Chirp Chirp Chirp

With the rising of the sun, the once silent streets were filled with a cacophony of noises from the busy crowd. The empty roads which seemed to be deserted were now bustling with life.

The first bell reverberated throughout the whole city and the bustling day became even livelier. People went out of their houses one after another and stall owners started to set up their merchandise. It was the start of another day.

Knock Knock Knock

"Grey, are you ready?" ［Yuna］

Accompanying the knocking on the wooden door was a familiar soft voice. Naturally, the voice came from Yuna whose room was just a few steps away.

"Just go ahead and eat first. I'll be there shortly." ［Grey］

"Okay～." ［Yuna］

As Yuna's voice faded away, the sound of light footsteps could be heard echoing in the corridors just on the other side of the door.

Grey on the other hand continued with what he was doing before Yuna came. He prepared everything in his "Inventory" that could be sold, organizing the contents from least to most valuables, in hopes to get rid of the unneeded items soon.

Soon after Grey finished his task, he walked outside his room and headed towards the dining hall, whilst humming happily. A single glance and one could easily tell he was in a happy mood. After all, today will be the day where Grey and Yuna will become adventurers!

Excited at the thoughts of adventures, Grey hastily yet politely finished his breakfast, daydreaming of the adventures he will experience after finally becoming an adventurer. A profession he could only dream of in his past life.

Yuna, who was sitting in front of him giggled softly as she witnessed an excited Grey humming happily as he ate his breakfast. It was an expression she only saw from time to time in the forest.

With breakfast finished, Yuna and Grey then headed to the Adventurer's Guild, and with the help of Helen's direction, they were able to arrive there without getting lost.

In comparison to the buildings adjacent to it, the guild building was one which could easily be described as "massive". It stood more than 8 meters tall and was easily longer than 30 meters. It was a building which imposed a sense of intimidation towards those who glanced at it.

Not only Grey, even Yuna who wasn't as excited as Grey was amazed by the domineering aura of the establishment. It was one which truly symbolized the strength of adventurers.

The moment Grey and Yuna entered, they were greeted by all sorts of people. There were the stereotypical muscledheads, there were those with a body full of scar, those carrying staves, and even lanky men which looked like they'll break at any moment.

On the sides, there were a number of counters which dealt with negotiations, dismantling transactions, and various miscellaneous jobs. One could even hear the arguments between the adventurers and the clerks assigned in those counters.

On the backend, there was an exceedingly large counter which could easily handle 5 people at the same time. It was where the people give and receive quests, the centerpiece of the whole establishment, the reception.

"Good morning, how may I help you?" ［Receptionist］

When it was Grey and Yuna's turn, a woman in her late teens welcomed the two with a bright smile which screamed professionalism.

The woman easily caught Grey and Yuna's attention, not because of her charisma nor fair face, but because she was a therianthrope belonging to the fox tribe. It was the first time both of them had seen a beastkin so up close.

"Ah, ummm... We would like to register as adventurers." ［Grey］

When the receptionist heard Grey's words, she suddenly started scaling the two with her eyes. She was staring so hard, it felt like a hole was boring through their bodies.

"I... Is there a problem?" ［Grey］

"Ah, I apologize for my rudeness! I was just surprised by how young you two were... Well, I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, may be you two will become the rising stars of the guild!" ［Receptionist］

With a bright professional smile, the receptionist quickly recovered from being flustered in just a fraction of a second, unlike Helen who easily became casual.

While the receptionist wasn't lying about being surprised by their age, the real reason she scrutinized the two was because of their excellent looks. She had initially thought that the two were children of nobility, but without any proof, she quickly dismissed such thought.

"Since you're registering, please fill out this form and imprint your mana in this part. We'll confirm the authenticity of the form using your mana with a magic tool later. After that, there will be an examination. But before that, you will need to pay a 50 kiel registration fee. It's alright to not pay it immediately, we will just deduct it on the quest rewards you'll earn later." ［Receptionist］

Having received both the instructions and the registration form from the receptionist, Grey and Yuna then filled it out with the information required such as name, age, sex, race, attribute, etc., there were also parts which was more about personal information but it was optional to fill it in.

