It was early in the morning, and the sun's light illuminated the street. People were bustling through the street, some going to work, while others were returning home after guarding the city for the whole night. Among them was a guy jogging through the street, and he caught the attention of many, especially females. One of them complimented his body and handsome face, saying she wanted to have children with him. Another girl who was next to her replied, "Keep dreaming."
The guy was Aldric, and he was listening to all the chatter. "Well, I didn't expect that," he thought. Who wouldn't love a compliment from the opposite gender? After finishing his jog, he went back to his inn.
The previous night, Aldric and Torin's party left the adventurer association building after saying goodbye to Torin. Aldric asked them for an inn to spend the night, and it cost him 30 glimmer coins for one night. "I need to get the adventurer license," thought Aldric. The task he was given required him to become stronger quickly. If he was late and couldn't join other heroes in time to fight against the demon king, they might face the end of the world. The most possible way to avoid this was by hunting monsters and leveling up.
He geared up and went to the association's building. The building was filled with adventurers who were either receiving or submitting quests. Aldric looked around and went straight to the counter, but he didn't see Ragnar there. Instead, a young elf girl was in his place. "Hello, may I ask where Sir Ragnar is?" Aldric politely asked the elf. "Instructor Ragnar is in the arena, conducting exams for people who want to sign up as adventurers," replied the lady.
"Instructor Ragnar is not a counter manager, is he?" asked Aldric. "No, he is not. Sometimes, he takes on the job to help us out," replied the elf. Aldric was shocked to know that such people still existed in the world, who didn't care about their rank and were willing to take on lower-level tasks just to help others. His respect for Ragnar went through the roof.
"I want to register as an adventurer. How do I sign up for it?" asked Aldric. The elf lady then gave him a sheet of paper and a pen to fill out the form. The form required information like his name, sex, species, and the weapon he used.
Aldric filled out the form and went to the counter to submit it. The elf lady then led him to a path that led behind the association building. While following the elf, Aldric saw many people practicing their respective classes while the instructors guided them. These instructors wore white clothes with a brown emblem on the left side of their chests. "Are they also here for the test?" he asked the elf. "No, the instructors are teaching them for their upcoming exams," replied the elf. Soon, they reached an open ground, and the elf told Aldric to stand in line and wait patiently for his turn.
Before him were 20-25 people waiting to be evaluated, but the examiner was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, brother, do you know where the examiner is?" asked Aldric. "He is just coming," replied the man. Aldric nodded in response and waited patiently. A few minutes passed, and the examiner, a wolfkin, arrived. Aldric recognized him as Instructor Ragnar Fangmaw.
Ragnar looked at the long line and said, "Looks like I'll be done early." "Let's start," he shouted and took out a wooden sword. Finally, the first battle began, and the first examinee was a battle axe user,he had bulky muscles,he was in thirties maybe. His body was compatible with his battle axe. As soon as the battle began, the opponent charged towards Ragnar and launched a heavy blow.One after another blows were coming at him but Ragnar effortlessly deflected it and dodged to the one after another. The failed blows caused the examinee to lose balance as his axe got slower and the examnee's stamina ran out with each swing. Anyone could tell Ragnar was disappointed from the looks on his face."Having muscles but zero techniques won't you" Ragnar said. Ragnar took the chance and launched a swift counterattack. His sword moved so fast that many couldn't see it, and then, with a powerful strike, the examinee was thrown back and landed unconscious. Staff members quickly came to pick up the body.
Silence fell upon the arena, and many couldn't utter a word. "We can't win against this monster," said an examinee in the line, finally breaking the silence. Soon, others joined in, saying that the examiner was too strong for them to handle.
Aldric, who was also watching from the sidelines, was shocked because he sensed things that others couldn't. The way Ragnar finished the fight might seem normal to others, but to him, it was as if the person taking the exam was not the Ragnar he knew, but a true warrior who had been through countless battles.
Ragnar, who had been silent up until then, declared, "Shut up, you weaklings!"