Haruto, Sylvie, and Bane looked towards the gazebos, observing the various guild representatives and their setups. Each of the Big 5 had impressive displays, showcasing their power and prestige, while the smaller guilds tried to attract attention with unique and specialized offerings.
Some people in the crowd started to chuckle at the mention of smaller guilds. Those who knew of the guild structure understood that the smaller guilds were usually tasked with more menial duties around the Kingdom and sometimes took missions that none of the Big 5 wanted.
"I, myself, came from one of those small guilds," Serena stated immediately, shutting up the crowd. Sylvie became even more impressed with her. Joining a lesser-known guild usually meant fewer resources and missions. To climb to the status of not only Vanguard but War Master! 'She's so cool,' Sylvie thought with glistening puppy eyes as Serena continued.
"Be sure to be open-minded and not set your sights on only one guild. Each guild is only allowed as many as 300 ranks." She let it sink in, and many caught on immediately. The guilds must be extremely competitive, as everyone was jockeying for a core spot within their guilds. To increase rank, you must support your guild, do missions, and battle upper ranks in official duels. If you win, you move up in rank to that current spot. You cannot turn down a duel request, as only a lower rank can duel an upper."
Haruto remembered when Sylvie explained this, but he had no idea it was this in-depth. Bane was surprised as well but more so by the ignorant comments coming from people in the crowd.
The majority were assuming they could move up the ranks quickly, but differences in ranks were likely night and day. Everyone earned their rank, each developing their magic to continue to rise. Misfortune would befall a few.
"Know that depending on a mission's success or failure, you can either increase or decrease your guild's reputation. Better reputation means more favorable missions as well as accolades, and vice versa. Missions range from G rank all the way to SSS rank. Fail enough, and you can be kicked out of your guild and blacklisted, meaning you would become a rogue Warlord. This brings me to my next point."
"You do not have to choose a guild. Let me make that clear. If none are to your liking, you have the choice to become a Freelance Warlord, meaning you can sell your services to guilds on a contract or work completely on your own. However, the amount of work you get is based on your reputation and ability. You will also not have access to guild support. You would be solely responsible for yourself. Now that this has been explained, are there any questions before we begin the testing?"
Some raised their hands as Serena sighed and nodded.
"Where do we stay when not on missions?"
Some wanted to smack the kid who just asked. It seemed common sense had missed him.
Serena narrowed her eyes, "You will stay wherever you lay your head. Any other questions?"
She had hoped not, as the testing took the majority of the processing time and she wanted to get started. After seeing the look she gave the kid, the few who did raise their hands didn't again.
After seeing that was it, she instructed them to form two single-file lines as two women who were twins rolled out what looked like glowing orbs on stands. The women had weird jewels embedded in their foreheads, and inside the orbs, they all could see a swirling mix of colors that looked as if they contained small universes.
"These are magic readers. This will not harm you, as the process is relatively simple. Use this as an estimate of where your magic level currently is, as these devices are highly accurate. They even take into account your skill with your magic. Now not only will it account for your magic but your initial grade. These aren't official but will give us an idea of what level missions your current power could be compared to. The ranks go from E through S just like the mission grades."Serena stated as the readers were set up. " It would behove of you to only take missions meant for your grade but it is not a requirement. Just be ready for the consequences should you overreach."
After they were in place and everyone had lined up, she told them they could begin. The Warlord who was first in line to her left nervously made his way to the orb.
He was a burly guy carrying a mace on his back. Haruto immediately assumed he was an A ranked, as he looked the type. The aide instructed him to place his hands and release a bit of magic, and she would receive the rating. "Watch as I Frezzo, astound you with my capability." As he did, he released a tiny bit of magic and felt his hands tingle.
The woman opened her eyes and input data into a magic table she was using to record results. "E."
After nothing else was said, the Warlord was visibly disappointed as he could hear subtle laughter from behind him. After seeing the process, a lot of the individuals relaxed yet became more anxious as they awaited their designations.
The Warlord to Serena's right then went after watching the first go through the process. It was a smaller girl who looked barely old enough to drink. She had pink hair and a long robe. Most assumed she was one of the youngest there. As she repeated the process, she was visibly nervous. Her aide opened her eyes and input the data. "Your grade: C." People gasped as she looked like she happily got off.
This process continued on.
"Your grade designation: D."
"Your role designation: Lower C."
"Your role designation: Lower C."
So far, no one had received a higher rating than Lower C, which disappointed Serena. This usually meant the group had a lot of people who would need much improvement. It was still early, so she chose to wait and see. As she thought about it, she was interrupted with the first change.
"Your grade designation: Upper B with growth potential."