“Hey, Nathan.”

“Yes, Miss Renne?”

“Remind me again on how many days have passed.”

“Let’s see...” Nathan pulled out his notebook and began flipping pages. It took him just three seconds to find the answer he was looking for. “Right now, it is noon of the tenth day after our landing. We’ve spent three nights here, so today is the fourth day we’ve been living in this city.”

“Hmm...” Renne let herself fall back on the bed she was sitting on with her arms spread. It felt soft and comfortable enough to let herself relax. “The money Lory gave us is enough to rent the three rooms we’re using for about a month according to Hilda, but that’s only if we spend them on renting the rooms and nothing else.”

“So I suppose we only have like two or three weeks in practice?”

“Pretty much.” Renne said while sighing straight up. “I’m getting bored. Can I go out now?”

“I advise you not to just yet, Miss Renne.” Nathan said. “Please be patient a bit more while we gather information about the local customs and culture.”

“It’s been three days already, why is it taking so long?”

“I apologize for the inconvenience, but we need to be careful in an unknown civilization. It will be bad news if we unknowingly break some local customs and get in trouble.”

“But you know what annoys me the most, Nathan?” Renne said as she got back up into a sitting position on the bed.

“I’m afraid I have no idea, Miss Renne.”

Hearing Nathan’s answer, Renne gritted her teeth and clenched her hands. “Uuuugh! Why are you so stiff!? Look at you, standing straight by the door like a statue! Can’t you relax for once? You know, act like a human being?”

“I believe I’m already relaxed enough, Miss Renne.”

Renne rolled her eyes hearing Nathan’s reply, but before she could respond to that, the door was knocked on and then opened.

“Hey, I’m coming in.” Storm One, the one opening the door, said. He still wore his combat suit but this time without the helmet, revealing his face which already had visible wrinkles and neatly trimmed silver hair under the flat cap he now wore in exchange of the military helmet.

“Welcome back, Joseph. How was it?” Renne said with a flat, unmotivated tone. Hearing that, Storm One turned his head to Nathan while visibly holding his laugh.

“What did you do this time, Vice-Captain?” Storm One asked.

Nathan replied in a straight tone. “I was merely standing guard right here.”

“Heh..!” Storm One smirked. “In any case, I think we have gained sufficient information. Let’s gather everyone.”

“Yes! All right!” Renne jumped up from the bed, not hiding her excitement. Both Nathan and Storm One smiled with a small sigh seeing her attitude, then Nathan put his hand on Storm One’s shoulder.

“Good job, Storm One.” Nathan said. “I knew we could always count on you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Soon, the entire group of ten were gathered in one of the three rooms they rented in the inn. The room, same like the other two, had the same layout of four beds lined up in groups of two at each side. There were minimal features outside the beds, clearly implying that the rooms were made for the purpose of sleeping and basically nothing else. Gathering all ten people in the room made it feel quite cramped, therefore they all tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible, sitting on the bed or standing while leaning to a wall, without organized positions. All of the Storm Squad members no longer wore their helmets, but they still wore their military suits.

“Before I begin,” Storm One said. “Anyone other than Storm Three here familiar with ‘Other World’ fantasy literatures?”

Renne raised her hand. “That would be me and all my crews to some extent.”

“Those are my favorite reads whenever I have free time!” Sandra said with excitement.

“Then Storm Three should take over.” Storm One said, looking at Storm Three who was leaning on the wall.

“If you say so, sir.” Storm Three said, stepping forward and clearing her throat. “So yeah, this planet is pretty much one of such worlds. Swords and magic for combat, monsters that operate outside our common sense, monarchy as the prevalent government system across nations, and adventurers working basically the same as in those stories. Guilds, ranks and all.”

“I guess the only thing missing for us is the cheat.” Audrey said. “But we’re still in the same universe and there was no god or such bringing us here, so that’s a given.”

“On the topic of adventurers,” Storm Three said. “The guild card given to registered adventurers also functions as a valid identification document for many purposes, so registering can be a good course of action.”

“But I can’t fight...” Hilda said, looking clearly worried.

“Don’t worry. We’ll cover all of you for that matter.” Storm One said. “The benefit of having a valid local ID far outweighs the risks and responsibilities involved, but the final decision is not ours to make.”

