Isabella and Jason walked at my side while we followed the receptionist to the second floor of the building. After reaching the end of a hallway a pair of gates with the shield of the guild stood before us. The sword to defend against the wild, the book and pen to register your discoveries to the world, and the star to guide you in your path through darkness. Even if adventurers were considered failed knights, there was still honor in their roots.
The receptionist opened the gates and offered us to step in. When we did, a man in casual clothing was putting his seal on the documents resting on the desks in front of him. He had long black hair that rested on his left shoulder. The precision and swiftness of his hands were clear proof of his mastery of the sword. He was not a hulking mass of muscle, but rather, a refined piece of war that had the exact amount of flesh to do the job.
"Dominique Foe Yatra. Also known as 'Black Panther' for the nobles and those willing to bring pain to the irregulars. I can't think of a better moment to reveal to the world of adventurers that the silver-ranked lone wolf was actually you the whole time. But if I'm being honest, Black Knife only fits you with the mask on, so I recommend you stay with the new nickname"
His voice was as mature as his looks. He was in the middle of his 50s and although aging was starting to appear on his face, I doubt that anyone would dare to underestimate him. The name of this man was Andreus Doth Calgar, also known as the Rapier of Blood.
"Guild master, you have my gratitude for all these years of support, I would have never been here if it wasn't for you"
The old man halted his hand before intertwining them under his chin.
"So, what does the new irregular noble want from me?"
I took a step forward.
"As you can see, I'm a student of the Xerxes academy, and as such I'm part of the hunting club"
"Oh yhea, your friend here is doing a good job at making a name for his party, The Lunar Fangs, correct?"
Jason nodded with sweat running down his skin. "That's correct... sir"
Andreus softly laughed at the young man's demeanor.
"Hohoho, no need to be so nervous, young wolf. But anyway, you're not here to brag about your new status, I know you're a man of action so let's cut to the chase, shall we?"
Andreus offered me a document. I grabbed it and scanned its contents, when I was done a frown rested on my face before passing the sheet of paper to Jason.
"When did this arrive?"
"Just yesterday at night. They were very insistent on getting it sealed as soon as possible"
"Those bastards..."
When Jason finished reading the whole content his body began to tremble with fury.
"What the fuck is this?! How do they expect us to get a golden rank to join us so suddenly?!"
Isabella walked to my side and asked me a question with worrying tune.
"What does this mean?"
"Allow me to inform you, young lady"
Before I could say anything the guild master pulled out another piece of paper from his desk.
"You see, the guild of adventurers has a system of ranks, the higher the rank the harder the quests you can accept, but with harder quests comes bigger payment"
"Yes, a high-risk high-gain kind of job"
The ranks go like this:
Wood
Porcelain
Stone
Obsidian
Emerald
Ruby
Copper
Silver
Gold
Diamond
The first ranks focused on gathering material and communal service. Then, from obsidian to copper, the extermination of nests and clearance of dungeons become available. Silver, gold, and diamond are for people that can be used to fight against criminal groups and mundial threats.
"Indeed! Now, we have multiple agreements with other institutions from all around the world, one of them being the Xerxes Academy you are currently attending to"
Her expression got more somber as the explanation continued.
"We allow the students from the hunting club to take requests and we receive a fee for the quests that they complete, usually in the form of materials or personal quests from the guild. The thing is, as I told you before, the quests are attached to the rank, and the academy just gave us a document requesting to modify the requirements needed to allow the hunting club to take a request"
When he finally spilled the beans, all of us could do nothing but show our disgust.
"Now, the hunting club has to have at least one member with the golden rank to accept quests that are above obsidian"
"This is ridiculous! Where are we going to find a golden rank to join us?! It takes a life to get there!"
Andreus sighed tiredly, if there was someone aware of the hardships, it was him.
"We cannot refuse a direct request from the principal, if you can't fulfill the new requirements then, I suggest you start looking for another club. You could also drop out of the academy, but then things would only get harder for you in the whole city"
None of us could accept any of those, and to make things worse, no one in the city has reached the golden rank by themselves. There are parties with that rank, but it's going to be a lot of trouble to coordinate with them while we also study.
We were out of options...
Unless...
"Guild master... Is my promotion still available?"
A wry expression came from the old man's face. His eyes were completely unable to hide his pleasure.
"My oh my... Are you sure? You were quite adamant in not rising the ranks..."
"... As you can see... The situation has changed..."
After a little giggling, the old man pulled out another document and a golden guild card. All my data was already on it.
"... So you were waiting for this..."
"The guild is in constant need of talented people, we are willing to assist anyone who can reach the golden rank by himself alone"
"..."
Sly fox...
Before I could get the pen he was offering me, Isabella pulled my hand.
"Wait, you're not telling us something. What will happen to you once you sign that?"
Who answered that question was Jason, who was now out of shock due to my sudden promotion?
"The guild will be able to force him into taking special quests. He will also have all the benefits of becoming a golden rank, but once he signs he cannot retire until after a decade of service or a grave injury"
Isabella's skin turned pale, after that she gave Andreus a look of despise and started to pull me toward the gates.
"We're not accepting! We can look for another way! Let's go!"
Jason scratched the back of his head before following us.
"She's right. You don't have to force yourself into doing this. It's gonna be problematic, but we can look for other options"
"... No..."
I stopped in our tracks. Isabella looked at me with a worried face.
"We don't have the time nor the resources for that luxury. Also... He may not look like it now, but the guild master is not a bad person. After all, I wouldn't have my guild card if it wasn't for him"
When my companions turned their heads to see the old man, he changed his face from cold seriousness to a goofy grin of joy.
"Hohoho! I'm sorry, I just love to mess with people!"
Both Isabella and Jason threw him a face of 'What the hell is your problem?'. I gave him a long sigh while I held my head from falling from exhaustion.
"As I said before, the guild highly values talented people. We will ask for your assistance in the future as a golden adventurer, but I give you my word, no one is going to abuse your power for as long as I run this guild"
We all looked at each other before I could take a step forward onto the desk.
"Just give me the goddam pen..."
Never falling on his smile, Andreus received and saved the paper of my promotion on his desk.
"With this, I permit the hunting club to accept quests above obsidian rank. It is now your responsibility to look after your party as the member with the highest rank. We will call you when the time comes"
His voice sounded as pleased as his eyes. We all gave him our thanks and left the room with a complex feeling twirling in our stomachs.
I don't feel good, but I don't feel bad either... This just felt... Fake?
Isabella and I caught each other's eyes for a moment. A little burst of laughter escaped from our lips as we walked to the exit.