"Hello. I came in an hour ago and started the test for underage adventurers. I'm ready to turn in the quests."

"Is that so... After I confirm the drops, you can start the real test immediately. Which quest did you select?"

"All of them."

"..."

The receptionist stares at me blankly. Then, after a quick moment, she returns to her business smile and lets out a fake laugh.

"Haha... Very funny. I'll let this slide; however, lying will get you nowhere. Just put the drop on the table, and we can get started on the next part."

"Okay... Dimensional Storage - Open."

I guess showing is better than telling. I activate my storage skill and take out all of the items I collected for the quests. After laying all of them on the desk, I look up at the receptionist, who has a blank stare again. Like before, she quickly snaps out of it; however, unlike her smile, she looks at me disappointed. She sighs and then starts talking in a serious voice.

"Ugh, look boy, I heard Valeria told you that if you went and bought all of the items from a merchant that you'll fail the quests and be banned for three years. Now, did you seriously do exactly what she said not to do and think you could trick us? I mean, how dumb are you?! Okay, you have two options. You can either admit that you cheated and have to wait three years before reapplying or continue to lie and meet a much harsher fate. What do you pick."

She starts curving her eyebrows, making her expression angry. Others around shook a little for some reason, but I couldn't feel anything. After thinking for a moment, I guess it does look like I cheated. That said, why would I buy all of the quest's items instead of one? I don't think completing all of the quests will raise your starting rank. I did them to get some money and to make sure that my skills are useful for questing. Well, there isn't any concrete proof that I got them myself.

"Why, of course, I stand my ground. If I went to a merchant, why would I buy all of the quest items? I mean, it would cost more to do so than worth it! If I were to do such a thing, I would have bought only one item."

"That might be true; however, are you seriously telling me that you collected all of the items within an hour? The closes place for all of the items is the Yula Forest. That's an hour-long trip on foot! Even if you own a horse, riding it there and back would take about an hour, so there wouldn't be enough time to collect anything! You would need to travel 36 kilometers an hour or more to get there and back at a decent time. Even with that, it'll take hours to collect all of the materials needed!"

Ah, I guess that makes sense. I doubt there are many people with lots of high-level skills. Time-wise, she has the upper hand. Plus, it'll be hard to explain how I collected the materials in a fast manner.

"Now, tell me, how in the world did you complete such a feat if you didn't buy them?"

I'm not trying to hide my powers, so I tell her the truth and tell her everything I did.

"My speed attribute is that high. I have the Teleportation skill too. I had to travel there first before I could teleport, but instead of traveling back, I teleported on the outskirts of the town and entered through the entrance. Also, I have the Scan skill along with some combat skills. Using them, I was able to locate the required flowers and monsters quickly."

"Haha! As if someone that powerful exists! You possibly might have all of those skills at level one or two, but you would need them at a somewhat high level to complete all of these that fast. Plus, you are so young and not an adventurer. There is no way you could have gotten enough EXP to get those skills at such levels!"

Everyone around starts to laugh too. I overheard some of them talk too.

"Ha, did you hear that! That boy thinks he could fool Mrs. Serious."

"Yeah! He also thinks he is so powerful and owns loads of skills. What an idiot!"

Most of the others spoke in similar conversations. Even the other receptionists, including the one I had before, were laughing. Then, after a moment, the receptionist resumes speaking.

"Thanks for wasting our time. Leave now! We will be confiscating your items too. You better never show yourself in this guild again - or at any others!"

"Huh?! The hell I am without my items! I took the time to get those, and I'm not leaving without them."

In truth, I could find other ways to get money. For example, I could sell monster materials to merchants. I could also start a restaurant since I maxed out my cooking skill. In this regard, the guild isn't that important to me; however, I did take the time to collect those materials. I don't have much time, so I can't start wasting it.

"Alright. Please wait a moment."

The receptionist puts all of the items in a big sack and then takes them into the back room. While waiting, I overhear the other adventurers giggle and speak in hush voices.

"Ooh, he's in for it now!"

"Haha... I wonder what punishment he'll get."

"He's a rich boy; maybe we should get him to give us some money for wasting our time."

I also overhear the other reception that I met speak.

"Haha, what an idiot. Newbies are getting dumber all right!"

I ignored them all and continue to wait silently. Finally, after a moment, the receptionist returns.

"Alright, follow me."

I nod and walk to the other side of the desk. Thankfully, everyone in the other lines stepped back to allow me to get through, though they all had smirks. Some even were giggling; however, I ignored all of them and continued on my way.

Once I got to the other side, the receptionist motions to me to follow her. I do as instructed and followed her through a door that leads to the back of the first floor. Inside of the room is nothing but storage devices and a large staircase. The girl didn't waste her time and continued walking towards and up the stairs. I immediately follow; however, after taking one step up the stairs, I hear a mysterious girl's voice.

"Hmm... He's definitely lying. I can't detect anything special in him... He's just a brat. Weird hair and eyes too..."

