“Is that enough?” Percy repeated when the receptionist didn’t answer. She continued staring at the glowing orb but nodded slowly.

Unfortunately, she nodded a little too late. Percy’s mana reserves were sucked dry.. He blinked the sweat in his eyes away before his legs caved in. Percy fell and would have crashed hard onto the floor if he wasn’t caught.

It was the young man who was with Dave. Dave’s hands also shot toward Percy to catch him, but his friend had been faster.

“Was that your first time using mana?” He asked while helping Percy get back to his feet.

The mana within Percy stirred, and he found himself drawn to the orb once again. It was still glowing, even if the light was dimmer than before. Percy’s hand reached for the orb a second time..

Come back, please. I don’t want to buy a ton of food to fill my mana reserves!

Percy wasn’t sure if that would work, but he was pleasantly surprised when the remnants of his mana inside the orb returned to him. The orb’s light died down, while his complexion improved.

“Thank you for catching me,” He turned to the Adventurer who was still waiting for an answer, “But yes, it was my first time. This is quite fun, though also very exhausting.”

The man chuckled and patted his shoulder, “Good job, brat. Congratulations on becoming a Bronze Class Adventurer. Maybe we will see each other in the wilderness in the future!”

Dave grunted and nudged his friend, which was almost enough to push him into the wooden counter.

“My name is Mike.” The Adventurer looked at Dave as if asking, ‘Is that enough?’ But Dave grunted again. Mike sighed deeply but turned to Percy with a forced smile. “Dave would love to go hunt with you once you’re strong enough to keep up with us.”

Dave frowned, annoying Mike who cursed quietly.

“The last part wasn’t his words. But I think you should get stronger first. It would be annoying to carry dead weight with us on the hunt.”

Even though Dave wasn’t pleased, Mike ignored him. If the hulking giant wanted to say anything else, he had to speak for himself!

Percy smiled at the invitation and nodded vigorously, “I will take you guys up on that offer once I’m stronger. I will not be dead weight by then!”

The receptionist must have regained her senses. She intercepted their discussion by clearing her throat.

“Your mana control is quite good. If that was your first time using a mana orb, you’re talented,” The receptionist said in a matter-of-fact tone, “Being able to retract the mana you’ve channeled into the orb is not that easy either. It requires weeks of hard training. You must have trained a lot at home before coming here. That was a good decision.”

She nodded proudly at Percy, which stunned him a little.

“Congratulations. You meet all requirements to register as a Bronze Rank Adventurer!”

Weeks of training? That…doesn’t make any sense. I didn’t train anything. I gained access to mana yesterday and didn’t even think about trying to control or insert it anywhere. Is she mistaken about something?

The receptionist didn’t notice Percy’s confusion. She retrieved a wooden clipboard and several pieces of paper.

“Please fill out the form and seal it with a drop of your blood. We will complete your Adventurer Insignia once we’re done.”

Percy accepted the clipboard and pencil before getting started. Completing the form was not really problematic, but some questions were more complex than expected.

[Name]

[Family Name]

[Place of birth]

[Age]

[Ego]

[Tier]

[Mana Control Level]

[Time since Awakening]

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…

Percy chuckled, but his expression was somber, sadness overwhelming him.

He could only answer the [Name] and [Tier] section without worries while leaving the section related to his [Ego] and [Time since Awakening] empty. The receptionist noticed his hesitation, and Percy struggled momentarily before smiling hesitantly.

“I…I’m not sure about my exact age, but I should be around 16 years old. I…think…” He looked at the receptionist, who glanced back at him, “Is that enough?”

“You don’t know how old you are?” She blurted out and looked intently at the youth. She would have known him if he was one of the town’s orphans. The young woman reached for the clipboard and looked at the meager information he’d written down.

He can speak fluently and has no problem reading and writing, but doesn’t know his family name, place of birth, or how old he is? Also…He is only a Mortal-2 with that kind of mana control? I was certain his parents taught him how to control mana, but…it doesn’t look like he is lying and he’s not what I would consider a typical rebel or runaway either.

