In the great forest of the Kingdom of Sylvenspire, Aria and Dorothy traveled along the forest tracks. The sky was covered with towering trees, and Aria found herself amused by the diverse flora and fauna surrounding them. Animals roamed freely, and lush plants grew without hindrance. The scent of the green grass releasing its dew in the morning brought Aria a sense of peace. However, their tranquil moment was abruptly interrupted when Dorothy suddenly halted in her tracks. She looked at Aria and signaled for silence, scanning their surroundings for any signs of danger. Rustling sounds emanated from the nearby bushes. Aria reached for a blinding vial in her satchel, prepared for action, while Dorothy unsheathed her dagger. Goblins emerged from the treetops, armed with makeshift bows and arrows. They were soon joined by goblins on the ground, encircling Aria and Dorothy. Aria felt a twinge of nervousness, but she steeled herself for the impending confrontation, while Dorothy remained composed, a testament to her seasoned experience as an adventurer. The goblins laughed and taunted them, circling closer to study their prey. "Are you ready?" Dorothy whispered to Aria. "Yes," Aria replied with unwavering confidence.

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed through the air, striking one of the goblins squarely in the face. It was followed by a barrage of arrows aimed at the goblins, causing panic among their ranks. One goblin attempted to flee, running frantically, but an elf soldier appeared, positioning himself near Aria and taking aim at the fleeing goblin. He glanced briefly at Aria before releasing his arrow, which found its mark in the goblin's head. "Took you long enough, Freid," Dorothy spoke in a familiar tone to the male elf. Freid, a tall elf with long blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, his long ears a clear indication of his elven heritage, was joined by his comrades emerging from the bushes and trees, totaling five in number. He spoke in a gentle and mature tone. "Dorothiel, you're still living in that cabin?" It was a rhetorical question, as he turned his attention to Aria. "I see you have company today." Dorothy looked at Aria and then back at Freid. "She lives with me now." Aria, excited to encounter another elf, introduced herself, her elf ears twitching slightly. "I'm Ar- I mean, my name is Alice. Nice to meet you, sir!" Aria bowed respectfully, feeling a tinge of embarrassment as she almost revealed her real name. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Alice. I am called Freidlond Gilgalad, but please call me Freid."

Dorothy, slightly wary of the situation, attempted to hasten their departure. "Okay, now that the pleasantries are over, we'll be on our way. Thanks, Freid, for your help." Freid regarded Dorothy with suspicion. "Are you heading toward the Adventurer's Guild?" he inquired. Dorothy nodded in response. Freid glanced at Dorothy's leg and made a jest. "You might want to remove that arrow. I hear it's poisoned. I'd hate to see you die just as we met." Dorothy raised an eyebrow and then looked at her left leg, where an arrow was lodged. Aria, who hadn't noticed the arrow, was taken aback. "Dorothy!" Aria frantically reached for an antidote in her satchel, about to open the bottle, when Dorothy stopped her hand. "Did you forget? I'm a Plague Healer. I deal with this sort of thing all the time." With deft precision, she skillfully removed the entire arrowhead without causing a fuss. She examined the arrowhead, stained with her blood, noting a darker portion indicating the presence of poison. Casually, she discarded it. "Spidersnake poison, weak stuff," Dorothy exclaimed, sounding almost disappointed. She looked at Aria, who was visibly worried. "Poison doesn't work on me," she reassured Aria, taking a healing potion to mend her wound, while casting a glance at Freid, who wore a foolish grin. "Let's go." Dorothy placed her hand on Aria's shoulder, and they resumed their journey. Freid watched them depart, muttering to himself, "Alice, huh."

Aria and Dorothy continued walking through the forest for a few more hours until they finally reached the town where the Adventurer's Guild was located. Dorothy gazed at the town on the horizon and spoke to Aria. "That's Alcaster Town," she said, pointing towards the town. "The Alliance has established a base of operations there, so you'll likely see many adventurers and different races." Dorothy walked towards the entrance of the town, with Aria following closely behind. As they arrived, Aria took in the scenery of buildings, shops, and taverns. "And that building over there is the Adventurer's Guild," Dorothy pointed out, indicating the largest building in town, adorned with the Alliance's symbol. It was hard to miss.

They entered the Adventurer's Guild and found the place bustling with people from all walks of life. Mages, warriors, thieves, archers, and adventurers of various races were busy at the reception area. Dorothy led Aria to the registration desk. "Good morning, I'd like to recommend Alice to the guild under my name," Dorothy greeted the human receptionist, who seemed familiar with her. "Well, good morning to you too, Dorothy! This is a first, seeing you recommend someone," the receptionist replied, casting a curious glance at Aria, who nervously returned the gaze. "She is... my distant relative who wants to become an adventurer," Dorothy explained to the receptionist. "I see. So, Miss Alice, what job and role are you applying for?" The receptionist looked at Aria, awaiting her response. Aria felt a bit confused but understood the question. "I'm an apothecary, and my role is..." Aria paused, thinking there might be a specific answer. "She is an Apothecary for the role of support," Dorothy answered on Aria's behalf. Aria looked at Dorothy, and Dorothy winked at her. "I see. Does Alice have a last name?" Aria hadn't anticipated needing a last name, but she didn't want to provide her real one for obvious reasons. Seeing Aria struggling, Dorothy decided to help her once more. "Alice Aephine," Dorothy answered for Aria. Aria's face lit up with gratitude as Dorothy generously gave her last name to Aria. "I see, you are relatives after all." The receptionist finished writing up the form and handed it to Aria. "Please sign here and bring this to the practical examination area," the receptionist explained. "Since you are recommended by the renowned Plague Healer Dorothiel, a silver-ranked adventurer, you don't have to take the written examinations and may proceed directly to the room next to me." She bid Aria farewell and wished her good luck in the upcoming examinations.

