Chapter 151: The new adventurer

Aiden's previously innocent, inquisitory expression changed upon hearing that name. The eager golden knight that was like a buzzing fly around his sister. A cold glint flashed through his eyes, which he quickly suppressed. 

He once again looked at the strange, talkative, brown-haired guy. Aiden couldn't understand his goals, he walked up to him and acted as a friend from out of nowhere. Although he didn't feel any negative intent from him, nor could the system pinpoint anything, he was still wary of the youth.

Cole could barely contain his fright and the shivering in his heart; he felt naked, exposed under this mysterious boy's penetrating golden eyes.

"Thanks for the info, Cole. But tell me... Why are you so friendly towards a stranger like me?" Aiden asked after a while, still keeping his eyes on the boy.

"I… I don't know…" Cole answered with his eyes plastered on the ground. He couldn't withstand the boy's eyes at all. "I'm still relatively new in the guild, without any friends. You felt like someone who might be in a similar situation as me… All the established groups have set harsh requirements to be even considered. It's hard to be alone…"

Aiden kept silently staring at the boy for a while longer before eventually he eased up the pressure and revealed a smile and reached out towards the boy with his right arm.

"I see. In that case, let's start again. As I said, my name is Aiden. I live…" he paused for a bit and glanced at the general direction of the forest. "...outside of the city. I just arrived hoping to register as an adventurer."

Cole's eyes timidly looked up from the ground, taking a quick peek at the boy's expression. Seeing how he was smiling and reaching out for a handshake, his racing heart started to calm down. The friendly smile slowly, gradually returned to his face and accepted the boy's hand.

"Sure! Cole Phamas, rank 1 adventurer! I have already completed two 1-star missions from the guild. I hope that a few more and I could be eligible for a rank up test! Let's be friends!"

"If it's so easy to become rank 2, why is it that the city only has a single rank-3? Is the gap so big?" Aiden asked curiously. If you only needed to do a couple of quests to rank-up, why was it so incredibly rare to have a rank-3?

"Heh, you misunderstood me, Aiden." Cole laughed out bitterly. "I meant, that I need a couple more quests to be eligible for the test. That doesn't mean I will be able to rank-up at all. The test is not easy, you will have to face up against one of the officers and at the minimum, not lose instantly. That's not easy, I tell you…" He sighed once again. 

"Still, even if you lose, you can gain some insight from the duel and come back later and try again. Are they really that tough?" Aiden asked again, with a troubled expression. 

"Heh, you still don't get it, Aiden." Cole sighed again, then explained. "Once you fail the test, you will need more points to become eligible for a second try. If you lose a second time, the cost increases once again, and so on. If you are too arrogant and lose a few times, it becomes incredibly hard to even become eligible for the test."

His eyes glanced over at the distance, as he continued.

"To answer your second question, yes, they are all very powerful. They all came from the main branch of the capital, they are all above rank 5! They are basically monsters in human skin! I heard there is even a caster amongst them!" 

"Oh? Now I really want to see them!" Aiden's eyes flashed expectantly. 

Turning towards the large double door, he grabbed the handles with both hands and pushed against them. The doors slowly creaked open, revealing a large hall filled with dozens of people inside. If Lily would have been here, she would be amazed by the changes that happened to the previously simple interior in such a short amount of time.

The previously simple wooden floor was replaced, and a shining extravagant marble tileset was put in its place. The furnishing was also replaced with a tier higher counterpart. The simple wooden tables that filled the halls had exquisite designs carved on them, with scarlet silk cover adorning their surface. Groups of four to six were sitting around them, planning their next adventures. 

The groups consisted mostly of men, but you could see the occasional feminine curves as well. What was surprising to Aiden was that from a first glance, he couldn't spot a single caster, or anybody similar to his Master and Granny. Based on the weapons, he guessed that the vast majority were melee fighters. Swords of all kinds, maces, and axes were the most common choices for their trade. The bow or knife was incredibly rare and was mostly favored by the few females present.

As if understanding his thoughts, Cole spoke from behind.

"There are no local casters in Higrove. All those that have any talent in the mystical arts are professors in the academy or move away to the capital and join the guild or the royal forces there. Since their powers can lay waste to cities, they are sought after."

Aiden, silently nodded as his eyes scanned through the crowd once again, before he calmly took a step forward, walking towards the far end of the spacious hall where a long desk separated the Guild Attendees from the adventurers.

"Good Day and welcome to Higrove Adventurer's Guild! How can I help you?" A kind brown, curly-haired girl, that Lily would immediately recognize, greeted him with a friendly smile.

"Hello. I just came to the city. Could you tell me what do I need to do to sign up with the guild and register as a new adventurer?" Aiden asked with the same friendly smile. 

"Ehehe, certainly!" A small rosy tinge appeared on the girl's cheeks as she got lost in the boy's incredible golden irises. "First, allow me to introduce myself. "My name is Mary, and I work as an attendant for this local branch of the Adventurer's Guild!"

She pulled a piece of paper from her desk and put it in front of Aiden. "Please fill out this form with your details! Once you are done, bring it back to me and we can continue! If you need any help do not hesitate to ask!" She looked at the brown-haired youth behind the boy, as she continued. "I am sure that Mr. Phamas over there, or myself can answer you!"

Nodding, he picked up the sheet of paper but did not step away. With the same calm, friendly smile on his face, he asked.

"Could you hand me a pen? As you can see, I don't have anything on me that I could use for writing."

The small rosy tinge on Mary's cheeks became brighter, more vibrant as she was reminded by the boy. 

"Ah, sorry, I forgot!" She reached inside her desk and pulled out the small metal tube with a pointed blue crystal at the end of it. There was a round-shaped red ruby placed at the other end.

"Thank you, Mary! I will be back shortly." He took the pen with a smile and turned around to leave. Just as he took a step, Mary called out from behind.

"Do you know how to use it? I-I c-can show it to you if you would like…"

Looking back, Aiden couldn't miss the bright red tinge on her cheeks and the hopeful yet embarrassed look in her eyes. The friendly smile never leaving his face, he gently shook his head.

"Thanks for the offer, Mary, but my sister already explained it to me." 

With that, he turned and left towards the nearest empty seat.

"Your sister?" Mary mumbled, repeating his words. Who could he possibly mean?

Sitting down, Aiden picked up the pen and touched the red gemstone at the top. A sliver of energy was injected, activating the device, causing it to emit a faint red hue, indicating it was activated.

He quickly went through the form, filling it with his basic information. His brows creased up for a second as he saw the answers for the "Race". As it only had Human and Other as an option. Could other species even register? Isn't this country only accept humans as it's legal citizens?

With a smirk on his face, he ticked "Human" and completed the rest of the form in a few minutes.

He deactivated the metallic device by touching the gemstone again and stood up. He walked back to the girl with the brown, curly hair who was already blushing as she noticed the approaching boy.

His handsome face curved into the same friendly smile that caused Mary's heart to race for some unexplainable reason, and with a calm tone, he spoke.

"Here you go, I filled it out. What's the next step?"