The Adventurer's City—Kalum
It was a place where only the strong gathered, and the weak had no choice but to evolve in other to survive in such a hostile town, else they would have been minced meat.
It was a society strictly run by a hierarchy.
The strongest man in the city was known as the Guild Master, and he ruled the whole place.
He had the Adventurer's Guild under his control, for one. He also maintained law and order in the community, as well as ensured that income was generated in the city. The entire system was centralized on this simple structure and the town thrived.
The Adventurer's Guild gave out stuff known as Quests—Missions, to be exact.
If a person completed the Quest, they would be rewarded with whatever rewards were stipulated there.
Quests could either be undertaken by a private individual, group, or even the Guild itself. The system was also pretty self-sufficient .
Pick a Quest.
Do the Quest.
Get the Reward.
It sounded easy, right?
As long as one was strong, they would be guaranteed a place in the City Of Adventurers.
—At least, that was what Byron told me.
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"What do you mean we have to go through an assessment first?"
At this point, I was exasperated.
Why?
It was because of the mess we got ourselves into… again!
[Moments Before]
As Byron was my trump card in this very savage place, I had him go into the Adventurer's Guild office while Sarah and I searched for where we would be spending the night.
It was late noon by the time we got into the City, and I didn't know about the rest of my companions, but I was too drained to go adventuring on that very day.
Besides, what would I be able to accomplish without a considerable amount of prep time, as well as a well deserved rest? Obviously nothing.
Our two groups split up for a while, and Sarah found us a place to spend the night in the godforsaken 'Death Metal' City we found ourselves in.
Fortunately, even though we were broke, Sarah had a few valuable items—one of which was a Mana Gem, I think—which she traded off for a night in the establishment.
Of course, she attributed her common sense to the fact that I had instructed her to prepare well for the trip. If I was being honest, though…
'I never even thought that far! It literally never crossed my mind… at all!'
But, seeing as I couldn't tell her she was sorely mistaken about my supposed omniscience, I told Sarah that she did a job well done. All in a day's job for a hero, right?
The establishment we could afford was a run-down metal building that made me nearly gag due to the obvious lack of proper maintenance.
Sarah was also hesitant to choose the place, but our lack of funds left us no choice.
The grey-black metallic color had lost its luster, and we could see rust all around the walls. The place looked like a dungeon that was converted into an Inn. Having seen this people, I would not be surprised if that was true.
Even as Sarah and I ascended the stairs, I could hear heavy creaking as though the steps would collapse at any moment .
'We have no choice, we have no choice. I desperately chanted within me, to keep myself sane as we finally got to our room.
It was a simple, small space.
Most furniture was made of metal, and the bed was actually… also metallic.
'I swear, these people are way too obsessed with this shit!'
Anyway… Sarah and I finally settled down and waited for Byron to be done with his investigation.
Once he was done, he traced us to our location---probably by means of his warrior tracking skill or whatever.
That was when he told us the most annoying news I had received all day.
"We need to be assessed by the Adventurer's Guild. That's the only way we will be officially recognized as Adventurers and also receive Quests."
[The Present]
"Why?"
That's right! I asked the question, controlling my frustration as best as I could.
This wasn't the deal.
We were supposed to get to the City, get our Quests, get the goods we came for, and leave, no sweat.
Why did things have to get so complicated?
'I'm Level 8, with almost no practical experience in this stuff. I can't afford an assessment, especially one by these savages.'
If I was found out to be a phony, the results would be catastrophic to say the least.
"I understand your thoughts, Hero." The Village Chief responded in a calm, and understanding, tone.
'There's no way you'd understand! You're strong! I'm weak as fuck! This wasn't supposed to happen!' Of course, I made sure to conceal my true emotions carefully.
"The Hero shouldn't be subjected to any of those petty tests. If only we could reveal your greatness to everyone!" Sarah burst out, obviously displeased by the conditions.
While I agreed that it was unfair for me to go through an examination, we weren't on the same page concerning our core reasons.
"It turns out the regulation is new, since more and more Adventurers have been dying recently—even for relatively easy Quests. The assessment is to ensure an Adventurer is fit for the task." Byron seemed to be pleading on behalf of the Adventurer's Guild.
They probably meant well by imposing the annoying examination on those who would be certified as Adventurers.
Veterans like Byron and Sarah, who had experience in Quests, didn't need to take an examination since they had proved themselves already.
But, for me?
It felt crazy that I would be the only one going through this stuff, but we had gone past the point of no return.
"I understand you, Byron. It's alright, Sarah."
To get past this, I had to once again utilize my intellect, as though I wasn't already stressed out from all today's endeavors.
"We can't reveal my identity as a Hero, but the examinations are also necessary. In that case, I just have to take them."
I saw no other alternative at this point.
Sarah and Byron would definitely be present to cheer me on as I hopefully aced whatever challenge was set before me.
After winning, we would then proceed to complete our mission.
'This is just getting overly complicated. Adventuring sucks balls!' I grumbled internally, looking at the expectant faces of the two acolytes who revered me.
Well, since they trusted someone like me so much, I couldn't exactly let them down now, could I?
With a confident smile on my face, I nodded at Sarah and Byron, ready to use everything in my arsenal to win.
'Looks like I'll have to rely on my Arcana Call soon…'