Chapter 59 Unexpected Results

---- Author's Note-----

I wanted to apologize for how the last couple chapters came out. While the story is going in the direction I want, the quality of those chapters felt forced to me. Because of that, I will be slowing down my chapter releases and only releasing chapters on Wednesday and Saturday. I will also be going back and redoing those chapters and will make a note when I have done so. Thank you for sticking with the story, and I hope that my quality has improved with this chapter.

---- End Author's Note

Becoming an adventurer seemed straightforward at first glance. One needed only to visit the guild, register their name, and accept a suitable quest. However, true progression required much more than simple registration. Advancing beyond the lowest ranks demanded a combination of skill, experience, and a reputation for reliability. Many new adventurers began their journeys performing mundane tasks such as deliveries or material gathering before earning the trust necessary for combat missions.

Climbing the ranks involved training under experienced mentors, passing rigorous combat evaluations, and proving one's competence through successful quest completions. Additionally, acquiring specialized licenses for activities such as monster hunting or dungeon exploration added yet another layer of complexity. This structured progression ensured that only the most capable adventurers could rise through the ranks and take on more dangerous assignments.

I walked up to the receptionist and just asked. I didn’t even have to take a test unless I wanted to become a higher-ranking adventurer. Evelyn, however, would not be so easy. Being that she was a princess her name would cause a stir and sort of like her ability to see the truth, guild receptions knew if someone was lying. On top of that, she was still in my nexus. I could not just open that in the middle of the guild.

After I was registered, I went over to look at the different quests that were available for a F rank adventurer. There was a surprising number of quests that were just taking a piece of mail or delivery from one side of city to another.

Those were not the only options though. There were quests to collect certain ore or plants, there were some to find lost pets or help an elderly person with some tasks. All sorts of things that could help a child learn to do things on their own.

These kinds of tasks held little appeal for me. While I had no issue helping an old lady retrieve her cat or lending a hand with errands if I happened upon them, I couldn’t shake the feeling that such mundane chores were an uninspiring way to start my journey. I craved something more exciting, something that truly felt like a step toward the future I envisioned. Sure, small acts of kindness were fine in passing, but they weren’t the kind of quests that would shape me into the adventurer I aspired to become.

While I wanted to be an adventurer, my true goal was still to find a way home. Becoming an adventurer wasn’t just about embracing the lifestyle, it was a practical means to an end. It offered the best chance to cross the border without drawing suspicion and provided a potential source of income to afford supplies for the journey. Neither Evelyn nor I had any money to our names, making this path more of a necessity than a choice.

Since the F rank jobs were so easy they also did not pay a lot, which meant that it would take us months to afford even a few things, and that didn’t even take into account the amount we would be spending on food in the meantime.

Doing a quick look through all the ranks to see which rank not only earned a decent amount, but also had interesting jobs, I found that I would need to be a D rank. The ranks for adventurer’s went F, E, D, C, B, A. A rank adventurers were considered to be elite adventurer’s who went to clear harder Dungeons and investigate areas where other adventurers had gone missing.

Above A rank is when they started naming the rank based off a gemstone, ruby, sapphire, emerald and finally diamond. In order to be given a rank such as that, you had to be able to fight off progressively more dangerous foes, starting at things that can destroy a city and go up from there.

Returning to the reception desk, I inquired about scheduling a sparring match. The receptionist informed me that fights were used to evaluate an adventurer’s combat potential and ensure fair rankings, and I wouldn't be able to have mine until the next day. This delay was frustrating, but it also provided an opportunity to strategize. A strong performance could accelerate my advancement, allowing me to take on more lucrative and challenging quests sooner.

Additionally, the bout would give me a chance to gauge the skill levels of other adventurers, identifying what I needed to improve in order to climb the ranks efficiently. Though the receptionist did take my name and scheduled my match for the morning, I found some relief in the delay, Evelyn was growing restless after spending the entire day in the nexus, and this gave me a chance to tend to that situation as well.

When I left the adventurer’s guild my Panoptic Sense immediately noted that there was someone on the roof across the street staring at the building. That made me take notice of the person to being with. As I made my way down the streets, trying to find an area that I could open my nexus for Evely, that person began following me.

Moving through the streets, I made sure to keep a slow and deliberate pace. Something that I had felt would not draw attention or make the person following me suspicious. After moving down a few streets, I decided that I would try and lose them.

The next alley that was on the far side from my pursuer I turned into. Then I walked down quite a bit and made another turn as soon as I could. The moment I made that turn I opened up the nexus and jumped inside. I had been out of view of my pursuer at that moment and only had a few seconds before they would have caught up.