“It’s me again, huh?” Renne said. “Sure, why not? But for now, continue.”

“Still on the topic of adventurers.” Storm Three said. “There’s an entry fee of one large silver coin per person, and applicants may choose to take the entry test or not. The purpose of the test is to prove yourself worthy of skipping the starting rank.”

“One large silver coin for each person? We don’t have enough for everyone.” Renne said, folding her arms and squinting. “We’ll have to prioritize, but let’s get to that later. Continue.”

“I think we should move on to the topic of our location.” Storm Two said. “May I take over?”

“Sure.” Storm Three said.

“The kingdom we’re in now is called Arxhige, and it shares a border with an empire named Belmott to the north and northwest. The other cardinal directions lead to the sea, which means the kingdom’s land is basically a huge peninsula.”

“A kingdom neighboring an empire. I sure hope the emperor over there isn’t a warmonger.” Sandra said.

Storm Two then continued. “Narrowing down to where we are exactly, it’s exactly like the guard at the gate back then said. Grasmord Dukedom is the territory managed by the Grasmord aristocracy, and Arstjipta is the capital city.”

“Excuse me for asking this but,” Anton spoke up. “Is the noble governing this place an opposition or coalition to the royal family?”

“Most definitely a coalition.” Storm Two replied. “If nobody objects, I can go into further details about the Grasmord.”

“Sure.” Renne said. “The more we know about the governing body, the better.”

“Alright then.” Storm Two said, drinking some water before resuming. “The Grasmord isn’t your typical noble lineage, according to our common sense at least. They are a family of crafters, capable of manufacturing state of the art magic items impossible to find anywhere else. The family has been working for the royal family for multiple generations, and it is said that the kingdom’s national treasure magic items were all made by the Grasmord.”

“Wow...” Audrey said. “Definitely more than just a family of aristocrats.”

“Sadly, the family is currently rumored to be on a decline.” Storm Four said.

“Don’t tell me there’s an infighting for inheritance.” Sandra said, rolling her eyes.

“No, quite the opposite actually.” Storm Two said. “The Duke, Gentruvorst Grasmord, is already past the retirement age, but there was nobody to inherit his possessions and pass the crafter baton to because none of his still living children want it.”

“Wait.” Renne said. “If you said still living children, that means...”

“Yes, Miss Alphen. You’re right to assume that.” Storm One said. “Duke Gentruvorst had three children; two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Sedhoust Grasmord, chose to pursue the research of magic instead. He’s currently serving the kingdom as the Royal Archmage, working directly under the queen. The second child, Rukharist Grasmord... She died in battle against an extremely powerful calamity beast twenty years ago.”

“What about the last one?”

“Well... Prepare to be surprised.” Storm One said. “The youngest one, Lorheimdast Grasmord, lost his right arm in the same battle. It is said that to this day he wandered the land alone, never ceasing his regret for failing to protect his sister.”

Everyone other than the Storm Squad froze up with their mouths agape after Storm One stopped talking, resulting in an awkward silence which lasted for five seconds.

“Hey...” Audrey said, breaking the silence. “Are you telling me that...”

“Yup.” Storm One said with a mild grin. “Lorheimdast Grasmord is none other than Lory. No wonder the duke had an entire cavalry dispatched back then. He just wanted to see his son again.”

Another silence happened, this time lasting for only three seconds.

“...To think that we casually talked to the son of a duke...” Audrey said while shaking her lowered head with an accompanying sigh.

“A-Are we going to be punished..?” Hilda asked, looking clearly worried.

“I think there’s no need to worry.” Storm Three said. “Everything I heard about the duke over the last couple days was mostly about the concern of him practically having no heir. The people’s concern looked genuine to me, so chances are good that the duke is benevolent enough to be loved by the people.”

“Whew, I’m glad that we’re not in a town ruled by an evil noble.” Audrey said. “It would be a pain if we have to raid his mansion and overthrow him.”

“I think you’ve read too many power fantasy stories.” Anton said while rolling his eyes, and then everyone laughed mildly.

“In any case.” Storm One said. “I think that covers all the crucial information. I shall send a copy of my notes through the nanom if anyone is interested in the smaller details.”

