The hierarchy within the Adventurers City wasn't arbitrary.
There was a reason why the Adventurers were divided into cadres, and it wasn't just for status and wealth. The most pertinent reason was competence.
How strong a person was determined their Rank.
How, then, could this strength be examined? It couldn't be properly gauged by mere exhibitions of Skills, or written exams. Even combat training or duels couldn't properly bring out the full potential or power of a person.
There was only one true way for an aspiring Adventurer to prove their strength.
—Hunting down Monsters!
An Adventurer did many things, but the specialty of the trade remained Monster Extermination and Dungeon Exploration.
No one did these better than Adventurers.
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"Novices can only handle E-F Tier Monsters. Commons can easily handle E-Tier Monsters, but will find it difficult to beat a D-Tier Monster. Veterans an easily handle any D-Tier Monster and below, but their limits are C-Tiers. An Expert can handle a C-Tier Monster on his own, but it will be very difficult to win against a B-Tier Monster… though they can win."
As Britta explained this, the two candidates in front of her were silent and listened.
"5 Stars, that is, Masters, can pretty much handle B-Tier Monsters, but can't beat A-Tier Monsters on their own." Her tone suddenly took a serious tone. "That is where the Heroic Rank comes in."
Everyone knew just how powerful and amazing those in this Rank were because they were the only ones who could stand up to the strongest kinds of Monsters.
That made them the strongest humans.
"6 Star Adventurers like myself can beat at least one A-Tier Monsters without any issue. As you know, the strongest Tier a Monster has is A… same as we humans."
The key difference, however, was that Monsters were far more suited to combat than human beings.
They had sharp claws, tough hides, immense Mana Levels, and their instincts were geared towards violence and destruction. In all areas of combat, Monsters outranked humans.
As such, A-Tier Humans would find it incredibly difficult to win a head-on fight with an A-Tier Monster. Thankfully, humans had intelligence on their side.
With the right strategy, it was possible to win.
Also as important as strategy, if not more important, was having proper equipment.
There was a reason why Enchanted Items were so costly, and that was simply because having supplementary power from external sources was a big game-changer when it came to combat.
In fact, in many scenarios, the boost that Items gave Adventurers was the sole reason they could maintain their rank and survive till date.
With these equipment, A-Tier humans—referred to as Heroic Rank Adventurers in this city—could easily handle one or two A-Tier Monsters without even needing strategy.
The existence of Enchanted Items remained the perfect representation of human innovation.
"Since you two desire to become Six Star Adventurers, all you need to do is kill A-Tier Monsters each. As long as you can do so, you pass."
Of course, it went without saying that they couldn't rely on teamwork to win. The Test was for the individual and not the Party.
Both Jet and Lux nodded their heads, displaying their readiness for what awaited them.
Britta couldn't help but scoff at this.
"Since you now understand the rules, let us depart."
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'These two… what fools they are.'
Britta found her thoughts trailing as they walked through the dense cluster of trees. Her full sense was active, so even if she couldn't properly see through the shrubbery, she could detect every movement around her.
The weather was pretty cool in the forest, and thanks to the taller trees serving as canopies to block the sun, it got pretty dark despite the day still being in session.
Britta had no problem seeing despite the darkness, though. Her incredible senses never dulled, and even now she could clearly see the movements of those in front of her.
They were walking very casually despite being in a Dead Zone.
'They probably have no idea how dangerous this place is—
especially the current path we're treading on.'
There was a reason why the Guild had to request for her to supervise the two, despite how high-ranked she was.
Only Six Star Adventurers could survive this particular portion of the Dead Zone.
'The Guildmaster and that brat won't take on the role, so that leaves only me to take care of losers like these.' Britta's frown only deepened as they advanced even further.
Since this wasn't the first time doing something like this, she made a general rule when it came to supervising Heroic Rank Tests.
'I have no responsibility to save the fools who brought this upon themselves.'
Candidates were the ones who made the choice to come to such a dangerous place, and as such, they had the full liability for their actions.
It was that simple.
"We're close." Britta said as she called for the two candidates in front of her.
Her role was to observe them, so naturally they were the ones who would take the lead. Still, she had to at least inform them when the Test would begin.
Now that she had done her part, the rest was up to them.
The two nodded at her and proceeded, still having the same casual air about them. It pissed Britta off, but she let the matter go.
'I hope they trip on an undergrowth or two…' Her thoughts ended up revealing her true feelings.
Then—
'H-huh? What's this?!'
—A sudden sensation assailed Britta, giving her instant goose bumps.
Before she could fully comprehend what her senses were telling her, it was already too late.
~WHOOOOOOSHH!~
A sharp, powerful gust of wind instantly blew from the direction they were heading, instantly clearing everything in its path.
The tress, undergrowth—literally everything—flew away, carried away by the wind torrents that rushed forth.
In a single, blurry moment, the entire forest where they traversed had become nothing but a large clearing.
"T-this is…!" Beads of sweat fell from Britta's face as her eyes widened in shock. As a 6 Star Adventurer, she knew precisely what this meant.
… And it wasn't good at all.