The inside of the guild building was just as busy as it had been the first time I went to find Valentino. The line from the desk moved quickly, but it nearly reached the door, so I still had a few minutes to wait and observe the people around me.

  Most of the adventurers were congregated around the wall to my right which was plastered with requests from outsiders. For the most part, they were simple requests for monster crystals in exchange for coin, though there were a few escort quests and the like mixed in. Usually, the parties would look at the wall for no longer than a minute, grab a paper, and walk out the door, but a few of them who looked to be higher-leveled than the others needed to spend longer to find what they were looking for.

  One adventurer in particular caught my eye. They were only an inch or two taller than me, but they had broad shoulders covered by a baggy, hooded cloak that fell all the way down to their feet. They weren’t the only cloaked figure in the room, but they were the only one that was being actively avoided by others. They scanned the board for a few seconds before settling on a request written on older paper, half-hidden behind fresher postings. When they left, the other adventurers made sure to get out of their way.

  “Who was that?” I asked a tall, burly, mace-wielding man in line behind me.

  “Huh?” he said. “Who?”

  “The one in the cloak that just walked out. Everyone was avoiding them.”

  “Oh. That’s Mask.”

  “Mask?”

  “Yeah,” he said, nodding. “We call ‘im Mask cuz he wears a mask, and he won’t tell anyone his name. He just showed up a week ‘n’ a half ago and started raidin’ the Dungeon like mad.”

  “Why’s everyone avoiding him?”

  “Cuz they’re a buncha cowards. He’s nothin’ special. Sure, he’s strong, but he’s not anythin’ to be afraid of. I partied with him once. He’s a good mage, but if we fought, I’d win.” He squinted at my face, as if seeing me properly for the first time. “You a newbie? I ain’t seen you ‘round here before.”

  “Yeah, I’m applying for my license today.”

  “Ah,” he winced and looked down at me with pity. “Just remember that the first day’s always the worst. It’ll get better.”

  “Someone else told me something similar just now too,” I mentioned, recalling the encounter with Ophelia. “What’s that about? What’s so bad about the application.”

  “Well… ‘Yona can get a little… intense, when she tests the newbies. I know she does it t’help us, but…” He trailed off.

  “...Thanks for the warning then.”

  “Not that it’ll help,” he grunted. “The name’s Ed, by the way. Melee fighter, tier 3.”

  “Lucy,” I said. “Mage. Light, Earth and Water, primarily.”

  He whistled. “Three elements. Damn. What’s with the getup though? I woulda guessed you were a Scout.”

  “I don’t like mage robes.”

  “...Alright, then. You got a party waitin’ for ya, already?”

  “No, I was gonna go in solo.”

  “Bad idea,” he said. “You’re gonna get yourself killed. If you need reliable teammates, my brother’s got a good group that could use a mage.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but-”

  “Actually, I think they’re on duty today,” he continued. “You’ll get to meet ‘im for your practical test. My brother’s name is Al. Let ‘im know you talked to me.”

  “It’s really fine,” I said. “I don’t need a party.”

  He put his hand on my shoulder and stared me in the eye. “You need a party. And don’t let ‘Yona hear you sayin’ otherwise.”

  “Next!” called the receptionist from behind me. We had made it to the front of the line during our conversation.

  The woman helping me was the same one who I had spoken to the first time I went to the guild.

  “Hello, Rafael’s friend!” she said. “Sorry, I forgot your name.”

  “It’s Lucille,” I said. “And it’s fine. I don’t know if I actually told you.”

  “Thanks, Lucille. My name is Helena, by the way. How can I help you today?”

  “I’d like to apply for an Adventurer’s License.”

  “Oh… Are you fully aware of what that entails?”

  “No, but I’ve been warned. I’m prepared.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “The first step is the interview. Alyona, the branch manager, will be conducting it personally.” She gestured toward a staircase to my left. “Head up to the top floor and go into the first door on your left. It should be open. If not, just knock. Loudly. She might be asleep.”

  “Thank you.”

  Alyona was indeed asleep when I arrived. The designated door was shut, and no light came from beneath it. The first time I knocked, there was no response. The second and third time, there was faint, unintelligible mumbling, and the fourth time I finally heard words.

