Seilyn came to a halt next to a large, square-shaped wooden board standing at the corner a few meters away from the guild hall's entrance, followed by Gideon and Mian crossing her arms, her gaze fixed on Seilyn, who simply smiled. Gideon's gaze was drawn to the papers pinned to the board as they approached.
Each paper contained information such as what class rank could take the quest, what materials and how many materials were required to complete the quest, and how much the rewards were. The quest board featured Class E and Class D ranked quests ranging from flower picking, mining, harvesting, and monster materials gathering. At first glance, it was clear that gathering monster materials had the highest rewards due to the dangers associated with completing the quest, which required journeying inside Etveya's dangerous forest and fighting vicious monsters.
In town, there were only quests up to the class D level. Class C quests could only be obtained in the kingdom's capital, where Class C adventurers were stationed. However, the kingdom of Meirhan only had one Class C adventurer, who was also the kingdom's most powerful adventurer at the time.
Seilyn crossed her arms and raised her gaze to Gideon's. "There are six rank classes: E, D, C, B, A, and S. To be promoted, your grade will be given based on your achievements in the guild's quest-related performance, strictly based on how many quests you have completed over time, the difficulty of said quests, and the satisfactory level as you accomplish them. Also, keep in mind that defeating a monster that is much more powerful or has a higher rank than your rank does not mean you can easily jump in ranks; that is not how the Adventurers' Guild's point system works." She raised her right hand and showed her index finger. "After all, adventuring isn't just about killing powerful monsters; the Adventurers' Guild is an organization that provides services to people by performing tasks they don't want or can't do themselves, and many of the quests people have submitted don't even include fighting."
Gideon nodded and turned to face Seilyn, whose height reached his neck. He recalled his response to Rudwick a few minutes ago. "I see."
Seilyn indicated the board with her finger. "You can take quests at the same level as your rank, lower, and depending on the danger level, and 'only'..." she said emphatically. "Only if you have higher ranking party members to support you, you may take class D rank quests, but make sure you can complete them because you will be penalized if you don't. You should also remember that quests with higher ranks mean higher difficulty but higher rewards. As you complete your quest under the guild, your achievements will be sent to our main department, and you will know when you are eligible for promotion."
Gideon returned his gaze to the quest board before returning his gaze to Seilyn, who was watching his every move. "Is it okay to inquire as to how long it will take someone to advance one rank?"
Seilyn nodded and gave a weak smile. "Of course, if you are consistent in completing quests, you will be promoted to Class D in a few months, but it will be a long time before you receive another promotion, possibly even years. Because simply slaying powerful monsters will no longer suffice to achieve Class C rank, even if you do manage to kill a Class S rank monster. The higher-ups in the guild demanded more for an adventurer to be labeled an elite and promoted to Class C or higher. What do they need? They are the only ones who know."
"Ah, the guild has a pretty high standard, huh?" Gideon said, placing his fist on his palm.
Seilyn gave a nod. "Yes, so if you want to be called one of the best, show them you deserve it," she said as she walked away from the quests board. "However, that same very high standard of them is also the reason why the class D rank is the most populated of all classes, and it is comprised of a diverse range of adventurers, from average to ridiculously powerful, with some that could be considered a Class C based solely on their strength. However, for some reason, the higher-ups do not seem to see them as a good fit. I'm sure you heard it from the guild master, but let me say it again: the Adventurers' Guild believes that, while physical and magical abilities are important, they are not everything."
Gideon walked with his head tilted sideways, leaving Mian behind while she stared at the quest board. "Please don't tell me they're looking for a metaphorical quality like pure and courageous 'heart,' someone chosen to be worthy because of some exceptional quality, or something along those lines."
Seilyn came to a halt and returned an enigmatic smile to Gideon, emphasizing her striking resemblance to her father, Rudwick. "Why? You don't like those things?"
Gideon raised his hand and scratched his cheek with his index finger after being struck by the stunning smile of the person in front of him. He cleared his throat before saying anything. "I— I do. I love Thor and King Arthur— the real one, not the waifu— okay, I love both of them, Saber is cool— and also Alter— and I'm pretty sure you don't know who I'm talking about— my apologies, I will shut my babbling mouth now."
Seilyn giggled and covered her mouth with her palm before exhaling and facing Gideon. "You're funny," she said as she walked back to the registrar and pushed the Guild Recorder inside her counter.
Gideon, on the other hand, joined Ordy, Vien, and Halini who were standing in front of the registrar, smiling at him.
After a while, Seilyn sat on her desk and pushed her eyeglasses before raising her face and displaying a strict expression. "If you have any questions about our guild or adventuring, please feel free to ask me at any time; I am always happy to help." She placed the clipboard she was holding on the wooden desk. "Now that the briefing is complete, it's time for you to put your physical abilities to the test; go behind the guild hall building and you'll find our adventurers' training ground," she said as she handed Gideon a piece of paper. "Hand it over to Dirian, one of the trainers, and he will evaluate you through sparring; don't worry if you end up losing a lot of times; all beginners lose a lot of times, it's normal. It's simply a way for us and you to understand your abilities and limitations. Especially since we are aware of the dangers that you may encounter while adventuring."
Gideon took the white piece of paper with Seilyn's signature on it and let himself be dragged by Ordy's massive arms. "Thank you, Miss Seilyn."
"Let's go watch Gideon spar against Dirian!" exclaimed Ordy.
"I hope Dirian doesn't go too hard on you!" one of the warriors at the table exclaimed, waving his hand at Gideon.
"Our lad Gideon seems strong, I'm pretty sure he'd be fine, broken arms at worst," the one wearing a violet cloak and a wooden wand on his back shouted back, smiling.
"That doesn't sound good," Gideon said, his eyes narrowing.
"They're just trying to cheer you up; the trainers won't go that far," Halini assured. "Right, Vien?"
"When I registered, my trainer mercilessly broke my arm," Vien responded.
Gideon's wide eyes darted to Halini, but she avoided his gaze and laughed as she hugged Vien.
"You know, it's all right to lie sometimes," Halini said as she wrapped Vien in her arms. "Regardless, you're still cute."
"Don't talk to me, Ordy."
Their attention was drawn to the two people standing in front of the quest board, and all the adventurers in the guild hall were watching the same thing with delighted eyes.
"I said, your arm is heavy, Ordy," Mian said, pouting her lips and narrowing her eyes at Ordy.
Ordy, on the other hand, laughed. "What's the matter? Why the sudden change in mood? Is it the time of the month—"
"Ordy," Mian called out. When their gazes locked, her expression softened.
"I was just joking," Ordy chuckled as he dragged Mian out of the guild hall with his massive arm; Mian, on the other hand, did not resist and simply crossed her arms. Gideon, Halini, and Vien stood by, watching their every move.
Gideon cleared his throat. "Are those two... you know..." he shrugged. "A couple?"
"Sort of, but they're the only ones who don't know, and for years, I've seen them act like an old married couple, which isn't surprising given that they've known each other since they were young," Halini said before walking forward. "With that said, let's go meet your executioner—er, trainer, Gideon," she said softly, her laughter ambiguous.
Vien was quietly following her.
Gideon's pupils constricted. "You can be quite mischievous at times, Halini."