Instead of closing the doorway completely, I made it as small as I possibly could. Then I tried to see if I could see my follower. It didn’t take long before the person came into view with my Panoptic Sense, and it was as though they knew exactly where to find me. The person just stood there, looking in the general direction of where my nexus was.

Instead of playing the staring game, I shut the portal in the hope that it would stop my follower from knowing where I was. Then I waited. Or at least that was what I intended to do until Evelyn, who had come up behind me while I was trying to surreptitiously look out, pushed me over.

“I don’t know how, and I don’t know what, but this is definitely your fault.” She said, though with a smirk to let me know she was just messing around.

Instead of arguing with her, I went ahead and explained about being followed. I probably should have been telling her through party chat as it was happening but, while in the Dungeon it just seemed obvious to use it, here I did not even consider it. Evelyn was the one to point out the fact that, had I used it, I might have been able to get advice from her and her talent that would have helped us figure out who it was.

“Oh, you’re just grumpy cause you have been stuck in here all day with nothing to do. I mean there is really only one group that could be watching out for me at this time. How they are following me is the real question. Too bad you can’t open the Void Nexus, then we could send you out and see if he followed you as well.” I said, maybe a little snappy, but I did not like being followed in a place that I considered to be enemy territory.

Much to Evelyn’s disappointment, we stayed inside the nexus for the rest of the night. Evelyn did wake me up early so that I might use the cover of dark to try and get away. Though when I slowly started to open the doorway, I realized that had not been necessary. There was no one within the range of Panoptic Sense.

With no one out there I figured they must have lost interest or thought that I had given them the slip. I should have thought more about the fact that they had found me at all. Instead, I made my way to the guild. Luckily being so close meant it did not take me long to get there.

Making my way over to the receptionist, they let me know that I would be able to take my test in a while as the test coordinators usually didn’t come in till later. In order to waste some time, I made my way over to the quest boards, but before I even made it halfway the receptionist called out to me, telling me it was my turn.

I narrowed my eyes at that. It had not even been a minute since she had told me I had to wait. I had not seen anyone approach the desk through Panoptic Sense though. Instead of questioning the receptionist, I went ahead and followed her into the back.

While the last time I had been in the guild hall, at least the one back in Magnon, I had gone into the back to meet the guildmaster, I had not seen the other door nearer to the quests. This one led to a massive underground arena area that was used for training and sparing.

Apparently, it was expected of higher ranking adventurers to hold classes and help newer recruits, either teaching them things that might save their lives, or just helping them to get better at fighting. I thought it was a great idea for the people who had been doing it for so long to give their advice. Fear the old person who works in a job where most die young, or something like that.

Making our way onto the arena floor, I found that the entire space was empty. A prickle of unease crawled down my spine. Was this normal? Shouldn’t there be at least a few spectators, instructors, or other adventurers training? The emptiness felt staged, as though someone had deliberately cleared the area. My instincts screamed that something was off. I scanned the surroundings carefully, my Panoptic Sense on high alert, searching for any subtle movements or hidden figures.

The silence pressed in around me, thick and unnatural, amplifying the tension in the air. Was this some kind of test, a trap, or was I simply being paranoid? As soon as I stepped into the arena, the receptionist bowed slightly before briskly retreating, leaving me standing alone. A few seconds later, I exhaled a long sigh, trying to steady my nerves.

The person who was going to be giving me my training was none other than the giant bald man with the reddish-brown beard. He came walking out onto the arena with a massive smirk on his face, as though he was the cat who got the cream.

“It would appear, that we have much to discuss young Jace. Not only are you not a citizen of Heirarchon, but you beat a Dungeon that was under the care of house Munchingham. I am Kaern Munchingham, fourth son of the Munchingham line.” He stated all of this in an almost robotic way.

“Look man, I didn’t know that the Dungeon was owned. There were hundreds of kobolds around making me think that no one had been there in a long while so I went ahead and cleared it to stop the overflow.” Before I even realized it, I felt as though something was causing my mind to relax. Luckily, Evelyn was paying close attention to party chat and the moment my mind relaxed she commanded me to use Arcane Armor. As soon as I did my mind cleared quickly.

Kaern was staring at me with wide eyes, his shock quickly shifting into something unreadable. A surge of adrenaline shot through me, my instincts screaming that this was my moment to act. "That was not very nice, Mr. Kaern," I said, my voice steady despite the rush of energy coursing through me.

Without hesitation, I activated Arcane Step, teleporting behind him in an instant. Channeling all my strength into the strike, I drove my attack into his back, sending him hurtling across the arena. He crashed against the wall with a deafening thud, dust billowing around him. And then, he started laughing, a deep, belly laugh that left me completely confused.