Infinite Adaptation: Starting As A Level 1 Slime-Chapter 40: Adventurer’s Guild [PART 2]

They approached the counter.

A young woman with a pleasant smile greeted them.

"Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild! What brings you here today?"

"I was told about this place by a friend," Lunaris said. "Could you explain what exactly you do here?"

The receptionist looked at them.

Not knowing about the Adventurer’s Guild?

She wondered where these two were from.

But they didn’t seem simple. Especially the clothes the man? was wearing.

He seemed like some rich noble.

She maintained her professional smile.

"Of course! The Adventurer’s Guild is an organization that connects people who need help with capable individuals willing to provide it."

She gestured to the board on the far wall.

"We post requests from clients - things like monster subjugation, escort missions, gathering materials, and so on. Adventurers complete these requests and receive rewards based on the difficulty."

She continued.

"Additionally, being a registered adventurer comes with several benefits. Your adventurer identification functions as an official identity document, recognized across all kingdoms. It also grants you access to guild facilities, discounted lodging at affiliated inns, and priority information regarding monster movements and regional dangers."

Lunaris listened with interest.

This was great.

Not only would it solve their money problems if they registered and completed a quest or two, it would also solve their identity problem.

They definitely had to register.

"I see. My bodyguard and I would like to register."

"Wonderful!"

The receptionist reached beneath the counter and brought out a shiny crystal orb.

"To get registered, your strength has to be measured first."

She placed the crystal on the counter.

"Don’t worry - it only reveals your rank, not your skills or abilities."

She leaned in slightly and lowered her voice.

"Also, your rank here doesn’t determine your adventurer rank. That grows based on how many requests you complete for the guild."

She leaned in even closer, whispering.

"So you shouldn’t cause trouble, even with low-rank adventurers. You never know what they’re capable of."

Lunaris nodded.

"I’ll take that to heart."

"Great!"

She straightened up.

"Now then, who will go first?"

Lunaris noticed almost everyone in the guild paying attention to them.

Are they scouting to see if we’re threats?

"Mira, you go first."

"Yes, my Lord."

Mira stepped forward.

"You just have to place your hand here," the receptionist instructed.

Mira placed her palm on the crystal.

The orb began to glow.

Brighter and brighter.

Until it settled on a steady, vibrant light.

"A C Rank?"

The receptionist’s eyes widened.

"And quite a strong one at that!"

Murmurs rippled through the guild. The other adventurers seemed genuinely surprised.

"Is that uncommon?" Lunaris asked.

"Kinda," the receptionist admitted. "C Ranks and above are quite powerful - enough to be recruited as knights by noble families. So we don’t see many of them become adventurers."

Hmm.

Lunaris wondered what rank he would be.

This whole thing seemed broken anyway. His Appraisal put him at D Rank. He knew he was definitely stronger than Mira. He also had more mana overall.

He really couldn’t understand what was going on with this ranking system.

He stepped forward and placed his hand on the crystal.

Then...

Nothing happened.

The crystal remained completely dark.

Everyone stared in confusion.

"This is..."

The receptionist didn’t know what to say.

"I apologize! The testing equipment might be broken."

She quickly reached beneath the desk and brought out another crystal orb. She tested it on herself first - it glowed normally.

"Please try again."

Lunaris placed his hand on the new crystal.

Just like before.

Nothing happened.

"Ah..."

The receptionist’s expression became awkward.

"It seems... your rank might be too low to appear."

Lunaris was confused.

But he decided to let the matter go for now.

"Does that mean I can’t register?"

The receptionist quickly returned to her composed demeanor.

"Not at all! Rank is separate from adventurer rank, so you can still become an adventurer. The rank measurement is just for keeping records."

She smiled reassuringly.

"I’ll process your identities right away."

A few moments later, she handed them two cards and a set of documents.

"These are your adventurer IDs. They function as your official identity. The documents can be used to renew or recover your ID if it’s ever lost or damaged."

She pointed toward the far wall.

"You can look at the board over there for available quests. Each quest has its own danger rank. I recommend doing quests appropriate for your adventurer rank, which is E. But this isn’t strictly enforced - just a suggestion."

Lunaris nodded.

"Thank you. I’ll check it out."

...

The two walked up to the quest board.

As they moved, Lunaris noticed the others watching them warily.

Is it because of Mira’s C Rank status?

It seemed this was quite strong by their standards.

No wonder Roselle was considered an enemy of humanity.

He scanned through the posted quests.

Then he noticed something.

This...

It was a quest to slay wolves that had managed to separate a merchant from his carriage.

The request had been placed by the Holy Knights.

He wondered if this was related to what he had reported earlier at the gate.

If so, they were quite fast.

A shame public resources were being wasted on a false narrative. But there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

"Which quest should we do, my Lord?" Mira asked.

He looked through the options and picked one.

"This one. Gathering herbs."

Since the receptionist had advised them to stick to their ranks, he decided to do so. They just needed some money to get a place to stay and buy some crops.

There was no need to go all out.

Besides, this way, they wouldn’t expose themselves too much.

With that, they left the guild.

...

The receptionist sat in silence, staring at the crystal ball before her.

How did this happen? 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It was strange.

Everyone was inherently born with some mana in them. Even a newborn would cause the crystal to glow.

So how come...?

She needed to talk to the Guild Master about this.

A shadow fell over her.

She instantly returned to her professional demeanor, her smile sliding back into place.

"Hello! Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild. What can I help you with today?"