A class was in session in the Magic Academy of Arxhige capital city. Within the classroom, there were about ten young adults sitting and paying full attention to the ongoing subject taught by the lecturer in front, who was none other than Sedhoust Grasmord.
“...Therefore, by applying this function during weaving you can improve the accuracy at the cost of power output.” Sedhoust said, standing with his arms folded and eyes straight towards the students. “Whether the accuracy improvement is worth the loss of output is on a case by case basis. You should make your own judgement and decide accordingly.”
Ring! Ring! Ring!
A sequence of ringing sounds was heard throughout the academy building. Some of the students had their eyes going wider with their mouths visibly smiling, while some others sighed and the rest didn’t show any reaction.
“All right. Class is over. I will see you again tomorrow.”
One male student quickly stood up and raised his hand. “Uh, Master Grasmord! May I ask one question?”
“All right, but make it quick. I have somewhere to go.” Sedhoust replied.
“May I know what happened back then?”
“...” Sedhoust squinted his eyes briefly. “Well, it is inevitable that the news has already spread. In any case, I can tell you this much. Investigation has been done, and the results show that it was not something that would significantly affect the people. Rest assured, you can continue your lives as if nothing has happened. Now I should go, so see you tomorrow.”
Sedhoust then left the classroom and subsequently the academy building. The moment he was no longer indoor, he felt the warmth of sunlight coming from almost directly above. He glanced at the clear blue sky briefly before casting his flight spell and flying away. This time around, he remembered to keep his flight speed in moderation, so there was no property damage incurred.
A few minutes later, Sedhoust landed right in front of the Adventurer’s Guild building. A number of people, mostly adventurers, glanced at him and started whispering to each other. Not paying any heed to that, Sedhoust entered the building and walked straight to the nearest available receptionist.
The receptionist lady behind the counter greeted him professionally. “Welcome. How may I serve you, Lord Grasmord?”
“I would like to register a verbally assigned quest.” Sedhoust replied.
Very briefly, the lady’s eyes went wide. But then she immediately resumed her professional demeanor. “Right away. Please specify the quest and the adventurer team receiving it.”
“Fledglings. The quest was to escort a number of people to this city. I heard from the Guildmaster that they arrived last night, so I consider that the quest is already completed.”
“Noted. Please deposit the reward you would like to give to the team for this quest.”
“This should do.” Sedhoust said, putting down a royal platinum coin on the counter.
“P-Please confirm this info.” The lady said, keeping her professional smile but with her voice audibly stuttering and her hand visibly shaking as she took the coin. “The verbally assigned quest is to escort a group of people to the capital city of Arxhige. The team assigned with the quest is Fledglings of Sapphire Rank. The reward is...” The lady stopped speaking, and her eyes glanced around before she leaned forward, looked straight at Sedhoust’s eyes, and spoke in a low volume. “One royal platinum coin.”
“Yes. That’s right.” Sedhoust said without any change to his facial expression and tone of speech.
“V-Very well. The quest has been registered. Thank you for your patronage.” The lady bowed, and Sedhoust walked away nonchalantly.
Now... it’s lunch time, isn’t it?
“Hey there!” Suddenly Keith greeted from behind with a pat on Sedhoust’s shoulder.
“Oh, I was just thinking about taking you out to lunch.”
“Nice timing then! Let’s go out together!”
Sedhoust and Keith then walked out from the Adventurer’s Guild building, but Sedhoust noticed something before they walked far.
“Aren’t those three...?” Sedhoust said with his eyes straight at the group of three people walking away at a distance.
“Definitely. They sure stand out in their military suit.”
Before Sedhoust could respond to Keith’s remark, a familiar female voice was heard from behind. “Can’t deny that.”
“Oh, you’re here too, Elana.” Keith said after turning around to Elana. “Didn’t I tell you to take the day off?”
