Chapter 6

Kimiko's Pov

It had been few hours that Kimiko was travelling down the road. She had been observing the scenery in quite a leisure manner. How long had it been that she had roamed without any burden on her back? Well except the threat posed by the [Cult] but it has been somewhat lessened and she even left an [Epic Tier Artifact] that could passively protect them should something happen. Not to mention the moment something happened to the Artifact she will get alerted as well. Then she can arrive using her teleportation ability to teleport on the place where she had left the [Keypoint] on the Hairpin.

[Keypoint] are especially known as markers where you can teleport easily. It is efficient as well as faster than your usual teleportation as well. Now she was running along the way nearing Mach 1 speed. To her it was still very very less than what she would normally dish out but she felt like she wanted to enjoy the scenery of the tall trees along the way. Honestly she was somehow surprised how clingy the Rin had been though.

She considerably lessened her speed when some peddlers would arrive and greet along the way. It seemed the people were still friendly but maybe because of her Adventurers like clothes that seemed to indicate that she was an Adventurer.

Just as she was nearing her destination she could hear the frantic galloping of the horses. She turned back to see a peddler horse cart moving towards her direction in a fast pace. The person on the horse seemed to have been followed by a pack of 10 Direwolves as well. As he got closer he seemed to have noticed her. He frantically waved his hands as if to tell her to get to safety while the wolves were focusing on him. Kimiko wondered.

'It seemed it was not his intent to involve me in this mess. Guess I will help him then.'

Kimiko decided to help him. Just as the cart got closer and closer the man who looked to be in his 60s seemed to be more desperate to tell her to move aside. She looked at him in the eyes and nodded. The man seemed to have understood her intent to help him and just nodded back with quite a relief in his eyes, seeing her clothes. Kimiko unsheathed her sword slowly from her waist. As the cart dashed by her, Kimiko quickly cut down three wolves in a flash.

SLICE

SLICE

SLICE

A dark blue magic circle appeared beneath her. Then suddenly she appeared in front of the first wolf, cut him in half and just teleported to the next. However, to the on-lookers, it would seem that all 3 of them were cut in an instant. The wolves, as if finding her a threat decided to form a circle around her. She shook her head.

'Useless. They should have fled. But it wouldn't matter anyway. I need to curb the threat now before they could hurt others because I decided to let them go.'

After all they were lower tier monster without any hint of intelligence. Then one of the wolf jumped at her, she just tilted a little and the wolf missed its target. As it was still in mid-air she just sliced her sword upward, effortlessly bisecting it in half. The others wolves seemed to have noticed that Kimiko was way out of their league and decided to scatter and run away. Intent on not letting any one of them escapes, lest they target another innocent, Kimiko then sheathed her sword and crouched. Keeping the sheath and the sword perpendicular to her body, her hand reached towards her sword. Then her hands blurred as it sheathed the blade just when she had it unsheathed.

CHINK

Then after a few second everything on her surrounding got cut horizontally in half exactly the same level including the trees as well as the wolves. It was a technique of [Iaido Strike] that she had learned. She had cut everything 10m around her in half.

The man had just gotten off his cart and went towards her. The man looked in awe at the sight around her and thanked profusely.

"Thank you, Adventurer."

Kimiko just nodded before saying.

"But I am not an Adventurer."

The old man seemed to be surprised before saying.

"But still you have my thanks. By any way are you visiting the Aron city?"

".....Yes."

He nodded in acceptance.

"That's good, then our destination is the same. Hop on to the cart, I will pay the gate fee this time."

Kimiko was confused. It was the first time she had heard about the fee thing. But as Sheila had never ventured out of the village, she knew less things as well. Kimiko tilted her head and asked.

"Gate fee?"

The old man looked surprised.

"Oh dear, you don't know? City usually has a gate fee that you have to pay to enter. If you are an Adventurer, then only you are exempted. The bigger and important a city is, the greater will be the fee. Aron city is small by comparison so it is just a silver coin. There are two ways to enter, either you have to pay 1 silver coin to enter every time or you have to issue identification letter. Then you can enter without paying. However, you need to touch your hand on the [Orb of Knowledge] to verify that you have not performed any crimes yet."

