5 days later, Open Guild.

It’s been already 5 days since Feran had his practice match with Liger, time in which he has been training diligently every day and hunting monsters every now and then. Now, everyone was in the kitchen, Feran and the old man were checking Feran's progress of the last few days while the rest ate quietly.

Status.

Name: Feran.

Level: 12. (20/650)

Race: Human.

Title: Shieldman.

- Vitality: 94 (+72)

- Magic E: 26

- Strength: 33 (+25)

- Magic P: 10

- Defense: 57 (+56)

- Magic D: 41 (+36)

- Speed: 36 (+15)

- critical: 0%

- “Hahaha, your growth in this past 5 days has been nothing short to incredible. It seems that I’m a better master than I thought, HAHAHAHA!!!” the proud tone and laugh of the old man earned him a look from the other people in the table.

- “Eh, I can’t deny you the credit of my progress, if it wasn’t for your training plan and the experience and growth bonuses that are given to me by our “Master-Discipline agreement” and the objects you gave to me, I might have not gotten as far as I’m now” Feran gave a grateful smile to the old man, raising his thumb in approval which was reciprocated by the old man.

Liger who was calmly drinking tea only watched the exchange between the old man and the young boy while thinking... “They shouldn’t spend so much time together, they are getting more alike by the minute”.

- “Tch, such a shame that your night training only raised your stats by so much, still, +65 total stat points is quite an incredible growth for a basic stage title, if any regular human would have used that training method, then their base power would have been more than doubled, in fact, your growth with that training is the equivalent to the growth of 13 levels up for a basic stage title” the old man started to murmur to Feran while eating his food.

- “Oh? Is that so?”.

- “Yeah, that kind of growth is nothing to take lightly... you are certainly a very diligent lad to have done that training, I’ve mentioned this before, but most people wouldn’t keep up with that kind of training, they would prefer to just level up which would increase their stats +5 for each level than training to increase their stats one by one” at that the old man patted the back of Feran which made the boy smile before drinking some of his tea.

- “Master! What rank do you think Feran is right now?” asked suddenly the little Sakura with an expectant smile.

- “... rank?” asked the boy who has heard the word before but didn’t know exactly what they meant by that.

- “Huh? You don’t know what rank is, do you?” asked Liger at the confused expression of Feran, the human boy shakes his head in response.

- “not really, I’ve heard it, but I’m not sure what it means...”.

- “I must have forgotten to mention it before...” murmured to himself the old man while stroking his beard.

- “I remember you said something about my title ranking up or something, and about monsters and Beastiale having ranks, but I didn’t exactly ask about it since I was focused on other things” at the reply of the boy, the man thought for a few seconds before remembering.

- “Oh! that’s right, I only mentioned it once or twice, well... how should I explain this?”.

- “is it something complicated?” asked the boy suspiciously as he sees the face of the man.

- “not really, is just that ranks are different for a monster, Beastiale, and humans...” replied the man instantly.

- “I see... then... why don’t we start with humans?” replied the boy which earn him a nod from the man. Just when the man was about to answer, the one who started to talk was Liger.

- “for humans, ranks are just a way to form hierarchies or measure your power, in fact, adventurers are ranked depending on their total power. for example... If your total power is less than 100, which means that you are more likely around level 11 or less, you are ranked as “F-”, those are basically new adventurers, practically kids, who just started as adventurers. In case of teams, a team with 3 members, 2 of them ranked “F-” and one ranked “E-”, would most likely be ranked “F+” if they are fairly good for their levels, or “F” if they are just regular or weak people. There are also people ranked as “Generals” who don’t have the “Elite Stage Title General”, those are “generals” only in rank and it’s considered a “special title” that is given to them if they join an army or something, it basically grants them influence and in some weird cases, it gives some stat bonus to people... that’s basically it for humans...” once Liger finished the explanation, he went back to drink his tea and eat some food. The man gave a signal to Veno who only nodded before starting to talk.