  “Whaddya want?” said a hoarse female voice.

  “I’m here to apply for my adventurer’s license.”

  A few seconds passed with no answer.

  “Hello?” I called.

  “Fuck,” said the voice in the room. “Gimme a minute.”

  I heard a rustling sound, followed by some thumping and clanging of metal, then more rustling. It was five minutes before the door opened and I was finally able to see the infamous branch leader of the guild.

  She was tall, though not quite as tall as Anatoly, and she had shoulder length, dirty blond hair spread in a static halo around her head. Her clothes were simple but dirty; Her shirt looked like it used to be white, but had yellowed from age and sweat, and there were large stains all over her tan pants. Her left sleeve was empty and tied in a knot near her shoulder, while her right arm held a steaming cup of what smelled like coffee. Her right eye was bright green, and her left was milky white, with a scar cutting across it horizontally and exiting across her face before disappearing into her hair.

  “Come in,” she muttered, before turning to trudge back inside.

  The room itself looked like it was supposed to be an office, but had turned into this woman’s living quarters. The desk in the middle of the room was half taken over by a magical stove with a coffee pot on it, and behind it, there was a mattress on the ground with one single blanket on it. There were dirty clothes and empty bottles all over the floor, and the air in the room was stale and smelled like alcohol and body odor. The bookshelves had almost no books, and were mostly lined by bottles of amber liquid. There were two chairs in front of the desk that were probably once good chairs, but had fallen into disrepair, with the cotton stuffing peeking out through tears and holes in the fabric upholstery.

  “Take a seat,” she said, waving her cup at them while sitting down in her own chair behind the desk. “Coffee?”

  “No thanks.”

  “Suit yourself.” She drained her cup in a single gulp, then poured herself another from the pot on the stove. “So, you want to be an adventurer. Why?”

  “Is this the interview?” I asked

  “Yes. Now answer. Why do you want to be an adventurer?”

  “I want to get stronger.”

  “Why?”

  “Do I need a reason?”

  “Yes.” She drained her second cup, then started pouring a third. “But you don’t need to tell it to me. I was just curious. What’s your name?”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Lucille.”

  “Last name?”

  “I don’t have one.”

  “Bullshit,” she said with a burp. “You’re a noble, and you’re bad at hiding it. But that’s not really any of my business either. So, Lucille, if that’s really your name, what are you?” I panicked for a moment, worried she had already noticed I was a vampire, but my fears were alleviated when she continued speaking. “Your stats are weird. You have the mana control of a mage, but you also have the latent aura of someone aiming to be a melee fighter, and you’re dressed like a Scout.”

  “Mage,” I said. “But I’m working toward learning aura as well.”

  “Jack of all trades, eh?” she said, emptying the rest of her coffee pot into her mug. “I like that. So what’s your element?”

  “All of them.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Impressive. Can you use them all in a fight?”

  “Theoretically.”

  “And practically?”

  “Mostly Light, Earth, and Water,” I said. “I haven’t gotten around to leveling up my other elements too high yet.”

  I had been limited to Anatoly’s basement for practicing magic up until that point. It was empty, since he kept all his excess inventory in his [Inventory], but it was small, and not ideal for practicing some of the more destructive elements. I had only started practicing [Stone Bullet] because he insisted I did, since it was the most effective attack spell at low-levels.

  “Light?” she asked. “That’s an interesting element. How do you plan on using that for Adventuring?”

  “I know [Blind], [Flash], [Laser], and [Minor Illusion]. [Laser] is too low-level to do much damage right now if I don’t hit my target’s eyes, but I can use the other three to distract and disable my target so that I can use my other spells to finish it off.”

  “Good! Very good! Most people underestimate Light mages because most light mages they’ve met use their illusions for entertainment, but light can be very deadly in battle if used creatively, and you seem to know how to use it creatively. How are you with teamwork?”

  “I prefer to work alone,” I said. “I tend to outgrow the groups I join.”