“So what are your orders from now on, Miss Renne?” Nathan asked.

“First thing first, we need to earn money.” Renne said, looking at the money pouch Hilda was holding. “The money we got from Lory will only last three more weeks give or take. Could you tell me the details again, Hilda?”

“O-Oh, alright.” Hilda said, opening her own notebook. “The pouch Lory gave us back then had thirty silver coins and twelve large silver coins. The cost of renting this room is two silver coins per night, but since we are renting three rooms at once the innkeeper gave us a discount, so it’s five silver coins per day.”

“They said a large silver is worth ten of the smaller ones, wasn’t it?” Renne said. “So it’s enough for exactly one month if the money is only used for renting rooms and nothing else.”

Hilda then browsed through her notebook some more before speaking. “The innkeeper gave us another discount for paying two weeks ahead, so we paid him six large silver coins instead of seven for that.”

“I see.” Renne said. “We haven’t spent any of the money outside that, right?”

“Yes, Miss Renne.” Nathan said. “But our rations and the meat we hunted with Lory back then will run out in a few days, thus after that we’ll begin having food expenses.”

Renne nodded while folding her arms. “Right. So adding the value of the regular silver coins, we still have... nine large silver?”

“Y-Yes, that’s about right, leader.” Hilda said. “Not enough for all of us to register as you said.”

“Alright then.” Renne said. “Nathan and Storm Squad, you register first and take the entry test. See if you can skip the starting rank, take quests, and earn a good enough income after that.”

“Roger that, Miss Alphen” Storm One said.

“Once we have a comfortable amount of money, the rest of us will register too. And then later, when we have a sufficient footing, we’ll start looking for other Martin Alphen crews.”

“A sensible plan, Miss Renne.” Nathan said. “So, shall I get going with the Storm Squad?”

“Yes! All of us!” Renne said with an excited smirk.

“Wait, didn’t you just say-“

“All of us are bored, you know!” Renne said, putting her hands on her hip. “At least I wanna watch and learn how this world’s adventurer guild works! Watching and looking around should be fine, right? Everyone?”

Renne looked around to the rest of her crew in anticipation. They looked at each other briefly before Sandra spoke in response.

“I agree with you, leader! It’s been nothing but a bore here.”

Anton then followed up. “Honestly, yes. Three days of doing nothing? Ugh...”

“We’re already bored out of our mind, definitely.” Audrey said.

“W-We are?” Hilda said. “Yeah... I guess we are.”

“As you wish then, Miss Renne.” Nathan said.

The group of ten soon left the inn and walked through the streets of Arstjipta, which was clean and orderly for an archaic-looking civilization. Horse-drawn carriages roamed the middle part of the streets while pedestrians took the edges. There was no marking, so nobody could tell how wide the space for pedestrians was. It was all left to people’s discretion.

“Do you know where the guild is, by the way?” Renne asked as she walked beside Storm One.

“Of course, Miss Alphen. The squad spent the past days mapping out the city and its important buildings as well. The guild isn’t that far.”

“Good then. By the way, while we’re walking, tell me how you found all the info. Especially about the duke and his family history.”

“That one is all on Storm Two.” Storm One said. “Hey, answer that for me, will ya?”

“Well,” Storm Two replied. “Just across the street from the Adventurer’s Guild building there’s the city library. I went there intending to learn the letters, and then I met this librarian. A rather old man, maybe in his 50s, and a really nice one if you ask me. His wife also brews a very delicious tea. I wonder if I can have another of those... A-Anyway!” He cleared his throat. “I learned the duke’s family history from him when we had a chat.”

Storm Three then chimed in. “And then some time later I tried fishing around for rumors around the duke. You know my result already.”

“Library, huh?” Renne said. “Have you learned the letters?”

“Yes, and I have uploaded it.” Storm Two said. “Still not complete yet, but now we can read this planet’s writings. Most of it, at least.”

“Good job there.” Renne said with delight.

“Thank you, Miss Alphen.”

Storm One then spoke out while looking at a nearby building ahead. “Alright, here we are. The Adventurer’s Guild.”