Without stopping, I look around but couldn't find the source. A little bit confused, I shake my head and ignored it, quickening my pace. Once we reached the top, the girl opens a door that takes us into a hallway with a couple of other doors. We slowly walk down the hallway, seemingly going to the back. I take a look around during our walk.

There are names above each of the doors. One of the room's names is familiar - Valeria. That's the name of that first receptionist, wasn't it? So I guess all of the rooms are the receptionists' rooms. Also, there's another room that was near the middle labeled Common Area and Kitchen. I didn't know the guild provided both room and food.

Anyway, we continue to the end of the hallway, where one door stood out. On it, there's a name with large letters - Guild Master. Unlike the other room's doors, this one is made of metal than wood. It also has a gold lining on the frame. Even without the names above each door, you could instantly guess which one is the boss's room...

The receptionist walks up to the door and knocks.

"Sir, I have brought him."

The girl then steps back and waits for an answer which came almost instantly.

"Alright, enter."

Without any hesitation, the elf opens the door and motions me to head inside. I nod to her and walk inside. Once inside, I take a look around. Unlike the other parts of this building, this room is overly decorative. Like the other rooms, the walls are painted white; however, this room has gold trails on both the top and bottom of the walls. Also, the floor is made of darker-colored wood.

There's a large desk in the back middle of the room. In front of it, there's a long, length-wise white rug with a golden outline. Two chars are on top of the rug and are facing the desk. Hanging from the ceiling, there's a chandelier, but it uses large light crystals instead of candles. There are two bookshelves on both sides of the door with various books on them. At a closer inspection, most of the books seem to have high-quality covers.

In the back of the room, there are various storage devices with papers all on top of them. Back to the walls, in the very center of the back wall, which is directly behind the desk, is a large window. There are also various paintings in all of the other rooms. Above the door, there's a large portrait of an older man, which so happens to be the same person as the one standing behind the desk. He's currently sitting on a fancier chair than the two in front of the desk.

Just like the portrait, the older man has short dark-brown hair with brown eyes. On his left eye, there's a large scar. His other facial features are like that of a western male from Earth. He's wearing a gold-trimmed white cloak. Under it is a black battle-ready suit. It's like a combination of formal and combat wear. It even has a red tie... Also, from my perspective, I can slightly see a sheath of a sword under his cloak.

Anyway, the old dude, or Guild Master, is sternly looking at me with serious and sharp eyes. Also, a girl is standing next to him, but I barely noticed her. Although my senses could detect more than two people in the room (the guild master and the receptionist), my eyes could faintly see the girl. Ah, she must be a Spirit. Was that her voice that I heard coming up the stairs?

Spirits are the only race that can't be seen. You also normally can't hear them. The only way to do so is to form a contract with one, which requires a certain skill. With that skill, you'll be able to notice spirits if they allow their presence to be known. With that connection, you two can form a contract.

Speaking about connection, spirits have a special skill that allows them to see the power of a person. They can't see the skills one has but can get a numerical value associated with one's power. This skill can't be leveled up but does have levels. It depends on how powerful a spirit is. The higher the level, the more accurate the reading is. If that spirit was who I heard, then she is either a low-level spirit, or her skill doesn't work on me. Oh, maybe it's because I have lowered my abilities to 0.01%? Still, this power is beyond a normal human...

Also, how did I hear her from downstairs, and why can I faintly see her? Could it be the works of my Inhuman Senses skill? Maybe, but she should have been speaking... Ah, my Database skill translated her language to one I can understand. Well, it makes it so I can speak and listen in all languages. However, I don't think I automatically speak in all the languages, so I must have adjusted the skill or concentrate on the language I want to use to speak in it...

Anyway, the spirit girl is faintly glowing blue and has deep blue eyes with long, curly white hair. I heard that all spirits are good-looking. I guess that's not a lie... Her facial structure is nice, clean, and shiny, like most beautiful girls. I still say Miyu is... Uh, never mind.

Just like the guild master, she is looking at me with a disappointing and angry look. She's also staring down at me, similar to the way a human looks down at an ant. I try and avoid eye contact with her and stare straight at the man. After locking eyes with one another, he speaks.

"Okay, thank you. You may leave."

"Yes, Sir."

As instructed, the receptionist turns around and walks out of the room. She whispers something to me before fully leaving the room. "Have fun, hehe..."

After she leaves and closes the door, I take a seat at one of the chairs, and the man and I went back to staring at each other. Then, out of nowhere, the man bolts up and slams his fist onto his desk. Bang! Similar to a gunshot, a large noise echoes in the room. He then starts shouting at me while releasing an almost invisible bloodlust at me.

"You little shit! Do you really think that I would allow you to run into MY guild and make trouble? I have met with hundredths of brats who look a thousand times tougher than you do. I dealt with every one of them. After about a year of working here, no one caused any more problems. It has been like this for twenty years! Then here you waltz in and try to show off. Well, brat, by now, I have received more authority from the king than ever. If I wanted to, I could have you beheaded! Now, tell me, where did you get those materials!"

