After waking up, Axel Blaze checked his Status Window for Card Case drop and this time it's another Flare card. That's one of the skills he spammed quite a lot yesterday in the jungle. With this his Flare card level increased to 4.

Flare

Rank : Common

Level : 4

Launch a flare that blasts after 5 seconds, spreading a bright red light. If used as an attack, it deals 20 magic damage.

MP Cost : 5

Cooldown : 10 seconds

Nothing changed much, except the magic damage increased by 5.

After having breakfast at the dining hall of the inn, Axel Blaze took his leave from the town riding a carriage. He doesn't want to waste time and register as an adventurer as soon as possible. For that he decided to register at the Galang City's Adventure Guild since the guilds at the cities are quite bigger compared to towns.

But things never go as planned do they?

[A4,200]

He is only halfway to the city but his wealth has dropped more than half. He didn't consider the travel fare when he rode carriages from towns to villages to towns to villages. The inn rents and food costs are also to be considered.

As he gets closer to the town, the expense also rises due to the rising cost of items.

Such a dilemma.

Galang City is still 2 days travel by carriage and 6 days by foot.

Axel Blaze couldn't help but consider what to do. He decided to sell some of the monster materials to the vendors in the town he was currently at but as expected, the price the buyers offered is the same as giving them the materials for free.

The only way to get a fair price in this world is if you sell your items to a guild.

There are two types of guilds in Seraphine, official guild and unofficial guild.

Official guild consists of two guilds, Adventure Guild and Commercial Guild, both are managed by the government— Axel Blaze can definitely get a fair price for any item he sells here but to do so he has to be a part of the guild.

Unofficial guilds on the other hand consist of many guilds like Mercenary Guild and Private guilds made by fellow adventurers or businessmen. Though there are certain terms and conditions to be followed and a lot of connections required to form an unofficial guild, they are more trustworthy than the official guilds as their business depends on trust—Axel Blaze doesn't need to be a part of the guild to do business with them but the price is set by the guild themselves and you don't have a say in it.

"Sigh! What to do?" Axel Blaze murmured standing at the town square.

After a while he walked towards the Adventure Guild.

Since I am going to register anyway, let's do it now. Though I will miss the chance to have a big city as my base, it cannot be helped when you are poor.

Shaking his head, Axel Blaze entered the Adventure Guild of Kat Town. It's a multi-storey building with nothing to stand out for.

Indeed, the name of the town is Kat, because the people here love cats. You can find different species of cats roaming around the town and they even have souvenirs of cats.

The inside of the Adventure Guild building is empty, unexpected to Axel Blaze. Seems like this town doesn't have many adventurers or maybe they all went on a quest at the same time?

A young man is sitting at the reception desk.

"How may I help you?" He asked politely.

"I want to register as an Adventurer." Axel Blaze replied.

"Please fill up this form first." The man passed a sheet of paper and a pen to Axel Blaze.

Axel Blaze picked them up and moved aside to fill.

After a few minutes he returned with a filled up form and handed it over to the receptionist.

The receptionist took a look at the form and frowned.

"Sir, you must be joking. A Non-Combat Class?" He looked at Axel Blaze.

"You do know that a Non-Combat Class can't become an adventurer right?" He asked.

"What? When did such a rule pass?" Axel Blaze asked with surprise.

The man also looked surprised. "You really don't know?" He then looked up and down at Axel Blaze. "I have never seen you in this town before. May I ask where you are from?"

"Er... I came far from the north. From Meri Town." Axel Blaze spoke with hesitation.

"Meri Town... Never heard of it. If it's a town there should be an Adventure Guild there right? Why didn't you register there?" The receptionist asked.

"Well, it just opened recently and there aren't many adventures in that town, so I thought..." Axel Blaze scratched his head.

"I understand. But still, I can't help you with this Sir, as it is a rule of the Adventure Guild to not accept Non-Combat Class people. Not just in our guild but any Adventure Guild in Seraphine. Hope you understand." The receptionist declined politely.