Whew, Kimiko really did not know it. It would seem she would have to jump over the wall, if they had one, to even enter as she did not have any money. Yes, it would be nothing but being raised as a law abiding citizen for 16 years did make her feel somewhat bad if she had done it. She bowed her head a little.

"Thank you."

The old man seemed to be embarrassed by being thanked over something trivial.

"No problem, no problem. Raise your head young lass and get on the carriage."

Kimiko nodded and hopped at the back of the cart. It had many wooden boxes. Kimiko was curious so she asked the merchant.

“So, what do you sell, uncle?”

The old man replied from the front.

“Nothing great. It’s just spices and things.”

“So you are going to Aron city?”

The man laughed jovially.

“Yes, I come from a far-away city. I sell regional spices from various region in my travels. I go out adventuring the world of spices, you see. I am already old and had fulfilling life so I decided to go out adventuring but not in the way that young-un like you do.”

Then they headed towards the destination chatting. They could see many peddlers, travelers as well as Adventurers who were single or in a party heading towards the city. The old man seemed to be a talkative kind because he was just pelting her in question which she replied in few words. The city wall came in sight. It was over 20m tall white wall. There were all kinds of people moving in and out of the gate. This was the first time that she had encountered such amount of people. They lined up in a queue that led to the gates where the Guards were checking up the carts. After a while it was their turn.

An armored young man with green hair was seen. Kimiko did a status check.

[Check Status]

[Successful

Name: Kaine Elma Age: 26 Lvl: 177

Title: Gatekeeper of City of Aron

Job: Knight (+5 STR, VIT per level)

Status: Normal]

Everything else she just ignored.

"Eh, it's Geralt."

It seemed that the knight knew of the merchant. Then her ears grew a little red when she realized that even though they have talked she still did not know his name. Thankfully she did now. The man grinned

"Well here's my identification letter. I would like a temporary identification for my lady companion here as well."

The knight nodded and said.

"Well, even if you are someone I know, I still need to follow the procedure. Give me the temporary identification fee. Uh lady, could you come for a moment with me?"

Geralt handed 5 silver coins which the guard took. Kimiko just nodded and went along with the guard. They entered a small room at the side of the wall where there was an orb floating.

"Could you touch the orb with your hand?"

Kimiko just did as she was instructed. The orb did not react.

"Huh it did not react so that means you are good to go but be careful lady. Don't start anything funny."

A small warning but the bite was not there, meaning he told the same thing to everyone. Then she was led out where the guard gave her a parchment which was a temporary identification letter. He looked at her getup before speaking.

"So until you are an Adventurer you can enter the city for 5 times. The parchment will disintegrate after it has been verified 5 times."

Kimiko nodded and the peddler was waving his hand at her. She went towards him and entered the gates. The city was full of life where there were people everywhere. The houses were made of stones and wood, so were the roads. It looked clean as well. She could hear the voices of people around her. All the buildings were no taller than 3 stories except for the few important looking places. Overall the city was medium sized one. She asked Geralt.

"Where is the Adventurer Gulid?"

"Just there."

Geralt pointed at a building which was normal looking big building. It had an insignia of a shield with two intersecting swords on it as well as well armored men and women of various kinds were going inside and outside of the big door. Geralt gave a goodbye and went on his merry way. Kimiko just entered the building however she was ignored which was perfectly fine with her. She did not want to attract attention to herself. Inside the place looked more refined than outside. It was a big hall made of woods. On one side there were many tables and chairs, most likely the place where the Adventurer eat and drink as it was occupied by many Adventurer who were drinking alcohol and eating heartily.

On the other side was a staircase, most likely where only the guild staff was allowed to enter. Just there were five receptions like place where people wearing same kind of clothes were sitting behind with a smile. As it was currently not crowded she enter a free one where there was a girl waiting there. She had a long tied brown hair with bright emerald green and polite smile. She was of average height and looked like in her 20s. She was also wearing a business like clothes. Overall, a pretty attractive woman as were the other receptionists.

