Chapter 45: The Interview
After arriving at the main city of the Northern Region, Winterfell, through the teleportation circle, Durin and his companions wasted no time and hurried towards the designated filming location suggested by Alyssa. They successfully reached the spot by evening.
"This Darkwood Forest is where new adventurers in our Northern Region often hone their skills. Despite regular clearing by the Adventurer's Guild, there's still a constant influx of monsters emerging from within," Alyssa explained.
Listening to Alyssa's introduction, Durin and the others shifted their attention to the eerie Darkwood Forest before them.
Unlike the peaceful and secure South, the Northern Region truly lived up to its reputation as the most dangerous place in the empire. Along the way, they encountered countless terrifying monsters lurking beside the road. While these low-level monsters dared not approach due to the terrifying aura emanating from the Headless Knight, the situation was still considerably perilous compared to the South, where monsters were almost non-existent.
Furthermore, unlike other regions where adventurers and monsters were not clearly classified, the Northern Region strictly differentiated between adventurers and monsters. This was partly because of the vast power disparities between individuals in this region, and partly to ensure that adventurers wouldn't recklessly engage formidable monsters beyond their capability.
The Adventurer's Guild's handbook strictly outlined which level of adventurers could undertake tasks and eliminate creatures of what level. These measures were implemented to safeguard the personal safety of adventurers.
As for adventurer ranking, the Northern Region categorized adventurers based on the material's name. The top tier was Platinum, followed by Gold, Silver, Bronze, Iron, and Porcelain. Adventurer badges were also crafted from materials corresponding to their rank, symbolizing their status to some extent.
In addition, the distribution of adventurer ranks forms a pyramid shape, with the top tier Platinum level being scarce in number throughout the history of the Adventurer's Guild. Each appearance is usually associated with accomplishing feats on the level of slaying dragons. Otherwise, even if an individual's strength surpasses the tier, they wouldn't qualify for the Platinum rank.
The next tier, Gold level, is similarly rare, but there are usually a few individuals in each era. Alyssa, for example, was one of the few Gold adventurers before becoming the guild leader. Gold rank is more about assessing strength, and as long as an adventurer reaches the fifth tier, most guilds confer the Gold rank. Due to the reluctance of magic users in this world to engage in combat, most Gold adventurers are fifth-tier Sword Masters.
In summary, the Adventurer's Guild in the Northern Region has clear distinctions and is home to many strong individuals, unlike the adventurers in the South who mostly engage in minor activities. However, the Northern Region is also extremely dangerous. Even in the past, it had the highest mortality rate among the four regions of the empire.
Of course, in recent years, under the strict management of the Adventurer's Guild in the Northern Region, the mortality rate of adventurers has remained relatively low. Although still high compared to other places, it's no longer considered a graveyard for adventurers.
However, due to the influx of brainless adventurer novels into the Northern Region recently, young adventurers have developed unreliable and reckless ideas. They not only ignore the advice of the Adventurer's Guild but also act independently without accompanying experienced adventurers for training and gaining experience, leading to a significant increase in the mortality rate within the guild during this period.
In this situation, it's no wonder Alyssa hurriedly sought help from Durin by running to the South.
"Darkwood Forest? Beldia, are there things in there that you can't handle?"
To Durin's question, the Headless Knight, who had been silently following the group, slowly glanced at the Deathwood Forest before them and finally said, "Not sure, but judging from the life energy, the strongest creatures in there are likely trolls and other such aberrations. And experienced adventurer teams can defeat these creatures. If there's something I can't handle, it would have to be at least a Demigod-level monster, which is basically only found in unexplored areas outside the Northern Region."
Upon hearing the Headless Knight's words, Durin, who was prepared, glanced around and then strode into the Darkwood Forest.
.....
"This is the end of the forest. Going further in, it's no longer the territory of the Northern Region but the chaotic mountains beyond. Anyway, there are many cave-like structures here, nests created by some slightly smarter aberrations, like goblins. It should meet Director Durin's requirements."
Upon hearing Alyssa's words, Durin slowly circled the area. Shortly after, he emerged from the edge of the mountains and said slowly, "It's getting late. I'll take someone in to explore, while the rest of you stay outside to set up camp. If we're going to shoot here in the future, we'll need to tidy up."
"Um, okay. Do you want me to accompany you inside?" Alyssa asked.
Although Durin thought having a fifth-tier Sword Master with them would provide security, his purpose wasn't just to explore the caves. So, facing everyone's surprise, he simply pointed to the Duke's daughter, who had been silent since they arrived in the Northern Region, and said, "Daphne, come with me. This is the first stage of the audition."
"??"
Although startled, the girl instinctively stepped forward. Just as her attendant tried to follow, Durin continued, "You can't come. Only she's allowed."
"Why...?!"
Before the attendant could finish her sentence, Daphne stopped her and said, "I understand. Let me go alone."
"But, Miss..."
In the end, despite the attendant's protests, under Daphne's firm attitude, she was left behind.