Mercenary

Noah walked through the busy streets of Ivory City. One could easily hear the sound of coins pouring down upon tables and goods being shuffled from the side trades going on around him. It wasn't a wonder why the folks here dared trade so freely, it was because no idiot would dare rob a civilian when a Mercenary Association Branch was nearby not to talk of one being headed by a great Overlord Stage Battlesoul master.

Judging by the carefree look that graced everybody's faces as they passed by, one could easily infer that the city didn't get much attacks from Beast tides either. These were catastrophic events that happened when multiple Essence Beasts decided to raid nearby cities for food. Obviously even the slightly slow beasts realized that such actions were a really bad decision facing an existence that could wipe them out with a single wave of his/her arm.

At that moment, Noah wore an oversized cape that covered his small body and a mask to cover his face. If one looked underneath the cape, they would see that his body was actually quite muscular, assuming he was a dwarf but in reality those muscles were as weak as paper and were merely a disguise. No one would admit a young boy who wasn't even 13 as a Mercenary so he could only disguise himself as a dwarf.

Noah ignored the weird gazes that were directed at him as he walked into the Mercenary Association building.

The man at the receptionist's desk glanced at Noah's short figure with narrowed eyes before letting out a sly smile. "Registration?"

"Hmm." Noah's voice, due to his disguise, came out thick and hoarse befitting a middle aged dwarf.

The man's smile widened as he nodded. "A mercenary's registration is fairly simple. You must be above the 5th Level of the Novice Stage, you must boast of a decent level of battle experience which will be proven by battling a registered Mercenary. And for the last..." A greedy light flashed in the man's eyes as he proceeded to explain the last requirement. "You must pay one thousand essence coins!"

Hearing this, Noah's face grew cold. Although he indeed had a lot of money to spend thanks to Luke, it didn't mean he would just ignore such blatant scamming. In the eyes of a common man, a thousand essence coins were a lot!

The transmigrator snorted. His disguised muscular arms reached out with a khaki colored hue coating his skin, a sign of him activating the Gravity Force Soul skill. He was short but it was okay, all he had to do was touch the man's arm that rested on the table.

The receptionist tried to resist but it was already too late. The Gravity Force Soul skill had already been attached to him, putting his body under a large amount of pressure weighing 300 kilograms.

The man was shocked. He was Level 8 Novice Stage Battlesoul master! Yet he couldn't resist against this dwarf that was clearly of a lower level than him.

It was at this moment that Noah's voice rang out. "I shall pay 10 essence coins."

The receptionist gulped in fear and quickly nodded his head but inwardly he was groaning. The normal f*e for registration was a hundred essence coins and now because of his greed, he would have to fetch out 90 coins from his own personal Wallet. Though it wasn't much, it wasn't small either. Yet he dared not refuse and quickly went to work on the Arrays around him. A couple of minutes went by before he handed an item to Noah.

It was a badge made with a kind of wooden material, yet the transmigrator was sure he could feel bits of Essence being radiated by the item. The badge had an image of crossed swords with a shield behind it.

"The battle test will take place in the Mercenary arena. The badge in your hand is your proof and identity as a Reserve Mercenary. If you defeat a Copper rank Mercenary, the badge will be upgraded to a copper rank badge earning you the title of a Copper rank Mercenary and if you defeat a Bronze rank Mercenary, it will once again update your status. This goes on until you meet your limits."

Although the Receptionist was quite sly, he did his job very well. As he spoke he led Noah towards the arena. Within it, you could see some battle tests and friendly spars between some Mercenaries.

"You can pick your opponent from these 6." The man smiled as he pointed at a group of 6 people that were stationed at the edges of the arena. On their chests were copper colored badges, attached to their respective clothing. All of them revealed strength that stood firmly at the Level 7 Novice Stage, yet the man knew that they would be heavily thrashed by the dwarf beside him. After all, even he, a top Copper rank Mercenary, couldn't resist Noah's strength.

"Hmm." Noah nodded and pointed to one of the 6 people standing there.

The man who was picked frowned with his brows creasing. He felt embarrassed because one usually picked the easiest to defeat when having a battle test. He stood up from his seat and grabbed the large axe that lay by his side, tensing his large muscles to make them seem even bigger than they already were. "Hehe, newbie. It seems you don't wish to pass this test." His aura flared as he walked towards Noah, looking at him with eyes full of contempt and slight annoyance.

The transmigrator couldn't care less about the annoyance felt by his opponent. He spoke in his hoarse voice. "Bring it."

The burly man turned red with embarrassment as his attempt to intimidate the fellow before him failed. "Let me show you your place, newbie!" He raised his large axe and swung down with anger. Essence covered the axe's blade as a blazing fire fueled its power.

Noah stayed calm in the face of this attack. Of the two Battlesouls he possessed, he had decided to reveal his Overlord Sword Emperor to the public since it was less conspicuous. Because of this, he couldn't use the Silver Dragon Eyes as it was possible that someone stronger than him could recognize the space affinity essence he would release. But he discovered he didn't need to use it for the fight right now. The man before was just too full of flaws, even more so than the two assailants who were sent to murder him.

The wind howled as a result of the fearsome might being released by the 150 kilogram axe as it descended yet Noah only raised his palm.

Azure Dragon Art: Redirection

A mild sound was released. The few people watching the fight widened their eyes as they looked on. This was because Noah...

Had slapped the man's axe away! Yes slapped! Not destroyed, not blocked, not dodged but slapped!

The man was stunned at the sight of this but Noah was already attacking. His fists imbued with a 200 kilogram force slammed into the man's face sending him flying. The outcome was very simple. Noah had won!

And quite easily too. The Redirection move was one of the many in the Azure Dragon Art and it was not as flashy as the rest but its effects in battle were simply mind blowing. With a simple flick of the wrist, he could redirect his opponent's force sending them off guard and open for attacks.

Noah was now a Copper rank Mercenary of the Association.