The building in question was a three-story building which was about fifty meters wide, but there was no telling how far the building extended to the back. A lot of people came into and out of the building, and most of them basically carried the images of adventurers, wearing various types of armor and carrying many kinds of weapons.

Renne then looked the other way, across the street. There was a building which was slightly smaller than the guild, perhaps forty meters wide. Now that she could read local writings, the large sign on the building which read “Public Library” easily confirmed that it was the place Storm Two had talked about.

However, what caught Renne’s attention even more than the library was the building behind it. It was a huge one, having at least triple the width of the library and dwarfing the other buildings around. When one looked at it, the word which would first come into mind would most likely be “Palace”. Right now she was looking at the back side of the building, thus there was no telling how majestic the building looked from the front.

“What’s that huge building?” Renne asked.

Storm Four was the one who replied. “City hall, and also the duke’s residence.”

“Wow, as expected of an aristocrat. What a huge palace.” Sandra said.

“Definitely a very wealthy family.” Anton remarked.

“Indeed they are.” Storm One said. “The Grasmord is the kingdom’s wealthiest noble family in the kingdom, and people say they have more money than the kingdom’s treasury.”

Storm Three chimed in. “Well, what else do you expect from the family who crafted all the kingdom’s national treasure magic items?”

“Right. Anyway, we’ve been stalling for long enough. Let’s get in and register you guys.” Renne said, and the group soon entered the building of Adventurer’s Guild.

For Renne, the interior of the guild was well within her expectations, having been experienced in reading various fantasy stories that involved such a guild. She had seen guilds which doubled as taverns with rowdy adventurers within, and also guilds which were orderly and gave the impression of a government office. This particular one belonged to the latter category.

“Welcome. How may I help?” A female guild staff in uniform greeted the moment the group walked in.

“We would like to register as adventurers.” Storm One said.

“All of you?”

“No, just five.”

“I see. Please follow me.”

The staff then guided the group to a section where there were several tables and chairs with writing supplies on standby. She then went to a nearby shelf and took out five sheets of paper before returning to the group.

“We will need you to fill this form. If you are unable to write for one reason or another, I will be of assistance.”

“Let me take a look.” Storm One said as he took one sheet from the staff. He then gave the form a quick glance. “I think we will need some assistance for a few parts. Would you?”

The staff nodded while smiling professionally. “Certainly.”

The forms were soon handed to the ones who were going to register, and then they all sat down on the nearby seats.

“Name, gender, age, that’s easy.” Storm Two said. “But what about class?”

“It is your role in a battle. For example, if you fight using melee weapons then you may be a warrior or fighter. If you are unsure, you may fill it with your weapon of choice. Non-combatant is also an option if you judge yourself not ready for combat yet. That part of the form may be freely changed later.”

“I see.” Nathan said. “Gun it is.”

“Next is... weave attribute? What is this?” Storm Three asked.

“It is the type of magic you specialize in.”

“None of us can do magic. Can we just leave it blank?”

“Yes, you may.” The staff said while keeping her professional tone, but for a split second Renne could notice a look of disappointment on her face.

“Alright, we’re done.” Storm One said as he stood up, and then he handed the paper back to the staff. Nathan and the rest of the squad followed soon after.

“Would you like to take the entry test for a chance to start at a higher rank?” The staff asked as she received the last paper.

“Yes, please.” Storm One said. “By the way, when do we pay the entry fee?”

“Please follow me.”

Once again, the staff guided the group to a different section. This time they were brought to one of the counters operated by a male staff member.

“Five applicants, and all want to take the test.” The staff said as she handed the filled forms to the other staff. She then turned to the group and spoke. “My colleague here will handle the rest of the registration procedure. Are there any more questions?”

“No, thank you for your help.” Storm One said.

“Then I shall take my leave.” The staff bowed lightly and walked away.

The male staff behind the counter then spoke soon after the female staff left. “Five applicants, so that will be five large silver coins, please.”

“Here you go.” Storm One said as he handed the five coins which he had been given for this purpose.

“I have received the payment.” The staff said, and then he gestured towards a nearby hallway. “Please proceed to the training grounds for your entry test. An examiner will arrive for you shortly.”

“Excuse me.” Renne intervened. “Would it be a problem if we come along to watch?”