For the abilities, Grey and Yuna left it both blank, wishing to reveal their abilities only in dire circumstances. After all, only fools would carelessly reveal their abilities,

Immediately after the two finished, they paid a bronze coin for the registration fee and the receptionist brought their forms with her for verification. Minutes later, they were led by another staff member for their examination.

"Please wait for the examiner here," ［Staff］

Having completed his task, the staff slightly bowed his head and headed back to his work area, leaving Grey and Yuna alone with one another.

"Ummm, Grey... are you nervous?" ［Yuna］

Yuna asked as she nervously fidgeted with her fingers. Even her ears were pointing downwards from anxiety.

"Hm? Not really. From what I know, the exam should only consist of a battle against summoned monsters. Considering this is a test for H-rank adventurers, we should easily be able to defeat them." ［Grey］

"Haah... I really envy your calmness." ［Yuna］

"Hmm... If you're nervous, should I hold your hands?" ［Grey］

"W-W-Why all of the sudden?!" ［Yuna］

Hearing Grey's nonchalant proposal, Yuna's face immediately turned red both from confusion and happiness. It was an opportunity that only comes once in a blue moon.

While Grey, the one who offered the proposal, wasn't moved by the slightest. It probably wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he hasn't even realized what kind of proposal he just thoughtlessly said. After all, he was the type to say things before thinking.

"Well, I heard that holding hands can make people calm down. So I thought it might help you out." ［Grey］

"Th... Then I'll take you up on your offer..." ［Yuna］

When Grey offered his hand, Yuna meekly placed hers on top of his and lightly held it, with their fingers interlocking with one another.

As time passed, Yuna's grip became tighter by the second. Her nervousness was now replaced with a pure and innocent happiness, as a wish to hold Grey's hands even longer bloomed inside her heart.

A few minutes later, a burly aged man came towards Grey and Yuna. His hair gray as ash and his eyes as sharp as a falcon's, the man stood more than 2 meter tall, easily dwarfing everyone Grey had ever met.

⟨⟨Appraisal⟩⟩ ［Grey］

-----------------------------------

[Salferine]

[Name] Gaston

[Race] Human

[Sex] Male

[Age] 56

[Status] Healthy

[Mana Capacity] 772 [Mana Quality] C

[Combat Power] 993 [Threat Level] C

[Attribute] Null [Magic Proficiency] Intermediate (37%)

[Class] Swordsman [Weapon Proficiency] High (68%)

[Physical Enhancement] 70%

[Ability] 『Sharp Sense (2☆)』

-----------------------------------

"So you're the ones applying today, huh?" ［Gaston］

With a deep and husky voice, Gaston greeted the Grey and Yuna as he scrutinized them with his sharp eyes. Eyes which showed the experience behind his years.

Even when they were much stronger than Gaston, Grey and Yuna still felt an aura of intimidation bearing upon them. It was intimidating enough to send cold sweat down their spines.

"Hahahaha! Despite looking so young, you can surprisingly hold your ground against my aura! You really can't judge a book by its cover, huh?!" ［Gaston］

As quickly as it bore down on them, the aura of intimidation quickly dissipated as if it was never there to begin with. It seemed like the examiner was testing whether Grey and Yuna had the guts to become adventurers.

With the examiner's aura gone, Grey and Yuna quickly relaxed their bodies and their heart rates returned to normal. It was the first time the two had been intimidated so much despite having fought so many monsters.

"You two, follow me. Let's get your rank examined." ［Gaston］

Despite saying things so calmly and domineering, inside of Gaston's heart...

'I don't know why but I feel like I'll see something amazing today! I hope you two won't disappoint me!' ［Gaston］

... his blood was boiling in anticipation. He could barely control his excitement that the moment he saw Grey and Yuna, he subconsciously released his aura upon them.

While he was surprised by his own actions, he was more surprised when he saw that the two which were subjected to his aura just simply flinched when they faced against it. It only meant one thing... they were at least as strong as him!