"Hello and welcome to the Adventure Guild. How may I help you?"

"I would like to register as an Adventurer."

The receptionist smiled as she replied.

"Most certainly, please fill up this form."

Kimiko was provided with a form and a quill (?) and she filled out the form. It was very basic and asked her name, age and place of origin. She wrote it and set her origin to blank. It was not necessary to fill out it seems. Kimiko was honestly surprised by the ease. The Guild receptionist got out of her place. Kimiko asked.

"Is this all?"

"Yes of course, however some physical examinations must be performed to verify your level and a mock battle test as well."

She then looked someone who was behind the place where she once stood.

"Please, take over my place Racheal."

Kimiko nodded so did other guild staff who promptly took over the receptionist's place. The Guild receptionist gestured her to follow which she did and entered the first floor where there was a corridor. They entered one of the rooms where there was something like the guards had.

"This is?"

"Ah it is [Orb of Knowledge] but one of the guild's. As you can see many people would join the Adventure guild but there are some.... with fame of misconduct as well. As our Adventure Guild's information network is wide we have information on every known criminal activity, black listing some people from getting the Guild card. So this orb just checks if you are actually on the black list or not."

Kimiko just nodded and touched it. As it did not respond so she was good to go. The receptionist also gave a polite smile.

"Everything is good. Now, for the mock battle. Please follow me."

They went downstairs along with other staff members who were also leading their clients to the destination. At the back of the Guild hall was an open space about 50*50 meter. They all were led here and the Guild receptionist as well as other members too left their candidates. At the center of the field there was a large man and he was grinning but it left his face the moment he started his speech.

"All right maggots, listen here. You all are here to be an Adventurer but let me tell you 'To be an Adventurer is to go out and face the extreme.' There will be happy moments, there will be fun times but we are risking our lives on our job. Nothing is set on stone. There will be complication. You need to be able to react according to the situations. There will be blood and sweat. To be an Adventurer is no joke! Today I am here to see if you all are qualified to be an Adventurer or not. IF this prep talk is making you nervous then leave this place. If not then I will make Earth golem for each.....24 participants here which you need to showcase your ability and beat it!"

Murmurs could be heard among the people. The large man seemed to be grinning again as he took out gem from a pouch on his hip. He threw it on the ground as a brown circle appeared with the crystal in the center. Slowly the ground around it began to move towards the gem as it formed something like a human. He made a golem using the dirt around him and a crystal as it's catalyst. The summoned golem looked like a yellow version of a knight wearing Earthen version of armor and weapons.

"All right maggots, one by one come here and test your abilities. But fair warning, these golems were trained by me and believe me they are no slouches. So applicant no. 1 Asumi, get over here."

By saying this much the test had started. Some people had passed while others were beaten up to a pulp. The big man seemed to be adept in making golems because he seemed to make golems who had the advantage over the applicants. Like a spear wielding golem against a swordsman like that. Now it was her turn at the last.

"Applicant no. 24 Kimiko."

Kimiko stood in front of the man and unsheathed her sword. The man looked at her carefully. He could not read her nor could he see her status. Frowning he thought.

'Meh! Must be some anti-checking artifact or something because I cannot check her status. But she...she is good. I cannot see any opening as well and her form looks as if she is ready for an attack.'

He nodded at her in respect and produced a golem wielding a spear. A spear had the advantage over reach against the swords. The man looked before declaring.

"START!"

As the Golem started to move, Kimiko thought.

'This is a low level golem, even if I restrict me power then it will still be cleaved in half. I will dance around it before finishing in a single move.'

After all it was better to stay low-key. Then Golem started to stab at her which she dodged. It swiped she jumped above it. It used the swinging momentum to again swipe at her in greater speed, this time using both hands. Kimiko used her sword to redirect it a little which made it miss her entirely and the momentum gained by Kimiko caused her to spin and quickly using her sword cut it vertically. The golem was destroyed and the large man seemed to be impressed.

"Excellent work. You pass with flying colors."

Before he looked at the stunned crowd.

