"Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild." The lady in front of me said with a pleasant smile.
Unlike the usual savage faces I saw—I meant the Adventurers, obviously—she was actually really pretty.
Her long, brown hair was sleek and beautiful, arching perfectly down her back, and she had a feminine charm that made her somewhat irresistible.
'Now I know why she was appointed as a receptionist here…' I smiled to myself.
The job of Adventurers was tedious, so it was understandable that they would place attractive people at the forefront to present themselves in a better light, as well as to make the Adventurer's guild seem more exciting and alluring, in order to help them recruit more members.
"I'm here to register as an Adventurer." I said smiling confidently.
Usually, when one saw a newbie, they would scoff at them. However, it all depends on how that newbie presented himself.
For someone like me who could muster up charisma from thin air, it was easy to escape the condescending stares most fresh blood starting out would receive. free webnov el.com
"I-I see. Well, please, take the stairs over there and stop on the first floor. On the second door to your right, you'll find a room." She stuttered a little, a sign that she was quite flustered by my smooth talk.
Most newbies were often extremely nervous at the thought of the impending quests and the beautiful receptionist often made them even more nervous, in fact even veterans would also fawn over the young lady's beauty.
I was actually suffering from both of those, but my facial reaction remained calm, cool and collected.
"Alright. Thank you very much." I left the counter in a confident stride, following the lady's instruction as given.
Thanks to my Skill [Insight], I had an excellent perspective and a detailed awareness of my surroundings.
Losing my way or failing to notice anything would be nothing short of careless on my part.
'Alright… here we go!'
**********************************
I arrived in front of the specified door without a hitch.
Ah, yes, Sarah and Byron weren't with me. They didn't even follow me to the Adventurer's Guild. Of course, this was all because of me.
"There's no need for you to accompany me. Why don't you two investigate this town? Something is… off…" I lied smoothly to get those two off my back.
There was a reason I had to resort to that too.
'I don't want those two to see me embarrass myself.'
I had no idea what kind of examination I would be having as an Adventurer candidate, so it was better for me to ditch them and try my hardest, without any pretense of being an OP hero.
If things got dire, I could always use 'The Fool', but I didn't want things to get to that point.
According to what I learned from my dear friends—as well as practically any fantasy-based story, Adventurers had a Rank System.
There were 7 Ranks—F Rank to S Rank.
F Rank was the weakest, naturally. Followed by E, then D, followed by C, then B, then A, and then S.
For the mission of obtaining the materials I required, even an F Rank would cut it.
F Rank Quests mostly involved exploration and retrieval—no combat involved.
It was actually the perfect quest for me as it had minimum chances of failure, so as long as I didn't royally flop, I would be alright.
'I'm Level 8, and the Skills in my arsenal are pretty decent. I should at least make the cut.'
With that in mind, my confidence skyrocketed and I proudly opened the door leading to my examination room.
'As always, I'll just wing this stuff by bullshitting and using tricks.'
I definitely didn't expect what I saw next. My jaws nearly dropped.
**********************************
"Welcome to your examination center. Please have your seat." A buff, shirtless man addressed me.
Apparently, he was the instructor for the assessment. That wasn't the only thing though.
"You five will be examined today. I certainly do hope you all pass."
Yep, I was going to be taking the exam with four other contestants.
'If I take the worst place, it'll make me seem like a loser in front of the others!' My mind raced.
I didn't want nasty rumors to spread about me. If whatever went down here got to the ears of Sarah and Byron, my reputation could be at risk.
That meant one thing…
'I actually have to try my best! Shit!!!:
I and the other four competitors that were waiting, were in a large room—which was surprisingly indoors.
The muscular shirtless man was our supervisor, and apparently, we were going to be having our Assessment here.
The room itself was simply covered with metallic tiles(no surprises there), and other than the chairs we sat in, and the vast stage before us, nothing else could be seen.
Even the ceiling was completely tiled with metal.
"This place will serve as your test hall. My name is Gerund, and I will serve as your Exam Supervisor for today."
'What Rank is this guy? Maybe B Rank. He looks strong.' My mind wandered as I covertly observed his bulging muscles.
Even with all the painful exercises I did every morning, there was no way I could dream of getting this ripped.
'Is he on some fantasy-based steroids? The heck. He's so buff…'
Of course, none of my surprise and amazement made any appearance beyond the confines of my mind.
"Your Assessment will be simple. Adventurers have to keep things simple, after all. This Exam is classified into two segments." Our guy, Gerund began speaking.
"First is the Search Exam. We will place some gems in random locations, and you'll have to search for those. The more you find, the higher your points."
I nodded slightly, smiling dumbly as though I wasn't wondering how the heck I could find some randomly placed shit.
'I'm already screwed from the start, eh?'
"Following that is the Combat Exam."
'What?'
I mean, anyone with common sense should have expected this much.
Adventurers would often be faced with dangerous situations and fierce monsters, so it was only fair to grade a potential Adventurer based on their combat capabilities.
I knew all that, but still…
'Shit! Both exams are rigged from the start! It's like the universe just wants me to fail.'
At this point, I was no longer interested in getting a result that wasn't too embarrassing. If I wasn't careful, I would fail altogether.
I had to try my hardest, or it could potentially be the end of me.
Glancing at the other four candidates seated beside me, I realized how completely outmatched I was.
It was as though failure was practically guaranteed.
'Fuck!'
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