Rusty stood near the entrance of the training grounds, watching as a small crowd of adventurers gathered for the Iron-rank test. He shifted uneasily. Despite all his preparations, the uncertainty of what awaited him gnawed at his nerves. This test was crucial - not just for his rank, but for the freedom it would grant him to explore more dangerous dungeons and gather the wealth needed to rescue Gleam.

Thanks to his armor and possession skill, he was disguised well enough. It seemed that the identification skill he could use wasn’t widely known. Even the archer classes, who could identify monster levels, only had an inferior version called "Recognition." This was why they relied on magical tools to gather information on statuses. His guides theorized that his superior skill came either from his monster nature or the fusion of the skill with his very being.

‘Just stay quiet for now, It’s better if you don’t talk with the other adventurers.’

‘Sure.’

He leaned against one of the walls, glancing around. The people of this world seemed to gravitate toward one another for some reason, forming groups of various sizes with strange dynamics. Rusty noticed that these groups typically developed some kind of leader, whom the others listened to. These leaders came in many forms - some were stoic and reserved, while others were loud and boisterous.

As the minutes ticked by, more adventurers trickled into the training grounds for the Iron-rank test. Rusty kept a low profile, avoiding drawing attention to himself. He observed his fellow test-takers with quiet curiosity. Many seemed confident, chatting amongst themselves, while others fidgeted nervously. Some wore flashy gear, no doubt trying to show off their experience, while others looked like they barely scraped together enough equipment to even qualify.

A few adventurers seemed to be sizing each other up, eventually throwing some choice words at each other. Rusty wasn’t sure what this was about but quickly realized that these adventurers weren’t allied with each other like the monsters within the Dungeon. First, they would always shout at each other, then sometimes push before weapons got pulled. However, before any true battle could start it was broken up by a loud chime.

A group of guild officials stepped forward, led by a middle-aged man with a commanding presence and a large scar across his face. Though not particularly tall, he had a broad, muscular build, with a bit of fat causing his belly to protrude slightly. His weapon of choice appeared to be a large axe strapped to his back. A silver rank badge gleamed on his chest, and his voice boomed across the training grounds.

"Welcome to the Iron-rank test! My name is Garren, and I’ll be overseeing today’s proceedings. Those of you who pass this test will advance to Iron rank and gain access to more challenging missions and dungeons. But remember, this test isn’t just about strength - it’s about teamwork, strategy, and adaptability."

‘Teamwork?’

Rusty was somewhat confused by the man's words. He had expected a test of strength, perhaps a fight against one of the higher-ranked adventurers to prove he wasn’t weaker than them. Instead, it seemed they would be doing a group exercise with people he wasn’t familiar with. Gleam had been the only partner he had ever fought alongside, and she was different from these strangers. There was no trust between them, something essential for teamwork to thrive.

‘Ah it must be one of those tests, you’re really unlucky Rusty’

‘What do you mean?’

Alexander quickly identified what this was about and started explaining.

‘They will probably make you form a temporary party with the other adventurers. Then you’ll have to complete some kind of task, probably in the E-rank dungeon.’

While this didn’t sound too bad, for Rusty, who was trying to conceal his identity, it posed a problem. He would have preferred being tasked with hunting E-rank creatures, where he could safely use his twilight armor. Instead, he was forced to rely on his weaker iron form, which, if damaged too much, could reveal his true nature. If the party he joined realized he was a monster, they would likely attack him or report him to stronger adventurers.

‘Can I do something about it?’

‘Probably not. I doubt they’d hold a special test for a random adventurer, and even if they did, you'd be exposing yourself to the guild. It's better to take the test as it is.’

Rusty listened intently to Alexander while Garren continued his explanation. The crowd of adventurers buzzed with activity, each person preparing for the challenges ahead. Some of them were friends and hoped to get on the same teams. However, the guild had other plans for this test.

"Your test will begin with the formation of teams, each team will consist of four members. You'll be randomly assigned to a team, and together, you'll need to complete a series of tasks designed to test your coordination, problem-solving skills, and ability to handle pressure."

Garren then waved toward a large table where numbered tokens were laid out.

