Yecheng's speed was so fast that everyone was still trying to catch their breath when his body appeared in front of the massive crimson fireball. As they wondered what he was about to do, Yecheng gripped his crude bone knife, gathered his spiritual pressure... mana into it, and swung it out!
"Yecheng Iai-ryu — Divine Cleave!"
Yecheng had his own swordsmanship style. Although he was from the Rukongai, he had met a swordsmanship master there in his youth who, after being cared for by Yecheng, taught him his martial arts.
Even the strongest martial arts master will eventually die of old age. According to the Shinigami world's setting, those who die either become wandering souls or fall into a Hollow state.
Many of the martial arts masters who died were already old and unremarkable in the Rukongai, but Yecheng knew how to use his advantages even before he had his cheat.
Not just swordsmanship, but other combat techniques like Hakuda were things Yecheng had learned long before he entered the Shin'ō Academy.
This was why he, a commoner with no background and no cheat, was able to leave the other characters far behind at the start.
What should have been a high-density spiritual particle slash in his previous world was now converted into a pure, compressed mana slash.
The bright white slash solidified due to the compressed mana. The moment it left the blade, it became a crescent moon a few meters high and easily split the "Shakkahō" Yecheng had just released in half, as if it were cutting a watermelon!
"BOOM!"
When the fireball was cut in two, a terrifying amount of energy instantly erupted, and the intense heat completely consumed the area.
The ground was not only crushed, creating a crater several meters in diameter, but the surrounding area was also scorched black by the heat. The temperature in the air also rose several degrees.
But what was even more unbelievable was the slash that split the fireball. The crescent moon-shaped slash, several meters high, not only plowed a deep trench in the ground but also left a deep mark on the guild hall's ceiling.
After splitting the massive crimson fireball in two, it continued to cut through all the tables and chairs in its path, finally leaving a deep knife mark on the wall of the Adventurers' Guild!
Because everything had happened in an instant, everyone was still in a state of shock. When they finally came to their senses, their expressions towards Yecheng were completely different.
It was no wonder Rex looked as though he was facing a mortal enemy. If a terrifying guy like this was considered a new adventurer, then what were they? Babies in diapers?
"Miss Soya, I am so sorry. I haven't fought seriously in a long time, so I didn't have a good handle on my power.
We will pay for all the damages here. Even though I'm a bit strapped for cash right now, I'll make money soon."
If anyone had heard Yecheng say those words before the fight, they would have thought this newcomer was an arrogant braggart. But after witnessing that fight, no one had a single shred of doubt about Yecheng's words.
Are you kidding me? While the fight between Yecheng and Rex was brief, Yecheng had already fully demonstrated his formidable martial arts, his immense mana, and his astonishing physical abilities!
His impressive martial arts came from the slash that cut the fireball, his immense mana from the Shakkahō he released, and his surprising physical speed from his instantaneous movement, like teleportation, to get in front of the fireball.
Whether it was his martial arts, mana, or physical ability, Yecheng was far superior to all the adventurers present.
Even though he had just registered as a rookie, he was the undisputed strongest newcomer!
"I'm partly to blame for this, so I will bear some of the costs as well. I thought this would be a small friendly spar, but I didn't realize that your 'little bit of strength' was 'a colossal amount'."
To be honest, Soya never expected the spar between Yecheng and Rex to escalate to this level. She had thought Yecheng was a complete rookie, and even if they didn't go to the training area, the spar in the guild hall wouldn't cause too much damage. But who knew...
"So, Miss Soya, now that I've proven my strength, can I take on dangerous quests above E-rank?"
Rex: (ToT) / Who am I? Where am I? Did everyone just forget about me?!
Yecheng left the Adventurers' Guild with a look of satisfaction. After proving his strength, he not only received a high-level quest but also two A-rank quests. For an E-rank rookie adventurer to accept an A-rank quest would have been unthinkable before.
However, this privilege was personally granted to Yecheng by the Guild Master. He was originally on the second floor, leisurely sipping black tea and chatting with his assistant, when the huge commotion made him think his wife had come to kill him.
So he immediately told his now-calmed-down little brother to leave, pushed his assistant aside, and hurried downstairs.
After he understood the entire situation, he immediately decided to grant Yecheng this privilege. The Adventurers' Guild was not just one location; every slightly larger town had one.
The headquarters also conducted an annual performance review of all the local guilds. The stronger the adventurers gathered in that town, and the more and more difficult quests they completed each year, the better it was for the Guild Master.
So, after realizing that Yecheng was a young man with a lot of potential, the Guild Master generously stated that Yecheng didn't need to pay for the damages and even granted him the privilege of accepting high-level quests.
However, he couldn't use his privilege to directly raise Yecheng's adventurer rank. Adventurers had to complete certain milestones to raise their rank; this was a rule for all Adventurers' Guilds, and there was nothing he could do about it.
But Yecheng didn't care about that at all. He had never been interested in things like fame. His goal now was to make money, and if he could take on high-level quests, he could make money quickly.
Whether he wanted to learn about this world quickly or strengthen himself, money was essential.