Elana folded her arms with a small smirk on her face. “I’m not the type who can sleep all day. Anyway, you’re right about their clothes. Sadly, most personal luggage were lost in the crash.”
“Ah, right. Want me to recommend a good clothing store?”
“While I appreciate the offer, none of us have any local money.”
Sedhoust then chimed in. “In that case I’ll-“
“Oh, nonono! You don’t, Sedhoust!” Keith quickly intervened, shaking his head and putting his right index finger in front of Sedhoust’s face. “Another store will be closed down if you do that.”
Elana tilted her head seeing the interaction between the two guys. “I think I’m out of the loop here. Care to explain?”
“I’ll just say that this guy here has lost his sense of money. Don’t ever go shopping with him around.” Keith said with a grin on his face, while Sedhoust rolled his eyes with a small sigh. “By the way, have you had lunch?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then come along! I’ll take you to a good place! My treat!” Keith pointed his thumb at himself. “You can bring those three along too, if you want.”
“Oh, everybody other than me already had their lunch. Thank you by the way, for having meals included in your patronage.”
“Eh, no big deal.”
The group of three then walked away from the guild building and arrived at a restaurant after ten minutes of walking. It was a simple one, but clean and neatly tidied up. The tables were arranged in a way to accommodate as many customers as possible while still not becoming too cramped.
“Welcome! How may I serve you?” One female waitress said as she bowed.
“Table for three. Upstairs if available.” Keith said, presenting three fingers with his right hand.
“Certainly. Please follow me.”
As instructed, the trio followed the waitress upstairs. The second floor of the restaurant had a different arrangement. Each table was inside an enclosed space separated by thin walls, and despite being thin the walls were insulated so conversations within wouldn’t be easily heard by other people outside.
Soon, the group of three were seated and the waitress spoke. “Would you like to place your order now?”
“A moment.“ Keith said before looking at Elana. “Do you have any dislikes?”
Elana shook her head. “I should be fine with anything.”
“Alright.” Keith looked back at the waitress. “I’ll have Special Pot, for three.”
“Certainly.” The waitress bowed and closed the door, leaving the three alone.
After ten seconds of silence, Keith spoke to Elana. “I didn’t say this last night, but welcome to the capital city.”
“Thank you.” Elana replied, and then she glanced at the open window next to the table, which provided a view of the streets in front of the restaurant. “It’s a nice-looking city.”
“This probably will be your new hometown for a while, so get used to it.” Keith said, followed by a laugh. “While we’re here, anything you want to talk about?”
“Well...” Elana said, folding her arms and lowering her head. “What are our options for earning local money?”
“Gathering information right off the bat, eh?” Keith said.
Sedhoust then spoke out. “In that case, I have an offer to make.”
“Eh, are you sure about making that offer this quickly?” Keith said.
Elana, having no idea, slightly tilted her head and asked. “What are you talking about?”
Keith and Sedhoust looked at each other briefly, and then Keith shrugged. “I don’t think simply talking would hurt, so I won’t stop you.”
“All right.” Sedhoust looked at Elana in the eyes. “In short, I want to buy that ship from you.”
“What? You mean, the wreckage of our ship? Why, and for what?” Elana said, then she shook her head. “No, no. First thing first, I have no authority for that matter because I’m not the owner. None of us are.”
Hearing Elana’s answer, Sedhoust let out a smile which made Elana feel uneasy. “So the owner is not present anywhere within reach...”
“Are you telling me that it now becomes yours by law of this kingdom?” Elana asked with her eyebrows raised.
“Wait wait wait wait!” Keith suddenly intervened. “Let’s not get tense, okay? Jeez, Sedhoust. You really suck at it when you’re excited. Let me take over from here.”
Sedhoust didn’t say a word in response. He simply made a “Go ahead.” Gesture to Keith, who resumed speaking.
“Well, I must say that you were right to an extent. However, such a thing doesn’t happen instantly and easily. If you like, I can explain further.”