  “That excuse won’t work here,” she said. “There are always groups looking for temporary members, especially mages. You don’t have to stick to one group, but you do need to work with a group until I say you’re good enough not to. Understood?”

  “When will you say I’m good enough?”

  “When you can beat me.”

  I eyed her empty sleeve and blind eye, and she must have noticed.

  “I may have lost my arm and my eye, but I didn’t lose my levels,” she said with a chuckle. “I reckon I could still handle the whole lot of you with my good hand tied behind me back. So, until then, teamwork. Understood? If I catch you going in alone without my permission, I’ll revoke your license and blacklist you from ever getting it back. No exceptions. Got it?”

  “Understood,” I said.

  “Good. Now, last question, and this is really a formality, because there’s no way for me to tell whether you’re telling the truth or not: as an adventurer, you’ll be gaining lots of experience and levels. Will you use your increased power to harm citizens or commit any other unsavory deeds?”

  “No.”

  “Excellent!” she said, reaching into her desk and pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen and inkwell. “You’re in. Now all that’s left is the practical test, to figure out your rank, and the paperwork. I am obligated to warn you that lying on the paperwork is technically illegal, so don’t do it unless you have a really good reason or can buy your way out of trouble. Just fill this out, and then we can go do the practical test. Do you know how to get to the courtyard?”

  “No,” I said, dipping the quill in the ink and scanning the paper to make sure I wouldn’t be agreeing to anything strange.

  “It’s easy. Just go down the stairs again and when you get to the bottom floor again, turn left and walk straight down the hall and through the door at the end. I’ll follow you down in a-” she paused and cocked her head to the side as a pair of heavy footsteps reached the top of the stairs and stopped outside the door. “I’ll follow you down once I-” She paused again as the person outside knocked on the door.

  “You’ll have to wait a minute, I’m busy!” she called.

  There was no response, but the knocking did not reoccur.

  “As I was saying, I’ll be down once I finish talking to whoever this is. When you get there, find the scrawny guy with glasses. His name is James. He’ll get you ready.”

  “Alright,” I said as I filled my age in.

  “Take your time with that. I’ll go see who’s out there. Once you finish you can just head out.”

  “Okay.”

  The paperwork was very simple, and was mostly just demographic information (name, age, height, weight, eye color, race, etc…) with a few short answer sections for me to essentially write out what I had already told Alyona about my abilities. I filled them out absent-mindedly as I eavesdropped on the conversation between the branch leader and the man by the door.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Yes, hello!” said the man. “My name is Clovis Satie, I am a level 34 mage, and I am here to get my adventurer’s license!”

  “I’m with another applicant at the moment, but I’ll get to your interview in just a minute,” said Alyona.

  “I’m looking forward to it!”

  The door closed and she walked back to her desk. I looked up at her, and as she passed by, her hair shifted enough that under her hair, I could see the tip of a pointed ear. She noticed me and gave me a questioning look that I ignored, turning back to my paperwork. A minute later, I was done. Alyona gave it a cursory glance, then pulled out a stamp from her desk and put a large red mark on the front before handing it back.

  “Drop this off on the front desk on your way to the courtyard. No need to stand in line, you can just leave it there and Helena will take care of it.”

  “Thank you.”

  I took my papers back and walked out the door. The man standing outside was obviously a member of nobility. He wore mage robes that were made of fine fabric and decorated with intricate patterns that almost distracted from his protrusive gut. He had a thick black beard hiding rolls of fat on his chin and a tall hat that I assumed, and was later proven correct, hid a case of male-pattern baldness. When he saw me, his eyes only lingered on my face for a split second before drifting down to other areas for longer than I would have liked.

  “Hello, you must be the other applicant,” he said with a smile and a nod. “My name is Clovis Satie, second son of Baron Laurent Satie.”

  “Lucille,” I replied with the smallest curtsy I thought I could get away with in front of a noble.

  “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He gave another small nod-bow. “Are you an aspiring Scout? You’re certainly dressed the part.”

  “Mr. Satie!” called Alyona from inside her office. “Let’s conduct the interview.”

  “Ah, I need to go, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around.”

  “Perhaps,” I said. “Good luck with the interview.”

  “Thank you.”

