UNLIMITED SPEED

After stopping by the Pagoda, The group of five experts headed towards the huge and tall building in the center of the center region.

The journey there had been silent, and also quick. They arrived there in a few seconds.

Noah felt his body being pulled around by Elder Von, and when they reached the lower portions of the almost completely glass building, they floated towards a seemingly random spot.

"This is the entrance," Elder Sarah informed Noah, as their legs touched the ground.

Elder Von shook his head and walked forward, going forth to place his hand on the reflective surface of the building. A bright light flashed and the cut-out of a rectangular door revealed itself before an actual golden door appeared.

During those few seconds, Noah managed to marvel at the sheer size of the building. But not only that but also at the ring that surrounded it close to its peak.

The shadow the construct cast on the environment felt magical to some point. But he simply felt curious about its function. Its completely black nature continued to remain odd from all points of view. Being under it gave a different feel.

Noah had to place his attention on the events around him when a bright golden light reached his eyes after the door opened.

Elder Von ushered them in at that point, and Noah felt excitement trickle into his mind when he stepped past the entrance and into the hallway,

"Completely made of gold," Noah almost choked on his words, and the others chuckled.

The hallway had to be the most expensive thing he had gazed at in a building. The ceiling, the floor, the walls, and even the lights were completely g0olden in color.

The very ground he stepped on felt metallic and Noah knew it was gold. The walls were the same and the lights produced a golden radiance.

'It's overwhelming,' he commented inwardly. His eyes quickly got used to that sight as the hallway was a bit long.

At the end of the hallway, a round room unfolded in their eyes felt his expression struggle to remain calm.

Huge.

The room or reception was huge, and its ceiling stretched as high as the building. At least according to his point of view, it did.

Tens of experts in the fourth tier walked about the width of the hall and of course the gold-and-cream stairs that stretched as tall as the building itself, revealing the many floors.

It felt like he had entered a grand hotel since everything felt and looked exquisite.

"This is where we tier four's of the divine lightning guild come to report events. We each have personal rooms within it, but most prefer it outside," Elder Von explained as they walked towards the large round table at the very center of the beautiful hall.

From his point of view, Noah saw that many tunnels had experts walking in and out of them.

The truth was that any point outside the building could serve as a tunnel. One just had to possess the right key.

The chatters of literally hundreds of experts within the fourth tier felt blissful for some reason.

Only at that moment; being in the same room as those many powerful experts, did Noah understand what it meant to be a great guild.

"This is where we get out missions. Many times we are given personalized tasks. That's what it means to be above B rank," Anna explained as they arrived before the round golden table featuring about twenty different experts sitting behind.

Elder Von walked forward to speak with the middle-staged expert in the fourth tier, but only Noah didn't know.

Suddenly the rather young-looking lady stood up, drawing attention to herself.

"Sarah finally had her breakthrough!" Her voice was loud and empowered by her power. It reached every spot in the hall, both high and low.

Noah never expected what happened next.

As if they had practiced it, every single expert in the room, both in the upper areas of the building converged towards their position, chatter and cheers booming in the building.

In mere seconds Noah found himself pushed back; staring at the backs of nothing less than 150 who had been quick enough to reach Elder Sarah.

The scene managed to put a smile on his face. From the looks of things, they were one big family who cared about each other.

They all sounded genuinely happy about the outcome, and even Elder Sarah could only bask in their excitement.

"Do you still think tier four experts are distant from their humanity?" A voice sounded from behind Noah. It was Dan. How he had reached there he didn't know.

"Well no..." Noah replied. "They seem even closer to humanity than away," he muttered finding that revelation rather weird and enlightening.

"Seeing as you're so close to the fourth tier, I guess it's not detrimental to tell you a bit," Dan commented, a smile still on his face. Noah could feel his joy.

Noah nodded with his own smile.

"The path beyond the third tier is one about the discovery of yourself. That makes us ironically more human than those in lower levels."

"I am unsure if it's the same for other races, but for humans, this is how things should be. The more you know yourself, the stronger you become," Dan explained walking forward.

"Hey! Go, go. You're ruining my fun!" Dan abruptly called out in a fake annoying tone.

"Isn't it the golden boy himself! Weren't you the most excited for this," a male voice from the multitude teased. More teases erupted at that point, and Dan disappeared into the crowd.

That event enhanced the warm sensation Noah experienced.

Noah suddenly furrowed his eyebrows at some point, raising his head towards a seemingly random position on the many stairs, his gaze locked with a stunning black-haired man.

The expert who held power within the fourth tier looked just as young as Noah himself. His attire looked different from the normal guild attire, but Noah knew nothing about it.

The strange expert had a blank expression, but his eyes held an intensity Noah had not seen in a while.

'Did I offend him or something?' Noah wondered inwardly, before performing a slight head bow. The man's gaze didn't end, however, leaving him further confused.

Anna suddenly walked closer to Noah however, and someone similarly dressed as the expert also came to speak to him, before he disappeared from his sight.

Anna had noticed them.

"Who was that?" Noah asked feeling weirded out.

"He's Apollo, the only expert that had been considered on Sarah's level when his power still existed within the third tier. He's of the darkness element. Tread carefully with him," her voice was casual as usual but Noah knew not to take them for granted.

Apollo remained in Noah's mind throughout the day.