The first to walk through the door was a young man who could’ve been anywhere between 18 and 20 years old. He wore a few pieces of heavy armor and had a longsword at his waist. A helmet protected his head without covering his square face, and his blond hair appeared from underneath it in wavy tufts. Following him closely was a tall girl his age. She wore a full set of leather armor and had a bow and a quiver on her back. Every time she moved, her braided auburn hair waved right and left with a gentle oscillation. Behind her was a thirty-year-old man in dark robes—the last to walk into the tavern. He had a shaved head and several jeweled necklaces around his neck. These necklaces jingled to the rhythm of his slow gait.

A swordsman, an archer, and a mage. Vance looked at the three arrivals. If you add a monk to that mix, you get a colorful party with a strong arsenal but with poor coordination.

“I can’t believe you’re sitting in a tavern, Benedict,” the swordsman said, approaching the table where an herbal blend lay half-finished. “Is it the end of the world? Are the elves invading?”

“Who knows, Luke?” Benedict laughed. “I just thought it would be the best place for us to have a friendly chat.”

“Can’t say you’re wrong,” Luke laughed. Then he turned to face Bianca and shouted, “Waitress! Bring us three beers!” And he sat down next to Benedict without waiting for his order’s confirmation. “Who’s this? Your new recruit?” He gave Vance a sharp look.

“Oh, yes,” Benedict said, “I think we should start with introductions.”

After the archer and mage sat down, an unspoken rule determined that Luke would be the first to introduce himself. He puffed his chest with the same confidence that he had shown when he shoved the tavern door into the wall, and he said, “I’m a level 25 Warrior. And I’m sure you can guess that I fight with this mammoth of a sword.” He put his hand on the shiny pommel, as if he were stroking his pet. “I’m in charge of this party, but I let Benedict help me with some of the decision-making. We come from the same town, and we’ve been through a lot together.”

Benedict smiled, and Vance tried his best not to look too bored.

It was the archer’s turn next. She cleared her throat and said, “I’m Robinia. A level 24 Archer. I hate idiots and know-it-alls. And if you’re lower than me in level, don’t even talk to me.”

That saves a lot of conversation. Vance faked a smile.

Then it was the mage’s turn. The man in the dark robes said, “Severus. Level 30 Necromancer. I raise dead monsters to fight for me. And I don’t give a damn about anything as long as you don’t steal my kills.”

Necromancer? If my memory serves me right, that’s a rare class. Vance looked closely at Severus. 175 Intelligence? Is he spending his points on Endurance and Magic Resistance? Vance chuckled. What a waste of potential.

“Quite a catch, right?” Luke said proudly. “I recruited Severus the moment he left his old party.”

You mean the moment he was kicked out of it. Vance tried his best to maintain his fake smile. A Necromancer with this Intelligence can only raise goblins and imps. Maybe a low-level ogre with some luck.

“Now it’s your turn, Benedict’s recruit,” Luke continued.

All eyes were fixed on Vance now. Maintaining his smile, he said, “Vance Wolfe. I’m a level 5 Spectral Assassin. I—” He stopped here because Bianca had brought the beers. She placed three steins in front of three bewildered adventurers. Then she gave Vance a smile of encouragement and left in a hurry. He was about to continue his self-introduction, but it seemed that Luke had heard enough.

“Level 5? Are you kidding me?”

“You have to start somewhere, Luke,” Benedict said.

“I know 10-year-olds at level 6!”

“I won’t get in your way,” Vance said. “I won’t ask for help or steal anyone’s kills. I just want to join your party so that I can—”

“So that you can leech off, right?” Robinia interrupted. “You’re pathetic.”

Severus remained silent with a poker face.

“Everyone, please give him a chance,” Benedict said. “I know assassins are weak when they’re low-level, but as Vance gets stronger, so will our party. Think of all the things we can do in the future. Robinia and Vance will ambush the monsters. Severus will raise them to fight for us. And Luke and I will be the main damage-dealers.”

“I don’t know, Benedict,” Luke said. “We’re not running a charity.”

“Give me one chance,” Vance said. “You can kick me out at any time.”

“Listen, pal,” Luke said, staring intimidatingly at Vance, “you’re trying too hard. And I’m not buying that you’re level 5 anymore. What’s your real level? And what do you want from us? You can trick Benedict, but you can’t trick me.”

“I’ll share my stats with you—with everyone.”

“Vance, you don’t need to do this,” Benedict said.

But Vance ignored him and continued, “If I share them, will you let me join your party?”