“This is a matter I need to know, so yes. Explain in more detail.” Elana leaned back with her arms folded.
Keith cleared his throat before starting to speak. “The forest where your ship fell down, Quatonne Forest, is within the borders of Arxhige Kingdom. It has no private owner, so by all rights the forest is one of the kingdom’s properties within its territory. Now, the kingdom’s law states that unknown foreign object which falls into the kingdom’s territory becomes the property of the kingdom, but on a condition that nobody claims valid ownership of the object within one year, dating from the day it is discovered.”
“Valid ownership?” Elana squinted her eyes.
“Now this is where it gets iffy.” Keith rested his chin on his clasped hands. “What the kingdom recognizes as a valid ownership by law consists of two things. One is knowledge of what the thing is and its functions, while the other is a physical proof of ownership, like a certificate or such.” He took a breath and looked at Sedhoust. “Did I get it right?”
Sedhoust slightly nodded. “More or less, yes. Present both of those to an official in charge of this matter, and the ownership will be officially handed back to you once it is approved. Until then, the object is in the kingdom’s custody.”
Elana didn’t say a word in response. Her eyes were glaring sharply at Sedhoust. It took her a couple more seconds before she spoke out. “So by making the offer you got me to reveal the fact that the ship has no owner present. You really have played me.”
“No, I did not.” Sedhoust replied with a comparably fierce glare. “Even if you are not the owner, it is my plan from the beginning to give you compensation, and I mean all of you. Do not equate me with those greedy ones who trick other people for their own gain.”
“Alright, I misjudged. Talking about it now was a bad idea.” Keith said with a dispirited sigh, then he raised his head and looked at Elana. “Look, despite how it seems, we’re trying to get things arranged in your favor. Sooner or later other people will discover the wreckage too and things will get even more complicated when other countries start getting involved. With the wreckage under custody of the kingdom, it will at least stay within your reach.”
Like before, Elana didn’t immediately reply. But her glare relaxed a little and then she let out a small sigh with closed eyes. “Everything you said makes sense, but it is not something I can just accept.” Elana opened her eyes and her fierce glare was renewed. “That ship belongs to my liege, and I shall do everything in my power to keep it that way!”
“Yes, I understand.” Keith replied. “No, I mean, both of us here fully understand your determination. But none of us can easily change the law which has existed for decades. We want to help, but not only you, we’re all in a difficult position.”
“...Alright. I will give you the benefit of the doubt for now.” Elana said, her fierce glare having completely gone. “With the things explained so far, there’s nothing I can do anyway. Still...” She looked at Sedhoust. “What do you actually need the wreckage for?”
“Research.” Sedhoust replied with a straight face. “I want to study everything about it.”
Elana slightly tilted her head. “But most parts are either damaged by the crash or already stripped. Will you actually gain anything meaningful?”
“You never know.” Sedhoust shrugged. “Anyway, if you consent to me studying the wreckage I will give you some money as compensation. But regardless of your answer, it won’t stay in the forest.”
“I don’t know what kind of plan you have for transporting a massive ship wreckage, but in regards to studying it, I won’t stop you.” Elana shrugged.
Sedhoust visibly smiled hearing the reply. “Good to hear. Thank you. Here’s the compensation as I promised.” He said, reaching into his coat. However...
“No, Sedhoust. I have to stop you there.” Keith intervened. “Your coin will practically mean nothing to them.”
“Oh, maybe you’re right. I’ll have to think of another way.” Sedhoust said.
Seeing the exchange between the two, Elana asked. “I think I need some form of explanation.”
“Oh, right.” Keith said. “Since you’re not from around here, I’ll give you a crash course about the currency we use while at it.”
“That would be helpful. Please do.”
Keith then pulled out his purse and put several coins on the table. There were two brown coins and two silver coins, each color having two different sizes.
“This is a copper coin.” Keith said, finger pointing to the smaller brown coin. “And this is a large copper coin. That’s silver and large silver. You now can see the pattern, no?”