“If you think you’re 16 years old, let’s write that down. Let’s scratch the Place of birth and replace it with residency. You are currently in Raewood, so that should be fine. Your family name…we can leave that empty. Many Adventurers don’t want to share their family name. There are also a bunch of Adventurers who choose new names to start all over with a new identity. That is quite troublesome for the Guild sometimes, but it’s not that rare and it doesn’t concern you either.”

She nodded slowly, regaining her professional spirit, only to reach the last two points. [Ego] and [Time since Awakening]

“It would have been great if you had an Ego. You must have gained access to mana not too long ago if your Tier is Mortal-2, but your mana control is exceptional. Awakening at 16 is uncommon, but it happens occasionally,” She sighed softly, “Still, more Ego Users in Raewood would be great.”

“Is it that great to awaken an Ego?” Percy was curious. Maybe he should mention his Ego.

The receptionist’s chuckle rang through Percy’s ears.

“Egos are great! Everyone pays more attention to Egos, even the royal family and nobility. They gain more access to resources and information. Ego Users are nourished with greater care because they improve much faster than ordinary Gifted Ones. Using their Ego allows them to progress faster, which is also why they have special training regimes revolving around their Egos, allowing them to train and rank up simultaneously. Thus, by training, hunting monsters, and completing missions, they rank rapidly while gaining theoretical and practical experiences.”

“To sum it up, Ego Users have greater potential. They’re generally stronger than the norm and grow stronger at an accelerated rate. Unfortunately, we don’t have any Egos in Raewood. It’s a shame, especially in such a heavy season,” She glanced toward the mission boards and the wall filled with missions and sighed deeply.

I was right then. If I use my Ego more often, I can rank up faster!

The receptionist pulled back to the form and tapped the last point on the form gently. “You didn’t answer this one.”

“Does it matter how long it has been since I awakened?”

“Yes,” The receptionist retorted sternly.

“Why?”

“We need to record everything. The kingdom is always looking for new talents. The same applies to the Guild as well, of course. One way to discover talents is to determine how fast they can improve their mana control and Tier. It might not be essential if you don’t plan to apply for an Academy. You might be too old to start that, but it matters to others. Imagine you gain access to the gift when you turn four, but you’re progressing much slower than someone who’d manifested their gift at six or seven. Even if your Tier is slightly higher than theirs, you would be ‘worse’. Of course, this is relative, and there are exceptions to this rule. It doesn't matter if you don’t plan to join the military or an academy. Still, it’s always better to write it down if you’re still thinking about it.”

Percy nodded slowly. “I gained access to mana yesterday around dawn.”

A glimmer of surprise flashed through the receptionist’s eyes, but she silently noted his answer.

“Please reread the form, check if everything is correct, and sign it with your blood. A single drop is all it takes,” She smiled.

Percy nodded, unsheathed his dagger in a smooth motion, and pressed his thumb against the blade. He sheathed the blade a moment later, a droplet of blood trickling down his finger.

He pressed his thumb against the paper without changing his expression and waited patiently.

“Usually, you’re not allowed to draw your weapon in the Guildhall…or anywhere in the town, any village, let alone the city…” The receptionist said slowly, holding a tiny needle, “But I guess that’s on me. We should go through the Guild rules…and maybe it might be best if I explain to you what most people would consider common sense.”

Ten minutes later, Percy had learned a lot about common sense – apparently, his common sense was non-existent – and the Guild rules. Murdering innocent people was wrong. Protecting the citizens was nice. Threatening unarmed people was wrong. Killing evil monsters was good.

Stuff like that, including never drawing your weapons or using a Monster Card in your settlement if you weren’t given special permission.

His Bronze Class Insignia was also complete. It showed a small pin with a detailed bronze engraving of the Guild emblem.

[Bronze Guild Emblem – Excellent Quality – 101 Prosperity]

“Again…how much do I have to pay if I lose this?” Percy asked, lifting the Bronze Guild Emblem as nonchalantly as possible.

“You will be severely punished, your mission rewards will be halved for two weeks, and you will have to pay one gold coin.”

Nevermind.

**

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