- “Hmm... for us Beastiale, ranks aren’t assigned to an individual like the case of humans, but we are cataloged in a certain rank depending on our race. We, “Herber”, are an “A Rank Beastiale” species... from the weakest to the strongest of us, we are all “A Rank” but we differentiate each other by our “Types”, all Herber has the same base power, 200, but our growth differs depending on our type... anyway, the easiest way to determine the rank of a Beastiale is checking their race and base power... by the way, opposite to humans or monsters, Beastiale don’t have the ranks “F” and “E”, the weakest Beastiale species are ranked “D”...” Feran was really interested while listening to Veno, and then the last comment caught his attention.

- “Really? And why is that?” asked the boy truly curious about it.

- “Hmm... I’m not sure, I suppose it’s due to our growth, even the weakest Beastiale which have the same base power as humans, 50, have better growths than them, and the growths also depend on the type, so the weakest among “D Rank Beastiale” have twice the growth of humans, while the stronger ones in “D Rank” have 5 times the growth of a human, and that’s in the case they are in their basic stage, if they evolve then the difference is like comparing a simple ant to a mighty dragon...” such serious voice left the Herber, his last words made Feran smile and contain a laugh, yet he knew that by Veno’s tone, he was sure of his words as if they were the absolute truth. Feran was about to ask a question but then the old man started to talk.

- “In the case of monsters, “Rank” is for them what a “Title” is for us, it determines their growth and power, the difference is that since monsters have unlimited levels, they “Rank up” way easier than us, of course, even if I say that it’s way easier for them to rank up, the truth is that low-level monsters stay as low-level monsters for the rest of their life, usually only monster with already high ranks can keep ranking up, and even so it’s actually quite difficult for them in the long run... in comparison to humans, you have to consider that while a “rank F-” adventurer is around level 11 when they have a power close to 100, a “rank F-” monster has that power already at level 1”.

- “Wait! So... the rank of a monster is determined by their power in level 1?”.

- “Not exactly, but it’s a good indicator to know which monsters are more likely to rank up and which ones won’t. If you think about it, humans base power is around “50” in almost all the cases, only those who were trained before getting their first title, those who have some kind of special blessing, or world heroes like you, have a base power over the 50s or even the 100s, yet, even the weakest of monsters have a power that is close to 100 in level 1, from then on there are the monsters who ranked up with time, and those who were born with a certain rank. Finally, the more a monster “ranks up” the more it “evolves” which affects their power and growth tremendously, in comparison, for a human to rank up only gives you certain influence and prestige in the guilds and communities, but your power is still lacking and you don’t get much from ranking up except for some privileges, as I said before, for monsters, “Rank” is what “Titles” are for us...” the man explained with a serious expression.

- “Hmm... there’s also the thing about multi ranks. As an Adventurer you have a rank, Let’s say you are ranked “D”, that’s your individual rank, then there’s your team rank which might be higher or lower than your individual rank depending on the power of the members, and then there’s the “referential rank”, which is used to compare the rank of an adventurer and the one of a monster and that way know the difference in power and/or the kind of missions that you could do...” Liger answered after the man stopped talking. As Liger stops to eat some more, the old man continues.

- “Some adventurers don’t pay attention to the “referential rank” so they get too cocky about their capacities. I already told you that there’s a difference between the power of ranks between monsters and humans, but that difference in power only grows in later ranks... for example, a “Rank A” adventurer has a power around 2000, that kind of power you can only get with an “Elite Stage Title” or 2 “Advance Stage Titles”, yet, a “Rank A” monster has a power around 2900, those 900 of difference between a “Rank A” adventurer and monster are everything, it would require a “Rank S” or “Rank SS” adventure to fight a “Rank A” monster by yourself and even then the fight would be nothing short to a bloodbath not to mention that it would still be unlikely that the adventurer survived or killed the monster...” now the old man had a dark expression on his face, as a master of a guild, he obviously had seen those kinds of situations of cocky adventurers trying to kill by themselves monsters of their “same rank” not understanding the difference in power.

- “I see...”.