“These tokens will determine your team. Each token corresponds to a number. You will draw a token, and the number will dictate which team you join. Once you’ve drawn your token, proceed to the designated area marked with your number.”

‘Those slimy little things.’

‘Is something wrong Aburdon?’

‘Can’t you see how they are cheating?’

‘They are cheating?’

The tokens were on the table and could be picked up by anyone. All of them were face down without giving away their number. Only the adventurer candidate that picked them up would be able to tell what they took. However, Aburdon knew better and could spell subterfuge from a mile away.

‘I bet some people will get into better groups and have already paid for it. Those tokens are probably marked in some way, so whoever is running the scam will know how to assemble the teams!’

‘Which means?’

‘It means that you, as a lower-level fighter, will probably be a leftover case and designated to a weaker party.’

Rusty watched as adventurers hurried to the table, nervously picking their tokens. If what Aburdon said was true, then he might end up in one of the worst groups. Nevertheless, he needed to pick up one of the tokens and wait to be assigned. He approached the table and picked one at random, receiving a token marked with the number ‘6’.

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Eventually, all the tokens were taken, and the Adventurer Guild moved to the next phase. They brought out a blackboard with a list of numbers, each representing a party that would be formed. Rusty looked at it to try to find the number six and found it in the last group. Initially, he was unsure how to locate the other three, but the guild had assigned each team a separate number as well. Since he belonged to the eleventh group, it meant that there were forty-four people taking the exam.

“Please gather together into your assigned teams.”

Garren called out to everyone and the groups started to form. The adventurers raised their tokens in the air to call out to their temporary companions. To Rusty that was trying to keep a low profile, this was a challenge. He watched as teams quickly formed, with some members eagerly discussing strategies while others simply clustered together in silence. Rusty’s team, number eleven, seemed to be one of the last to come together.

‘Those are the only ones left, just go to them and try to act natural Rusty.’

‘Ok…’

It was easy to find his party as they were the only ones left without a third member. Rusty cautiously approached his team, doing his best to suppress the nervous energy building up. Three figures were waiting and all of them turned in his direction as they noticed his metallic footsteps.

“Are you group eleven?”

“Yes, you must be our fourth member, welcome.”

A young man greeted him with a smile on his face. He was slightly shorter than Rusty and quite lean. A bow was strapped across his back along with a quiver of arrows. His sharp, angular features and keen eyes suggested he was the type to keep his distance in battle, likely a scout or ranger. His leather armor was worn but well-maintained, indicating some experience in the field.

‘This looks quite unbalanced…’

Alexander commented while Rusty examined the other two party members. To his surprise, one of them was a familiar-looking woman, also carrying a quiver. His guide’s comments were starting to make sense - he was apparently stuck with two archers. The last person was rather small, belonging to a race known as halflings, who wouldn’t be of much help in direct combat. The person had braided her and was also more on the feminine side, something Rusty was slowly getting used to being able to identify. Before saying anything, Rusty used his skill to identify them all, keeping his focus on the woman archer, whom he finally recognized.

Name:

Layla

Classification:

Archer L 23

Type:

Human

Name:

Norkas

Classification:

Archer L 24

Type:

Human/Elf

Name:

Odelette

Classification:

Thief L 22

Type:

Halfling

‘They are all weak…’

Rusty complained internally while glancing to the side to identify one of the adventurers from another group.

Name:

Adger

Classification:

Fighter L 25, Warrior L 2

Type:

Human

Most groups here had at least one more advanced adventurer, someone who had attained a second class. Though he wasn't exactly sure how, a person could visit the church and undergo something like a baptism to achieve a new breakthrough. This ceremony was exclusive to the intelligent races, while monsters like himself could evolve on their own. They attained a new class with various bonuses similar to an evolution but did not change their appearance as they did with monsters.

Rusty stared at his new team members, feeling uneasy. The group seemed underwhelming compared to the other teams, especially with two archers and a thief. As Alexander had pointed out, it was a rather unbalanced team. While they might excel at ranged attacks and stealth maneuvers, they lacked the raw strength needed for close combat. Thieves relied on someone to keep the monsters occupied so they could land their backstab attacks, while archers needed distance to effectively use their bows - rendering them far less effective in close-quarters combat.