“Yes.”
“The difference of the coins in value is ten. So ten copper is one large copper, ten large copper is one silver, and so on and so forth.” Keith said while putting the coins back into his coin purse. “After large silver, there’s gold, large gold, platinum, and finally royal platinum. To put into perspective, the price of a full meal course at a cheap restaurant is typically around one large copper or two. Now, as to why I had to stop Sedhoust, his purse is filled with nothing but royal platinum coins.”
“...” Elana went silent with her eyes squinted at Sedhoust. “There are questions flying around in my head now, but none are things I need to know. In any case, indeed such a coin is going to be unusable for us.”
Right after Elana finished speaking, the door was knocked on and Keith immediately spoke out in response.
“Yes, come in!”
The door clicked open, and the same waitress from before entered with a trolley which had a steaming large metal pot on it. She then swiftly and professionally arranged a set of bowl and spoon for the group of three before putting down the metal pot in the middle of the table.
“Please enjoy your meal. If you need any help, feel free to call by ringing the bell over there.” The waitress spoke, referring to the small bell near the far edge of the table, and then she left after closing the door.
“Well, let’s dig in.” Keith spoke, filling his bowl with the large scoop provided along with the steaming pot.
“So what’s in this... soup?” Elana asked.
“A lot of things. I can vouch for the taste!”
Sedhoust then chimed in. “Which says a lot when the one vouching is the town’s best chef.”
“Hey, gotta appreciate the work of a fellow chef, even if he’s a rival!” Keith laughed.
Less than ten minutes later, the metal pot was no longer steaming. Its content had been eaten clean with nearly no traces of it left. All three of the group leaned back on their seats with satisfied looks on their faces.
“That was very delicious. Thank you for introducing me to such a good meal.” Elana said.
“Hey, no problem!” Keith delightfully replied. “Oh, right, I just remembered. You still don’t have the answer about making money yet. If you ask me, becoming adventurers is the most straightforward way.”
“It is an option, but not all of us can do combat. Need to think of a different way for them.” Elana said with her arms folded and head slightly lowered.
“Now that’s a small misconception there.” Keith said while snapping his fingers once. “Being an adventurer isn’t all about combat. Despite the name, adventuring to dangerous places isn’t all they do. Moreover, we’re in an age of peace so mundane and nonviolent quests are more common nowadays.”
“Care to give some examples?”
“Something like foraging medicinal plants or finding someone’s lost cat!” Keith laughed for a moment, then his facial expression turned more serious. “Dangerous quests where one can end up getting killed still exist, mind you. However, they are naturally reserved for higher-ranked ones aware of the risks.”
“That goes without saying.”
“Anyway, registering at the guild also has a benefit. The guild card you receive is perfectly usable as a form of identification, should you need it for one reason or another.”
“Hmm, that is a good point. But is registering really that easy? Especially with the fact that we are basically foreigners from an unknown country. Also, I believe Kurt told me that there is a test.”
“Oh, you may choose to skip the test if you don’t mind starting from the very bottom. Its main purpose is merely to judge if you’re capable enough for a higher starting rank, after all.”
“So that’s how it is. I see.”
“As for the other stuff, we don’t ask for your background so it is indeed easy. Just go to one of the counters and pay the- Oh, right...” Keith halted his speech midway.
“Entry fee, isn’t it?” Elana said, then she chuckled. “Looks like a vicious cycle for us. Need to become adventurers to earn money, but can’t become adventurers because no money.”
“That is where I come in, then.” Sedhoust suddenly chimed in. “As part of the compensation I promised, I will have the guild waive the entry fee for you and your men.” He then looked at Keith. “This is more sensible, right?”
Keith replied without looking back. “Yeah, at least that sounds much better than giving them your coin.” He made a slight nod and looked at Elana. “You heard him. I will arrange everything after I get back.”