"But as you can see, my stats are quite good. I also defeated a level 7 monster easily, here is the proof." Axel Blaze took out a tusk and ear of a level 7 Goblin Lord.

The receptionist didn't even flinch. "You jest. I can't believe what you write here till you show me your Status Window directly. As for these items, it can be bought with money can't they? Please take your leave Sir, you are wasting my time." The receptionist showed the way.

The whole building is empty, what are you busy with?

"Is there really no way to register as an adventurer? If there is some sort of test..." Axel Blaze asked humbly.

"Sorry." The receptionist shook his head in denial.

Axel Blaze sighed. "Then can I sell these materials here?" He asked.

The receptionist simply shook his head.

Dejected, Axel Blaze walked towards the door.

"Non-Combat Class people usually register at the Commercial Guild, you can try your luck there." The receptionist suggested this before Axel Blaze left, thanking him.

Axel Blaze's next stop was the Commercial Guild.

...

"Hey beautiful lady, what do you mean by I can't register at the guild? Don't you guys accept Non-Combat Class?" Axel Blaze complained.

"We do accept Non-Combat Class but we do not accept just any Non-Combat Class. Your class has to hold some value for the Commercial Guild to invest in it." A lady in her twenties remarked.

"As I said, my class is good with fighting monsters, here look at these items, these are all obtained by me after defeating the monsters." Axel Blaze showed monster materials.

"Then you should register at the Adventure Guild. Why come here?" The reception lady twisted her mouth.

"You think I didn't go there? They said that the Adventure Guild doesn't accept Non-Combat Class at all, that's why I am here. And now you are saying that even the Commercial Guild doesn't accept Non-Combat Class? Where is the justice?" Axel Blaze slammed the desk.

"I didn't say we don't accept Non-Combat Class, but we can't accept you. Your Job-" She took a look at the form. "This Card Collector job of yours, what is it? What does it do? We don't have any records of such a job. If you were a Merchant or Doctor, we would have accepted you with open arms." She snorted.

Axel Blaze rubbed his temples with frustration.

"Listen beauty, didn't I just explain a moment ago. That my job helps me fight with monsters. There has to be a place for a job like mine in the Commercial Guild." Axel Blaze persisted.

"Siii... Didn't I also tell you to go to the Adventure Guild if you are good at fighting? Now get lost." The receptionist pushed the form back to Axel Blaze and showed him the way.

"You..." Axel Blaze is lost for words.

Just as he was about to complain again. A group of people emerged behind him. A young man, the leader of the group, walked forward and stood beside Axel Blaze.

"Our Silver Wolf Party wants to recruit a porter. Is there any porter available who can hold his own and doesn't become a hindrance to the party? We have taken the quest to raid an Orc settlement." The young man spoke in one go.

"Ah, the Silver Wolf Party? Please wait a moment." The receptionist lady stood up and went to a shelf to pick up a fat register.

After going through the register she spoke hesitantly. "I am afraid to say this but all the porters have already been hired by the other parties who have also taken the Orc subjugation quest."

"What?" The young man slapped the desk.

"There are 40 porters in the town and only 10 adventurer parties are joining this raid. You are telling me that all the 30 porters are hired?" The man puckered his brows and snorted.

"Ah, that's not what I meant." The lady looked somewhat scared.

"Then what do you mean?" The man put pressure.

The lady gulped. "T-That... Only 6 porters have been hired b-but those are the only ones which matches yo-your requirements. The re-rest 34 are all low level people with only 10-15 inventory spaces." She stuttered.

"Fuck!" "What about the Porter Job person? What was his name again... Ah yes, Ahamad. Is he also hired? I heard he is considered a 'Special Porter' and doesn't count among those 40 porters." The man inquired.

"Sir Ahamad is accompanying a merchant to the Galang City and will not return till next week." The lady hung her head playing with the hem of her clothes. Not wanting to meet this angry man's eyes.

