Eren appeared on stage.

He had worn a simple white tunic, paired with rugged brown pants. Voluminous locks of black hair cascaded down his youthful and subtly handsome face. His emerald green eyes shined from time to time. His presence would attract attention and his aura would intimidate.

The elemental attainments he had gained would fluctuate around him occasionally. And his soul sense would affect the people around him. They were all testaments to the powers he had harnessed over the years. No matter how much he tried to keep things under wraps, people were bound to get a hint about him and his accomplishments. Especially those who knew him well enough.

It was difficult for mortals to get close to Eren anymore because of his presence. Most would faint and others would have their mental health compromised. Some would have their heartbeats increased to unprecedented levels. Mortal men would feel enraged at the world and females would lose their sense of self in lust. Thus, only the lower-ranked entities served him.

It was common for Adept-ranked entities to have this effect on mortals to some extent. A ranker's control over their powers would typically increase once again when they entered C-Rank or higher.

The butcher too was suffering from a lack of control over his powers. This was because he was harnessing multiple paths and Abilities. And this was when he was working through special training conducted by Alephee to achieve better control over his mana circuits. One could imagine the kind of havoc he would cause to his surroundings in the presence of lower-ranked entities if he did not have the kind of control he was having at the moment.

The hall was buzzing with mumblings and chatter a few moments ago. But it grew silent the moment Eren appeared on stage. Even higher-ranked entities like Levine and others from her faction stopped conversing with each other when they saw Eren had gotten on stage.

'Solid stage! He progressed once again.'

Levine thought to herself as she watched Eren with keen expressions. She had asked others from her faction to be present here because of the things Eren had told her. To better fight Demonmir's faction, her faction had to grow in power.

The butcher didn't think that he could take Demonmir and his entire faction all by himself. At least not anytime soon. He and his guild needed some time to grow.

So the next logical option for him was to make Levine's faction capable enough for them to do his bidding. Demonmir was still too busy with his affairs to focus on Eren and his guild. But Eren didn't want to wait for things to turn wrong one day and catch him unprepared. Thus, he wanted to invest in Levine's faction as well.

He had the means to pull this off at this point when Kirin and Kaal subjugated Bigua's clan.

Eren first looked at Tuan and nodded. He knew that his demon beast was teaching the poor guy all sorts of questionable things. Thus, he decided that he should give a disclaimer to Tuan in private after his speech. That whatever suggestions Argo gave him should be implemented at one's own risk. And that he would take no responsibility for the outcome.

Eren looked at his crowd next and observed that everyone was looking at him. He liked the pin-drop silence in the room at the moment. This was the respect he had earned after working his ass off.

He would never get addicted to the fleeting sense of social status. However, he would not run away from it either when it was presented to him. Especially if he could make use of it to gain more for himself.

The butcher took a deep breath and smiled before speaking up.

"To all the White Raven guild members and our privileged guests good evening. I'll be honest with you. I am not very skilled at formal greetings. I lack the kind of sophistication one needs to address a crowd. And yet, I would like to draw your attention to what I have to say all the same.

That's because the things I'm about to say do not only concern me and my guild's future. It affects the future of this city and everyone in it. It affects the kingdom's political landscape, potential war, and the covert and overt power play around us.

And lastly, it affects you. Your future as a ranker to be specific."

Eren said as he checked the sleeves of his pants. He unabashedly took out his Sativa Stick and lit it up. He enjoyed the first drag of his smoke and released it through his mouth before continuing.

"I am sure some of you might have guessed that this gathering is related to the rank-up program we have been running for some of White Raven's finest talents. I am here to tell you that they are right on the mark."

Eren looked at Drin and Bianka and smiled. He took a brief pause and allowed the hushed chatter that had sprouted in the hall to subside a bit before speaking further.

"We are moving ahead with phase two of the rank-up program and those who have made it this far are invited to participate in it. And rest assured. We will also offer this program to a select group of our guests in exchange for some benefits."

Eren looked at Levine and her group of rankers and nodded before speaking about the pros and cons of the program.

"The benefits of phase two of the rank-up program are tremendous, to say the least. It has the potential to increase one's elemental attainment in their respective element by leaps and bounds. And it can also allow one to progress further in their ranking journey without creating any anomalies in their path.

I am not talking about the eventual growth you receive with the right use of ranking resources in conjunction with your respective ranking techniques. I'm talking about tangible gains that are made apparent as soon as you complete the program successfully."

Eren's statement metaphorically raised the hall's temperature. Everybody was taken aback by the announcement he made. People started questioning each other and looking at Eren with doubt.

'There has to be a catch.'

Everybody thought the same thing when they heard an offer too good to be true. Eren read the mood of the entire hall and chuckled before confirming their pessimistic view of the program.

"Yep! There's a "but" involved."