[ New Mission Issued.]

[ Mission Title: Regional Hegemony.]

[ Objective: Establish ten Adventurer Guild branches within Evergreen Region.]

The system repeated as another set of notifications popped out, flooding Sage's entire vision.

His eyes widened as they locked onto the floating words, hoping they might rearrange themselves into something more manageable.

Ten branches. Across the entire Evergreen Region. Not just one, but ten!

Sage stood there totally frozen and also really speechless at the same time, staring at the blue system notification that hovered before his eyes.

Build ten branch guilds across the Evergreen Region.The weight of those words was undeniable. They weren't a mere suggestion or a distant goal, they were a directive,one that signaled the end of the Adventurer Guild's single-city existence and heralded a transformation that would reshape the entire region's power dynamics.

For what felt like an eternity, Sage simply stared. The breeze ruffled his still-damp hair, and the banners above rustled softly. Behind him, the new central fountain continued its gentle cascade. Yet his thoughts were far from the plaza.

Ten branches meant land negotiations, territory disputes, recruitment pipelines, logistics chains, dungeon resource distribution, facility replication, not to mention political friction and potential obstruction from nobles and merchants.

It meant scrutiny, pressure, enemies, and opportunities on a scale he hadn't fully grasped yet.

"This…" Sage muttered as he rubbed his brow slowly, "…is not a side quest."

The Evergreen Region was vast. It wasn't just one city-state where momentum could build uncontested; it was a complex web of cities, frontier towns, trade hubs, border settlements, noble territories, mercenary strongholds, and military zones.

Establishing ten branch guilds would require thousands of people: manpower for operations, capital investment for infrastructure development,and above all else time.

This endeavor couldn't be rushed or improvised. And it certainly wouldn't go unnoticed.

Sage exhaled slowly through his nose as he pressed his fingers against his temples.

"…Looks like I won't be lazing around anytime soon."

Deep down, he had known that the Adventurer Guild couldn't remain confined to one location.

Once dungeons came under Guild control; once information systems stabilized and guidebooks circulated; once adventurers began organizing effectively instead of blindly charging into danger, this future had already been set in motion.

The system was simply making it official.

Just as he lowered his hand to delve deeper into the mission details, a distant rumble echoed through the air.

A low roar filled with conversation buzzed with impatience and barely contained excitement beyond the massive metallic gates.

Sage blinked then winced. "…Ah."

His shoulders sagged slightly as realization hit him. "I forgot about them."

He turned toward the gate where shadows shifted and clustered beyond towering steel doors adorned with reinforced plates engraved with the Adventurer Guild crest. Subtle mana veins glowed faintly along their seams.

He approached closer to these imposing gates and placed both hands against their cool metal surface before pushing gently. To his surprise, they opened smoothly without creaking or grinding, parting inward as if acknowledging their master.

Light flooded in, accompanied by a cacophony of noise. A sea of adventurers filled the expansive stone plaza outside, warriors clad in leather, iron, steel, and enchanted gear; mercenaries displaying their company crests; commissioners; and newly registered adventurers clutching their IDs.

They were packed shoulder to shoulder, every single face turned toward him. For half a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Then Sage awkwardly lifted one hand and said, "Uh… renovation's done. You can come in."

He didn't finish his sentence. The crowd surged forward, not just a rush but a flood.

Sage was shoved sideways almost instantly as bodies poured through the gates. Adventurers laughed, shouted, cursed, and cheered as they streamed into the newly revealed Guild grounds.

The sound of their footsteps merged into a rolling thunder as hundreds became thousands, and thousands transformed into a living tide that flowed past him without pause. From above, it would have looked like a dam breaking, like a river finally allowed to reclaim its path.

Sage stumbled but caught himself on a stone pillar. He simply stood there as the current rushed by, cloaks brushed against his shoulders, shields bumped his arms, and the scents of metal, sweat, leather, oil, and magic blended into an intoxicating atmosphere.

Then the first wave entered the plaza proper, and reactions began.

"What the hell..."

"Is this the same place?!"

"By the stars…"

"Look at that fountain!"

"Are those statues guardians?"

"No way… is that the Guildmaster?!"