The young man breathed heavily, looking left and right. He punched the desk hard. "Call the Guild Master, let me talk with him." He ordered.

"Ah. Y-Yes." The lady rushed upstairs.

"Do we really need a porter? We can manage without one can't we?" The girl from the man's party spoke from behind.

"No!" The young man shook his head. "We are not hiring the porter just to carry our items, it will also work as a show off to the other parties. It will reflect our status as a high class party. Also..." The man walked to the girl and whispered into her ears. "We can use them as bait if needed."

He stepped back. "The Orc settlement is said to have an Orc King, you know? Things can get quite dicey."

The other two middle aged men in the party nodded in affirmation.

From their attires. The young man looks like a Swordsman, the girl looks like a Wizard, the beefy man among the two middle aged, looks like a Tank and the last man looks like a Thief.

Soon the receptionist lady returned with a depressed look.

"Where is the Guild Master?" The young man asked.

The lady deeply bowed. "Sorry Sir, both the Guild Master and Vice Guild Master are currently not present at the guild it seems. I c-couldn't f-find them."

"Good, good. I can see how your guild treats their regular customers. The Silver Wolf Party will remember this." The man snorted, displeased.

"That-That..." The lady doesn't know how to answer when her eyes fall on Axel Blaze who is standing at the side waiting for this party to leave so he can argue with the receptionist again.

"Oh yes. Sir Luke, if you don't mind a new recruit of our guild, I can introduce you to a porter who is also good at fighting monsters. Even though he is a Non-Combat Class he can defeat level 7 Goblin Lord." The lady suggested with excitement.

She secretly sighed in relief to have found the perfect scapegoat at the perfect time.

"Is there really such a good porter in the Commercial Guild? Why didn't I hear about him before?" The man doubted.

"That-That's because he is a new recruit, didn't I say it?" The lady smiled.

"Ok, call him. Let me meet him first before making the decision." The man ordered.

"Ah, no need to wait, he is already here, hehe." The lady gestured to Axel Blaze to come.

Axel Blaze heard everything, so he knows what is going on. Though it is unfair to him to be used as a scapegoat for the lady to escape from troubles, nonetheless it is a chance for Axel Blaze to get inside the Commercial Guild.

He walked to the reception with a bright smile. "Did you call, beautiful lady?"

The lady smiled back. "What beautiful lady? You make me shy."

"Sir Luke, this is Axel Blaze, the said person. Sir Axel, this is Sir Luke, the leader of the Silver Wolf Party, a Veteran Rank adventurer." She introduced them to each other.

The Adventurers and Mercenaries are divided in ranks according to their capabilities and accomplishments. Starting from Novice, Intermediate, Veteran, Expert, Master, Supreme and at last World Class.

You start at Novice Rank as soon as you enter the guild and from there you complete quests and special tasks along with Guild Exams to rise up the ranks. So Veteran Rank is not easy to achieve.

Now Axel Blaze understood why the lady is so fearful of this young man, Luke. In a small town like Kat, a Veteran Rank adventurer holds quite a high status.

Axel Blaze extended his hand with a gentle smile, "Nice to meet you Sir Luke, I am Axel Blaze."

The young man ignored the hand shake and got into questioning Axel Blaze. "What is your level? What skills do you have?"

Axel Blaze pulled his hand back, "Level 15. I have two skills which I use for combat, Sharp Edge and Flare."

"Both are common skills, what level?" Luke asked.

"Sharp Edge is level 6 and Flare is level 4." Axel Blaze nonchalantly answered.

Luke made a dissatisfactory look but suddenly got poked from behind by the girl in his party.

The girl walked forward, extending her hand. "Hi, I am Veronica, the Wizard of the party. By the way I heard you defeated a level 7 Goblin Lord, is it true?" She asked with excitement.

