Aaron stood in line in front of the Adventurer's Guild, patiently waiting his turn. Although the line wasn't particularly long, there was still a bit of commotion emanating from inside the building. Several adventurers sat around, chatting animatedly, while others were huddled around the Quest boards, perusing available missions.
"Excuse me," Aaron addressed his guide, who had been quiet up until this point, "How does one measure their mana?"
"We have systems in place for that," the guide replied. "You'll receive a rating based on your mana classification and undergo a trial to test your combat prowess. These two factors will determine your rank, which is consistent across all floors."
"Cool, what's the highest rating?" Aaron inquired.
"EX rating," the guide responded.
"And the lowest?" Aaron asked.
"D," the guide answered.
"I see," Aaron said.
As Aaron reached the front of the line, he was met by a stunning girl dressed in a white clerical outfit. She was rather cute, with short hair that framed her face perfectly and a smile that could light up the room. "How can I help you today?"
"Hey there," Aaron greeted the girl with a hopeful smile. "I'm interested in becoming an adventurer."
The girl examined him carefully, taking note of his physique and the weapon he carried. "Certainly!" she replied with a friendly nod. "Would you like to take the evaluation test now?"
"Can I?"
"Absolutely," she confirmed. "Our guild master is currently in the building, but you'll have to wait a short while as there are other participants."
"Why not," Aaron agreed.
"Excellent," the girl handed him a wooden plate with a number on it. "Once your number is called, please proceed to the back of the building. We'll call for you."
With a nod of understanding, Aaron took the plate and prepared to wait his turn.
...
"Number Seventy-Two!" a voice called out, snapping Aaron out of his concentration. He had been trying his hardest to tap into his understanding of mana. Throughout the day, he discovered that using basic skills from his time in Astrala Online was the only way for him to use mana without getting too fatigued.
"Here," Aaron replied eagerly, standing up and making his way toward the voice.
The guild members escorted him to a side of the building where a training ground was located. Several people were already training, but the Guildmaster led Aaron toward another room.
"Come," the Guildmaster gestured, "Your guide has updated me on your current situation, Hero. We'll conduct our business in here."
As they entered the room, Aaron was greeted by bright lights illuminating the space. The room was rectangular, each side divided by squares in a checkerboard pattern. In the middle of the room, there was a machine with plenty of space around it for maneuvering.
"Put your hand on the machine," The Guildmaster replied, "This will test your mana capacity."
"Is there a way to increase it?"
"Already asking questions before even beginning?" the Guildmaster chuckled. "Save your questions for after the evaluation. If you pass at least one, then I'm ready to answer any questions you might have."
Aaron nodded and put his hand on the machine. A bell sound rang out, and the machine whirred into motion. It was a complex machine with a central console, and behind it was a large blue cylindrical tube made of glass that stretched up to the ceiling.
After a few seconds, a ding sound signaled the end of the evaluation.
[Evaluation Complete: Rank A mana capacity.]
The Guildmaster raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.
"Interesting," he murmured.
"Is that good?"
"That's quite good, actually," the Guildmaster nodded. "Most rankers only have a C or B classification rating."
"So, can you increase the capacity of your mana?" Aaron inquired.
"Absolutely," the Guildmaster explained. "There are several ways to increase your mana capacity, such as through training, acquiring a Contract, or obtaining a Soul Weapon."
"What's a Contract?" Aaron asked, his curiosity piqued.
"A Contract is a pact you make with The System of Magic itself," the Guildmaster replied. "When entering into a Contract, you can obtain any power you desire, as long as you give yourself self-inflicted restrictions to counteract it."
"Such as?" Aaron tilted his head inquisitively.
"My Contract is called Overgrowth," the Guildmaster revealed. "I grow in size and power for a few minutes, amplifying my physical abilities. The self-inflicted cost I have applied to myself is that I can only use Overgrowth once per hour."
"I see," Aaron replied, nodding in understanding. "And if you train, you could use Overgrowth with less cooldown time?"
"Correct," the Guildmaster confirmed. "You catch on quickly."
As Aaron absorbed the Guildmaster's explanation of Contracts, a realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Contracts were like custom-made abilities, tailored to fit your own unique strengths and weaknesses. And with Astrala Online's already-balanced skillset, it was no wonder that they seamlessly translated into this new world - they were a perfect match for the Contract conditions.
"What's next?" Aaron asked eagerly. "The Combat Evaluation?"
"Correct," the Guildmaster nodded. "Since you have a magic rating of A, I'll summon a Dungeon Golem for you to fight that is similar in strength to you."
"So, I just have to kill it then?" Aaron inquired.
"There are three ways to pass," the Guildmaster explained. "You can either destroy it, outlast it for ten minutes, or subdue it so it can no longer perform any actions. It's up to you to decide which method you prefer."