Unaffected by his bloodlust, I remain calm and told him the truth.

"As I said, I went to the Yula Forest and collected those materials with my hands and skills."

Veins start appearing on the man's face. They start slowly growing as his voice gets louder.

"What bullcrap! Are you honestly believing that such an obvious lie would fool me?! Even the king would find such a statement untruthful. Now tell me the truth!"

I give the man a small shrug.

"I'm telling you the truth."

He then slams his fist on his desk again. His veins are now almost about to pop out of his head. Even his scar is moving, getting redder and redder as time progresses. He instantly moves his hands to his sword; however, he stops at the handle. After holding his hand on it for a second, he calms down and sighs.

"Ugh, this is getting nowhere... Okay, listen, just admit that you were lying, and I promise you that you will own nothing to the guild and can walk out unharmed. You'll be banned for about ten years, but that is all that will happen. If you continue lying, I will personally bring you to the guards, and you will be charged with five platinum coins. Even if you get free, you'll be permanently banned from ALL guilds. Oh, and if you do pick this one, I'll be taking your dominant hand so that you can't fight correctly. So, pick one."

Haha, he's trying to threaten me? Ha! Maybe I should... No. If I commit to such thoughts, I would be the same person as in my previous life. I am here to reform and learn from my sin. Even though I'm telling the truth, it's still not humane to attack randomly. That said, if I could show him my skills, he might be more inclined to believe me. Ugh, this is a bit frustrating!

After thinking of a way to prove my power without breaking or harming anyone, the man impatiently shouts at me.

"Well?!"

Getting more frustrated and done with all of this, I ask him a question.

"First, if I choose to go with the lie, I mean with the truth of saying I got them from merchants, will I be able to keep those materials?"

"Nope. Those will be our compensation for all of this. Now, pick one."

Hmm, what should I do? True, I don't need those items, but I've wasted so much time as it is. Is there any way to convince him? Like, having him... Yeah, that's it! If it doesn't work, then I guess I'll lie so that I don't have to hurt anyone. Plus, if I cause such a commotion, the family might find out and kill me...

"Okay, how about this. How about I show you my power in a fight or another quest. If you watch me complete it, you'll start to believe me."

"Why would..."

The man starts to shout at me again; however, he stops before getting to that point and begins thinking. After a minute, he sits back in his chair and puts his hands together. Then, in a calmer approach, he resumes speaking.

"Hmm, okay, let's do that. There's an emergency quest going on right now. I will watch you complete that quest, and if you complete it, we will apologize and see that you were telling the truth. On the other hand, if you fail the quest in any way, you will have to pay the guild five platinum coins. Does this sound good?"

"Yes; however, since I'm going out of my way to do this, I should get something else from completing the quest. After the completion of the quest, you shall start me as an A-rank adventurer. Also, the guild will buy all of the items from the quest double their standard value."

"Hmm... Okay, but I will be raising the failure cost to twelve platinum coins."

"Deal. So what's the quest?"

"It's a Monster Subjugation-Type. The Dangle Forest has suddenly got a raise in high-level and rank monsters. There are too many monsters that if they suddenly attack, this town would instantly fall. We already called S-rank and higher adventurers; however, they are answering slowly to our call. If I had to guess, it would take days before they come. The TEN won't answer our call until the high-rank adventurers fail the quest. Also, no one should be inside the forest at this time. We have issued an order for no one to enter it. We also have a guard watching the forest to make sure no one enters it and keeps an eye on the forest. Still in?"

"Yes. I'll be on my way now. Oh, before that, I would like a contract for proof."

He gladly accepted my request and created a contract with his special stamp. After reading through it and seeing nothing weird, I stand up and take my leave.

Alright, let's do this fast, so I don't have to waste any more time.

I nod to myself and then activate my skill quietly.

"Teleportation..."

Without going downstairs, I teleport outside the town's walls, recalibrate my attributes, and run towards the Dangle Forest.

...

Guild Master's Point of View -

As soon as the brat leaves the room, Yuri speaks.

"What an idiot... I do know that he won't survive in the forest nor will be able to complete the quest, but why waste time and accept this nonsense?"

"To get our money's worth. As you said, he'll fail. When he does, we'll be getting twelve platinum coins."

"Are you sure? I doubt he actually has that much money."

"It doesn't matter if he does or doesn't. The king said to all of the guild masters that he'll compensate any of us if there are problems with the age change rule that he suggested. Once I tell him everything that happened, he'll have to pay us the twelve coins while enslaving the boy to make up for his loss. This is in our favor more than that boy!"

"True, but what if he dies in the forest?"

"If he does, we still benefit since we still have his drops. Also, that guard whose guarding the forest is an S-rank adventurer. She's excellent in magic. We'll inform her about the boy and save him if he's about to die. That way, he can use him to get money from the king. Now, let's begin... Power of the Wind Spirit - Wind Control!"

...