After spending about thirty minutes convincing the elf receptionist Rita why revealing my specs to the guild is a bad idea, she finally decided to forge a guild card for me.
She agreed on the condition that the guild master must be made aware of my real specs. I had no choice but to agree, and she forged my guild card for me.
My fake guild card info was:
Name: Lilia
Race: Human
Level: 750
Rank: A-Rank, Middle Realm
Mana: 110,340
Strength: 127,800
Defense: 130,000
Agility: 127,500
Intelligence: 225,000
Spirit: 129,600
These specs still made me stand out. After all, all A-Rank have their stats at hundred thousand and more. It will definitely make me stand out, but I wanted it that way.
I was planning to travel the world and help those who need it that I encounter. Being an A-Rank adventurer will certainly grant me that freedom to move around unhindered.
This was better than my actual specs. If I were to use my actual specs, people are likely to look at me with fear, which I didn't want.
This forged specs made me the first A-Rank adventurer in this city. Only after I came to this guild did I discover why there are few S-Ranks and A-Ranks.
Rita explained to me and Dora how hard it is to level up and why only a few S and A-Ranks exist in the world.
It turns out that every creature in existence has a level limit that their body can handle. Like a person's level limit could be any random number below 1000 depending on their bodies constitution. Once a person reaches that limit, they will never level up, no matter how much they try or how much experience they gain. Some people's limit varies depending on the person's talent. A persons level limit can be increased if one regularly trains his body to become stronger. Which is why many people trains daily to make their body strong enough to handle higher level.
Also, it takes an impossible amount of time to level up after reaching B-Rank. When a person reaches level 301, it will take them years if they spend all day killing monsters in a dungeon to add 5 levels to their current level. Some people give up and become content being a B-Rank due to how hard it is to level up.
The only shortcut is if they are willing to hunt A-Rank monsters like the Chimera, Minotaur, or if they are willing to kill a person with a higher rank than them. They can directly advance to the peak Master realm of their current rank after just killing one of those monsters or people with a rank higher than them.
Though, it is easier said than done. The difference in power between each rank is like heaven and earth. A person with a higher rank can easily crush those with a rank weaker than himself with a wave of their hand. Even if thousands of people or monster gather together to face a person who's rank is higher than them, it will only take a slight effort for that person to kill all thousands of people and monsters with rank below himself.
And this difference in power becomes vast the higher the rank. So, for a person in B-Rank peak master realm to hope to defeat someone in A-Rank lower realm is just wishful thinking. Even if that B-Rank should bring thousands of other B-Rank, he is only courting death if he choses to face an A-Rank in battle.
Though, if by some miracle, a person manages to kill someone with a rank higher than them, then that person will directly break through to the peak master realm of his current rank and if the person was already in the master realm, then that person will directly advance to the next rank.
But who on earth in his right mind is willing to risk his life to fight those monsters with rank higher than them single-handedly just to gain experience? They have to be suicidal to have such thoughts.
Well, there are still some A-Ranks in the human realm, which means that some people were that desperate to level up and might have challenged monsters or people with rank higher than them and won.
Your level determines your overall strength in battle. This ranking system was developed as a way to measure a person's strength in an easy way. No one knows who created it but everyone accepted that it must one of the gods who created it.
The system classified that D to C-Rank have average powers. B-Rank, on the other hand, are called powerful beings who can easily destroy a large city with their powers. A-Rank is seen as the pinnacle a mortal can reach. Their power is so overwhelming that crushing an entire kingdom or county with one attack is considered normal.
Due to how rare and strong A-Rank is in the human realm, most of them are kept as reserve trump cards in their various kingdoms. So, adventurers who are in the A-Rank realm are treated with huge respect wherever they go due to their powers.
S-Rank, on the other hand, are called Demi-gods by mortals. Their power is absolute and cannot be compared with A-Rank at all. S-Rank is almost impossible to reach because it requires these conditions:
1. Having a level limit of 1000.
2. Reaching said limit of 1000.
3. Breaking the level limit and receiving divine judgment from the gods.
4. Surviving the gods' judgment.
Due to these conditions being almost impossible to reach, the number of S-Rank in the human realm in the past tens of thousands of years till now are only ten. S-Rank are said to have transcended the boundary between mortal and are a step away from becoming True god's which is why they are called demi-gods.
Anyway, since I became the only A-Rank adventurer in this city, my name pretty much spread. I didn't know this because I immediately picked out a job request and left to go and complete it with Dora.
The job request was a subjugation of monsters that were terrorizing a nearby village. The request was for B-rank adventurers, and the pay was 50 silver coins.
As I was walking along with Dora, who was clinging to me more than usual, I remembered the strange specs she had.
"Dora, can you tell me why your specs are locked?"
It has been bugging me ever since I saw it. Why were her original powers and level locked? It didn't make sense at all.