“If you share them …” Luke paused to think before he added, “And if you give up your cut for a year.”

“That’s not fair,” Benedict said.

“Yeah,” Robinia agreed, “don’t let this wimp into the party, Luke.”

“You’ll receive your cut from the guild,” Luke continued, ignoring everyone except Vance. “Then you’ll give us the money. You won’t keep a single copper for a whole year. What do you say, pal?”

“Deal,” Vance said, with a calm face. “I’ll share my stats now.”

Stats Sharing You have initiated stats sharing. Four humans will receive a detailed stats report about you. Do you wish to proceed?

Yes.

Stats Sharing You have shared your stats with Benedict, Luke, Robinia, and Severus. They have received the following information about you: Name Vance Wolfe Age 24 Class Spectral Assassin Level 5 HP 150/150 MP 200/200 Stamina 175/175 Strength 14 Endurance 13 Intelligence 32 Magic Resistance 18 Duplicity 30 Faith 18 Stats Sharing Stats sharing complete.

“What are these shitty numbers?” Luke said in disbelief. “He wasn’t lying …”

“Let’s do our best, leader,” Vance smiled.

***

Leaving three full beer steins behind, the party of five exited the Sunshine Tavern and headed to the Federal Guild. Luke, Robinia, and Severus had to accept the fact that Vance would be fighting alongside them soon. The deal was sealed, but it was clear that they weren’t satisfied with the outcome. When Bianca came over to their table to congratulate them, they gave her horrible scowls, and now they made sure to stay at least seven steps ahead of Vance, as if to show with the distance that he would never be a real part of their team. Only Benedict chose to walk with him.

“Those three sure are in a hurry,” Benedict said, tapping the ground with the bladeless tip of his bardiche and taking careful steps. “Do you think they forgot about us?”

“I highly doubt it,” Vance said. I’m probably the only thing on their mind now.

A group of playful children ran out of an alley and passed between Vance and Benedict. Then the noise from a dwarven workshop made any conversation impossible. During this interval, Vance looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was closer to its zenith. I wonder what the Royal Moths are doing at this time of the day. He remembered the last staring contest that he had had with one of them. Are they edible? Would they taste good with Manaphobe berries? He seriously considered these questions for a few seconds. Then he came back to his senses.

“By the way, Vance,” Benedict said, after the workshop’s noise receded, “I’m glad you were able to join us in the end. But you shouldn’t have revealed your stats.”

“I had no other way to convince the others.”

“I could’ve helped with that … Or at least that was my plan.” Benedict hesitated, and his head hung low. “Luke used to listen to me, but not so much lately. I don’t know why. I vouched for you, but he said he wanted to know your level. And I couldn’t lie, so I had to arrange this get-together. I never imagined everyone would be so mean to you. May Amirani’s light touch their hearts.”

“It’s okay. All’s well that ends—”

“No, it’s not okay,” Benedict interrupted. “Listen, you shouldn’t make a habit out of sharing your stats. You do it only before boss fights or when you’ve known your party for years. Bad things happen when word spreads about your strengths and weaknesses. I know you’re level 5 right now, so it doesn’t seem like a big deal. But you have to learn this for the future.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Vance said curtly.

“I’m sorry if it sounded like a lecture,” Benedict said, with a weaker tone. “It’s just that …”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m worried about that Necromancer.”

“Severus?”

“Yes.”

I almost forgot how much the Church hates Necromancers. Vance chuckled. What did it call them again? Was it Demonspawn? Demolishers? Defamers?

“Abbot Frasier used to tell us about Necromancers,” Benedict said. “Some of them are good people. But the majority have tried raising human corpses at least once. They’re Grave Defilers.”

That’s it, Defilers. Vance felt some relief. I gotta remember that.

“And this Severus,” Benedict continued, “he has enough Mana to raise a low-level human. It’s unsettling.”

“So I should be careful around him.”

“Yes,” Benedict nodded. “But don’t worry too much. You and I are members of the same party now, and we’re on our way to become good friends. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

After this solemn promise, the conversation died away. The two walked in silence for a while, and Vance used this chance to remember more about the Necromancer class. He had already memorized a lot of information about the Archer, Blind Monk, and Warrior classes in preparation for today. But no one told him that a Necromancer would enter the picture. Necromancy Skills scale with Intelligence. He vaguely recalled the words of an encyclopedia. Most Perks give bonuses to raised monsters. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw in an effort to remember more. No, it’s no use. I can’t remember anything else. He sighed and relaxed again. I’ll have to deal with any surprises on the spot.