  I turned my back to him and walked to the stairs, but I could still feel his eyes on me all the way until I was halfway down the stairs. I would have loved to tell him off for his wandering gaze and inability to take a hint as soon as I met him, but I figured that drawing the ire of a noble, no matter how minor, wouldn’t be good for me.

  I followed Alyona’s instructions, to the courtyard, leaving my papers with Helena on my way. It was much larger than I would have thought, based on what was visible from the street. The entire area inside the block that the building was on was apparently guild, property, and had been converted into a large training ground. There were only a dozen or so adventurers using the space, since it was so early, but it was well equipped. There were sets of standard gear sitting on racks, stone golems that regenerated after taking damage, designated sparring areas, and even a small arena in the far corner.

  James wasn’t hard to find with so few people around. He was standing by the equipment racks looking bored as he fidgeted with a small knife.

  “Hello, miss, do you need any assistance?” he said, perking up when he saw me approaching.

  “Yes, Alyona sent me down. I’m going to be taking the practical test for my adventurer’s license application.”

  “Of course,” he said, turning to rummage through the armor. “Scout?”

  “Mage, actually.”

  “Oh,” he paused, then moved over to another rack full of robes and other fabric clothes.

  “Here you are,” he said, turning around with a set of robes and underclothes. “These should fit. There are changing rooms over there.” He pointed to a row of small wooden shacks.

  “Do I need to wear this?”

  “Yes, it’s our policy for all applicants to wear guild standard equipment for testing.” He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “And unless you have a second set of clothes with you, you won’t want to be wearing those when you take the test.”

  “Noted.”

  The clothes he gave me ended up being a bit small on me, and they were only marginally more comfortable than a burlap sack, but they were enough for what I needed.

  “Do they fit okay?” asked James when I returned.

  “Well enough,” I said. “Now what?”

  “You see those three over there?” He pointed at a trio of adventurers sitting against the edge of the courtyard and talking. “Those will be your teammates for the test. You’ll have to work with them to try and fight off ‘Yona. They’re seasoned adventurers, and a consistent team, so they’ll be reliable allies. When it’s over, she’ll give you a rank based on how well you perform. Don’t worry about trying to win, because you won’t. Just try to be as effective as you can be, and don’t get too discouraged.”

  “How long will it last?” I asked. “Everyone I’ve talked to has mentioned how difficult the test is and how I won’t be doing anything the rest of the day afterward.”

  “Well…” he started, struggling to find the words. “The length of the test can vary, but it’s not how long it is that makes it so… daunting. ‘Yona can be… harsh when testing new adventurers. But it’s not because she’s cruel! She just thinks that if she’s too soft, the newbies will die on their first Dungeon dive. She has a point, since our branch’s mortality rate has gone down a lot since she took over, but our numbers are still decreasing, since a lot of applicants can’t handle it.”

  “I see.”

  “And don’t worry about injuries,” he added. “She was a paladin once, so she can heal any damage you take. And she’s good at holding back, so you won’t get hurt too badly in the first place.”

  “She was a paladin?”

  He glanced around, then leaned in close again to whisper. “Yes, but try not to let her hear you talking about it. Officially, she retired due to her injuries, but there’s a rumor that she’s an oathbreaker. And it’s not unfounded either. So try not to mention it when she’s around, but just know that you won’t have to worry about lasting injuries.”

  “That’s reassuring,” I said sarcastically.

  “Yes, well, it will all be over soon, so you just need to bear with it for a short while,” replied James. “Why don’t you go over and introduce yourself to them so you can get acquainted before you fight together? Sometimes the difference between success and failure in a Dungeon dive is how much the teammates trust one another, so you should take every moment you can to build that trust. Did she say when she would be down?”

  “She’s talking to another applicant right now,” I said. “She said she’d be down once she finished talking to him.”

  “Ah, a double test then,” he said nodding. “Did you catch what his position was?”

  “Mage. He’s a noble too.” James’ smile flickered.

  “Well then, I suppose I’ll have to explain this all again in a moment. Now, hurry along. Don’t let me waste any more of your precious time.”

  “Thank you.”