Chapter 118
Any place where people gather is bound to be bustling. Even if each person only says one word, it quickly turns into a madhouse.
It was no different for a Guild where Adventurers gathered. What I felt when I first entered was an atmosphere no different from a market.
Adventurers gathered around a bulletin board to choose quests, while others were seen eating light meals at tables set up in corners.
Fortunately, since it was a place for Guild Business, the Guild didn't seem to sell alcohol.
As expected of Adventurers, most of them were fierce-looking... no, not fierce-looking, but certainly plenty of strong-willed women. Since it was a profession with a low entry barrier, there were quite a few male adventurers as well.
Though I entered suddenly, attention fortunately didn't immediately focus on me. My hood provided effective camouflage here.
However, there were some Gaians who recognized my Companions. That is to say... they were NPCs from their perspective. Since my Companions had been Adventurers for a long time, they seemed to know many People.
Some of them even spoke to my Companions.
“Well, well, look who it is. Isn't that Hanbyeol? It’s been a long time.”
“Who’s that person in the cloak next to her? Hehe, could it be her boyfriend?”
“Ah, no. What are you talking about...?”
Hanbyeol awkwardly denied it, flustered by the Adventurers' playful teasing.
It seemed that even with the hood, my physique couldn't be completely hidden.
“...”
After watching for a moment, I headed straight for the Guild's counter. As mentioned before, my business was to find a Blacksmith and get an Adventurer Card.
“...Phew, welcome.”
The person that I approached was a female Receptionist with some freckles standing at the Reception Desk. She greeted me with a rather perfunctory attitude, as if tired from tedious work.
She straightened her posture professionally and asked me,
“How can I help you?”
“A Blacksmith... no, before that, I came to get an Adventurer Card.”
I said that and placed a pouch of money on the Reception Desk. The method for getting an Adventurer Card was surprisingly simple. Simple enough that even I, who had only lived hidden in the forest, had considered getting one.
Because if you just pay a reasonable amount of money, you're simply given an F-rank Adventurer Card. From there, you slowly raise your rank by completing quests.
Or there was another method: investing more money to take a simple Ability Test. That method involved a one-on-one battle with a Guild-Affiliated Adventurer. If you defeated an Adventurer of a certain rank, you could instantly obtain an Adventurer Card of that rank.
I naturally chose the latter.
There’s no need to bother with tedious quests to raise my rank.
As I thought that, the Receptionist, who had taken the money from the pouch, spoke.
“Alright, then, could you please take off your cloak first?”
“Uh... do I really have to show my face?”
“Yes, to prevent identity theft of Adventurer Cards, our Guild Members at least need to know your face and name.”
Indeed, even if it were Ad Hoc, some minimal verification would be necessary. At her words, I sighed and took off my stifling hood.
The face that had been deeply shadowed slowly revealed itself. The perfunctory Receptionist's eyes widened instantly. The Opponent took a breath and froze.
After waiting for a moment, I urged her.
“Aren’t you going to process it?”
“Ah, no. I am. I will...”
The Receptionist then resumed her work. It would have been nice if the incident had ended there... but unfortunately, the commotion was just beginning.
“Hey, shit, look over there for a second.” “Oh, why? I’m busy eating right now... huh?” “What is it? I haven’t seen that face before. Did he come to be a new Adventurer?” “Is that important right now? Wow, look at that face; it makes me want to throw him on a bed...”
Mercenaries who were eating whispered as they looked this way.
“Wait a minute... isn’t that Yor?”
“What? It really is him? Why is an NPC who only stays in the forest here?”
An Otherworlder Party recognized me and acted like they knew me. They probably thought they were speaking in low voices, but with the Hearing Amdusias gave me, I heard everything. I sighed inwardly at the numerous Challenge Requests already coming my way.
*Ah, this popularity...*
This was why I had endured the discomfort and worn the hood. Still, since most of the reactions were positive, I didn't feel too bad.
But that was only for a moment. As the Otherworlders recognized me, curious Gaians began to ask for information about me.
“What? You seem to know who that man is. Who is he?”
“Is he a well-known person among Otherworlders?”
“Ah, well...”
At that, the Otherworlders began to explain lightly to me. Since the information was already widespread among Otherworlders anyway, they figured it was fine to say that much. However, the Gaians' reactions to the information were starkly different.
“What? *Demon’s Blood*...?”
Their expressions soured precisely at that phrase.
“Damn it... so that Human is a Manifestor, isn’t he? It’s a miracle he’s lived to that age.” “Shouldn’t we just capture him right now?” “No, no? Ah, no, it should be fine. I heard he was recognized by the Emperor...” “The Emperor must have lost his mind for a moment! No, does that even make sense, leaving someone who could explode at any moment?”
Those were quite aggressive words, aggressive enough that if the Knight Order were here, they would have arrested them for insulting His Majesty the Emperor.
The atmosphere gradually shifted. The gazes, which had initially held only interest and curiosity, slowly turned hostile. I could feel Adventurers all around me caressing their weapons with wary eyes. My Companions also seemed to sense the subtle change, their expressions slowly hardening.