Murmurs rippled outward as adventurers finally took in the transformed Guild. Heads tilted upward; steps slowed; conversations fractured. People craned their necks.

Some stopped outright, rooted to the spot as their eyes traced the scale of the new structures.

The expanded Guild Hall rose at the center like a fortress-palace hybrid, three floors layered with balconies adorned with banners and glowing mana channels.

The training facility sprawled outward with arenas visible through reinforced archways. To the east loomed a massive stable complex already being inspected by mounted teams.

And then there was the fountain and statue.

As soon as adventurers noticed it, laughter erupted anew.

"…Is that...the Guildmaster?"

"He really did it."

"Look at that pose."

"That shameless bastard."

"Why does he look like some holy figure?!"

"Where's the version with him swimming in gold?!"

Sage closed his eyes for a moment. "…I hate all of you."

Before he could process further humiliation, a familiar voice rang out near his ear.

"Petty Uncle Sage..."

A golden blur slammed into him from the side. His balance disappeared instantly as something small yet incredibly dense wrapped around his upper body, arms locking around his neck while legs clamped around his waist.

A massive shield hit the stone ground beside him with a heavy clang that vibrated through his bones.

"Mina,..!"

He barely managed to keep his balance as the little girl clung to him like an oversized accessory.

Sage let out a weary sigh. "Why do you always cling to me like this?"

Mina giggled, resting her chin on his head. "Because you're comfy."

He patted her back, feeling helpless. "You're supposed to be a knight. Act like one."

Ignoring him completely, she pointed dramatically at the fountain. "Explain."

Sage glanced sideways. "…Explain what?"

"That!" Mina exclaimed, pointing at the statue. "Why do you look like such an important person?"

Sage frowned. "Because I am an important person."

Mina rolled her eyes so dramatically it was a wonder they didn't get stuck that way. "If you were making a real statue of yourself," she declared with mock seriousness, "it should've been you smiling like an idiot, buried in gold coins, drooling with crazy eyes."

Sage froze for a moment before responding angrily, "That is slander!"

"It's accuracy," she corrected cheerfully. Then she poked his cheek and added, "Also, this one is too dignified. Totally ruins the your image."

Sage opened his mouth to argue but then closed it again, finally saying, "I regret everything."

They continued their playful bickering when suddenly the temperature around them dropped subtly, a cold presence approached.

Sage sensed it before he saw it. He lifted his head and spotted Valeria standing several meters away, clad in sleek crimson armor that hugged her figure without restricting movement.

The plating was refined and segmented for mobility, threaded with dark enchantments that pulsed faintly under the morning light. Her crimson eyes were sharp; her expression remained neutral.

Which was worse than anger.

Behind her stood her mercenary band, imposing as ever, with Vanthrice by her side, arms crossed and knuckles cracking faintly as she regarded Sage with open menace.

Sage stiffened and urgently tapped Mina's leg, hard.

"Mina," he whispered urgently, "your sister is here."

Mina pretended not to hear him and settled more comfortably on his shoulders with a mischievous grin.

Sage's smile twitched as he looked at Valeria and shrugged helplessly.

Valeria's gaze shifted from Mina to the statue and then back to Sage before she snorted coldly and walked past him without a word, leading her group toward the Guild Hall entrance.

The mercenaries followed suit while Vanthrice maintained eye contact until the last possible moment.

Sage exhaled slowly. "Damn cold woman."

He pinched Mina's leg playfully. "Little menace! Look what you've done now."

Mina stuck out her tongue in response. "She already didn't like you!"

"Now she likes me even less," Sage replied dryly.

"Well then," Mina said with a grin, "you're consistent!"

Sage stared ahead thoughtfully. "Why do I even talk to you?"

She giggled and played with his hair.

Sage let out a deep sigh. "What am I going to do with you…"

Holding her leg to keep her from sliding, he finally stepped forward and followed the flow of adventurers into the transformed heart of the Guild.

Behind him, the gates remained wide open.

And the Adventurer Guild, reborn in stone and mana, swallowed the morning in noise, ambition, and the restless movement of a city that had only just begun to realize what it was becoming.

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