"Alright, summon it here," Aaron said confidently, stretching his body. It had been a while since he had played VR-MMOs, so his battle prowess might have been rusty, but he knew he had the skills to succeed. He was sure that his virtual combat experience would translate well into real-life combat, right?
With a few clicks on the console, the Guildmaster summoned a Golem to the training room.
The Golem had a blue core and rocky, blocky hands and feet, resembling a moving castle more than a humanoid figure.
Aaron was ready and prepared for the challenge ahead. He brandished his greatsword, which glowed with a darkish purple hue. Since he could only use basic magic abilities, he had two potent skills in mind for the early game.
"Passive Skill Activate: Flash Dance," he muttered.
His body felt lighter, and his perception of time increased, sharpening his senses.
"Passive Skill Activate: Sword Aura," he called out.
His greatsword, which had been glowing lightly up until this point, started shimmering with a bright purple light. This skill caused his sword swings to slow down the enemy every time he landed a hit and also gave him some life steal.
To be honest, he didn't know how life steal would work in real life since your health couldn't be put into points, but he was sure that there was a replacement for that. Perhaps his wounds would heal on their own?
As Aaron's mana burned inside him, he could feel its power surging through his body. It was an odd sensation, but he could gauge the amount of mana being consumed - around one percent every five seconds. That meant he had plenty of time to maintain it.
He dashed forward, and the Golem locked eyes with him. It didn't matter, though, as he was used to facing large monsters. Their attacks were always choreographed, making them easy to dodge.
Left, right, duck under, jump behind.
Slash.
He directed his sword at one of the Golem's legs, but to his surprise, it bounced off an invisible barrier with a metallic clink. However, he knew he had dealt some damage because the barrier shimmered, and a blue bar appeared in his peripheral vision.
"Weird. That means that monsters have clear Health and Defense values, but I don't," Aaron thought to himself.
"What you're seeing is the Hero System recognizing the monster you're fighting," the Guildmaster's voice echoed from a distance. "We log every encounter with unique monsters, and the system gauges their health and mana shield based on their mana core."
Ah, that made sense.
"Once you get your Adventurer's Emblem, you'll be automatically connected to the system on any floor influenced by the Adventurer's Guild," the Guildmaster explained, his voice echoing through the room. "But be careful when climbing higher floors. Sometimes, there are hidden effects that we can't gauge. And if you venture to an uncleared floor, the Hero System won't be able to assist you."
Aaron heard all he needed to hear to clear the Trial golem.
With a deep breath, Aaron steeled his resolve and erupted into a flurry of attacks. The Golem tried to maneuver around, summoning rocks and slamming the ground to stop Aaron's advance, but he was too quick. Although it took him a bit to get used to his movement, he quickly found his footing and adapted.
Aaron continued to strike the Golem's barrier with precision, each hit causing the barrier to weaken and the blue glow to flicker.
The Golem, sensing the danger, increased its onslaught, summoning even more rocks and slamming the ground with greater force. Aaron, however, remained unperturbed, easily evading the Golem's attacks as he continued to chip away at its mana barrier.
With each well-timed strike, the barrier waned, the blue glow dimming until it finally shattered with an audible crack. The Golem, now vulnerable, hesitated for a moment as it recalculated its strategy.
Aaron took advantage of the Golem's hesitation and pressed his attack. His greatsword met the Golem's rocky exterior, sending stone chips flying with each powerful swing. He remained calm and focused, anticipating the Golem's every move.
Seeing an opening, Aaron leaped towards the Golem and delivered a devastating blow to its chest. The sound of shattering stones echoed through the air as the Golem's rocky form cracked and crumbled.
Aaron landed gracefully on the ground, his breathing steady and his expression serene. The Golem, now severely damaged, attempted one final desperate swing, but Aaron easily evaded the attack.
Swish!
Delivering a final, decisive strike, Aaron smoothly drove his greatsword into the Golem's exposed mana core, effectively ending the once formidable construct. As the Golem crumbled into a heap of rubble, Aaron deftly sheathed his greatsword and turned to the Guildmaster, offering him a confident thumbs up.
"You like that?" Aaron asked.
"Magnificent," the Instructor replied, a smile spreading across his face as he gave Aaron a small congratulatory clap. "You cleared the evaluation in seven minutes and twelve seconds."
"Not so bad, right?" Aaron nodded. "What's my rating?"
"Based on both tests, I will give you an adventurer rating of B," the Instructor said.
"That's all?" Aaron felt a bit disappointed.
"That is the highest rating we can bestow upon new adventurers," the Instructor explained.
"I guess that's fine," Aaron conceded.
"Do you have any more questions for me?" the Guildmaster asked.
"Not at the moment," Aaron replied.
"Well then, take your time and think it over," the Guildmaster said, bowing slightly. "Welcome to the Land of Heroes. We hope your new adventure is as glorious as your previous ones."