"You're here for the Beast Tide, correct?" a guard asked William and Carl as they crossed the gate.
"Ah, yes." William replied.
"Good good. You can pass, but your friend is not strong enough. We're looking for those at least in the Core Formation Realm."
William was still emitting the aura of a Golden Core Cultivator, so the guard naturally would allow him to pass, but Carl was only in the eighth level of Foundation Establishment. It was two levels below the minimum requirement.
"I can break through right now, Wil- I mean, Yuming. Just wait for me inside." Carl said quickly and started to turn around. What he said wasn't a lie, but breaking through before reaching the peak of a Realm was bad practice. Only those who had no chance of reaching the peak would break through prematurely.
"No," William grabbed Carl's arm and pulled him back. "We're already here, so you're coming with me."
"Sir, did you hear what I said?" the guard asked.
"I can vouch for him." William said in a flat tone. His eyes were serious and he stared down the guard with an icy gaze that made the latter nervous.
"O-Okay. You may pass, but Blue Moon City is not responsible if your friend dies in battle." the guard warned.
William nodded and didn't pay the comment any mind. He brought Carl towards the Guild Hall, where he registered as an Adventurer for a second time. This time, William directly qualified as a Diamond-Ranked Adventurer, having displayed Nascent Soul Strength during the test.
-Adventurer Rank (Diamond): +100 PP
To rank up to the final rank as an Adventurer, William would need to receive the King's approval. This was a different King from the one in the Hillvire Empire or Supreme Left, but another King who lorded over the Far West Forest Region.
Carl hoped to never become William's enemy. The day it happened, he could kiss his life goodbye.
After registering with the Guild, William and Carl were finally able to sign up for the defense against the Beast Tide. Since William had claimed responsibility for Carl, they were placed in the same area on the outside of the City, just in front of the walls.
William and Carl would fight from the backline, since William's Magical precision was very high, and Carl used summoned Beasts to fight. He was asked to bring out each of his Beasts in a large room separate from the main hall, so the Guild could mark them with a special Array that would distinguish them from enemies.
His scroll was unfurled, and ten large Magical Beasts in the Golden Core Realm climbed out of different sized portals of varying colors. Seeing the Golden Core Magical Beasts appear one by one, the two Guild Hall Receptionists, Sara and Rui, were stunned.
Rui's light green eyes flashed as she realized both of these newcomers were anything but simple. She quickly placed the appropriate Arrays on the summoned Beasts, which covered them in a light blue glow with a holographic "G" floating above their heads.
This would tell others that the summoned Beasts were recognized as friendly forces by the Guild Hall, and the light blue color represented Blue Moon City itself. This would hopefully prevent any accidents on the battlefield.
Unless one was purposely targeting the Beasts or they were accidentally hit during an AoE Spell, Carl wouldn't have to worry about his summons dying unexpectedly. That being said, he would still do his best to be careful.
Carl thanked the Guild for their foresight, not knowing where he would cry if his summons were killed by his own allies. He stored each Magical Beast back in the summoning scroll that he carried on his side, then followed William to a nearby hotel where they could rest.
William wasn't tired at all, but Carl was exhausted from running for nearly six days straight and then immediately getting into a fight at the Guild. He landed face-down on the bed and was snoring before William even had a chance to close his eyes.
There's a big battle tomorrow...and there will be quite a few Magical Beasts to fight...
William smiled. If he was the same person as he was in Thin Creek Village, he might have been terrified out of his wits. The Livingwood Forest once chased him away with a small tide of Wind Wolves, it couldn't compare to this at all!
Ten thousand Golden Core Magical Beasts wasn't a small number, and it was probably still too much for the current him considering his Mana Reserves, but there was just one thing on his mind.
Ten thousand Golden Core Beasts...that's a lot of Potential Points!