Dora raised her head and met my eyes. "I guess it's alright to tell you, Lilia, since you are my future mate."
She is saying something crazy again. I am nobody's mate. Though, I wouldn't be opposed to being the mate of Dora... Wait! What am I thinking? Stupid Dora for confusing me...
"Lilia, you there?"
"What...? I'm here!"
Crap, I was so lost in thought that I didn't pay attention to what Dora was saying. Better focus.
Dora looked at me for some time and shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, the reason my original powers and level are locked is because I am a nine-tailed fox. Do you know about the fox tribe?"
I shook my head when she asked me that, and she nodded at me as if expecting that reaction.
"Is not surprising that you don't know about them. After all, I am the last surviving member of the clan."
"What happened?"
"Is a long story, and I don't want to talk about it."
I can see it in Dora's eyes, pain and anger. I don't know what happened, but I know it left a mark on her heart.
Not liking the silence that has occurred between them, Dora began to explain more about the fox tribe.
"The fox tribe is distinguished by the number of their tails. The number of tails a fox tribe person has determines how powerful the person is. Even if the difference in tails is only one, it means the world. Like if a fox person has seven tails and another has eight tails, the difference in their power would be like heaven and earth."
Dora continued to explain to me. "All members of the fox tribe are born with a single tail, and a few exceptions are born with two or three tails. A fox tribe is considered strong when their tails are five in number. A fox tribe member with five tails is slightly stronger than a D-Rank human. A fox tribe member with six tails is slightly stronger than a C-Rank human. A fox tribe member with seven tails is slightly slightly stronger than a B-Rank human. A fox tribe member with eight tails is equal to an A-Rank human. You can guess who a nine-tail fox is comparable to."
I nodded at her. "An S-Rank human or as they are called 'the Old Ancestors.'"
"Exactly. Due to how unbelievably strong a nine-tail fox is, it is almost impossible to reach that level. Members of the fox tribe can increase the number of their tails through intensive training, but reaching the nine tails is impossible to achieve through training. The last nine-tail fox was said to have challenged the fire dragon king and ate its heart after defeating it. This allowed her to evolve and awaken the nine tails."
I get what she is saying. Basically, to summarize, achieving the nine tails is as impossible as reaching S-Rank. Only the lucky few were able to achieve that realm of power. But still...
"What about you, Dora? You have nine tails."
"I am basically a one-time miracle in the flesh. Unlike the other fox tribe members, I was born with nine tails. Though, I was told that my powers would awaken in my teenage years. Unfortunately, reality is cruel to us."
Again with her making that sad face. I don't know what happened to her, but seeing her with that sad face of hers is hurting my own heart.
"Back to myself, I can't activate the powers granted to me by my nine tails because subconsciously, I am rejecting that power."
"Why would you reject your own power?"
"A power that couldn't even activate when I needed it the most is worthless to me. If it had only activated back then, then my mom wouldn't have... Anyway, I will get stronger without my stupid nine tails power. I was able to achieve B-Rank without relying on it, so I can manage"
The pain in her eyes was unbearable for me to watch. It reminded me of the face I made due to my powerlessness of being unable to save my mother from those bandits.
Before I knew what I was doing, I freed my right hand from Dora's grip and brought her closer to me in a one-arm hug.
Dora was obviously shocked by my action, but she didn't resist, which gave me the signal to say what I wanted.
"Don't make that face, Dora. I know what happened to you in the past was tragic, but the important thing is that you are alive today. You don't have to worry either because you are with me, and I promise to protect you always. I promise to always protect you until the day you can accept your powers again."
I said what I felt without holding anything back. Embarrassing as it was, I just had to say it for her to understand.
Dora's eyes were moist, and she closed them before leaning closer to me. "I'll hold you to that promise, Lilia."
I tightened my hand on her and nodded as we continued walking to the village for our mission.
SOME TIME LATER
We finally arrived at the village. It was a four-hour walk from the city, but we made it.
The village was obviously not big, but it was still bigger and more prosperous than my former village. The village was surrounded by many farms, and I can see some villagers attending to the farm.
I, along with Dora, entered the village, and I asked a villager to direct us to the Chief of the village.
Once we got the information, we followed his instructions and came in front of a hut in the middle of the village.
Dora knocked, and we waited for a response. Before long, an old man in his 60s came out and saw us looking at him. He gave us a wary look due to our clothing, which made us look like nobles and nothing like adventurers.
"Can I help you?"
I nodded at him. "Yes. We heard that you are the village chief, so we came here. My name is Lilia, and my partner here is Dora. We are both adventurers who took up the request to exterminate the monsters that are terrorizing your village. Can you give us more details on the mission?"
The old man, who was acting cautious before, suddenly became very excited after he heard that we were adventurers.
"Oh please forgive my rude behavior before. Please come in, and I will tell you everything you want to know."
"Thanks for the offer, sir."
And so, I, along with Dora, followed the old man into his hut.