***

The Federal Guild appeared in the distance, and it wasn’t long before Vance and his new companions were going up the marble stairs at its entrance. Past a row of Doric columns, there was a vast open space under a high ceiling. This was the public area of the guild, where adventurers gathered in groups to chat or wait for an employee. A beautiful obsidian fountain was in the center, and the counters that offered the guild’s many services were organized in the shape of a horseshoe around it. The walls had bulletin boards with the latest jobs, and the floor was covered in the red carpet of royalty. On the wall farthest to the back, golden letters spelled the guild’s official motto, “Weak Alone, Strong Together.”

“How may I help you?” an employee smiled from behind a counter.

“I want to register two new party members,” Luke said.

“Could you tell me your party ID please?”

“2633721,” Luke said, and Vance memorized the number.

“Right this way,” the employee smiled again. Having written down the ID, she led the way through a long corridor and into a small room. Inside this secluded space, a magic circle was drawn on the ground, and a white-bearded priest was sitting at a crowded desk. “New member registration.”

“Thanks, Juliette,” the priest said, without taking his eyes off a document.

The employee left. A few moments passed in awkward silence before the priest finally raised his head and noticed that five adventurers were waiting for him. He adjusted his glasses, closed the document that he was reading, and used his chair’s curved arms to stand up.

“I’m sorry. It’s a busy morning,” he said. “I won’t waste much more of your time. I only need to conduct a routine check-up. I will measure your stats and Chaos Factor, so please step into the magic circle one by one.”

Vance was the first to undergo the check-up. He walked forward and stood in the center of the circle. Under his feet, a pentagram was shining with a green light, and several Ezran Runes were flashing at its five corners. Here we go again. Vance took a deep breath. He had gone through similar examinations in the past—more, in fact, than he could count—but they always made him feel nervous and tingly. It was as if a stranger had entered his house and started rummaging through his private belongings, or (in terms of physical sensation) as if he had signed up for a massage, only to find a masseur with tentacle arms.

At the end of the check-up, a green cylinder of pure light surrounded his body and hid it from the outside world. Then an inhuman voice echoed inside his head, “Chaos Factor: 0.” This short announcement abated his nervousness and made him breathe a sigh of relief. The light around him disappeared gradually, and he saw the room in colors even more vivid than before. This was the only known side effect of the examination: the world gained a degree of brightness that made it difficult and uncomfortable for humans to keep their eyes open. Fortunately, the effect only lasted for a few seconds.

“Vance Wolfe, you passed,” the priest said. “Next.”

Severus stepped forward.

“Severus, you passed. Next.”

“Do we have to get examined too?” Robinia said.

“Yes,” the priest replied. “Everyone needs to pass.”

And so three more check-ups were performed in the same fashion. After they were complete, the priest returned to his desk and began to fill a form titled General Precautionary Assessment. As his quill drew long, cursive letters, he said, “The guild respects your privacy, and no record will be kept of your current stats or Chaos Factor. Only your names, ages, and classes will be accessible to guild employees. Juliette will hand you your Registration Certificate, and she can recommend you a suitable job.”

“So we head back to the counter outside?” Luke said.

“Yes, you can go,” the priest replied, without looking up from the paper.

The party of five left the room in high spirits, but before they reached the end of the corridor, they heard the priest shouting with a breathless voice, “Wait! Wait!” They turned around and saw him running toward them. He doubled up for a few seconds to catch his breath and then said, “Vance Wolfe and Robinia, I need to talk to you in my office. The rest of you can go.”

“I’m not new to the party,” Robinia said. “It’s Severus.”

“I understand,” the priest replied. “But I need you in my office, nonetheless.”

“We’ll wait for you in the public area,” Benedict said.

Before long, Vance and Robinia were sitting on two austere chairs in front of the priest’s desk. There was only an arm’s length between them, and this short distance annoyed Vance even more than it annoyed Robinia. I passed the examination. He thought, as he watched the priest pace back and forth. So there shouldn’t be a problem. He cast a sidelong glance at the official form. If this isn’t about my Chaos Factor, what is it about? There was something that he shared in common with Robinia, and if he knew what it was, everything would become much clearer. But this commonality remained an insoluble mystery, no matter how hard he thought.

“The Federal Guild,” the priest began, “has several rules and guidelines to protect adventurers.” He sat down at his desk and opened a thick book. “You are both below level 10.”

