining our clan, so if there is anything I can help with, please let me know," Faylen said as she handed Alex a communication slip.

Alex smiled and accepted the slip, not caring that Asher was giving him a cheeky grin, standing in the back as if reminding him that he wanted him to be his son-in-law and give him grandchildren.

It would be a lie to say that Alex was not scared to be on the radar of someone like Asher, no matter how easygoing he looked, but it was not like he could do anything to him if he did not give him a valid reason.

The realm inhabitants could not harm an adventurer by themselves or with the help of other adventurers, but that did not mean they could not make someone's life a living hell by putting a bounty on their head for a valid enough reason. The last thing he wanted was to give him a reason to come after him.

The ladies smiled at him as they stepped back, creating some distance, before Lady Elara tore open a portal. With a final glance, they vanished into it, leaving Alex and Asher behind.

"So, what do you think?" Asher said, appearing before him in a flash, his question as obvious as it could be.

"She is beautiful, but my answer is no. I will not pursue her, and I certainly won't be giving you any grandchildren, even if she agrees with your plans, and while I can save her, I guess that's not really what you want," Alex said, making sure there was no room for doubt.

"I know you hold no feelings for my daughter, and by not jumping on my offer, you have proven to me that you are not the type of man who doesn't care about those close to him," Asher said with a calm smile.

"I know that you also understand that I want you to take my daughter with you to your world, but if it is just that, I can always find other candidates who can do the same."

"What I am really looking for is a husband for her who can take care of her as his wife because I would not be present, but I also want to see my grandchildren before I die."

"It's clear to me that you do not want such responsibility, but time can mold nearly anything. So, stay with my clan, and if fate would have it, then in four years, we would be having a different conversation," Asher said, laying out all the things that Alex wanted to explain.

"I am sure you can find someone far more suitable than me because, believe it or not, I already have too many responsibilities, ones that are bigger than my own life," Alex said, fully aware that he was already trapped in the situation that had been forced upon him.

"You are talented, someone destined to be a powerful individual if you live long enough because you are a Ruler candidate."

"But as I said, you don't need to worry about anything. Just join my clan, and if fate would have it, then in four years, you will be my family. But if not, you can walk away with no strings attached and no debts to be paid," Asher said, giving Alex no choice but to agree.

'Because I am a Ruler candidate, now that's something I need to learn more about, but right now, I already have too many things to worry about. So, I'll learn about it at a better time,' Alex thought, realizing that Asher might really know what his status as a Ruler meant.

"I will temporarily join your clan, but don't expect me to work toward your goals," Alex said, making sure there were no false expectations that could be used to take away his Ruler protection.

Alex had already planned to join the Drakaryx clan to go through their trials since they were said to be the best in the realm. Now that he was being given an opportunity by Asher, the First Seat, he was going to make the most out of it. As for the expectations being pushed upon him, he would deal with them one way or another.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Asher asked, having no issue with his decision.

"I have a death duel against an adventurer named Zarach in six months, who is the current holder of the Tesseract Collection, and he also defeated me once before."

"I plan to find out about him and prepare the best I can for my second duel against him," Alex said, and he could see Asher turn serious at the mention of the name, showing he was familiar with the adventurer or at least his nature.

"He does not appear to be your friend, so I'm guessing he took something from you in the first duel. Now, he is after something far more valuable, offering back what you lost and what you were after," Asher said, explaining the situation perfectly.

"You know about him?" Alex asked, thinking he might have built a reputation to get noticed by someone like Asher.

"No, I don't, but all Tesseract Collection masters use this age-old trick to trap their target."

"So, what is he after from you?" Asher asked his tone grave, underlining the seriousness of the situation.

"My life," Alex answered, and Asher was clearly taken aback by his answer.

"It appears that you have already decided to put your life on the line against him, and while I would have advised you to reconsider, it's your decision, and I respect that."

"But, what I can do is help you prepare for that kid, and I think I have the perfect master to train you," Asher said with a big, bright smile.

"Who?" Alex asked, expecting the answer to be one of the eleven pillars of the Drakaryx clan.

"My master, The Inheritor, and the patriarch of the Drakaryx clan," Asher said, making Alex question if he had heard him correctly.