"It is indeed. Whether you get in on it is up to your man." Bromia looked like a predator that had just snared its prey in a trap. He joyously took her hand and shook it. He couldn't believe his brazen proposal had worked.
While Dark Flames Adventurer Team held some recognition in Fulah city, it was nowhere near the level of status of the Heavenly Gate adventurer team. That meant that the smaller team couldn't get the good jobs, the ones that needed both status and recognition to accept. This was a rare opportunity for the smaller team to glance at how things were done in the big leagues.
Bromia didn't have any special attachment or need for Barda. To him, Barda was just a means to an end, his interest lay in Lady Ellen. For a long time, he had desired her and made no effort to keep it a secret. Despite his social status and wealth he commanded, Lady Ellen hadn't given him the time of day or a second look, something that pissed him to no end.
Bromia then came up with a plan to undermine her and her adventurer team. In his eyes, there was no way such a lowlife could be allowed to reject his advances. She should have felt honored and flattered by his interest. He, therefore, wanted to put her in her place, remind her who she was and how insignificant she was among elites. He took any chance he would get to pin her down.
"What is wrong with her." A beautiful blonde standing behind Bromia asked. She too wore a purple insignia with Heavenly Gate's emblem on it.
"I can't believe she had fallen for the vice commander's ruse, so gullible." a male ranger replied her, shaking his head with disdain.
"The vice commander is truly ruthless this time," she muttered, taking pity on the other commander, "I guess we'll have another adventurer by the end of the day."
Bromia hadn't bothered to lower his voice in any way, which meant that the adventurers behind him and other passers-by had heard the bet. Everyone was very clear on the Heavenly Gate's position and status they held, but more than anything, they knew that all the adventurers were elites in their own right.
To willingly challenge such a competitor such as Heaven's gate was to coating death, there just was no winning against such an adversary. People looked at the two representatives of the Dark Flames Adventurer team with pity. One was the commander, the other a recruit.
Soon everyone stopped talking and made their way to the 3rd floor, where the beginners had their tests and their badges were processed.
"Since you proposed the bet, let your people go first." Lady Ellen said.
"In that case, then I will have to take you up on that," Bromia said as he signaled one of his recruits to approach the chamber.
The testing grounds had been made public for everyone to see, but the test itself was held in a chamber far removed from everyone else. Anyone could see enter the test grounds, but the test chamber could only take in one adventurer at a time. It was fortunate that there wasn't any mass recruitment going on, otherwise, the line would be preposterous.
There was no true test of what was going on in the chamber, but the consensus was that the longer one took in the chamber, the higher their rankings would be. It was said that the crimson badge could take more than a day. Purple badge holders had taken almost half a day to form one.
Upon completion, the chamber walls, which were white at the start, would change color depending on the rank attained. This was why one could not keep their rank a secret, especially from those who were on the test grounds when the test was being done.
As the first Heavenly Gate adventurer entered the chamber, everyone was curious how long he would take. No one expected such a prestigious team to produce anything below Orange, so they waited with bated breaths.
After 2 hours of waiting, the chamber walls started dazzling, indicating that the test was over and the results were being compiled. This was an entirely magical procedure, hence there were no humans involved in the decision making. It was completely autonomous and fair.
Many colors appeared on the chamber walls as the evaluation came to an end, but it finally settled on Red. Soon after, the adventurer emerged from the chamber holding his red badge.
"Welcome to the Heavenly Gate Adventurer team," Bromia said, as he pinned the badge on the person. This was a tradition in adventurer teams, the officer in charge who had escorted the adventurer to get the test would be the one to pin it on him.
Bromia didn't look too happy though. To any other adventurer teams, getting a Red Adventurer was a boon, but to Bromia, this was commonplace. At least he didn't do too badly. Next, Bromia sent in another recruit.
This one took a little longer than 2 hours. According to Barda's android system, he took 2 hours 24 minutes and 34 seconds starting from the moment he entered the chamber till he exited. Barda was curious to see what that meant since this was the recognized measure of success.
"It's Red too."
"Wow, 2 Red adventurers in an afternoon, it pays to have deep pockets." A commander of some Adventurer team lamented when he saw that. He too was a Red adventurer, a fact that he and his adventurer teammates took pride in. Now he saw just how commonplace that was among the elites. He cast Lady Ellen and Barda a look of pity. It was not lost on him that Bromia was not impressed by the Red Insignia as he pinned it on the adventurer and called the other to go forth.
This one took 4 hours, 37 minutes and 43 seconds since the moment she entered the chamber to the moment lights started flashing. Many had been waiting eagerly to see what rank she would be in since she was a tier above those who had come earlier.
"Purple!"
"As I live and breathe, another purple has appeared!"
"What? A purple adventure? How talented."
"What's the big deal anyway, I can see several purples out and about here." A young recruit asked after he noticed people's reactions to the purple color. He had come here to also take a test and become an independent adventurer. Hopefully, one day he too would start a team of his own.
"Haha, rookie, don't talk among grown-ups." Someone laughed at him, others were also ridiculing his lack of information.
"Since you don't seem to know anything, let me explain. As you've said, there are several purple-colored emblems, but that is because there are several elites gathered. Out there, purple adventurers are as rare as phoenix feathers." An older man explained to the boy.
As the adventurer came out holding her purple insignia, the recruit looked at her with respect, as did everyone else. While she was quite beautiful going in, everyone agreed that her beauty had quadrupled when she was coming out. Her elegance only matched by the beauty of the swords she had hanging from either side of her waist.
A very contented Bromia welcomed her in the team and pinned her badge, going so far as to pat her on her back. Even the other adventurers whom she had come with showed her respect, recognizing her as an equal.
"I look forward to seeing your man's performance."
After such a splendid outcome, Bromia's confidence was through the roof. He admitted he had been worried, but with a purple adventurer, he knew that the best Lady Ellen could hope for was a draw. No one had risen above the rank of purple in a long time.
"Do your best," Lady Ellen said as Barda walked towards the chamber.
Once in, Barda didn't know what to expect. The only thing he knew was that the test was different for everyone. The test itself was an illusion, but it was believed to be wholly comprehensive and tailor-made for the one taking the test. There was no way of knowing what would be tested.
As Lady Ellen watched Barda go in, she clenched her fists in anticipation. Her earlier poker face was no more. Instead, she began to question the wisdom behind her action. How could she pin her team's reputation on someone she didn't know anything about?
Based on his performance in the forest, she had hoped for red, but she couldn't be sure. In her mind, she knew that getting the purple emblem was a tough ask. She too had gotten one, but she was not like everyone else. Would this new guy do it?
Her hopes were crushed when the chamber walls started flashing barely a minute after Barda had gone in. Was it broken or did he fail? she wondered as she watched the colors flashing. They kept on flashing for a considerable period, almost 5 minutes. It's worth noting that others barely took more than 20 seconds. Finally, the color stabilized.