Axel Blaze shook her hand. "Yes it's true, but it's mostly thanks to my weapon."

He took out the Rare Grade short sword and showed it to her.

The girl inspected the weapon and appreciated it. Even though the stats are the lowest in the range of Rare Grade weapons, still it is not something anyone can own.

Now that everyone looked carefully at Axel Blaze, they noticed that he is wearing an  Uncommon Rank armor set. 

A sharp glint passed through Luke's eyes.

"Wow! Are you the son of some rich merchant or a noble?" Veronica asked.

"No no. Not at all, I am just a commoner. This equipment is a gift from my grandfathers who work as a blacksmith." He touched the sword remembering the faces of the old men.

Now that he thinks about it, he didn't find nor hear any news of them since he left Meri Town.

Just where did they go? Hope they're doing well.

He prayed silently.

"I am Max, the Tank of this party." The beefy man shook Axel Blaze's hand. He gave the impression of a strong and kind man.

The last man is thin and short with a very weak presence. It's hard to notice him if one doesn't concentrate or he doesn't talk. The man introduced himself as Harth, the Thief of the party.

As you have already heard. "I am Luke, a Swordsman and the leader of this party."

After he introductions, it was decided that they will hire Axel Blaze with a payment of 1500 amilots per hour.

The party will leave the next day morning for the Orc subjugation quest and gather at the town square.

After doing the formalities, the Silver Wolf Party left. While Axel Blaze proceeded with his registration at the Commercial Guild.

Came to become an adventurer but became a porter. Sigh!

"This is your ID Card, please don't lose it or it will be quite a hassle to issue one again." The lady handed over a 4 by 3 inch black, metal card with white inscriptions on it. There is a golden insignia printed on the back of the card which denotes the mark of the Commercial Guild.

Axel Blaze held the card to check.

Identity Card

Name : Axel Blaze

Level : 15

Occupation : Porter

Reputation Points : 0

He frowned, he had quite a few questions in his mind. 

He asked the lady, "The card looks quite different from what I imagined. Also shouldn't you use the Job Crystal before printing the card? Also, isn't the information on the card too less?"

Now that the Silver Wolf Party was gone, the lady went back to her formal behavior. She snorted. "The Job Crystal is only available at the Adventure Guild since we at the Commercial Guild only deal with Non-Combat Class. It's not like some Zero Grade Job will pop up in the Commercial Guild that we need to use the Job Crystal to make sure. Huh." She twisted her mouth.

She then pointed at the ID Card Axel Blaze was holding. "No one cares about what Job a Non-Combat Class has, so in place we mention your Occupation in the Commercial Guild. The Reputation Points are earned by completing tasks. Like you just took the task to become a porter for the Silver Wolf Party. After completion they will give you points from -10 to 10 according to their satisfaction. Your Reputation Points will determine your position in the guild and earn you priority. The more people seek your service the better your pay, isn't it?"

"Also, you can get the card updated at any branch of the Commerce Guild. Your database has already been shared among all the branches." The lady pointed out.

Axel Blaze bowed slightly. "Understood, my lady. You have my gratitude."

He then blinked his eyes and asked with a gentle smile."By the way, are you free for lunch?"

"Get lost, hooligan!" The lady made a fist shooing Axel Blaze away.

Sigh! This man never learns.

Just as Axel Blaze was about to exit the premises the lady shouted from behind. "Don't forget to prepare for tomorrow's quest. The shop two blocks to the left sells good quality bags, you will need one to work as a porter."

"Ok." Axel Blaze answered and left.

Late at night, at the Cat's Paw inn, when Axel Blaze was about to go to sleep, he slapped his forehead remembering he forgot to sell the materials.

"Bravo, Axel, bravo. Joined the guild to sell materials but came back without selling any—Idiot!" He sighed and went to sleep.

The next morning, around 8:00 am, Axel Blaze stood at the town square with a large, empty bag rolled on his back. He is waiting for the Silver Wolf Party.