So now that Leo and I have new weapons, we should probably give them a test run. The good news is that the rank-up test will do well for that. Leo and I finally meet the requirements to rank up to rank C. 

"Let's go take the rank-up test now that we've got the gear!"

"Yeah, we are probably strong enough to take it now. Are you sure we should go right now though? Should we try to level up before we attempt it?"

"You are being too cautious, we'll be fine!"

"Yeah, okay. Whatever."

Honestly, in the game, I took the rank-up test when I was level 6. We should be fine. I also didn't have good weapons at that time, and now I have the [Blink Knife], so I think we should be fine. 

"If you don't think that you can pass the test, you don't have to take it now, you know? I can take it by myself."

"I'll do it."

"Okay... if you say so."

The promotion test. It is constantly changing and is normally not the same thing for two people. Sometimes it will be a kill-quest, other times it will be a fetch-quest. In the past, the higher-ups have chosen whether someone will get promoted through a duel.

According to the lore of the game, this was so that Adventurers would focus on learning all aspects of being an adventurer, instead of focusing on combat. If all promotions were determined through a kill-quest or duel, then the only necessity to become a high-ranking adventurer would be strength.

If the only thing you have as a high-level adventurer is strength, you will die quickly. Therefore, the Adventurer's Guild created a system in which you can't focus on only one skill, because any skill could be tested. 

Logically thinking, they could just test every required skill at once, survivability, strength, knowledge, etc. But really, the whole reason that the process was like this in the game was to make it more interesting. I don't really know if the promotion test works the same here in this world.

I guess we're about to find out. Arriving at the Adventurer's Guild, both Leo and I go up to the receptionist and ask to take the promotion exam. We show our Guild-issued IDs and walk into a room that contains a box with a hole on the top.

"Please pull a paper slip out of the box. That will determine what promotion test you will take is."

I guess that the promotion test works the same here after all.

After we both pull out a paper, we both check to see what we got.

"Hmm, I got a fetch-quest. I need to get a Horned Grizzly's horn. What did you get Leo?"

"Ugh. I got a kill quest. Need to kill 20 Camouflaged Scorpions."

"Those things suck to find. They could be anywhere, and if they hit you, you need to take a Poison Antidote."

Seems like we will need to go separate ways for now. Horned Grizzlies are normally spotted north-north-east and Camouflaged Scorpions are south of here.

"See you after this test is done." I turn around and leave the building.

Oh, so there is a system panel for this too. That's cool. This system really does anything, huh. Well, that's off topic. 

The good news about this fetch-quest is that I neither need to kill nor find a lot of Horned Grizzlies. I only need its horn. Horned Grizzlies grow back their horns every fortnight, and they shed just as often. Therefore, I only need to find the residence of one of these monsters and find one of its shedded horns. That would take a while if it wasn't for [Tracking]. I just need to find the footprints of a Horned Grizzly and follow it to its home.

I will, of course, only enter after the Grizzly leaves its home. I don't want to get torn up by that thing. The only thing I would want to face less than a Horned Grizzly at my level is a Hippo. Even in my original world, those things were terrifying. That fat body it has, that's not fat, that is pure muscle. Imagine the monster form of it. No thank you.

Finally, I found some tracks. Let's see, so this leads to a cave east of here. Seems that the footprints are recent, so I'll have to be careful not to be seen. I'll travel in the trees so I'll be harder to see.

Okay, so this is the cave that the Horned Grizzly lives at. This place is a dump. There are bones everywhere! On the bright side I see a horn on the ground, but on the downside I see a couple of Horned Grizzly cubs. This is not good. Horned Grizzlies are incredibly protective of their children.

If I want to get close enough to grab that horn, I need to get past the Horned Grizzly, but the mom bear probably won't leave the children by themselves. I guess I only have one choice here, to smoke them out.

If I can start a fire at the back of the cave, the smoke will draw the Horned Grizzly and its cubs out of the cave long enough for me to grab the horn. The only problem is how to set the fire.

Hmm... I think I know what to do. The trees around here are pine trees, so if I can harvest some pine resin and coat my throwing knives in it, I could light them on fire and throw them into the cave setting a fire.

Cutting into the tree I'm standing on and harvesting its sap, I coat one of my throwing knives with the sap and light it using a match. Yeah, apparently this world has matches. Pretty nice.

Although, I guess it isn't exactly a match, and more like a lighter. It is a stick that if you direct your mana towards will light up. They are disposable and really easy to use, so they are popular among adventurers.

Throwing the knife and starting a fire in the cave, the Horned Grizzly and its cubs flee from the burning area and I enter in. The cave isn't exactly flammable, the only thing keeping this flame going is the pine resin and wood that my knife hit and caught on fire. Apparently, there used to be people here, because there is an old wood table here.

I grab the horn and book it out of there. I do not wanna risk fighting that bear. At my current level, I could not beat a Horned Grizzly protecting its children. A normal Horned Grizzly maybe, but the mothers lose all sense of reason and will sacrifice their own lives and fight recklessly to protect their children. Not something I could beat.

I use [Jumping] to get into the trees and get out of there. It doesn't seem as if the fire will spread to the forest, so I can leave it burning. I just hope no one enters that cave unless they want carbon-monoxide poisoning. I guess the people of this world don't know what carbon monoxide is, but that isn't the point.

Returning to the Adventurer's Guild and giving them the horn, I watch as they scan my ID and tell me that they will review my actions and see if I suit the criteria.

I wonder what they mean by reviewing my actions? Cameras don't exist here, do they? Probably some weird magic counterpart? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I mean, it makes sense that someone was watching over me, it would be bad if for my fetch-quest I went and bought a horn from the market. Someone watching me can prevent that.

I never noticed I was being followed even with the [Tracking] skill. Whoever was following me has amazing skill. I wonder if they could teach me? I am a rogue, so stealth training would help a l0t.

It's been a couple of hours, and Leo came in with his test finished about an hour ago. The receptionist said that whether or not we passed would be revealed soon a couple of minutes ago. 

"Can Carrots and Leo please come to the front desk." I hear over Sound-Amplifying magic. 

I'm nervous to see if we passed. It seems like Leo is too. I've done this before, but that was in a video game. I don't know if I passed or not.

"Congratulations on passing Carrots and Leo, here are your new IDs. I know you've heard this before, but please don't lose these. They are issued for free this time, but you will be charged for a new one if you lose it."

"Yeah! Leo, we did it! I told you we could pass."

"Yeah, yeah."

He's acting calm and all, but I can see a small smirk on his normally straight face. He's just as happy about this as I am lol. 

"We are both now C-rank!"