"Does that mean that the next raid of Perverted Justice is happening soon?"

Aren asked.

"It is."

Reverend John said.

"Why are you asking? Interested in joining, hmm?"

The mysterious man asked with a chuckle.

"Not at all. I am not suicidal. I do not belong there with my current strength."

Aren said.

"Is that so? Outlaw Pathway is all about embracing danger and risk. I know more than a few Outlaws who would jump at that opportunity to increase their divinity.

"Are you a coward, Aren Meredica?"

The mysterious man asked.

"…I apologize on behalf of Jack. He might come across as rude, and for that, I apologize. But he doesn't mean it like that."

Revered John said.

"That is fine."

Aren said.

"An honest question. Truly honest. I like asking questions. It helps me to learn more about people that are hiding their true feelings behind a mask."

Jack said with a smile.

It was like he could read Aren perfectly. He saw through his fake smile, pretentious attire, and fake persona.

"…"

Aren stayed quiet, but for the first time ever, he felt truly naked before someone else. Not even Leaders made him feel as such, and they were capable of forcing him to tell truths.

There was something very scary about Jack, and he thought that he might be a High Ranker of the Leader Pathway, but he was actually an Outlaw, just like him.

"The meeting should be concluded with this. Mister Meredica, you can get your card updated at the front desk."

Reverend John said and then stood up with a Bible in hand. He bade farewell to the two. Then he departed from the room.

"I'll walk you to the front desk."

Jack said with a smile and stood up, while Aren followed his lead with a suspicious gaze in his eyes.

They left the room and walked down the short hallway over to the stairs.

"…I haven't introduced myself just now. My name is Jack Bastard, and I am the Guild Master of Rock Records."

'…A fake name.'

Aren thought to himself coldly.

He had already checked Jack's information with a sneaky tap to the forehead, and he wasn't sure whether he was giving that same fake name to everyone else, but it wasn't a real one.

It might be that Jack was in the same boat as Aren, using a fake alias, and maybe it was something that Outlaws just did.

***

[Name: Jack Moriarty]

[Pathway: Outlaw]

[Level: 6]

[Class: Ripper of the Crimson Moon]

***

"Rock Records? It sounds like a name for a rock band."

Aren said.

"I, and some of my friends were in a band over in Earth. We were able to join some big concerts back in the day."

Jack said.

'…I have my suspicions about this man, but he is Outlaw, so maybe I would be able to join his guild. He might be able to help me in terms of training.'

Aren thought to himself and then asked.

"Are you one of those Outlaw Guilds that I have heard so much about?"

"Haha, gods no. I am the lone Outlaw of Rock Records. You assumed that Rock Records is one of those Outlaw Guilds because I am an Outlaw?"

Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"…Yes."

Aren said.

"Haha. Honesty! I dig that. I can understand why you think so, and you're not the only one who has thought the same.

"Being part of Outlaw Pathway also brings a certain kind of discrimination. It's to be expected, as our peers have done quite bad things in the past.

"You're interested in joining one of the Outlaw Guilds?"

He asked, glancing at Aren with a side-eye, and was looking for any change in his expression but found nothing.

"…I don't know. I am definitely looking for a guild to join. I have heard contradicting things about the Outlaw Guilds, though."

Aren said.

"Yes… Outlaw Guilds are what is the worst about Outlaws. They are quite single-handedly bringing the reputation of the Outlaws down to the mud.

"I guess it is a good place for a lonesome Outlaw, who doesn't have anywhere else to go and can join people like themselves.

"However, Outlaw Guilds are for extremists. They turn other Outlaws into extremists as well.

"In other words, they are professional victims, you could say. They think the entire world is actively working against them.

"That the entire world is trying to kill them and eradicate them. However, they only get shunned and attacked for being sinners and criminals."

Jack said.

"…Is that so?"

Aren said.

He made a mental note to not join Outlaw Guilds after all. It didn't seem like a place where he could get proper training.

They would probably try to groom him into another terrorist and extremist, just like them, and that's not what he was looking for.

"Is Rock Records hiring new members?"

Aren asked.

He thought that maybe it was somewhat easy to join Rock Records, especially if Jack himself was the only Outlaw of the guild. Maybe he wanted someone like himself in there.

"You want to join, haha?"

Jack asked with a chuckle, and then he shook his head.

"I don't think you will fit. I can read you pretty well. You're a lone wolf, and I don't think you will work well with a team.

"Rock Records is mostly me and my friends from back over in Earth. I do not invite strangers. It is the reason why we have good chemistry when it comes to raids.

"We have a flawless track record so far."

Jack said.

"Oh… I understand that."

Aren said with a slight disappointment.

It was really hard for him to find a guild to join as a level 2 Outlaw. He had to make a push to level 3, but luckily, he didn't feel like it was that far away.

He had to do some chaos creation in order to do that final push.

"We're here. Congratulations on the promotion, buddy. See you later!"

Jack patted him hard on the back and then headed out, his rockstar-styled hair wildly swaying behind him.

Aren pulled out his guild card from his pocket, went to the front desk, and got his card upgraded, as he was now a green-ranked guild member.

This meant that he now had access to the green vault.

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