"That's a problem. You have to know everything there is to know about the system and how abilities work, or I won't let you become an adventurer. Now, tell me everything you know."
Mort asked Leo. The usually easygoing Mort turned into a strict teacher. This was a new side that Leo didn't get to see till now.
"Umm, everyone has a system. One can acquire different abilities and titles somehow, but I don't know how. Titles and abilities can have different ranks. There are all kinds of abilities and all kinds of titles. I guess getting an all-combat system is probably hard if you have the wrong titles."
Leo replied to Mort, who had just shaken his head.
"You only know the basics. The stuff that everyone can guess just by using their system. What you need to learn is how to get stronger. How did you plan to take on harder quests and grow as an adventurer if you didn't even know how to get abilities?"
"I have a strong ability. I guessed that having an S-rank ability could take me far enough to pay back at least what I owe the old man."
Replied Leo confidently, but Mort just snorted.
"Hahh, you don't even know what S-rank means, but you're not wrong. S-rank is the highest tier that an ability or a title can attain. There are seven ranks, with the F-rank being the lowest."
Leo guessed that the ranking worked in this order, but he needed to figure out the number of ranks. The reason for that was his title: The One Cursed by Enriel (???). The rank of this title was unusual, but Leo didn't think about it for long.
'I guess a Goddess of Creation can do at least this much.'
"How do I obtain titles and abilities?"
Leo asked the question he was most curious to get answered.
"You have to fight strong monsters to get new ability books. Some monsters drop element-specific ability books. This is why most strong adventurers choose quests based on the monsters they have to fight."
"You can also buy abilities with gold. A few adventurers choose to sell ability books they don't need, but they're usually expensive. Abilities are rare, so getting them will be hard, except if you have a lot of money."
"However, there is a twist that stops most rich adventurers and other wealthy people from hoarding abilities. Learning ability books is not as easy as opening the book. It has a chance of failing! Stronger-ability books are more likely to fail, while weaker books are easier to learn."
Leo understood what Mort meant by only knowing the basics. What he told Leo would have taken him a lot of effort to figure out on his own.
"Is there no way to raise the success rate of learning a new ability?"
Leo asked Mort, hoping for a bit of good advice from a veteran mercenary. Unfortunately, there was no such thing.
"No. There are titles that can help you raise the success rate of learning specific ability books. For example, you have a tattoo on your face. People who have tattoos like you are called Blessing holders."
"The Blessing grants you an extreme affinity with a type of element or a single ability. Your Blessing has something to do with fire, but that is all I know. No one knows how to gain titles. Thus, there is no good way to raise the success rate."
Mort explained to Leo with passion. He was secretly happy to teach him and show off his experience as a mercenary. Leo also gained a lot from this conversation. He learned a lot of important facts about the system, and one more piece of information made him remember that this is another world.
The existence of monsters was something he expected, but hearing it from Mort was still an unreal experience.
"So, we have no way to get titles. It happens randomly. Monsters drop ability books, or I can buy one if I have the money. Ability books can be used only once, and they have a chance of failure."
Leo asked Mort to confirm that he remembered everything.
"That is correct. This is roughly what you need to remember. There is also one more thing. You can merge different ability books to create a new one or merge two of the same kind to upgrade your existing abilities. This also has a chance of failure, so people don't like to do it."
"This is everything, right?"
Leo asked Mort.
"Yes, now, how about doing a test run? Let's register you as an adventurer. I want to see how you do on a quest by yourself."
Leo agreed, and they left the house to find the adventurer's guild. Finding the two-story house in the middle of the village didn't take long.
"This is the adventurer's guild of this village. They take a percentage of your earnings, which is how they stay afloat as a business."
Mort explained to Leo as they made their way inside the house. The adventurer's guild was filled with people of unknown origins. They were all adventurers on their journey. Causing a ruckus here was equal to a death sentence in most cases.
"Good day. Do you want to register as adventurers, or did you come from somewhere else to take on a quest?"
"We would like to register."
Leo and Mort were greeted by a young girl behind the front desk. Her way of speaking was slightly weird for Leo, but Mort didn't mind it.
"Do you have any previous experience as an adventurer? I want to see your guild cards if the answer is yes."
"No, this guy beside me is a complete newbie, and I only have experience as a mercenary."
The girl nodded and took out two pieces of paper.
"In that case, I'm going to register you as E-Rank and the handsome boy beside you as F-Rank. There is a registration fee of 4 golds. Is that okay?"
Leo was surprised at the sudden flirt but didn't mind having his ego stroked. Mort paid the registration fee, and now all they needed to do was to accept their first quest.
"You can find the quests pinned on the board over there. Don't accept quests over your rank, and everything will be fine. Good luck."