Hagg pointed to the obsidian-colored canine tooth on the desk, which Lisa had just presented. "I’ve only seen one of these once, ten years ago. We lost three Rank B teams just to take that monster down. And you say... you handled this alone?"
"Yes," Yggdrasil replied, his voice firm and certain. "Alone."
Balin sat beside him. Though visibly tense, his face couldn't hide his pride. He quietly rested a hand on Yggdrasil’s back, offering silent, steady support.
Hagg’s brow furrowed even deeper, his voice laced with disbelief. "Hell's bells... a dwarf who can use storage magic and solo a goblin nest with a King? Tell me, what rank are you currently?"
Without waiting for Yggdrasil to answer, he barked toward Lisa at the door: "Lisa! What’s this lad’s rank?"
Lisa, who had been waiting respectfully, quickly flipped through her ledger. "Reporting, Guildmaster. Mr. Yggdrasil is currently a Rank E adventurer."
"Rank E?" Hagg let out a scoffing snort and shook his head. "That rank is an insult to the trophies downstairs."
He stood up, paced to a cabinet against the wall, and unlocked a drawer. He pulled out a blank adventurer’s card case and a "Magic Inscription Pen" inlaid with a shimmering mana stone. Returning to the desk, he handed both to Lisa.
"Lisa, update his rank immediately," Hagg commanded. "By my authority as Guildmaster, promote him from Rank E directly to Rank C."
Lisa froze for a second, her eyes filling with a mixture of shock and reverence, before nodding vigorously. She skillfully retrieved Yggdrasil’s original card, placed it in the holder, and gripped the inscription pen. As a pale green light flickered, the old marks were erased, and a brand-new "C" rune emerged, glowing with a soft, steady emerald light.
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"Promotion complete." Lisa handed the card—representing his new identity—back to Yggdrasil with both hands, her eyes full of admiration.
Hagg finally sat back down, stroking his steel-hard beard with a huff. "I’ve never seen anything like it... a dwarf capable of such massive destruction single-handedly. Lad, I’d love to crack open that head of yours just to see how it works."
Though his tone was rugged, he couldn't hide the underlying excitement and respect in his voice.
Yggdrasil accepted the card and gave Hagg a steady nod of gratitude, his composure unshakeable.
"As for the reward..." Hagg shuffled the papers on his desk. "A subjugation of this scale takes time to inventory. Come back tomorrow before noon. I promise you a reward that won't disappoint."
"I understand," Yggdrasil nodded.
Hagg’s gaze then drifted downward, landing on the two hands that had remained tightly interlaced throughout the entire meeting. He was silent for a moment, his rugged face unreadable, before he muttered under his breath:
"...Hmph. Seems our Guild didn't just gain a monster rookie, but a pair of partners that can't be pried apart."
He finally looked away from Yggdrasil, turning his sharp gaze toward Balin.
"Balin," Hagg’s tone shifted, losing its edge of scrutiny and replacing it with the complexity of an old acquaintance. "You were Rank C once too. When you chose to leave the life of an adventurer, you said you were going to find something more important than quests and gold."
He looked at Balin, and then at Yggdrasil, whom Balin was shielding so closely.
"—Did you find it?"
Balin stiffened at the question. He didn't speak. Instead, his instinctive response was to grip Yggdrasil’s hand even tighter. That resolute strength, combined with the unwavering expression of pride and tenderness on his face, said everything.
Hagg watched this and finally allowed an incredibly faint, almost gratified smile to touch his lips. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Alright, get out of here. See you tomorrow."
As they stepped out of the office, Balin kept one hand tightly linked with Yggdrasil’s while excitedly waving the brand-new Rank C card with the other, his face beaming with irrepressible pride. Yggdrasil looked down at the card shimmering with green light, knowing that his journey in this world was now on a brand-new trajectory.