“As long as you don’t behave in a way that will tamper with the test, there should be no problem.”

“Thank you.”

The group then went into the hallway as instructed, and soon they saw the open training ground which was probably converted from the building’s backyard. The training ground had several features which included a track and field course, shooting gallery, and sparring arenas. There were other adventurers using the facilities for each their own goal, and also a number of uniformed guild staff members spread around, seemingly overseeing the training grounds.

“I suppose now we just wait until our examiner arrives.” Nathan said, folding his arms while looking at the scenery of the training ground.

“Hey Nathan.” Renne spoke up. “Did the female guild staff back there remind you of Lillie? Her looks, I mean.”

Sandra chimed in before Nathan could answer. “Oh, right! No wonder she kinda looked familiar. It’s Lillie for sure!”

“Well, if you ask me, Miss Alphen,” Nathan said. “Yes, her blonde ponytail and blue eyes, also body height and shape, were similar to Lillie Frastern to an extent. But that’s about it.”

“Yeah.” Audrey said. “Her calm and professional attitude was not like Lillie at all. And...” She paused briefly. “Can you imagine Lillie wearing a skirt?”

“Pfft!” Renne tried hard to hold herself from laughing. “She’d be blushing red wearing that!”

The group briefly and mildly laughed after hearing Renne’s words.

“It seems something fun is ongoing.” Suddenly a man’s voice was heard from behind the group. Everyone looked at the one who had just spoken, and they saw a somewhat old man wearing a simple but immaculate attire consisting of a white long-sleeved shirt covered in dark grey vest, black trousers, and well-polished black shoes. “I believe five of you are the applicants I’m going to test?” He said with a smile which felt warm but still looked professional.

“It’s you!” Storm Two said in an audibly surprised but excited tone. “So you work not only at the library but here as well?”

The man smiled slightly wider before replying. “I work in multiple places due to circumstances, but let us leave it at that and begin your entry test. Please follow me.”

The man then guided the group to the section of the training ground where there were training dummies set up as target practice for ranged attacks. There was a straight line drawn on the ground, and the dummies ahead were spread at various distances from the line. It was easy to guess the purpose of the set up.

The examiner quickly browsed through the sheets of paper he was carrying before speaking. “All of you use magicless guns, right? Normally people would expect little from that, but I beg to differ for you. In any case, show me your capabilities by shooting the targets over there.”

Renne then raised her hand. “I’m not one of the applicants, but may I ask why people expect little from magicless guns?”

“Well,” The examiner adjusted the position of his glasses. “Due to abandoning all convenience provided by magic, magicless guns have more mechanisms within, making them more delicate and prone to malfunction than magic guns. There are measures against the drawback, but because of many factors involved, basically all magicless guns have at least one of these drawbacks: Unreliable, short-lived, or too expensive for average adventurers.”

“So that’s why she looked disappointed for a very brief moment.” Renne said, folding her arms and lowering her head.

“That may be so.” The examiner said. “Nowadays those who register to the guild with magicless guns are mostly noble sons who got some backings from their wealthy parents.” He continued. “Anyway, we should begin now. First, Nathan Brevand.”

“Alright, here I go.” Nathan said, pulling out his TX Shrike assault rifle.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Nathan’s shots met their mark dead center at the dummies ahead. Upon impact, the targeted dummies visibly showed that they were covered in magic shields which stopped the bullets and made them fall to the ground harmlessly.

“Alright, that’s enough.” The examiner said, visibly smiling and nodding with his eyes going a bit wider. “Next, Joseph Marhanser”

“Coming.” Storm One said before he did exactly the same thing as Nathan.

“Margaretta Alphen.”

“Yes.” Storm Three said, and there was no difference in what she did.

“Christopher Hill.”

Storm Four stepped forward and once again the same thing happened.

“Domhnall Lennox.”

“Yes, sir.” Storm Two said, stepping forward and repeating the same action.

The examiner smiled somewhat wryly as he wrote on the papers he was holding. This somewhat made Renne worry that their performance wasn’t satisfactory, since after all none of them could even make a dent on the barriers.

“Before we continue, I want to ask if all of you are from a foreign military force.”