- “Those people are idiots, there’s a reason adventurers usually work in teams of at least 3 to 4 members, they earn less experience but they have more chances at surviving...” Liger once again talked, but this time he was interrupted by Feran.

- “Wait! What do you mean that they earn less experience?” asked the boy curious and a little surprised.

- “well, it’s obvious that the experience will be divided among the members of a team, isn’t it? that’s one of the reasons so many people want to do missions and fight monsters alone, because by doing so they will earn more experience, but their chances at surviving decrease, a lot, they won’t be able to fight against big numbers of enemies after all, not to mention the lack of diversity on their abilities. The only people who can actually do solo missions are the adventurers of the highest ranks, like “A Rank” adventurers and over, and even they have teams in case they need it” after listening to that, Feran couldn’t help but take a deep breath and then sigh in exhaustion.

- “such a complicated thing...” he said before continue eating, now having heard the whole explanation and some comments about “ranks”.

- “Hey! No one answered my question! What rank do you think Feran is?” asked Sakura still with an expectant expression.

- “Huh? Well... Hmm... I would say... I would give him at least “E+ Rank”... maybe “Rank D-” as he’s actually quite a capable fighter, but that would be without considering equipment... if I consider everything including equipment, then your rank would most likely be... “C-”?... yeah, probably “Rank C-”...” at the answer of the old man, Feran and the other had a look of surprise while the little girl had shinning eyes.

- “do people also consider equipment when giving a “Rank”?” asked the human boy slightly confused by it, at the question the old man just smiled.

- “Not always, it depends on the kind of equipment and the adventurer who uses them. I’ve seen you with the equipment I gave you, I’ve noticed how capable you are at taking the most advantage of what you have, especially the alpha shield, so I can use those as a reference to determine whether I should rank you higher or not... sometimes, we guild masters also consider skills when ranking an adventurer but that only in cases in which the adventurers have really strong skills or their synergy with them is good enough... so far you haven’t disappointed me in any aspect of what makes an adventurer, and you haven’t yet even started to do missions, so I already have an idea of which Rank I should grant you” with those words, Feran and the old man bump their fists with a placid smile.

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- “Thanks for having such a good view of me, old man... by the way, compared to a monster, Which rank of monster would I be?” asked the boy after a few seconds.

- “Hmm... in a regular situation, probably “F+”, but considering you aren’t exactly normal... I would say that in your current level you could fight by yourself an “E” rank monster... though it still would probably be quite a challenge” replied the man with uncertainty.

- “I see!” said the boy with a serious yet excited expression.

- “Hmm... as I thought! Feran is really, really strong. I would say he’s one of the strongest adventurers on the guild, even stronger than Liger” the little Sakura started talking all excited, about Feran power.

At the words of Sakura, Liger couldn’t stop himself from spitting his drink.

- “Stronger than me? Of course not! I’m far stronger!” Liger shouted in irritation with a red face.

- “is that so?... then show us your stats, Liger” Veno gave Liger a look and a ghost of a mocking smile appeared on his face, making Liger clench his teeth in irritation.

- “Yeah! Show us, show us!” Sakura’s eyes were shining at the prospect of checking the stats of her friend.

- “... Alright! But if any of you laugh I will kill you!” said the feline eared boy in frustration and shame before showing his stats.

Status.

Name: Liger.

Level: 23. (140/1200)

Race: Hybrid.

Title: Magician.

Rank: “D”.

- Vitality: 32 (+72)

- Magic E: 32 (+162)

- Strength: 7

- Magic P: 54 (+102)

- Defense: 10 (+42)

- Magic D: 10 (+122)

- Speed: 23 (+100)

- critical: 0%

At the sight of such stats, Sakura and Veno started to laugh, of course, Sakura was laughing really loudly while Veno had a more controlled laugh, Feran on his side just gave a look of pity to Liger.

- “Hmm... this is not so bad, I mean... you do have pretty great stats thanks to your equipment...” Feran was trying to make Liger feel better, but his comment only served for furthering Liger’s embarrassment. Just at that moment the old man raised his hand and smiled at the others interrupting the way they were laughing at Liger.