“Something feels off with the way both of you arranged the compensation.” Elana squinted her eyes briefly, and then she smiled warmly. “But I will put that aside and gladly accept your generosity with gratitude.”
Keith delightfully laughed. “That’s settled then! Welcome to Arxhige, adventurers!”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Soon later, the group of three left the restaurant. Elana and Keith walked back to the guild building together, while Sedhoust returned to the Magic Academy because he still had one more class scheduled for this day.
Later in the late afternoon, Sedhoust was already back home in the Royal Palace. All classes were over without a hitch and he had taken care of all necessary business.
“Welcome home, Sedhoust.”
To his mild surprise, the one who greeted him when he entered through the door was none other than Vierra. She had already shed her formal queen attire, wearing a more casual one now. The royal guards were nearby, escorting her in accordance with their task.
“Ah, yes. I am home.” Sedhoust said. “Were you waiting for me?”
Vierra elegantly laughed. “No, I was on my way to my study. This is merely a coincidence, but a welcome one nevertheless. Would you come with me?”
“I shall gladly oblige.” Sedhoust replied.
Later, Sedhoust and Vierra were inside the study. The royal guards were ordered to stand guard outside the door, giving the two of them more privacy. Vierra sat down on a sofa near the unlit fireplace and looked at Sedhoust who was still standing upright next to the door.
“Come sit beside me, Sedhoust.” She said with a smile. Sedhoust obliged, walking to the sofa and sitting next to her as instructed without saying a word.
A few seconds later...
“Haahhh...”
Both of them let out a pretty heavy sigh, followed by a mild laugh.
“So how’s your day today?” She said in a carefree tone.
“Classes went well, registered the quest I gave to Kurt’s team, and had lunch with Keith and Elana. Pretty good day, I say.”
“Ah, right! I heard that they are here already. They are staying at Keith’s place, right? Maybe I should give them a visit!”
“Keith told me that they now know that you’re the queen, so their attitude is going to be different when you do that.”
“Awww!” Vierra pouted. “Who told them?”
“Either someone from Kurt’s team slipped their tongue, or they figured it out themselves. What I mean is, they must have had a number of chats while on their way, and Elana strikes me as someone who can pick up little hints and put them together.”
“Ahh, can’t be helped then. Anyway, did you talk with Elana? What did she say?”
“I... slipped and rubbed her the wrong way.” Sedhoust lowered his head and put one hand over his nape.
“Pfft! Let me guess! You outright said that their ship now belongs to the kingdom!” Vierra laughed and gave a mild smack on Sedhoust’s shoulder.
“You’re not far off, yes. Glad Keith was there.” Sedhoust gave a wry smile.
“Poor Keith. His head’s going to explode with you nearby!” Vierra laughed again. “Anything else you talked over there?”
“Keith encouraged her to register everyone as adventurers so they would have a form of identification. I will cover all their entry fee as compensation for her consent to me studying their ship.”
“Good. That’s a lot better than giving them your coin.” Vierra proceeded to briefly giggle.
“Now I just need to figure out how to transport the wreckage from the forest. But then again, I still don’t have a place for it yet.” Sedhoust lowered his head and put one hand under his chin.
“Don’t rush it. Be mindful that the news will certainly spread once the ship leaves the forest.”
“But the longer I take, the more it will deteriorate and the less I can study. It’s highly possible that someone else noticed the falling ship that night, so I have to move fast because news will spread anyway.”
Vierra smiled warmly with her eyes at Sedhoust. “I understand. Just make sure not to push yourself too hard. Now...”
Without warning, Vierra leaned her body on Sedhoust’s shoulder, and then she went down putting her head on his lap. Sedhoust, not showing any sign of surprise, let out a sigh and began caressing her head.
“Urrrrr...”
“You never get bored of this, huh?”
“Not gonna, for a looooong time. Urrrrr....”
The two middle-aged adults continued their moment of calm in front of the unlit fireplace, warmed by the lights of the setting sun coming in from the window.
