Chapter 36: To the adventurer's guild's test

Slade finished eating first. Without a word, he stood up from his seat.

Lylia blinked and immediately leaned toward him. “Hey, where are you going?”

He adjusted his shirt calmly. “I’m done eating. I should get going.”

“Nooo, please wait for me,” she said, clasping her hands together and tilting her head, trying her best cute face. "Pleaseee. Don't you want to spend more time with a cute girl like me on a table?"

Slade held strong for a whole… two seconds. Then, like always, he sighed in defeat and sat back down.

“Hehe.” A tiny victorious giggle slipped out of her.

“Then how about,” Slade said flatly, “you stop eating so dramatically and finish faster?”

Instead of answering, she lifted her cup of coffee with exaggerated elegance. Her pinky out, her was posture perfect, and slowly she shook her head at him in silent sass.

He stared. She gently lowered the cup and chuckled.

“So?” he asked. “Are you also heading to the Adventurers’ Guild after this?”

“Mm. Yeah,” she said. “Are you going too?”

“I planned to go there right now,” he replied, crossing his arms. “So hurry up.”

“You'll come with me even until the adventurer's guild? Yeyyy. Though, unfortunately,” she sighed, “that’s something I really can’t control.”

Internally, she justified it that 'I’m a girl now… my mouth is smaller, okay? So is my appetite. This is totally a valid reason.'

Eventually, she finished her food. Yes, it did not get any faster at all, but it finally happened eventuall.

And so, after Lylia thanked for the meal, the two of them headed outside.

As they walked through the streets, she asked, “Slade, did you also take the test before becoming an adventurer?”

“Of course. How else am I supposed to be an adventurer?” he said. “Everyone goes through that.”

“I see. Was it hard?”

He shrugged. “As long as you don’t overestimate yourself, you won’t have a problem.”

“So, what’s the test like? Can you give me at least an idea? Now that I’m actually going there, I’m getting nervous. I honestly have no clear idea what’s going to happen.”

“Didn’t the receptionist explain it to you?” Slade asked.

“She did?” Lylia slowed down, thinking. “Hmm… I mean, she did briefly explain something, I think, but I don’t think it was clear or detailed enough for me to get the whole picture.”

Slade paused, then gave in and explained kindly.

“You’ll be introduced to a guild staff member who’ll monitor and judge you. They’ll let you pick any quest from the board. Any rank, be it F to S so long as you actually can complete them. It’s so people can be placed immediately at the rank their skills and such deserves. After that, you complete the quest while that staff member comes with you to observe. If you were successful, and the way you did so. Just be honest there."

“Wait,” she said, pointing at him, “so you’re telling me that while I run around fighting mobs, someone is just… following me, being a judgemental?”

He nodded once.

“Huh. That’s some emotional support right there... And maybe something I didn't quite expect?” She raised a brow. “Well, will the guild staff who came along help?”

“They’ll help only if you clearly can’t handle it anymore,” he said. “But if that happens, consider yourself failed.”

“Ohh.” She nodded. “That makes sense.”

Then a thought hit her. “What if they cheat? Like, what if the staff isn’t being honest or if they were bribed or something?”

“That’s when the magic contract comes in,” Slade said. “Usually made by the Guild Master to ensure credibility and have no problems with the contract."

“Magic contract? What’s that?”

He paused and sighed. “...Imagine a contract. But with magic.”

“Wooow. So magical." She deadpanned in sarcastic amazement.

He continued anyway. “Then, you write the conditions, the participants’ names, and the punishment for breaking those conditions.”

“Oh! So it’s something that can automatically detect if someone breaks it?”

“You guessed right.”

“I see…” she said. Then another thought struck. “But what if the Guild Master is the one with the hidden agenda?”

Slade stopped walking for a moment, took a deep breath, and said as he stared at Lylia with a blank expression. “…I don’t know anymore.”

Seeing that, she also paused. Then, she just let out an awkward little laugh.

“Well,” she said, “I’ll probably just choose an F-rank quest.”

“And why is that?” he asked.

“I’m not really confident in my magic yet,” she admitted. Well, half-admitted. “I’m not in a rush. I can just slowly rank up. As long as I have a stable source of income. And maybe so I have more reason to do some fun outdoor activities."

'Though, y’know… in any sense, I’m basically a beginner.' she thought. Not that she could tell him that. Her backstory was that she grew up in the mountains all her life practicing techniques, after all.

Slade glanced at her as they walked. “If you’re really aiming for an F-rank,” he said slowly, “you’d probably be the first F-rank at your age we’ve ever seen.”

“Mhmm??” she tilted her head, blinking in surprise.

He continued, voice calm but matter-of-fact. “Usually, it’s only the younger kids who get F-rank. We just treat those E- to F-rank quests as extras. Like stuff you can do along the way or after finishing your main quest, to earn that little extra money.”

“Wait, really?” she reacted, eyes wide.

Slade just nodded once.

“Woah…” she muttered, impressed. She thought to herself that the average people in this world clearly had higher standards than she’d imagined.

Slade’s expression softened slightly. “Don’t feel pressured. Still go for that F-rank if you think that’s the best you can do. What matters most is that you pass.”

“You’re right,” she agreed, a small smile tugging at her lips.

He added, almost offhandedly, “Though… I’m sure you’ll be famous because of it.”

“Wah... why did you even told me to not get pressured!" She frowned.

Finally, they reached the Adventurers’ Guild.

Lylia immediately dragged Slade toward the same receptionist as before, completely ignoring the fact that he was clearly aiming for the quest board.

“Good morning and hello,” she greeted brightly.

“Good morning. Greetings and welcome to the adventurer's guild,” the receptionist replied with her usual professional smile. “You came at the right time. I have been waiting for you. 

"You've been waiting for me? That sounds sweet." 

"Please follow me.”

“Hm? Follow you? For what? Where are we going?” Lylia tilted her head.

“It’s about your test for becoming a guild member,” she explained. 

Lylia’s eyes lit up instantly. “Oh! Okay!”

Lylia dragged Slade once again without letting any objections as they walked towards a familiar door and entered the same room where she took her aptitude test.

Inside, a mature woman with long red hair and matching red eyes stood waiting. Her attire was a simple robe of a mage, while she was holding a normal wooden staff similar to Lylia's partner. The woman smiled politely upon seeing them. 

The receptionist gestured toward her. “This is Ma’am Haralda. She will be the one conducting your test."