- “Even though for you Liger stats might seem low, they are actually pretty good for a human of his level, also, he has a great equipment that he can use at a more than decent level, which is why I gave him “D Rank” among adventurers of the guild, and not only that but his true stats, the ones when he fights seriously, are considerably higher than the ones he just showed you, remember that he’s a hybrid and has the capacity to transform into a Beastiale... in fact, I think he can show us how is stats would look if he transforms, right?” the serious tone that the old man used to talk indicated to every one of not making fun of Liger, while also making Liger feel better and more confident. After a few seconds of hesitation, Liger finally shows them the stats he has when he transforms.

Status.

Name: Liger (Beastiale Form).

Level: 23. (140/1200)

Race: Hybrid (Royal Type).

Title: Magician (+Warrior).

Rank: “D” (“C+”).

- Vitality: 96 (+72)

- Magic E: 59 (+162)

- Strength: 98

- Magic P: 81 (+102)

- Defense: 69 (+42)

- Magic D: 42 (+122)

- Speed: 87 (+100)

- critical: 0%

- “What? aren’t those stats at least 3 times what he used to have, not only that but his rank also grew...” Feran couldn’t help to shout in surprise. Liger slightly blushed at the words.

- “Hahaha, yeah, this is Liger using his maximum power, yet he can’t control his transformation that good, which is why even with those high stats and his equipment he still is ranked “C+” when transformed... pretty impressive, don’t you think?” The man said while patting the head of the lion boy, who only had an indifferent expression not looking at anyone.

- “Awesome!” said Sakura and Feran at the same time.

- “Hmm... such weakling” Veno commented in a dismissing and patronizing tone, although he actually did it just to irritate Liger and have a laugh.

- “not all of us have monstrous growth like you, bastard!” Feran had to hold back Liger who was talking while trying to attack Veno.

- “Hey, calm down! If you need to increase your stats, why don’t you train with me? Not because I’ve stopped growing from my night training means that it won’t work on you, right?” at Feran words, Liger stopped moving and look at the human boy before looking to the sides way calmer than before.

- “Fuuu... I suppose is not a bad idea, anything to make me stronger” Liger said dismissively before taking a seat once again.

-“Perfect! Oh, almost forgot, I wanted to ask you to show me your equipment!” Feran said expectantly earning a look and raised an eyebrow from the people around him, Liger in particular slightly blushed before, nervously, showing his equipment to Feran.

Equipment.

Cane of Elemental Support (Improved Quality): +40 ME. / +55 MP. / +25 MD.

Damage Bonus: 1% in Elemental Magic attribute.

Tunic of the Water Heir (Mystical Quality): +72 V. / +92 ME. / +47 MP. / +77 MD. / + 42 D.

Absorbs: Element Water Magic.

Magic Apprentice Ring (Normal Quality): +30 ME. / +20 MD.

Flight Boots (Improved Quality): +100 Sp.

Bonus: fly.

- “This is incredible, that tunic really gives you a lot of stats, besides that, the damage bonus looks interesting" the boy said looking seriously at his lion eared friend.

- “It's the tunic that my mother used to wear, it's Mystical Quality Equipment, just like your Alpha Shield... anyway, besides the tunic, I also keep my mom’s staff, although it requires a lot of levels to be used and it's not that strong" replied the blue-haired guy in a low and soft tone.

- “Hahaha, it's true! Actually, comparing the staff with the cane that Liger currently has, if we could find the right ingredients, we could turn the cane into a better item than his mother's staff, the only bad thing is the damage bonus, it really doesn't do much good, for starters 1% is not very useful specially in early levels. On the other hand, water absorption is much better, and the flying ability is quite useful" said the old man quite enthusiastic about Feran's reactions.

- “Oh, that's right, those are his equip bonuses..." he said, looking at the rest of the objects.

- “With “fly”, just as the name indicates it, I can fly a certain distance for a few minutes, it is very useful for long-distance battles and also for long journeys, while absorption allows me to absorb water magic, that means that the damage I was going to receive by any water magic or water-related skill becomes health that restores me...” Feran's eyes really shone when hearing from all the good items Liger has.

