Adventurer's Guild [2]

Alex had precisely 7 minutes and 47 seconds remaining on the timer. In that time, he needed to both defeat the massive golem and protect himself from harm.

The Foundation Building Potion, coupled with his daily training, had significantly enhanced his strength and stamina.

However, the challenge of defeating the colossal golem before him was proving to be quite the hurdle. Simply swinging his sword with brute force wasn't yielding any significant advantage.

Over the past few days, Alex had honed his sword skills through his personal training, but without proper guidance, he was struggling to utilize his newfound strength effectively.

His movements were predictable, and the golem's relentless attacks left him with no choice but to dodge instead of block.

'I need to come up with a plan, and I need it fast.' Alex thought.

After some quick thinking, he devised a simple yet clever strategy. With his superior speed compared to the golem, he swiftly moved and began attacking the golem's legs from all sides, employing a hit-and-run tactic. He struck with full force on one side of the golem's leg and then swiftly circled to its back.

The golem's slower reflexes and massive frame made it slow to turn and face Alex. He capitalized on this delay by attacking the same spot from behind and moving to its front as it turned back to confront him.

It resembled a cat-and-mouse chase, except that the "cat" was the size of an elephant.

After nearly five minutes of this relentless assault, Alex finally managed to severely damage one of the golem's legs.

With one final strike, he caused it to collapse, rendering the golem immobile except for limited movements within a confined range.

[Time Remaining: 03:19 minutes]

Alex glanced at the timer and immediately turned his attention to the golem's remaining leg. This time, attacking was much easier since the golem couldn't move, only feebly attempting to defend itself.

It took less than half the time it had taken for the previous leg. With a resounding thud, the golem fell face-first to the ground, a portion of its face breaking upon impact.

'Is it over?' Alex wondered, but the timer continued to count down, giving no indication that the test was complete. It meant the golem had yet to be defeated.

Exhausted and drained, Alex summoned the last of his strength. With heavy breaths and stiff movements, he relentlessly slashed and pierced the golem's unresponsive head.

With only 12 seconds left on the timer, the golem's head was destroyed, and the timer finally stopped.

'Finally, I did it!' Alex collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath as he attempted to regain his strength.

The same receptionist soon entered the room and congratulated him on completing the test.

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After taking some time to rest and gather his strength, Alex returned to the receptionist at her desk.

During the practical test, Alex had become acutely aware of his shortcomings. He lacked technique and skill, relying on brute force when wielding his sword. The need for a proper guide or instructor to teach him swordsmanship became evident. However, he decided to set this issue aside for the moment and focus on his primary goal.

"Sir, will there be a sponsor for you, or are you affiliated with any adventurer's party?" the receptionist inquired.

"Sponsor? Party? Can you please elaborate on what these terms mean?" Alex asked.

"Of course, sir. A sponsor is a person or group that provides funding and support to adventurers by supplying them with all the necessary equipment, potions, money, and various other resources and services. In return, they receive the fame and recognition that the adventurer earns when they accomplish something. An adventurer's party is essentially a group of adventurers who band together to complete quests."

"No, I don't have a sponsor, nor am I affiliated with any adventurer's party. Is there anything else I need to do?" Alex inquired.

"Yes, there is one more step. We need you to review this contract and sign it to confirm that you have read and accepted the rules and guidelines of the Adventurer's Guild."

The receptionist handed Alex a thick contract containing the rules and guidelines.

The rules covered topics such as guild members acting in the guild's best interest and refraining from harming fellow guild members or their belongings. The guidelines outlined the structure and operation of the guild.

It took Alex about half an hour to carefully review the entire contract before he signed it.

The receptionist then handed him his Adventurer's Guild license. "Here you go, sir. Your license."

"Thank you for all your assistance, miss." Alex expressed his gratitude.

The card displayed Alex's photo and essential personal information.

[Name: Alex Blanc]

[ID: 620820DS02]

[Age: 16]

[Class: Swordsman]

[Adventurer Rank: F]

"Um, one more thing." Alex inquired after accepting his license, "where can I find quests and missions?"

"Sir, you have a couple of options." the receptionist replied. "You can head over to one of the booths over there and insert your card into the system to browse available missions and other details. Alternatively, you can check the mission board over there for quests that match your rank. I recommend visiting the booth, especially if you're new here, as the board usually has urgent or group quests posted."

The receptionist, accustomed to assisting new adventurers, didn't mind Alex's inquiries and was happy to provide guidance. After all, helping adventurers was her primary responsibility.

Once again, Alex expressed his gratitude to the receptionist for her advice and assistance and made his way to the booth where he could access the available quests.

Alex, originally hailing from modern Earth, found operating the device fairly straightforward in this world, where magic and technology seamlessly intertwined.

'Hmm, this feels like I'm using an ATM machine or something.' he thought.

Inserting his card, the device promptly displayed his profile, complete with details about the number of quests he had undertaken, those in progress, and the ones he had successfully completed, along with other basic information.

To his surprise, the card also functioned as a money card, connected to his bank account, allowing him to access funds received from the Adventurer's Guild.

Navigating through the interface, Alex examined the available quests suitable for his current rank. He couldn't help but sigh, "Half of the quests outside the city seem to involve herb collection. Well, there's this one, I can handle it."

Alex was limited to selecting two quests simultaneously. So, he chose an open quest focused on gathering medicinal herbs and another one that involved hunting three horned rabbits for their materials.

Before departing, he also purchased a monster encyclopedia from the guild. It would aid him in studying and identifying the creatures he might encounter outside the city.

With everything in order, Alex made his way toward the city walls.

The journey wasn't long, and he soon beheld the towering fortifications encircling the city, serving as a protective barrier against potential monster invasions.

This marked the first time in his life that Alex would venture beyond the city's boundaries, and he was filled with eager anticipation for the adventure that lay ahead.