Sewer

Kiro walks toward their direction, grabbing the fallen wooden sword on the ground while taking a kendo stance. He does not have any experience in handling a sword, but in their physical fitness, once in a while, there will be a random kendo examination to see if there is any hidden gem beneath the mud.

"Please go easy on me," Kiro said while pointing the wooden sword to the Instructor."Humph, stop babbling, and show me what you got." Instructor Ralph said in annoyance.

*𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘*

Kiro swung his wooden sword hard, while the Instructor blocked his wooden sword with ease."Is that all you got? You are still a tender kid, swing harder!" He said. Kiro was finally irritated by the Instructor's behavior. He did not use his full strength on that swing, but since the Instructor was so eager to see his full blow. Kiro wouldn't be so polite not to reject his offer.

*𝑆𝑤𝑜𝑜𝑠ℎ*

With the strength of Kiro's swing, a piercing sound of wind could be heard. This time the Instructor's expression became severe. Taking the center of his gravity, Instructor Ralph receives Kiro full swing.

"Not bad kid, your way of handling a sword is poor, but you have the strength for it. Come, you don't need to hold back!" Instructor Ralph said while knocking Kiro's sword down. This time Kiro did not hold back. Using his dexterity, Kiro tried to find an opening to strike Instructor Ralph.

*𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 * 𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 * 𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 *

The continuous sound of crashing wood echoed inside the training ground, with his speed as an advantage, Kiro kept hitting the Instructor from a different angle. Still, the way he swung his wooden sword was so predictable. The Instructor casually deflected it.

"Hooh... You seem to be quick, but It was not enough if you want to win!" The Instructor said while he uses his footing charges toward Kiro with his experiences Ralph manages to push Kiro's back.

While deflecting Kiro's swing, Ralph could feel that his hand started to get numb from the backlash, kicking the ground hard he used the weight of his body to smash the wooden hilt to Kiro's rib cage.

"Urgh." Kiro groans in pain. He did not manage to block the assault. With the Instructor's Ralph deflecting his offense at the last moment, Kiro lost his footing.

"Mm, that is enough for the Introduction, I will tell you this, you have the raw strength in you, but the way you handle your sword is so clumsy, but worry not since I'm here I will teach you the right way to handle a sword." The Instructor said while rubbing his numb arm.

"Thanks for the lesson, Instructor Ralph," Kiro said while supporting his footing by stabbing the wooden sword on the ground.

"Haah~ as I told you could talk to me more casually, you never listen, kid." The Instructor swung his wooden sword hard to him.

Kiro did not even manage to scream as he was sent flying off the platform, coincidentally he landed on the youth who was barely breathing.

"Haah... Haah... Are you still alive? My name is Kiro. How about you?" Kiro asked the youth.

"I am fine, I'm called Aldin nice to meet you," Aldin said while trying to get up. "Haa~ I don't know how long I will last with such harsh training like this," Aldin grumbled while staring at Kiro sorry figure.

"By the way, you are the fourth person joining this training course, the other two are not here yet, but they will probably be coming soon."

"Oh, so there are still other two, what kind of person are they?" Kiro asked curiously. He already recovered from the attack of the Instructor.

"Hehe, you are in luck, they are both women, one of them is my childhood friend from the village where I grew up, but we parted ways because of my parent where a peddler, after securing a decent amount we moved here in this town."

"But fate brings us together again, so I will give you an early warning you are not allowed to make a move on Alyva, don't worry the other girl is a beauty too, she is..." Aldin did not manage to finish his words as he saw a two-figure coming closer.

"Instructor Ralph, sorry we are late," Alyva said."Hey, stop slacking around, Aldin."She said while looking at their direction, Alyva eventually noticed Kiro.

"Oh, are you perhaps the new person that's Ms. Rosie talking about?" Alyva said. Glimpsing at Kiro miserable figure, while lying on the cold hard ground. "Yes, I am Kiro nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you Kiro, I am Alyva, there is a rule that we can't talk formally inside the training ground, I hope Kiro doesn't mind if I call you casually," Alyva explained as she tried to introduce the other person behind her back. However, before she could Kiro blurted out the word in surprise.

"Alina?" Kiro said while looking at the familiar figure.