“Well, yes.” Nathan said. “We are stuck here due to unfortunate circumstances, so now we are looking for ways to earn a living until we find a way to leave.”

Storm One then asked a question. “Does that affect our chances in a negative way?”

“No. We don’t let your background hinder or facilitate your opportunities. I merely wanted to confirm my thoughts. Moving on, how confident you are in fighting without your guns?”

“We are trained to fight in close quarter combat if necessary.” Nathan said. “But we won’t fight the monsters without our guns unless there’s no other choice.”

“Good answer.” The examiner said. “Please follow me again.”

The group followed the examiner to one of the vacant sparring arenas. He then pulled out a wooden sword from a nearby weapon rack and stood in the middle of the arena.

“Applicants, take turns and come at me with any of the training weapons you choose.” The examiner said, taking a ready stance.

“Wait a second.” Storm Two said. “The next test is to fight against you?”

“Yes. It is the assessment of your capabilities in melee combat.” The examiner replied. “Who’s first?”

“Alright, I’m first.” Storm One said, stepping forward to the weapon rack. He then picked a wooden sword similar to the one wielded by the examiner and walked into the arena. “By the way, I think I still don’t know your name yet. May I know?”

“You can call me Jin.”

“Alright. So, Mr. Jin. Are you sure this is alright?” Storm One said, taking a battle stance with the wooden sword readied in front.

Jin smiled in response. “I may be old now, but I used to be a pretty good adventurer. Come at me with full force.”

“Be careful, Joseph!” Renne said. “That kind of word usually means he’s a big shot!”

“Acknowledged, Miss Alphen.” Storm One said. “Here I go!”

Storm One charged forward, and soon he and Jin began trading blows. As Renne had expected, Jin gracefully evaded or parried all of the attacks attempted by Storm One. With each attack parried or evaded, Jin struck back nimbly. It was all thanks to enhanced reflexes courtesy of the nanoms that Storm One still managed to avoid getting hit, but at this rate the fight was basically a battle of attrition. Their intense fight of quick trades and moments of trying to read the opponent naturally drew more spectators, and within less than two minutes the crowd of spectators formed a full circle around the arena.

Seeing the astonished crowd, Renne tried activating the enhanced hearing mode of her nanoms to hear if any of them said interesting things.

“Who’s that guy?”

“Unbelievable. Jin is having a tough time against him.”

“That’s Jin? The guild staff people often talked about?”

“Wow, that girl is cute. Now I feel like I wanna-”

Renne immediately deactivated the enhanced hearing mode and let out a wry smile the moment she heard the unrelated line. A feeling of regret was looming over her mind now.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Jin said after the last trade, and the fight between him and Storm One ended. He stretched his body around while looking visibly exhausted, trying to hide his shortness of breath as much as he could. “I’d like to test the other four applicants, but it seems my age is catching up to me. I shall ask this question then. How capable are they compared to you?”

Storm One, who visually was in a pretty much similar state as Jin, pondered briefly before replying. “I’m confident that we are roughly equal.”

Yeah, equally clueless about swordsmanship.

Renne sighed a little hearing Storm One’s answer. It was a fact that none of the combat division personnel were ever trained in melee combat using swords. Instead, for melee combat they were all trained in barehanded moves involving punching, kicking, and grappling techniques. His stellar performance against Jin was mainly thanks to the nanoms partially controlling his body while utilizing its extensive database on melee combat. In other words the nanoms gave Storm One an instant expertise temporarily, but with a drawback of putting a significant burden on both the body and mind.

Poor Joseph. His entire body is definitely aching right now.

“In that case, how about them forming two pairs and do a round of spar? I believe sparring should be part of your usual training to begin with, right?” Jin said. “I can make my judgement from watching the moves you show me.”

“Yes, you have a point.” Storm One said, glancing at Nathan and the rest of his squad. “How does it sound, guys?”

“I don’t mind.” Storm Three said.

“It’s faster than taking turns fighting Sir Jin one by one.” Storm Two said.

“Let’s get it over with.” Storm Four said.

