District 13 was bustling with people even though it's near the border region.
Guards, adventurers, researchers and a lot of rankers traveling here and there make it more lively compared to Gin's District 4.
However, the eastern section of the city is less crowded like normal people fear this place.
Tranquil Inn is in the eastern part, after 15 mins of walk, Gin finally arrived at the Inn.
Unlike other areas of the eastern part, the three-story tranquil Inn is packed with rankers.
Gin saw a lot of rankers moving in and out of the Inn. He was not surprised by the masses since he knows it's a gathering place for rankers before they go on a mission.
When he entered the ground floor of Inn, he felt plenty of eyes peering at him and the feeling soon disappeared as they came.
Most of the 4-top tables on the first floor are occupied leaving only one or two free.
As Gin was thinking of occupying a free table for himself, a voice trailed over from a distance, calling him: "Gin, you moron, come here."
Startled by the familiar voice, Gin shifted his focus toward the origin of the voice and saw a young man around the same age as him. What truly surprised him is the girl sitting opposite to the young man.
The young man wore stylish clothes that are fitting and suitable for combat. His hair was deep blue and short; his eyes are inky black.
Overall, he could be considered as a good looking person.
He's Hammer, Gin's best friend from childhood. Hammer is just his nickname, his real name is Gale Frey.
The girl who's sitting opposite to Hammer is called Yirene. The most attractive trait about her is cold and aloof demeanor, like an ice goddess.
She looked elegantly beautiful, with shoulder-length, silky black hair. Her pair of almond-shaped, ocean blue eyes are alluring and mesmerizing while her complexion is rosy and fair.
She was decked in a silver jacket over her black t-shirt and grey pants. Her tight-fitting dress portrayed her beauty to another level.
As soon as Gin saw both of them, a warm smile spread on his face.
"Yirene, Hammer," Gin smiled, walked over and sat next to Hammer while a warm feeling surged in his heart as he gazed at both of his friends.
He could guess why both of his friends ended up here, and that's why he couldn't accept it.
Taking part in the ranker exam at this age is very rare and especially for Hammer and Yirene, since both of them are from a powerful family.
They could easily get accepted into a top tier academy considering their talent and background. The only reason they are here is because of him.
How could they know his ranker exam location? It's easy for Yirene. Even though Gin doesn't know about her background, he could guess her family is a powerful and prominent one.
'How powerful?' Maybe, only Yirene knows about it.
"There's no need for you guy's to take part in the Ranker exam. I know both of you came because of me but the Ranking exam is a life-threatening one." Gin shook his head and said.
Yirene snorted and turned her face to one side, clearly didn't want to converse anything with him.
"Haha, Gin, don't be delusional, who said we are here because of you? There's one month remains until the martial academies entrance examination starts, so we applied to take part in the ranker exam to pass our boring time."
"Really?"
"Of course"
Gin shook his head, he knows both of them are stubborn like him so he didn't persuade them any further.
He didn't have to worry about their safety since their family should have assigned some skilled fighters to accompany and protect them in secret.
"Did you guys meet the team which you will be accompanying?" Gin asked.
"For me, they said, 'we will meet here in another few mins'," Hammer replied and then looked at Yirene hinting to respond but there's only silence from her.
Gin and Yirene were like cat and mouse in their school, bickering and fighting over some trivial things.
That's also the reason why they became friends, even so, they still fight, sometimes to the extent of injuring each other.
Afraid, both of them will fight again, Hammer replied: "Yirene's team will arrive here in 5 mins."
As soon as Hammer replied, a tall and muscular man wearing a uniform-like attire came to Yirene's side and politely spoke:
"Young miss Yirene, I am Rouse. Today, you will be accompanying my team and complete your ranker exam. I will try my best to take care of you."
"Mn. Please wait outside, I will come and join you in a few minutes." Yirene spoke with a cold voice, capable of freezing the other party.
"Yes", Rouse acknowledged and curiously glanced at Gin and Hammer, as if trying to guess the status of them before he left.
"You better pass your exam this time and join the Skyfire academy. And, don't die!" Yirene coldly uttered, rose up and quickly left the Inn.
"Man, her cold bearing is scary! How are you able to speak with her normally? In front of her, I can't even breathe properly." Hammer spoke, relaxing his stiff body.
Gin smirked but didn't reply. "Hammer, did you know where your team's mission is?"
Hammer shrugged, "I don't know. You know Ranker division won't disclose the exam details, right? I was only able to know your exam status because of Yirene."
Gin sighed, he knows if the exam details and the type of mission expose, many participants will easily able to cheat.
"The reason we applied to the Ranker exam was, we were hoping at least one of us will be able to enter your team and complete the mission together."
"Who knows, besides you, another participant has been already chosen by the ranker division for your team. Even with Yirene's connection, she couldn't change the outcome." Hammer said, frustrated.
Usually, a Ranker's team can have two exam candidates in their team when completing their mission.
Even though it's not mandatory, the ranker division will give them a special reward, if they assist in the Ranker exam.
"Gin, don't worry, you will surely pass the ranker exam this time. If I use my family connection, I will be able to acquire an Advanced breathing technique suitable for you, but like always you will refuse the help." Hammer sighed.
Gin is hard-working, talented and has a tenacious heart but it's no one's fault that his friend didn't awaken any spirit seal.
But, this world is cruel, only people with spirit seal are qualified to walk further on the martial path.
Hammer didn't know how to support Gin and more importantly, he couldn't find the right word to say 'Give up' on this path and pursue a different way.
Both of them chatted for some time, after 5 mins, Hammer's communication bracelet rang.
"It's from the team, they are waiting outside. Don't give up, I will always be there for you." Hammer stood up, patted Gin's shoulder and left the Inn.
Gin smiled and shook his head. Both hammer and Yirene didn't know that Gin is no longer the old him and presently, he is completely reborn and posses a legacy that could shake the entire world.