With his "Sharp Sense", Gaston had never been wrong when he trusted his guts. It was something he had only felt a few years ago when another young man completely turned the guild upside down.

Led by Gaston, the three shortly arrived at the examination room. It was a very spacious room which easily exceeds 5 meters in height, and located near the entrance was a large metallic floating orb.

⟨⟨Appraisal⟩⟩ ［Grey］

-----------------------------------

[Device]

[Name] Summoning Orb

[Description]

An orb which can summon a creature that will obey the will of the one activating it. The said creature can only stay within a certain range from the device and its strength and form will depend on the mana stone used as a base and the amount of mana used.

-----------------------------------

"I'll quickly tell you the rules so listen carefully. Your exam is a practical one. I will summon a creature and you'll have to defeat it. Depending on how well you fare, you will immediately become either an H, G, or F-rank adventurer. And if you fail, you'll only be an apprentice adventurer." ［Gaston］

Without useless nonsense, Gaston explained the details of the exams plain and simple. And although Grey and Yuna already knew the contents of the exam, they still nodded quietly after Gaston's explanation.

But while listening to Gaston's explanation, Grey noticed something amiss from it. It had a little yet critical detail which was somewhat different from what he knows with his knowledge.

"Huh? You can move up until F-rank if you pass? I thought you can only get up to H-rank when passing?" ［Grey］

"That's how it was until a year ago. You see, the main headquarters issued a reform on the registration system, saying it's a waste of time for strong individuals to start from the lowest rank." ［Gaston］

"Then why didn't they do it for all the ranks?" ［Grey］

"It's to build up trust. Even if an adventurer has the strength of A-rank, if they can't even do an F-rank quest properly, then having them as an A-rank is pointless." ［Gaston］

"I see..." ［Grey］

Quite different from Grey's knowledge, adventurers could now rank up until F-rank during the examinations. It was a decision made by the guild's executives after much consideration.

Although it was quite helpful towards their current situation, it made Grey realize something critical. It was that his "knowledge" only contained things from 3 years ago. Everything that had changed within those 3 years had already become a mystery which was out of his scope.

"If you can't continue, I will stop the exams, so don't be worried and fight until your heart's content." ［Gaston］

Or so Gaston said, but deep inside his heart, he knew that there was no need to say such words. After all, with their strength, they would probably decimate every single monster that will be summoned.

With eyes full of vigor and excitement, Gaston urged Grey and Yuna to quickly take up the exam. It was the moment where he would know if he'll experience yet another amazing spectacle,

"Yuna, do you want to go first?" ［Grey］

"Un." ［Yuna］

Forcefully conquering her nervousness with a strong will, Yuna stepped inside the examination field. The moment she held her daggers, she had become a completely different person.

The aura Yuna excluded with her fighting spirit was something one could easily trample against those weaker than her. Like a sharp dagger, her eyes scrutinized the room, preparing for the moment the enemy appears.

Despite being the examiner, the moment Gaston sensed Yuna's overwhelming mana, his body greatly tensed up. It was then he realized that his initial assessment was completely off... she was much stronger!

Gurrruuukー

The first monster that was summoned was a goblin, but not even a second had passed, Yuna immediately vanished into thin air. The moment she reappeared, she was already behind the goblin's back, and the goblin in question had already lost its head.

The goblin didn't even realize that its head was cut as its face didn't even contain any hints of surprise nor fear. In fact, the goblin's head was like a blank canvas, void of any expressions.

Buhhiiiii...kkkk

Following the goblin, a G-rank orc appeared as the next opponent, and like the goblin before it, it also lost its life without even realizing it had been killed. Against Yuna, they were all insignificant.

For the F-rank test, what came was an ogre, and needless to say, its head came flying to the air without even a fraction of a second. Its life was mercilessly ended by the daggers of Yuna, who now looked like a phantom whose sole purpose was to kill.