***
Night had passed, and the sun rose once again. As planned before, all of the survivors were once again gathered in the conference room first thing in the morning, sitting around the large rectangular table within.
“Everyone is here, so I will begin.” Elana spoke loud and clear for everyone else to listen. “First, I have good news that soon all of us will have a valid form of identification.”
Other people in the room showed delight in varying degrees, and then Elana resumed her speech.
“Owing to the generosity of Sedhoust Grasmord and Keith Biggwarde, the fee for registering as an adventurer is going to be waived for all of us. Therefore it shall be the first thing we do after breakfast. Before anyone asks, I have been informed that not all quests involve dangerous combats, so even the non-combatants among us still have a chance to earn income. But the fact that matters the most is the guild card being a valid identification form, so having one should eventually be handy in one way or another. Now, any questions?”
There was a silence for three seconds, but then one woman raised her hand. She was Lillie Frastern, the leader of Mountain Squad.
“Captain! This is trivial but I can’t help it! May I?” Lillie said in a loud voice, from nearly the furthest position from Elana’s.
“Go ahead.”
“Why did they waive the fee for us?” Lillie asked. She slightly tilted her head as she spoke, causing her ponytail golden hair to flutter a little bit.
“Actually,” Elana immediately replied. “That is a good question with an important answer. The truth is, Sedhoust Grasmord is interested in Martin Alphen and wishes to study it. All things considered, I gave him my consent. The fee being waived is part of the compensation in return of that.”
Some whispers were immediately audible after Elana finished her reply. Lillie’s sky blue eyes went wide and she immediately spoke. “B-But what about that article!? About not tampering with the technology development of natives!?”
“That only applies on normal situations, and the one we are in is far from normal.” Elana replied with a straight face. “But I understand your concern, and in that case I shall take full responsibility for it. Now, I have said all that I needed to say. Is there anyone who wants to say something before we go and have breakfast?”
“Uhh, Captain?” Theo raised his hand.
“Yes?”
“I heard that there is an entry test. How should we prepare?”
“Keith told me yesterday that the test is for those who wish to start at a higher rank. If you don’t mind starting from the bottom you may just skip it, but I won’t stop you if you want to try.”
“What about you, Captain?”
“Well...” Elana lowered her head briefly before raising it again. “I will take it. Regardless of the result, it will give me some information on my capabilities compared to their standards.”
Hearing Elana’s answer there were a few different reactions among all the other people. Some were discussing with each other, some seemed to be thinking whether to take the test or not, while the rest seemed to have made their decision.
“If there is nothing else to say, we will adjourn this briefing and go for breakfast.”
Elana stood up from her seat and left the conference room. After walking for a short distance, she looked back and noticed that none of the others left the room yet.
Maybe they need a little more time to discuss. I’ll leave them alone for now.
Less than one hour later, Elana and all the others have finished their breakfast. As planned before, the time has come for them to register as adventurers. With that in mind, Elana and several other survivors approached one of the receptionists in the main hall, who was a male in uniform.
“Good morning. How may I help you?” he greeted.
Elana replied with a straight face. “We would like to register as an adventurer.”
The receptionist didn’t immediately respond. Instead, his eyes seemed to be scanning over Elana and the people behind her. “Pardon my impertinence, but are you Elana Mayer?”
“Yes, that would be me.”
“I see. In that case, we have prepared the forms for you and all the other people coming with you. Each person only needs to state their name and whether they would like to take the entry test. If possible, please have all of them line up to me.”
“I see. That is very helpful.” Elana then turned her head towards Albert who was right behind her. “Go get all the others.”
“Yes, mo- ma’am!” Albert replied before heading off to fetch the others.
“Alright.” The receptionist said. “We can begin with you. Once again, your name is Elana Mayer, right?”
“Yes.” Elana replied. The receptionist then lowered his head, working on something behind the counter, thanks to which Elana couldn’t see what he was working on. However, she could hear familiar clicking noises.