"Yes, It is Alina Mr- err, Kiro." Alina nervously answered while looking at Instructor Ralph; seeing that he was not paying attention to their group Alina was slightly relieved to know it inside.

On her first day, because of her politeness, she suffered the same fate as Kiro, she was beaten up to the point she considered quitting.

"What a coincidence, did you want to join the Guild too?" Kiro asked an obvious question, but he could not help to ask anyway.

"Yes, that is the reason why I am working at the Inn to pay my debt for the admission fee. Since young, it was Alina's dream to join the Guild and become an Adventurer," Alina said.

"Then let's properly Introduce our self once more. Nice to meet you, Alina, I'm Kiro you can just call me Kiro." He said while smiling at Alina.

"Nice to meet you too, Kiro." She said while smiling brightly at him.

"Hey, I am here too, you know." Alyva pouted for being ignored."Ahem, sorry about that. It is my pleasure to meet you Alyva, yes you can just call me Kiro. I don't mind at all." Kiro said while giving a slight cough.

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Standing at the comprehensive platform Instructor Ralph called out.

"It seems that everyone here now knows each other. Then let me repeat the rules once more since there is a new person here. It is appropriate for me to explain it again. The first rule you can't talk formally here, the reason why I want you guys to talk casually was to build up your relationship with each other much better."

"The second rule applied to the first rule, without being close enough to trust each other. Then you better quit here right now, being an Adventurer is not a joke, skills can be learned, power can be attained through hard work but attitude cannot be learned and cannot be attained through hard work. You can fake your attitude, but when dangers come, I bet you are the first person who will abandon your companions."

"Here in this training course, you will not only practice how to defend yourself. But to build up your mental fortitude as well. Remember the trust is the most crucial thing for the Adventurers because they are entrusting their lives to each other. The third rule is how to survive, no matter how dirty the tricks you do, as long as you survive, It is your win. In this course, I will teach you how to survive." Instructor Ralph said while gazing at them.

"So for the first lesson go to the outer wall of the town and ask the patrol there named Gaur and say my name, he will lead you guys to your task," Ralph said. "Go on now. The task is about teamwork, and this will test your collaboration with each other and remember to return after you guys are done with your assigned duty."

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In the outer wall of the town, Kiro and co-manages to locate the patrol called Gaur.

"Nice to meet you all. I am called Gaur." He said while looking at the four youths who are brimming with enthusiasm. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Gaur, we're the one that Instructor Ralph mentioned," Alyva said.

"Hoho, so it is you guys. Okay follow me, I'll lead you guys to the designated place that your Instructor mentioned." Guar snickered. He could not help to blame Instructor Ralph for sending the youths in front of him for their torment, leading them to the underground tunnel of the town.

"Here we are, just like what your Instructor mentioned, you will be cleaning the sewer around this area," Guar said. "Good luck." He didn't want to linger at the place any longer, Guar is already used to seeing fresh recruits from the Guild being baptized from cleaning the sewer, but doesn't mean he was used to hearing their rant every now and then.

Looking at the surrounding area, Kiro and co were speechless. Never did they expect that they would clean a sewer for their first task in their training course. "Hehe... He is just joking, right?" Aldin said in a hoarse voice. "I think he was serious..." Alyva grumbly said.

"You gotta be kidding me, right? I paid one gold coin and 40 silver coins just to clean a sewer!"

"Well, stop babbling and grab that shovel, we are lucky that there is a cart here," Alyva said while looking at the two whose face could not be described. "Kiro, please assist Aldin while I and Alina will be the one who will push the cart outside."

Kiro could only helplessly nod in agreement, but deep inside, he could not help to curse.

'Who said that being an Adventurer is the best choice?' Kiro grumbled inside.

"Haah~ Okay, I just hope we can finish this quickly."

While the two are busy preparing the cart, Kiro grabs a shovel and starts digging the accumulated dirt inside the sewer.

"Hey, Kiro, I did not have a chance to ask earlier, but if you don't mind, can you tell me where did you come from? You have unusual black hair and black eyes. It can only be found In the Empire of Avonmore."

Kiro did not know how to answer his question, and he could not simply tell him that he came from another world.

"Yes, I came from the East Empire of Avonmore, my parents are traveling merchants. Nevertheless, I wanted to be an Adventurer, so that is why I am here,"

While the two were talking, a screeching sound echoed inside the underground sewer.