Seeing Yuna's feat, Gaston became speechless. As even though he's a C-rank himself, it would still take him a couple of seconds to defeat an F-rank ogre. Not to mention how fast Yuna was. His eyes couldn't even follow her!

"Did I pass?" ［Yuna］

As soon as the ogre fell to the floor, Yuna immediately released her fighting spirit and returned into the innocent-looking elven girl that she was. A transformation which didn't even take a fraction of a second.

"Ah, y... yes. You passed with flying colors." ［Gaston］

"Is it my turn?" ［Grey］

Quickly after Yuna left the examination circle, Grey stepped in to take the exam. And soon enough, a goblin similar to the one Yuna fought was summoned by Gaston.

⟨⟨Air Bullet⟩⟩ ［Grey］

Unlike Yuna who went with dagger arts, Grey decided to go with magic spells for a change of pace. He also didn't release much of his fighting spirit, knowing that his opponents will only be low-rank monsters.

At first Gaston was disappointed with Grey's lack of fighting spirit, but the moment Grey fired the spell, he was shocked to the point where his mouth became wide open.

Unlike other "Air Bullets" where a bullet of air can be seen flying towards the enemies, Grey's spell didn't show Gaston anything. It was too fast for Gaston to notice. In his eyes, a hole suddenly appeared in the goblin's head for no reason, causing it to lose its life and fall flat straight to the ground.

It was the same for the orc and the ogre, they seemed to have just died suddenly with a hole in the middle of their heads. Although Gaston couldn't grasp how Grey made the "Air Bullet" shoot so fast, he was sure of one thing, that is... if ever he were to be hit by the same spell, he would inevitably die!

Even more than Yuna's strong fighting spirit, Gaston became more terrified and amazed at Grey's calmness as if he was declaring that no matter what stands in his way. he would be able to defeat it.

'Hahaha... Looks like our guild is getting new stars!' ［Gaston］

Although he knew that he would not stand a chance against either Grey and Yuna, Gaston became excited at the thought of fighting the two. It was like a thirst inside of him which he wanted to quench but he couldn't.

"Looks like you really can't judge a book by its cover. Hahahaha!" ［Gaston］

Gaston laughed boisterously as he thanked that his guts were right. He had become too excited that he almost forgot that he was still conducting an examination.

Grey and Yuna on the other hand were puzzled by the aged man's actions. They were especially curious about the quote they had been hearing here and there.

"Oh, are you curious about our guild's motto?" ［Gaston］

As if he was reading their minds, Gaston quickly explained to the two about their guild's motto and how it came to be, a motto which apparently started to spread about 8 years ago.

From Gaston's words, it all started when one day, a young man who was barely 16 registered as an adventurer. The other adventurers mocked and made fun of him. In response to that, the young man challenged the adventurers in a duel. And the result... Well, the young man one-sidedly crushed the adventurers.

Starting from that day onwards, the adventurers never laid a hand on the newcomers, fearing the same tragedy might befall onto them. Today, the young man is still working as an adventurer, and an A-rank at that. He was an adventurer whose name spreads far and wide in the kingdom of Alfrione.

"But that happened a long time ago, now, some adventurers try to stir up trouble with the newcomers whenever he's not around. But I think they'll meet their match sooner rather than later."

Gaston laughed with a mischievous smile, clearly meaning that the ones who'll be those adventurers' match was Grey and Yuna who were standing quietly before him.

"Ah, right. I suppose I still haven't introduced myself, and I am the Galderia Branch Guildmaster! It's great to have you!" ［Gaston］

Although Grey had already expected that he was the guildmaster with his high stats, it was still a little shocking when the fact had been revealed by the person in question, especially when it was done in a boisterous manner.

"I'm Grey. as you have seen, I specialize in wind magic." ［Grey］

"Yuna, I'm an assassin and my specialty is ice magic" ［Gaston］

Reciprocating Gaston's greeting, Grey and Yuna shook Gaston's large hands as they introduced themselves one after the other.

"Well then, Grey! Yuna! I welcome you to the Adventurer's Guild!" ［Gaston］

CHAPTER 11 END