Soon, a pair was formed between Nathan and Storm Three, and another between Storm Two and Storm Four. Each pair simultaneously sparred against each other on the arena using the martial arts they had trained through their entire military career. Needless to say, they all showed roughly equal performance in trading blows, counter attacks, and grappling techniques. There were moments where one was slammed to the ground by the other, but they quickly recovered to continue fighting.

In the end, Nathan and Storm Two came out as the winners for their respective pair. Their opponents sat on the ground, looking down and defeated with their breath running short.

“You almost got me there.” Nathan said, offering his hand to Storm Three.

Storm Three smirked and took Nathan’s hand. “Heh, what a joke.” She said as Nathan pulled her up into standing position.

Clap! Clap!

Jin clapped his hands with a smile, and the adventurers around soon followed, collectively forming an applause. “Splendid performance! Now I have seen enough for your test. Please return to the main hall and wait until your results are delivered.”

The group then left the training grounds and returned to the main hall which was still as busy as before. They went to the nearest vacant seat, and the one who immediately sat down first was Storm One, with a visibly pained expression on his face.

“Are you alright, Joseph?” Renne asked, giving him a light rub on his right arm.

“Ow!” Storm One exclaimed with a grimace on his face. “Not so good to be honest.” He then laughed mildly. “But this is nothing. I’ll manage.”

“Don’t joke around.” Renne said with a serious tone. “Making yourself an expert swordsman when you aren’t. Your muscles are definitely torn all over now.”

“But yeah, it is as you said, Miss Alphen.” Storm One said. “That examiner, Jin, he was really something. Not to mention that he held back.”

“Wait! He wasn’t serious?” Sandra asked with her eyes going wide.

“Call this instinct or whatever, but yes. I felt that he fought me without his utmost effort.”

“It seems the humanity of this plan- I mean, place, is unbelievably strong.” Anton said. “But with the monsters out there, I guess it’s a necessity.”

“Yeah, you have a point.” Audrey said. “I’m sure not everybody can use magic to pepper enemies from range after all.”

Everybody agreed with the remarks made, and then they waited for their results. It only took five minutes until a guild staff approached them bringing five cards, which could be assumed to be their guild card.

“Excuse me.” The guild staff said. “Joseph Marhanser, Nathan Brevand, Margaretta Alphen, Christopher Hill, and Domhnall Lennox?”

“Yes, that’s us.” Nathan said.

“All five of you have been acknowledged to start from Silver Rank. Congratulations.”

Everybody in the group of ten reacted in delight in each their own way. Some were subtle with just a slight smile, while some others were less subtle in expressing it.

“That’s good news. Thank you.” Nathan said as he and the others received their guild card.

“Please keep the card with you at all times. If you happen to lose it, reissuing will cost you five silver coins. And with this, your registration is complete. Any questions you’d like to ask?”

“For now, no.”

“Then I shall take my leave. Good luck in your endeavors, adventurers.”

Before the guild staff left, Storm One spoke to him. “Please relay my gratitude to Jin if you happen to see him.”

“Certainly.” The staff said, and then he left.

“Alright.” Storm One said. “Now that we can start earning money, shall we begin immediately?”

Renne rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hip. “With your mess of a body? No way. Go home and rest.” She then turned to Nathan and spoke. “Storm One is out of commission, so you’ll take the lead until he recovers.”

“Affirmative, Miss Renne.” Nathan replied. “Though I believe he will already be up and kicking by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, but someone has to lead the squad in his absence regardless. Get a look at the quest board and take quests at your own discretion, preferably ones that can be finished on the same day.”

“Understood.” Nathan said before turning his head towards Storm Three. “Storm Three, escort them back to the inn. I and the remaining two will handle today’s questing.”

“Yes, Vice-Captain sir!” Storm Three replied.

The group was soon split in two, with three remaining at the guild to take quests while the other seven returning to the inn. While walking, Renne tried pondering about the possibilities in the future and her chances of finding the other crews of Martin Alphen. With how technologically backwards the civilization of this planet was, going anywhere would be difficult or time consuming, if not both. The same applied to the circulation of news, which meant any information would take too long to reach distant towns.

As much as I hate to admit it, things aren’t looking too good. I need to find a way around this predicament.

As Renne had the thought, she gazed at the clear blue sky which contrasted the rather gloomy situation her group was in. There was still a long way to go.

***