Is he... typing on a keyboard? This planet is definitely a fantasy world of swords and magic, yet they already have computers?
“Would you like to take the entry test?”
Elana couldn’t mull over it for long because the receptionist spoke again, to whom she replied. “Yes.”
“Understood. Please proceed to the testing grounds over there.” He gestured towards the hallway at the back of the room.
“Good luck, Captain!” Theo, who was previously behind Albert, said.
Less than five minutes later Elana was already inside the testing grounds, which was a pretty spacious room with training dummies set up at the other side. There were three other people besides Elana herself in the room. One of them was a male guild staff wearing the same uniform as the receptionist, while the other two seemed to be adventurers, judging from their equipment. One was male in robe and the other was female in armor.
“We are the examiners for your entry test.” The guild staff said. “First, we’ll have you spar with either of these two adventurers to evaluate your close combat skill. Winning or losing doesn’t matter since you’ll be judged by the performance you show, so please give it your all.”
“Understood.” Elana said.
“You may choose your weapon over there.” The guild staff said, gesturing his hand towards a nearby weapon rack which had a variety of melee weapons lined up. All of them were entirely made of wood. Elana approached the rack and scanned over the options for less than ten seconds before picking her choice.
“I will use this.” Elana said, presenting a wooden dagger.
“I see. Then please step forward.” The guild staff said, and Elana did as instructed. At the same time, the female adventurer also stepped forward. It was apparent that she would be Elana’s opponent.
Without saying any words, both participants took their stance. The female adventurer wielded a wooden sword and was equipped with lightweight armor, while Elana wielded the wooden dagger backhand with her left hand, wearing nothing other than her military suit.
“Get ready...” The guild staff raised his hand. “Begin!”
Immediately, the female adventurer charged forward, ready to strike with the wooden sword. Elana stood her ground, anticipating the move her opponent would do next.
The incoming attack was a straightforward downward strike with both hands gripping the handle. With a little movement Elana evaded the strike, making it miss completely. Not wasting any time, Elana swiftly kicked the opponent’s leg, causing her to lose balance. Elana made use of that opening and grappled the opponent, swiftly pinning her down and putting her neck at knifepoint.
“Alright, that’s enough!” The guild staff spoke, and Elana let go of her opponent. She stood up first and offered her hand to the opponent, who mildly smiled and accepted the offer. “Before we continue, I’d like to know if you are capable in ranged combat.”
“Yes. I use guns.” Elana said.
The guild staff then gestured his hand upon the line of training dummies at the far side of the room. “I see. Then please shoot the training dummies over there.”
“With my gun?”
“If your gun is currently unavailable by some circumstances or another, we can provide a training gun.”
“Ah, no. This should be fine.” Elana spoke, pulling out a tiny box object from her suit pocket. Within a second, the box morphed and expanded into a handgun which Elana firmly gripped with her hand.
Five shots in incinerator mode should do.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fwooosh!
All five shots hit different dummies, and they were immediately set ablaze. Seeing this, the male adventurer moved his hands in a sequence of motions.
“Hah!” He shouted, extending one hand towards the burning dummies. A jet of water came out from the front of his hand, spraying the dummies and extinguishing the flames.
“Alright. T-That’s enough.” The guild staff spoke in a professional tone of speech, but Elana could notice that his voice was somewhat strained. “We will let you know the results soon. Please wait near the receptionist in the meantime.”
“Understood.” Elana said before leaving the room. The three examiners then began discussing as soon as she left.
“So, Alicia, Gunther, what do you think about her?” The guild staff asked.
The female adventurer, Alicia, replied first. “I intentionally gave her some openings when I attacked, but I must admit her response caught me off guard.”
“Her technique was more for subduing than killing.” The male adventurer, Gunther, remarked. “She is likely experienced in dealing with human troublemakers, but that would be pointless against beasts and people with killing intent.”
