Before the meeting started, Ryouta met up with the guild master.

Hal was indeed right; the guild master had awarded him with a black-coloured adventurer’s plate, signifying his official enlistment as an S-ranked adventurer.

When he came out of the guild master’s office behind the guild master, many people could not help but gawk at him, stunned.

As people from the same guild, naturally, they knew just how strong the rookie Ryouta was, and while his ascension to A-rank was expected, no one had expected him to gain the S-rank in such a short amount of time. It was basically a meteoric rise in his status and rank.

But other than being slightly envious, they still congratulated the man, eyes burning with admiration.

“Everyone, attention!”

Finally, the guild master starts the meeting.

“First off, let’s welcome the youngest S-rank in the world, Ryouta,” the guild master clapped his hand. An applause followed quickly afterwards.

After a few moments, the guild master raised his hand, signifying them to be quiet. “Now, onto the most important thing… you guys know why you’re gathered here, right?”

“As you all have heard, the demon lord army has come. We, as proud adventurers, have a duty to protect this land and the people. Fight, for the sake of our loved ones!” The guild master charismatically hyped the crowd.

“The S-rank and A-rank adventurers will be divided into groups that will be sent to places where the concentration of the demon lord army are the heaviest. Naturally, the S-ranks will join up with the front runners over at the Kingdom, where the demon lord is currently using as his headquarters. As for B-ranks, they’ll be in charge of going against the weaker demons. C-ranks will handle the evacuation along with the D-ranks, and E-ranks and F-ranks will take charge of gathering supplies. All the potions, food, blanket; any necessities, just get them.”

The guild master finished saying his piece within a few breaths. Clearly, he did not like to waste his words and bluntly and clearly gave his instructions.

The members of the guild did not have any objections against the order, so they immediately went about with their assigned tasks. They equipped their weapons and stocked up on their supplies.

The very next day, the first group of S-rank and A-rank adventurers departed towards the Kingdom, this time using the riskier land route than the long sea route.

Ryouta nodded towards his party members, which included his friends Miss Vell and Hal, as well as the guild master who came out to join the fighting. “Leave the monsters to me; I’ll clear the way.”

Since the S-rank boy offered to tank, the rest simply allowed him to do as he wanted. But, they also did not dare to rest their guards. They were passing through Central Forest, after all. It was deemed to be one of the most dangerous places on the continent.

However, despite their readiness, their passage through the forest turned out to be pretty uneventful.