With the elf receptionist''s guide, the three managed to reach a private Job Upgrade machine usually reserved for employee use.


    Of course, its use was originally extended only to Aster, as per the Director''s orders. But both Kali and Tina were his party members, so the receptionist decided to make an exception and allowed them.


    "Please touch the panel in the middle. The upgrade would be done automatically." She exined.


    Aster stared at therge monument-like machine before stepping forward. As told, he extended a hand forward and touched the panel. As soon as he did, the disy started to show a long loading bar, moving at a rate of 1% every second.


    "Keep your hand on the panel until the bar reaches 100%, please. Removing your hand would cause an error, and you''ll have to restart from the beginning." The elf receptionist rified.


    Aster took almost two minutes before the loading screen finished, showing his new Job details.


    [Name: Aster Mistral


    Job ss: Magic Swordsman (II)


    Skills Earned: None]


    The details shown were a lot fewerpared to theprehensive Job and skill appraisal he had seen before. However, he did know that nothing much would change just by upgrading his ss, so he just took a step back.


    "Oh! So you truly have arare ss!"The receptionist smiled as she read the words disyed on the monitor. "As expected of the Director, her foresight is great!"


    "Huh? What does Faeloria have to do with this?" He asked.


    But Kali and Tina''s ears flicked in attention upon hearing his words.


    "No honorifics?"


    "Darling, who''s this Faeloria girl you''re talking about...?"


    Kali was simply curious as to why Aster was calling the director of the ss Exchange Hall on a first-name basis without honorifics or titles, but Tina was different. Her gaze was empty as she smiled in Aster''s direction.


    But the elf receptionist continued as if the two didn''t exist. "Ah, if you have a Rare ss and update it in a public space, then just imagine how much chaos it would bring forth."


    Rare sses were, as the name implied, rare. As such, most adventurers would want to drag someone who was known to have it into their parties or ns proactively. In short, if Aster was outside, where everyone could see what his ss was, then everyone would be trying hard to pull him into their teams!


    "... I didn''t think that far." Aster sighed, realizing that he had escaped trouble by the skin of his teeth.


    After his turn, it was Tina''s. However, unlike Aster''s, which took almost two minutes, Tina''s ended in just half that time. Monk was an umon job, after all, a stage below Rare.


    Kali''s Assassin ss was also the same as Tina''s, umon, so it took her about a minute beforepleting the upgrade. With hers done, everyone finally managed to upgrade their sses to the next level!


    After giving their thanks to the elf receptionist, the three returned to where Cassy and Liz were. The two cats seemed to be in a rush, wanting to go as far away from the scary receptionist as possible.


    After they passed through the connecting passage, they entered themon area again and turned to where Aster left them before. Fortunately, they were still in the same spot, but...


    "So, what do you say? Come on, our treat!"


    "Right, right. We can just call your groupter to tell them that you joined us for a meal."


    "Or maybe tell them toe along too! Haha!"


    "..."


    Aster saw the two girls surrounded by six guys, making him frown in discontent. Although Liz was ignoring them, Cassy was smiling while refusing their offers, albeit futilely. From the aura that the guys released, it was easy to guess that they were quite high-level, making him hesitant!


    "... Oh."


    But then, Aster''s apprehension vanished instantly.


    He smiled confidently, walking forward and standing between the six guys and two girls, with Kali and Tina tagging along from behind him.


    "Sorry, but these girls already have ns with me today." Aster dered, showing bravado. "You can scram now." He added.


    "Huh? What''s with this kid? Boy, did you get lost in here? You should scram before we get angry."


    "Who do you think you are? Just because you''re a human, you think you can boss us around?"


    "Keke, what a fearless idiot! Don''t you know we are over level 100?!"


    The six guys were all half-oni, making them tall at over two meters with scary features. They had red skin exposed on their arms and faces. Despite their intimidating presence bearing down on Aster, he didn''t so much as blink. The confident smile on his face remained, no matter what they said.


    "Brat, you''re not moving?" One of the men, the leader-like figure among them, stepped forward and spoke.


    Aster saw him and guessed what his intentions were. As such, he warned him preemptively. "If I were you, I wouldn''t use violence here, you know?"


    "Hah! And what can you do? Twist my arm?! Don''t worry, I''ll keep it so that you''ll just be in the hospital for a month or so!"


    The leader-like man threw a punch right at Aster''s face. It was fast, almost faster than a blink. However, a sh of light appeared right as his fist came close.


    "ARGH!"


    The man cried in pain immediately, holding his fist, which was slightly red from the impact. Aster simply looked down on the man who fell to the ground, his smile never disappearing from his face.


    Of course, he didn''t do anything. After all, the gap in levels was too big for Aster to have a fair fight. Furthermore, he couldn''t use his Frostfire Legacy, as he was currently preventing the increase in its control.


    "Stop right there!"


    Instead, a familiar voice echoed.


    Everyone turned to look at the source, seeing a beautiful-looking elf officer walking toward them with a hand extended forward.


    "You! You are under arrest for assault!You''reing with me!" The elf officer dered before catching the man with a swarm of vines that grew from the floor magically. "And you all are aplices to the crime! You''ll need toe with me too!"


    Aster saw the officer and smiled—rather, he already saw him even before approaching Cassy and Liz. "Officer Helvetica, it''s been a while."