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As they stood outside the room for the examinations, Dorothy stopped Aria and informed her, "I cannot accompany you beyond this door. This exam will determine your rank. Given your past experience, I'm sure it will be easy for you. Nonetheless, I wish you good luck." Dorothy gently patted Aria's head. "I'll meet you here once the exam is over. It should take a day to finish. I also need to take care of some things while I'm here." With that, Dorothy waved her hand and bid Aria farewell, saying, "See you later, Alice." Aria watched as Dorothy disappeared from sight and then proceeded to enter the examination room.

The room was spacious, filled with aspiring adventurers of various jobs and races. Most of them appeared to be around Aria's age, as the older adventurers had likely already completed their registration. Some people knew each other, while others stood alone. Aria noticed a gathering of people and decided to investigate. She discovered two individuals engaged in a heated argument. One was a young female Drow mage, and the other was a male Elf archer. Aria observed the commotion unfolding before her.

"I didn't know they let filth join the Adventurer's Guild," the male Elf archer insulted the Drow mage. Unfazed, the mage retorted, "How dare you! I am a high-ranking mage from the Sorcelight Institute! I could easily turn you to cinders if I wanted to!" She refused to let herself be insulted. The exchange of insults continued, with neither side holding back. The onlookers were divided, some cheering on the confrontation while others refused to partake in the idiocy unfolding before them.

"I bet I can put an arrow between your eyes before you finish casting your weak spell," the Elf archer taunted the Drow mage. Consumed by rage, the mage readied her wand to attack, while the Elf archer nocked an arrow, preparing to release it. In an instant, they both unleashed their attacks on each other—a firebolt from the Drow mage and a wind arrow from the archer. However, something unexpected occurred. The firebolt failed to reach the Elf boy, and the arrow aimed at the Drow mage vanished into thin air.

"Now, now. Let's all play nice," a man dressed in black tights and a black coat with fur lining sat cross-legged on the edge of a window above. In his hand, he held the wind arrow that had been used by the Elf archer. He played with the arrow, a smile on his face, but his eyes held a serious gaze. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the arrow, hitting a dummy square in the bullseye at the far corner of the room. The crowd fell silent, amazed by the display of skill.

The man then disappeared from his perch and reappeared in front of the crowd. "Good day to you all! I will be your proctor for this examination. My name is James Llarme, that's twice the L," he introduced himself with a smile. "And oh, my job is a Rogue, and my role is an attacker." James was a human man in his thirties, with attractive maple-colored curly short hair, fair skin, and black eyes. He had a medium build and average height, with a crossbow hanging behind his back. But the most intriguing thing about him was the gold necklace dangling from his neck—a symbol of his status as a gold-ranked adventurer.

Now that the attention of the examinees was focused on the proctor, James, he began explaining the instructions for the exam. "Okay, so we'll be having an old-fashioned exam this year - a fetch quest!" The examinees whispered among themselves, sharing their thoughts. James continued, "You will be divided into teams of three, and each team will be given a lantern. With the lantern in hand, I want you to delve into the dungeon located beneath this town. At the end of the dungeon, there is a Goddess statue holding the Holy Fire. Your task is to bring back the Holy Fire lantern to this location. Those who fail to bring back a Holy Fire lantern before sunrise the next day will be disqualified. Additionally, if someone in your team dies, your team will also be disqualified. Those who succeed will be qualified as adventurers, and your rank will be determined by me, based on your efforts." The examinees looked at each other, processing the challenge ahead. James smiled, but his serious gaze carefully studied the examinees. "Easy, right?" he added, his tone growing colder. The examinees whispered among themselves, expressing concerns about their safety, as a dungeon would likely be filled with monsters. James spoke again, his tone menacing, "Maybe you lot have forgotten, but we are at war. If you're not confident in your skills, then I suggest you go back to your mommy." The crowd fell silent. "I'll give you one chance to leave now." The crowd whispered among themselves, and some individuals stepped forward to drop out of the exam. Understandably, but uninspiring. Aria clutched her Master's notebook, hoping it would give her confidence. After a few people left the examination area, only a few remained. "Fifteen, huh," James muttered to himself. "Okay, since the cowards are gone, let's finally begin!" He looked at the remaining examinees and announced, "Group yourselves into teams of three!" Without further ado, the examinees formed their teams. Aria, however, was left behind, looking around anxiously as each team she approached was already full. The proctor noticed her predicament and found it somewhat amusing. Finally, when all the teams were formed, he declared, "Those without a team, come together now!" Aria felt a sense of relief as she saw that there was still someone without a team, but her relief was short-lived when she realized that her teammates were the two individuals who had been arguing earlier. Aria sighed, resigned to the fact that she had been blessed with this particular team.