Vance looked at Robinia, whose face turned red like a ripe apple. Didn’t she say she was at level 24? He smirked at her. She must’ve dropped 14 levels on her way here, the poor thing. He lowered his gaze and saw her sweaty fists clenched tight over her knees. The poor thing.

The priest traced a line of text with his forefinger and continued, “According to section 75.3 of the Guild Code, you have to complete oral test A45 with a passing score. Some of the younger guild employees skip this step, but I think it’s as important as the rest of the registration process. You can call me a stickler for formality, but this is for your own good.”

Vance looked at Robinia again; she seemed as if she was about to jump behind the desk and strangle the priest with her bare fingers.

“Question 1: were you forced to join your current party?”

Vance said no, and Robinia gave the same answer after an angry sigh.

“Good. It is a crime to force an adventurer into a party, and any transgressors must be reported to the guild at once. Question 2: how do you gain experience?”

“I’m not an idiot, old geezer!” Robinia fumed. “You get experience when you kill a damn monster!”

“Watch your tongue, please,” the priest said. “Question 3: Skills are useful powers that an adventurer can activate using Stamina or MP; how many Skill slots does a human have?”

“Three,” Robinia said.

“Correct. If your slots are fully occupied, you will have to lose a Skill to learn a new one, so be careful,” the priest said. “Question 4: Perks are passive effects that can aid adventurers in many ways; how many Perk slots does a human have?”

“Three!” Robinia shouted. “You just asked two long-ass questions with the same damn answer! Three!”

“If you don’t want to lose your spot in this party, Robinia,” the priest said, “you will behave from now on. I will not allow this language in the guild.”

Robinia bit her lip and punched her knee.

“Question 5: how does an adventurer learn new Perks and Skills?”

Robinia remained silent, and Vance didn’t answer, because he didn’t want her to think that he knew more than she did.

The priest cleared his throat and said, “You learn new Skills and Perks through Class Ascensions, which occur every 25 levels. You are rewarded with different Skills and Perks according to your actions and decisions, so everything you do until your next Ascension matters.” The priest flipped the page of the thick book that was in front of him. “I have to warn you: another unanswered question, and you will fail. Question 6: what are Banes?”

Robinia hesitated.

I guess I have to answer.

“Negative passive effects,” Vance said.

“Correct,” the priest smiled. “Banes can be temporary like Mana Poisoning or permanent like Hunchbacked. Be careful because there is no limit to how many Banes a human can acquire.”

“How many questions are left?” Robinia said.

“Only one,” the priest replied, with slight irritation, “but this is the most important of them all. Last question: how fast does HP regenerate?”

“Was it 3 points per second? Or 1 point?” Robinia scratched her head. “No, I think it was 5 points …”

So she’s never been through serious combat … This is a tragedy in the making.

“It doesn’t regenerate,” Vance said.

“Correct again,” the priest smiled. “In our daily lives, food, water, and sleep restore our HP. And this puts many beginners under the illusion that it regenerates by itself. Don’t take anything for granted. Check your HP every once in a while, and buy potions to prepare for the worst. Only MP and Stamina regenerate on their own.”

The priest put a tick next to a sub-item on the assessment form. Then he dipped his stamp of approval in ink and finalized the registration. With some care, he rolled the form into the shape of a scroll and tied it with a green ribbon. Finally, he threw it into an open-ended pipe, which carried it all the way down to the guild archives. “Congratulations,” he said to Vance and Robinia. “This short test was designed not only to evaluate you but also to educate you. It doesn’t cover everything, but I hope you’ve learned some basic knowledge to get you started on your adventures.”

“Can we go now?” Robinia said.

“Yes, and make sure you get a copy of the Registration Certificate from Juliette. May Amirani guide you, bless you, and rid you of your dirty mouth.”

Robinia got up and left the room in a hurry.

“She needs to learn some patience,” the priest said, returning to his work.

“You can’t blame her, Father,” Vance said, as he stood up. “Every second matters, since she doesn’t have long to live.”

The priest stopped his quill and looked up. “An illness?”

“The worst kind,” Vance nodded. “Terminal idiocy.”

As the priest held back a laugh, Vance left the room and headed to the public area, where the rest of his party was waiting. There was only one thing on his mind now, and it was Robinia. She’s below level 10. Lost in thought and unaware of his surroundings, he walked through the long corridor like an automaton. And this makes my job much easier and more fun. He opened his bag and checked if he had a certain item with him. Below the pile of Manaphobe berries, there was a small hidden pocket, and inside this pocket was a silver ring with an amber as its center stone.