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He sat there, completely still, his calm demeanor unchanged, as if the fist flying toward him was of no consequence at all. Valeria\'s heart leaped into her throat as she prepared for the impact, her body tense, ready to spring into action.

What is he doing? she thought, disbelief washing over her. Was he seriously going to let this brute hit him?

But then—just as the punch was about to land—the man\'s fist came to a sudden, jarring stop. The knuckles hovered less than an inch from Lucavion\'s face, trembling slightly, the raw force behind the punch dissipating as if something had yanked the strength out of it.

Valeria blinked, her hand still gripping the hilt of her sword, unsure of what had just happened.

The adventurer\'s fist trembled in the air, just inches from Lucavion\'s face, his muscles taut as if straining against an invisible force. But Valeria could see now—there was no magic stopping the punch, no external barrier. The man had pulled it back himself at the very last second, though why he had stopped, she couldn\'t quite say.

Lucavion\'s smirk widened as he glanced up at the man. "No balls?" he said, his tone light and mocking, as if the whole situation amused him.

The adventurer\'s face flushed a deep red, his entire body rigid with anger. His eyes blazed with frustration, but something else flickered there, too—something like doubt. He glared down at Lucavion, his fists still clenched tight at his sides, but he didn\'t move to strike again.

Valeria, her hand still resting on her sword\'s hilt, felt a strange sense of understanding wash over her. The man hadn\'t been stopped by fear or by some external force. He had stopped himself. She didn\'t know why—perhaps something in Lucavion\'s unwavering calm, in his complete lack of concern, had unnerved the adventurer.

Maybe, on some instinctual level, the man had realized that throwing that punch would have been a mistake.

The receptionist, who had been watching the scene unfold with growing tension, let out a quiet sigh of relief. She shot a quick glance at the adventurer, her expression shifting from concern to subtle disdain, though she said nothing.

The adventurer\'s jaw tightened as Lucavion\'s words sank in. His teeth ground together audibly, and his fists clenched harder, knuckles white. But something in him had changed. Lucavion\'s mocking tone, the smirk, the absolute certainty with which he carried himself—it had shaken the man\'s resolve. For all his brute strength, for all his bluster, he wasn\'t willing to follow through.

With a sharp huff, the adventurer stepped back, glaring daggers at Lucavion. "This isn\'t over," he growled, his voice thick with barely controlled rage. His eyes flicked briefly to Valeria as if gauging whether she would intervene, but seeing the steady confidence in her stance only seemed to harden his decision to leave.

With one last seething glare, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the guild hall, his heavy boots echoing through the now-silent room. The crowd parted for him as he left, whispers rippling through the adventurers who had witnessed the scene, though no one dared to say anything aloud.

Valeria\'s grip on her sword finally loosened, but her eyes remained on Lucavion. "You really know how to get under people\'s skin," she said quietly, more a statement than a question.

Lucavion chuckled, brushing a speck of dust off his coat as if nothing had happened. "It\'s a gift," he replied with a wink, then glanced back at the receptionist. "Now, where were we?"

The receptionist, visibly relieved that the situation hadn\'t escalated further, cleared her throat and offered him a professional smile. "I will prepare the documents, please wait a little bit."

"Thank you," Lucavion said with a nod, his usual carefree demeanor firmly back in place.

As the receptionist disappeared behind the counter to prepare Lucavion\'s documents, Valeria turned her attention to him, her brow furrowing slightly. The confrontation from moments earlier still lingered in her mind, but one question nagged at her more than anything else.

"Why did you think he wouldn\'t hit you?" she asked, her voice low but direct. "How could you be so sure he\'d stop the punch at the last second?"

Lucavion\'s smirk returned, that familiar glint of amusement flashing in his eyes. He didn\'t answer right away. Instead, he gestured subtly around the guild hall, his hand sweeping over the crowded room filled with hardened adventurers, mercenaries, and bounty hunters. Some were still glancing in their direction, though most had returned to their business after the brief disturbance.