"Looks like we’re the odd bunch."

Layla, the woman Rusty recognized, muttered with a wry smile. Her tone was casual, but her sharp eyes betrayed the underlying tension she felt.

"Hey, don’t worry about it, at least we have one fighter with us!"

The halfling, The halfling, Odelette, chimed in with a cheerful voice, trying to lift the group's spirits. Despite her small stature, she seemed brimming with energy, clearly more optimistic than the rest. She looked at Rusty with hopeful eyes, her straw-like braided hair bouncing slightly as she shifted her stance.

"Yeah, you'll be our frontliner, right? Keep those monsters off us so we can do our thing!"

Odelette added, patting Rusty's armor as if to see how sturdy it was. Rusty on the other hand remained rooted in place, just looking down at the person half his height, not knowing how to react.

“...”

“Um… how about we introduce ourselves first then?”

The one to break the silence was the half-elven archer Norkas.

"That's a good idea!”

Replied the halfling girl. Norkas stepped forward as he took the lead.

"I'll go first. My name's Norkas, half-elf, as you can probably tell."

He gestured to his slightly pointed ears.

"I'm an archer and I’ve been adventuring for around a year and a half now, mostly scouting and taking out enemies from a distance. I'm hoping we can all work well together and pass this test."

Rusty was intrigued by the introductions, something he had never experienced before. While adventurers saw him as a monster, he didn’t view them simply as enemies. Their culture was fascinating to someone as young as him. Thanks to Gleam, he understood that good companions could make life more enjoyable, and this group, in particular, seemed rather cheerful.

Next up was Layla, the female archer who Rusty recognized. She had been one of the first humans he encountered in the dungeon and almost got herself killed when being assaulted by someone. Her level seemed to have grown since then, enough to take the test for the next rank.

"I'm Layla, a human. I like to think I'm pretty good with a bow and I’m also good at detecting hidden enemies but not too good with traps…”

She was more reserved than the other two, her gaze shifting around as if she wasn’t feeling too comfortable in this group. Layla’s voice trailed off, her discomfort clear in the way she fidgeted with her bowstring. Next, Odelette stepped forward with a bright smile, full of energy.

“I'm Odelette! Halfling thief and trap expert! I’m small but quick, so I can disarm traps and sneak past enemies like it’s nothing. Just leave the sneaky business to me!”

She had quite a bubbly personality, something the other two adventurers seemed to appreciate. Rusty on the other hand stood there like a stone statue not really knowing what to do and only once Alexander gave him a nudge did he react.

‘Introduce yourself Rusty, you’re making the other three uncomfortable, just say that your name is Albert.’

“I’m Albert”

He said, his voice and tone sounding strange and raising some brows.

“I am quite sturdy so… I’ll fight in the front?”

Rusty proudly presented his large shield and longsword to the group, attempting to mimic their earlier presentations as best he could. His movements were a bit stiff compared to theirs, but fortunately, adventurers came in all shapes and sizes. A person like him, who barely spoke, wasn’t anything unusual. They quickly assumed he was just the awkward, silent type.

“... Alright, now that we’re all introduced, we should start thinking about how we’re going to work together.”

Norkas said, taking charge once again cleary trying to assert himself as the temporary leader of the group. Strength wise he was below Rusty but it was better if someone competent took center stage as he still had no idea what was waiting for them.

“It’s obvious we’re not the strongest team here, but we can use our strengths to make up for it.”

Before he could continue another loud chime resounded from the adventurer guild side and they all looked at Garren. It seemed that time for pleasantries was over and now that the teams had been assembled they would be moving to the dungeon.

"Alright, adventurers, it's time to move out! Follow the guild officials to the dungeon entrance. Once inside, you'll be given maps marking the dungeon route that will test your abilities to work as a team. Remember, this is not just about strength but how well you cooperate under pressure. Good luck!"

The adventurers, now organized into their respective teams, began gathering their gear and preparing for the test. Rusty’s team followed suit, moving in silence. He glanced around without saying a word. His disguise was working a lot better than he had anticipated. If everything went well, then after this test was over he would be able to set off into the dungeon on his own…