“I can’t deny that.” Alicia said with her arms folded. “But we didn’t test her at all for that. Now we don’t know her capabilities when it comes to it.”
“That is my bad. Sorry.” The guild staff spoke. “I was a little too startled by her gun.”
“Ah, yes!” Alicia said in an excited tone of speech. “What was that gun? It’s so small it can fit in your pocket! And that firepower!”
Gunther lowered his head and put one hand between the eyes. “With that small size, the gun is easy to carry and conceal. Despite that, the firepower is about equal to what Gold-ranked fire weavers normally cast. And that still didn’t account for how fast she shot all the dummies.”
“Right! Let’s also not forget that gun users often become helpless without their gun. She was far from that when she fought me!” Alicia said.
“So...” The guild staff spoke. “Do we agree unanimously that she can skip to Silver rank?”
***
Meanwhile, Elana was already back in the lobby. She cracked a smile seeing a lot of her men still lining up in front of the counter. She looked around and saw a vacant seat nearby, so she sat down there, letting out a relieved sigh.
“How did it go, Captain?” Theo, who was already sitting on the seat next to her, asked.
“I did my best. At least I can say that.” Elana replied.
Theo chuckled. “I’m sure you passed with flying colors, Captain.”
“You never know. Magic seems to be very valued here and I can’t use any. That is definitely a big minus in their eyes.”
“Ah, yes. A valid point, Captain.” Theo folded his arms.
“Regardless, right now I can only wait for their verdict. By the way, why don't I see anyone else taking the entry test so far?”
“Oh, we all agreed not to take it, Captain.”
Elana squinted her eyes looking at Theo. “...And the reason is...?”
“No question on the ones from the technician group since they are all non-combatants. As for the rest of us, we don’t want to take any chances of ending up higher than you, Captain. That will never feel right.”
Elana sighed and rolled her eyes. “...You are all so stupid.”
“Yes, Captain. We are all dummies with resolve to serve under you as long as we live.” Theo replied with a clear determination written all over his face. Elana just smiled seeing that and then she let out another sigh.
Ten minutes later, Elana was approached by a guild staff, who was the same person back in the testing grounds.
“Excuse me, Ma’am Elana Mayer?” The staff greeted.
“Yes?” Elana replied, standing up from her seat.
“This is your guild card.” The staff presented a card which had roughly the same size and thickness as a credit card. It was trimmed with silver color around the edges. “You have been acknowledged to start from Silver Rank. Please allow me to congratulate you.”
“Congratulations, Captain.” Theo spoke with audible excitement.
“Thank you.” Elana said as she received the card.
“Please keep the card with you at all times. If you happen to lose it, reissuing will cost you five silver coins.” The guild staff said.
“Understood.” Elana said.
“And with this, your registration is complete. Is there any question you would like to ask?”
“Now that I am a registered adventurer, what are the general terms and conditions? As you might have guessed, I am a foreigner from a faraway country.”
“In that case, you may have this.” The guild staff took out a small, thin booklet from his suit pocket and handed it to Elana. “Everything you need to know should be written there.”
“Thank you.” Elana said as she received the booklet.
“If there is nothing more you need from me, I shall take my leave.”
“Yes. Thank you for your service.”
The guild staff left the place in a hastened walking pace, and Elana sat back down on the seat.
“Pardon me, Captain.” Theo spoke. “You remember that we still can’t read the writings of this planet’s locals, right?”
“Yes, I remember. I just thought that he seemed to be busy so I didn’t want to hold him for too long. I will get someone to read this for us later.”
“That booklet seems small.” Theo remarked. “Probably won’t be enough for nanom to make a complete analysis.”
“At least we will have something.”
Elana put the booklet and the guild card into her suit pocket. She glanced at her men who were still lining up and thought about what she would do for the rest of the day. With everyone soon becoming adventurers, the quest for survival officially began.