"Look around," he said, his voice calm and measured. "This place is packed with people who live on the edge of death every day. They\'re lawless by nature, living for the next fight, the next challenge. And yet…" He paused, letting his words hang in the air for a moment, his gaze shifting to meet hers. "Why do you think this whole place runs so smoothly?"

Valeria blinked, her eyes narrowing as she considered his words. She scanned the room again, this time more thoughtfully. He was right—these adventurers were the type to live by their own rules, yet there was a strange sense of order in the guild. Despite the constant hum of activity, despite the obvious tension between different groups, no one was outright fighting, and no one was causing chaos.

She had assumed the guild itself imposed strict rules, but now… she wasn\'t so sure.

Lucavion leaned in slightly, his smirk never fading. "Think about it," he continued. "If people like that man aren\'t daring to act out of line, what does that tell you?"

Valeria remained silent for a moment, turning his question over in her mind. If those adventurers, who were often lawless and dangerous, hesitated to escalate violence in a place like this, then there had to be something they feared. Something—or someone—held them in check.

"They\'re afraid," Valeria finally said, her voice thoughtful. "Afraid of the consequences."

Lucavion gave a small nod of approval, his eyes glinting with satisfaction. "Exactly." He leaned back slightly, his smirk softening as he continued. "There\'s a rule," he explained, his voice still carrying that easy confidence, "that prohibits any adventurer from fighting inside guild buildings.

If anyone were to break that rule, their license would be revoked immediately, and they\'d be marked as a criminal in the guild\'s records."

Valeria listened carefully, her mind already piecing together the significance of such a rule.

"For most adventurers," Lucavion continued, gesturing casually around the hall, "that would mean the end of their careers. No more contracts, no more bounties. They\'d be blacklisted, unable to take work from any guild across the region. And with the fierce competition out there, being cut off like that would leave them with nothing. No one would risk it—not unless they were really stupid."

Valeria nodded slowly, the full weight of the rule settling in her mind. "So that\'s why he stopped. Even someone as hot-headed as him wouldn\'t risk his entire livelihood over a fight."

"Exactly," Lucavion said, his grin widening. "In a place like this, even the most dangerous people know when to hold back. Survival\'s not just about brute strength or skill—it\'s about knowing how to play by the rules, even if you don\'t like them."

Valeria glanced around the room, noticing the quiet but intense focus of the adventurers scattered throughout. They were all competitors in a market that demanded strength and cunning, but also restraint. If someone broke the rules here, they wouldn\'t just be facing the guild\'s wrath—they\'d be throwing their entire future away.

She looked back at Lucavion, a mix of admiration and frustration flickering across her expression. He had read the situation perfectly, knowing exactly how far things could go without crossing that invisible line.

"And you knew all of this," Valeria said, more a statement than a question. "You were counting on him not wanting to throw his life away."

Lucavion shrugged, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "I had a pretty good hunch." He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping just enough for her to hear, "But, you know, I was also ready to move if things went south."

Valeria huffed, shaking her head. "You…..you are a gambler."

Lucavion\'s face showed a brief grimace as Valeria called him a gambler. His usual smirk wavered as he turned to her, eyes narrowing slightly, his tone taking on a sharper edge. "And how, exactly, did you come to that conclusion?" he asked, almost as if challenging her.

Valeria didn\'t flinch under his gaze. She just shrugged, her lips curving into a knowing smile. "It\'s how it looks," she said simply, her voice steady, betraying no hint of hesitation.

Lucavion shook his head, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Looks can be deceiving," he murmured, his voice regaining its typical playful lilt. "It\'s better to keep those thoughts in check, Valeria."

Before she could respond, the receptionist returned, the tension in the air dissolving as the woman approached with the documents in hand. "Your papers are ready," she said, her tone polite but businesslike.

Lucavion\'s attention shifted immediately, the brief flash of tension gone as quickly as it had appeared. He flashed the receptionist his usual grin, his carefree attitude firmly back in place. "Perfect. Let\'s get this over with, then," he said, reaching out to take the documents.

"Then, please allow me to explain the guild system and ranks."