Chapter 27: Rankings and Quest

The next day rolled over in no time. Claude and Elric made their way to the adventurer's guild on their own. The streets of Leunderk seemed a little emptier as they came over a bit later in the morning. Most people had set off to their works, from adventurers on the way to their quests to people of the town sitting around in their shops or farms, leaving the streets comparatively empty.

Claude wasn't wearing his cloak today, but had instead taken a sea green tunic that reached a third of his hands and brown trousers. His wild red hair was combed to the back, the scars on his eyes and hands plain for people to see. The straw sandals he had borrowed from the village tapped against the ground as he went around the town dressed rather modestly, the only thing different being the amulet of the lord of shadows with a purple-black stone hanging from his neck.

Elric, on the other hand, was wearing a white tunic with blue seams and his leather boots from two years back. His hair was tied up neatly in a high pony as it swayed slightly with every step.

Elric pushed open the doors of the much quieter adventurer guild than yesterday, the grainy wooden door creaked as it opened up and showed the inside of the adventurer's guild. Just like before, the adventurer's guild was divvied into different sections for a diner, a group of conference tables, and the reception on the left, right, and center. Behind the reception desk was the door of the break room, and on its left a passage that led further into the building.

Elric's worn-down boots tapped against the hardwood floor as he made his way to the reception desk with Claude. The people around hadn't quietened down after seeing them this time, instead, the ones that were around yesterday were blabbering about the two of them to those that came here today.

Paying them no heed, Claude tapped his fingers on the reception desk, despite the receptionist looking at him. It wasn't the woman from yesterday, but an older man likely in his forties.

"Claude. I came here to get my adventurer card."

"Oh?" the man said. "So you are Claude Almstedt?"

Claude smiled and crossed his arm. He was already famous.

"Then the person behind you must be Elric Wald."

He wasn't, his friend was.

"Great, then. Please wait here for a second, I'll get your cards." The man got up and turned around as he spoke and went into the breakroom.

Claude leaned against the desk and looked over at the setup of tables on the side. Many bookshelves were lined up on the perimeter with hundreds of maps and logs filling them to the brim. Information was key for an adventurer, for anyone at all. Had Claude and Elric known how to control their techniques beforehand, had they known how monsters worked, had they known some more basics than they got to, they could have easily become much stronger and have avoided a lot of pain.

He would put the books to good use.

The old man of the reception came back out to the desk with a bunch of documents and two wooden boxes in his hands. He placed them all down and then beckoned Elric over from the quest board before laying them out in front of the two.

"Elric Wald, sign these first," the man said, pulling out a quill and a bottle of ink.

Elric coolly picked up the quill and waved it over the paper, of course, he ended up signing them all in the language of his previous world. They were gifted by the gods to be able to understand the languages of the people here, but they did not 'know' them.

"What language is this?" the receptionist asked, yanking the papers from Elric's hands.

"Uh, we're not from around."

"I know, where are you from?"

"Another world."

"Hah, fine. I don't want to know anyway."

The man collected all the papers and kept them away before pushing the wooden boxes up front. He opened up the boxes at the same time. "Congratulations, both of you will start as C-Ranked adventurers."

Cotton padding pushed up the two cards kept sqaure on the box. Claude picked up the card in a go and flipped it in his hands. Made of an alloy he had never seen before, the card held the emblem of the adventurer's guild on its back, the front of the card displayed his name, rank, and a few other details.

"Usually," the receptionist continued. "A C-Ranked adventurer would need a crazy clear rate to rank up, but considering your stats, I'll let the two of you have it easy. Twenty C-Ranked Quests in a party, and twenty solo."

Some of the people around perked their ears up at the receptionist's mention of solo C-Ranked quests, but Elric and Claude did not know what it entailed.

"Take the cards," he said, nudging Elric to pick up his card as well.

"Good, with this, you two are full-fledged adventurers—"

"—Perfect, we take this quest." Elric cut in on the receptionist's words and slammed a sheet of paper on the reception. The receptionist chuckled and looked at the paper.

"Very eager," he said. "C-Ranked quests right off the bat. I'll register the Rammer Serpent Subjugation quest in Koror Village under your name."

"Serpent subjugation?" Claude tilted his head. "What about the forest?"

"Eh, this is cooler though!" Elric answered back.

Claude's words had piqued the receptionist's curiosity. "What forest? The Mystic Forest?"

"Yeah, we want to investigate it too."

"The Mystic Forest has already been scouted though. Its status has been changed from Forbidden Dungeon to Eternal Dungeon."

"Scouted already!?" Elric asked. "By whom!?"

"Kone? Didn't they say you guys came with them after they were returning from the forest?"

"Wait, wait." Claude interrupted. "What is this Eternal Dungeon thing?"

The receptionist sighed and shook his head. "It changed from a place you couldn't even enter to a place you can't conquer even if you do. Though it isn't swallowing people anymore, we don't have any information on things."

Can't conquer? What bullshit was that? The conquerors of the forest were standing right there, though they hadn't killed everything inside either. Many were stronger than them, magnitudes stronger, from the Wyvern to the Harpies.

"So, we can't try it out?" Claude asked.

"Nope, Eternal Dungeons can only be challenged by Gold or above ranked Adventurers, after being approved by the Kingdom. All its rights belong to the kingdom."

Their money…

Their money-making plans…

Was there still hope? Could they sell maps or something? Even if they could, they didn't the shape it held now, they only knew what everything was once they saw it and not after the mist had been completely stopped by them.

Claude was lost in his thoughts when the receptionist spoke up again.

"So, will you be doing this as a party?"

"Yup," Elric answered in a hushed voice.

"What'll be the name, then?"

Claude's ears perked up.

"Ruler of Water and Sidekick!"

"Twilight Lord and Sidekick!"

"You! Behave, sidekick!"

"Shut it, bastard, you are the sidekick!"

"Pfft." The receptionist wheezed and then immediately covered his mouth, but his laugh wasn't suppressed. "What kind of… pfft, ahahah…"

To preserve some of their dignity, Claude and Elric gave up on that kind of name.