- “That’s incredible! So, does that mean you are a mage focused on water or something?” at that question Liger and the rest of the people in the place could only chuckle or laugh.

“You know? Curiously I’m not really a magician who focuses on water magic, even though I have the “Tunic of the Water Heir” and I have a water blessing, in reality I’m more of a fire mage so far, I don’t really have any predilection over one magic attribute and since I only have about 3 magic skills so far, including my passive, I basically only use the fire one to eliminate my enemies, although, If I had to chose 1 magic attribute to focus on, I would prefer electric magic and not water magic, in terms of power and utility is one of the best attributes” answered the boy with an amused expression.

- “really? that’s... interesting... do anyone focus on something specific here?” asked the human boy before looking around the room.

- “Hmm... I can’t really use magic, or... well, it is not that I can’t use magic at all, It is just that I’m better suited for physical skills and I don’t have a title with magic as a focus. Veno and Sakura, on the other hand, are from the Herber species which is well known for their incredible magic capacities, even Veno who’s mostly a physical fighter is quite proficient in magic, isn’t it?” the old man explained before looking at the 2 Beastiale who only nodded their heads.

- “Yeah! Master is right, I’m mostly focused on supporting magic and healing, although if I had to say an elemental attribute for my magic, it would be earth, so would be in the case of Veno and most of the Herber race, but the way we use it is different, as Veno is, as the master said, mainly a physical fighter, his magic mostly focuses on restraining or weakening the enemy so he can kill them faster” the little one had such an innocent smile while talking about killing that it was a little uncomfortable for Liger and Feran.

- “... I see... that’s impressive...” Feran said awkwardly while giving the girl a smile.

After that everyone was back to eating their breakfast, with just a little comfortable chatter, and Feran focusing on checking his stats once again, he stayed like that for a few minutes before the master suddenly makes a sound and then taps Feran on the shoulder.

- “Hey, boy! I almost forgot this but from tomorrow you start paying rent so you better find a mission or something to do" the old man remembered Feran with a smile, however, the boy just froze for a moment.

- “Huh? Samuel, what do you mean that from tomorrow I have to pay rent?" a confused and frightened question leaves the human boy’s mouth.

- “Remember boy, the day you arrived, I warned you that I would only give you one week to stay here, however you are already level 12, and you have already fought with beasts during these days, it means that the week is over and it is time for you to earn the bed you sleep in and the food you eat!" the man said with a mocking smile as he looked at the boy.

- “Wait! So, wouldn't I have to start paying from the day after tomorrow?

- “Of course not, the day you were revived and cared for in my guild also counts, that day you also ate and slept here" his words were serious, but without taking away his smile, Feran on his part was more than stunned.

- “Hey, I'm going on a mission in a few more hours, the pay won't be much, but if you accompany me we'll finish it faster, and you'll earn enough to pay for 3 full days of stay" said Liger a little nervous and flushed, not even looking Feran in the eye.

Feran, who was still frozen, turned his face in the direction of Liger, and after a few seconds, a smile formed on his face and his eyes shone with an air of victory.

- “Fuuu... thank you, Liger. You just saved me again, hahahaha” while Feran was laughing Liger only rolled his eyes at the boy.

- “Whatever...”.

- “I suppose we are partners now, right?” with that Feran put his arm around Liger’s neck, surprising the feline-eared boy, who after a few seconds of being stunned, blushes slightly and clenched his teeth in anger and then moved to hit Feran in the head.

- “I never said we'd be partners, you idiot! I’m just making you a favor, don’t make me regret it" the hybrid seemed rather annoyed. Suddenly, the laugh of the master filled the room, making the boys look in his direction.

- “Hahaha, these kids today are really energetic, they fight all the time, in my times a fight meant someone ended up dead, usually someone who wasn’t me" the man expressed with a smile recalling his good old days, earning a glance from the young people at the table, some nervous chuckles and rolled eyes.