"Listen up. Out of 24 candidates only 10 passed. Better luck next time runts! Those who passed can take this form and go to the Adventurer hall and meet the Receptionist who brought you here. They will hand over your Guild card shortly after you give them the paper on your hand."

By saying this much others who passed proceeded to take the form as did Kimiko. Kimiko proceeded to the Hall where she found the receptionist who led her, having tea-break. Not wanting to be rude she waited for a bit. After a while, the receptionist seemed to be aware of her ward.

"Oh my! Sorry, just having a little break."

"It's ok. I was told to give you this form."

The receptionist took a look at the form and smiled.

"Hmmm I see you passed. Please wait a moment; I will prepare your Guild card in just a minute."

Kimiko nodded and the Guild receptionist left her.

'I forgot to ask her name.'

After a minute, the receptionist came back with a card. It was white color grey designs and black letters.

"Here's your guild card."

Kimiko accepted it checked it.

Name: Kimiko Hasegawa

Age: 16

Adventurer Rank: F

Level: ???

Title:???

Job:???

Status

STR:???

CON:???

VIT:???

DEX:???

INT:???

WIS:???

CHA:???

LUC:???

It seems it was just a simple card at the surface but hidden inside was a mechanism that Solomon had once invented. No wonder, one cannot forge a Guild Card. It had a mechanism to detect such things in presence of a forged one making anyone with a genuine card a detector. It also proved that the golem who established the Adventure Guild was Him. The receptionist was confused at the level part but Kimiko managed to avert it.

"I have a ..... very valuable artifact that can hide my status, so you know."

The receptionist wasn't fully convinced but she let it go. She knew that some people had secrets that they just wouldn't want to reveal. Trying to change the topic she asked.

“So how do I call you? I still haven’t gotten your name.”

The receptionist just smiled as she replied.

“My name is Rosalind. I will now say about the Adventurer Guild.”

The receptionist whose name was Rosalind explained to her.

"The Adventure Guild is spread all over the world. It was established just right after the Dark Age when the Demon King had nearly destroyed the world. Now the Adventurer Guild can be considered one of the biggest organizations of Vesperia along with the Merchant Guild and the Blacksmith Guild. Adventurer rank can be differentiated into from the lowest F, E, D, C, B, A, AA, AAA, S, SS and finally SSS rank. As we believe in the concept of 'hard work' everyone starts at F rank if the Guild master grants him rank in consent of at least 5 other Guild Master. In order to rank up you need to complete your adventure rank task 5 times. Then proceed with minimum level requirement and then do a mock battle with the person chosen by the guild and earn his/her approval. The person chosen by the guild must be from a neutral party so no foul play can be conducted."

The receptionist further explained.

"The Adventurer task can be differentiated into 7 types."

She gestured 7 with her fingers.

“They are:

Gathering Quest Subjugation Quest Escort Quest Exploration Quest Rescue Quest Emergency Quest Miscellaneous Quest”

"Gathering is where you are tasked to gather certain ingredients or things from the destination. Most low level Adventurer do as it less dangerous but it gets pretty tough on higher level Gathering quest. Subjugation is when the monsters are threatening the people and they ask us to help fend them off. The quest is determined by the monster that appears. Escort Quest is when people ask the guild to help them go from one place to another. Rank is determined by the path taken and the distance along with the monsters that may appear along in those routes. Exploration Quest is when some unknown ruins are found and exploration is required. It is a gamble whether you become rich because of the artifacts or languages found can be sold. It is a rare and most sought out Quest. Anyone can participate in this quest."

"Rescue is cases like exploration quest gone wrong and needs some confirmation on the situation. It is of higher difficulty available to B and above rank. People can also give out quest to rescue people from some locations as well. Emergency Quest is where cases where a large no of lives are in danger. It can be Flood of monsters, Natural calamities or even threats of Monsters of S rank or above. Every bit of manpower is required in this Quest. And last but not the least is Miscellaneous quest where quest such as investigation, alchemy, potion making, blacksmithing, searching for something is there. It is usually varied in nature. Money can be made by performing quest. This is all for the gist of the Adventure Guild. Also you can come and go out of a town without paying fee as well."

Rosalind smiled.