In such a situation... I calmly asked the Receptionist,
“Hmm... Is it done?”
“Ah, well... Yes. I’ve at least engraved your name.”
The Receptionist said that and showed me the Adventurer Card. My name was small, engraved at the bottom of the palm-sized Adventurer Card.
However, there was no rank in the center of the card, which was because I hadn't undergone Rank Evaluation yet.
“I understand you paid extra... so you intend to take an Ability Test, correct?”
“Yes. But how is the Opponent for the test chosen?”
“Usually, we assign a Guild-Affiliated Adventurer, but sometimes Adventurers find their own Opponent. However, they must be strangers to prevent manipulation...”
“That’s good. I’ll go with the latter.”
I said with a slight smile. Then, I immediately turned away from the Reception Desk and spoke to the Adventurers.
“Hey, instead of whispering like cowards behind my back, if you have a complaint, come at me.”
I didn't raise my voice, but it was clear enough for everyone in the Guild to hear.
“...”
“...”
Suddenly, all the whispering voices stopped. And all eyes focused on me. Adventurers selecting quests and discussing them, Otherworlders gossiping, Receptionists attending to customers—everyone.
Instead, an icy atmosphere enveloped the surroundings. The Otherworlders looked around nervously, and some strong-willed Adventurers openly frowned.
Feeling that, I had a bitter thought.
*Well... that’s a typical reaction, isn’t it?*
Although the Emperor had given me an Adventurer Card, it was a truly radical choice. It hadn't even been publicly announced to everyone. Even among the many Nobles close to the Emperor, there was much opposition, so how much more so among the Common People? It was only natural for them to immediately become wary and reach for their weapons. I had vaguely known this in my head... but experiencing it directly was indeed a bit bitter. However, that was all; I didn't worry beyond that. I already knew how to resolve this situation.
“Why? You said I’m a ticking time bomb, so I should be caught, shouldn’t I? I’m right here in front of you, aren’t you going to catch me?”
I just needed to crush them with power. I had defeated the Knight Order that way, after all.
I was already a person recognized by the Emperor.
So what were these mere Mercenaries going to do just because they had some complaints?
“Ugh.”
“That bastard...!”
Hostile voices came from all directions. Regardless, I continued speaking to the Adventurers.
“No, rather, you could see this as an opportunity. My weapon just broke, you see. If I’m going to fight, I have no choice but to fight bare-handed. You might even get a bounty if you catch me.”
I continued to taunt them repeatedly. But no one rushed at me as rashly as I expected. Perhaps the fact that I had *Demon’s Blood* was more intimidating than I thought, or perhaps the Adventurers were simply cautious.
One Adventurer even shouted at one of my Companions in the middle.
“Hey, Hanbyeol Shin, you’re A-rank! Couldn’t you just take the Rank Test for him?”
“Me? Pfft, why would I? I don’t particularly want to get hit.”
Of course, she scoffed and refused.
“...No, if it’s getting hit, it actually seems pretty good.”
...A strange mumble was heard for a moment, but I ignored it. It was something only I, with my sensitive hearing, could hear, so I had to respect that.
“Disappointing. To think no one would come forward. Are you really scared of *one Man*?”
“What?”
“This bastard...!”
Perhaps that last remark stung them. Finally, one person stood up.
“I’ll take him.”
Befri spun her Morning Star and spoke.
“I don’t go easy on Men. Hehe, I’m actually looking forward to it. To seeing your face fractured and you bawling. How about it now? If you kneel and beg for mercy, I might even let you off if I get turned on.”
“You and I have similar tastes, don’t we? I like that kind of thing too.”
The Morning Star was clearly massive and heavy. too heavy for most people to wield. Compared to my opponent, who held such a fearsome weapon, all I had was just my own Body/Mass. Honestly, I had other weapons in my pocket, but I had no intention of taking them out.
That’s enough.
I drew up mana. Then, I lightly scratched my skin with a fingernail. A sharp pain. A little blood seeped out.
I lightly coated the tip of my fist with the seeping red blood. Though it was a small wound and the amount of blood was meager, its hardness would be no different.
“Die!”
The battle happened in an instant. The moment she noticed what I was preparing, she immediately charged at me. The heavy Morning Star swung down from above. And as always, if you see and perceive it, you can react.
I took a step forward and lightly twisted my Body/Mass to the side. The Morning Star harmlessly grazed past me and slammed into the floor.
*CRASH-!*
“Ah, no, the floor!”
The Receptionist’s voice came from afar, but I ignored it for now. She had spent her turn, so now it was my turn. I plunged my fist into her empty face with full force.
Thwack-!!!
With a dull sound, her face caved in.
And as if she still had energy left, her head bounced once on the floor like a basketball.
After that, she collapsed like a corpse. That was the end.
The battle, just as it had suddenly begun, ended in an instant.
“...”
“Uh...”
Amidst the shocked silence of the crowd, I calmly said,
“Am I an A-rank Adventurer now?”
No one answered.