F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 302: The Big Winner (1)

Daru’s reaction was not as exaggerated as it seemed.

He was truly quite taken aback by the signing offer of 10,000 Neo-Earth Dollars, a small house and lot in a second-tier gated subdivision, 1 (S)-tier Legacy Sword Skill, three Sword Skills of his choice, 300,000 Swordcoins, 1,000 Actualizer Crystals, a few dozen potions and tonics, a level 60 S-tier Armor Set, experience boost scrolls, and ten enhancement gemstones of his choice.

’W-Why would they give all that just for signing...’ Daru gulped in distrust.

But then, he remembered Hailey’s words. Perhaps this was what she meant by the gap in financial capability.

What the government could offer was indeed not only "slightly less".

The recruitment agent of Steel Covenant grinned in satisfaction at his half-true reaction, especially pleased when he shook his head as if to remind himself not to bite so easily and check the other offers first.

Daru’s reaction meant that he was definitely moved, and that his resolve to work with the government was probably in shambles at that moment.

The other agents from the Seven Sword Guilds were inwardly delighted, too.

After all, they were confident with their own offers, and if Onimaru Kunitsuna’s reaction was already this intense, there was a high chance he could be bought by money...which the Seven Sword Guilds had a massive surplus of.

They sneered inwardly as their thoughts drifted to the reminder of their superiors about Hailey Krauss’ words.

’Prefer solitude and freedom over material gains? Yeah, right!’

The recruitment agents’ enthusiasm skyrocketed.

They were almost eighty to ninety percent sure one of them would be able to snatch Onimaru Kunitsuna from the clutches of the Neo-Earth World Government — the declining body of acknowledged authority.

The government agent’s difficult expression, coupled with his actions, which they perceived as chatting with his superior — probably Hailey Krauss — through a Whisper Sigil, was very promising, too.

The paupers already knew they were in trouble.

Daru, meanwhile, moved on to the next offer with "shaking" hands. He picked up Justicar Edge’s offer, his satisfactory reaction on par with the first one.

Still, he put the envelope down, "slight anticipation" on his face as he checked Bloodbound’s offer, then a neutral reaction on Ashen Crown’s, which displeased the recruitment agent of that guild.

However, there was a clear reason why Daru was reacting like this, so in a way, his reactions confirmed that he was taking their offers seriously.

The Ashen Crown acquisition agent knew he fell into a slight disadvantage, but nothing he couldn’t save with his negotiation skills. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Meanwhile, the free agent all of them were courting continued, checking The Ivory Enclave’s offer and Ravenblade’s.

Based on his reactions, the apex guilds’ offers seemed to be more or less equal. It would come down to the acquisition agents’ abilities.

At this point, the smaller guilds had already lost hope, though they were quick to make peace with it.

They were only trying their luck, anyway. This was the expected result.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The moment Daru picked up Iron Lotus’s envelope, he froze, seemingly tongue-tied and bewildered.

The Iron Lotus acquisition agent leaned on the backrest of his chair with a victorious smile.

This one was undoubtedly theirs.

In the past five years, Iron Lotus had allowed most of the A and S-rankers to join the ranks of their rivals, saving up and focusing on their finances so they could go wild in the years where anomalies would emerge — one like this Onimaru Kunitsuna.

There had been more than a handful of cases in the past, after all, and the most prominent example was Sword Saint Caladbolg.

Of course, they would still spare no expense in acquiring as many SSS-rankers as they could, especially since the said Bladeborns were exceedingly rare, numbering only around almost three dozen over the past six decades.

Most tended to retire once they reached that age.

It was just that they had acquired the SSS-ranker, Tizona, two years prior.

Plus, there were special circumstances this year involving the Four Starblades, so they had no choice but to let go of them.

Fortunately, the fruits of their strategic spending had ripened today and were now ready for harvest.

Iron Lotus’s acquisition agent was confident that the offers of the other six could not match the one he brought for Onimaru Kunitsuna.

Not even close.

Their budget for S-rankers was way higher than that of their rivals.

The acquisition agents of the other six naturally felt the winds shift in Iron Lotus’ favor, ready to put their skills to use to save the situation.

They’d encountered such moments multiple times in the span of their career, and they knew things could always be turned around with a slick tongue and creative counteroffers that blurred the lines of benefit.

Soon, Daru placed the final envelope down, a difficult expression on his face.

"I...appreciate the extremely generous offers, however..." he began.

The Iron Lotus acquisition agent’s eyes narrowed.

"I must come clean. I still have a mercenary contract with the government that I must fulfill before I can dare accept..."

In contrast to what he said, however, the expressions of the agents of the Seven Sword Guilds eased.

They were inwardly ecstatic.

This meant that Daru’s loyalty had been stolen by their offers and was merely bound by a final contract.

Once the conditions were fulfilled, he would not be serving the government anymore...at least that’s what his words implied.

If so, then signing him now would not be any different.

It was just that they had to wait for a few months at most — far from problematic — before the anomaly of an S-ranker was theirs.

While they did not believe he was at the level of Caladbolg, securing him would turn the potential thorn into a flower blooming in their garden.

"Ashen Crown sees no problem with this. The offer still stands. Also, if you find it lacking, we’re open to negotiation. As for your misunderstanding with Skylar Ashwind, you don’t need to worry about this. The guild will take care of it."

Fast.

The acquisition agent of Ashen Crown, knowing he was the one who was in last place in Onimaru Kunitsuna’s heart, grabbed the chance faster than the other six — a display of wits and skills in his field.

A true veteran.

The other agents were displeased, but they could only fight back.