The Blazing Blacksmiths (1)

We were in the elevator, heading to the inn's entrance. Glasluk and Mary had exchanged greetings, but the atmosphere had been silent ever since.

Although I had never thought it would come down to this, I had to do it.

Caligo! Are you there?

<Is this about changing the information on the ID?>

Yes! What should I even do? My current level, as a newbie, may draw attention toward me.

<Hah! Is it the level you are worried about? Don't worry about it! If the detection skill they use is a C grade or lower, I'll be able to manipulate it.>

What if it isn't?

<Kekekeke…. Then good luck!>

Shit! I shouldn't have contacted him in the first place.

Now that I think about it, I didn't know how grades worked for skills and items.

"Excuse me, can you please tell me about grades?" I asked as I tapped Margaret's shoulder.

Margaret turned towards me and replied, "Well, it's pretty basic. E-Grade is the lowest, while SSS-Grade is the highest."

How was that possible? I had a Mythic-Grade skill too. She probably left it out intentionally, thinking that a newbie like me wouldn't need to know about it. Well, it was understandable.

"What is the average level of a newbie who enters the Tower for the first time?" I inquired.

"It's around three. But there are exceptions too. Some are level six or seven. Although there are some rumours that some centuries ago, a certain man was around level fourteen after only completing the tutorial. That's almost impossible, wolves don't even give that many experience points. But, according to the rumour, he alone had killed almost half the wolves in the tutorial, all alone." she replied.

The highest level was thirteen? I was a level ten! It would be terrible if I attracted any attention due to my level.

Finally, the doors opened, and the bustling restaurant could be seen. Margaret showed me to a table before she went into the elevator room again. It looked like the elevator was the only way to access all the rooms and the kitchen.

Soon, she came out with a dish in her hand. I wonder what delicacy I will get to eat today!

"Please enjoy today's special, bread and butter!" Margaret said excitedly.

What? Bread and butter? Well, I guess I could eat that too.

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After breakfasting and drinking some tea, Margaret beckoned me to follow her as she went towards the inn's entrance. Obediently, I followed her outside.

The light was extraordinarily dazzling.

The scent I encountered as soon as I stepped outside was the aroma of lush trees and greenery.

The street in front of the inn was filled with people who moved to and fro. Probably because I was tired yesterday, I hadn't noticed the beauty of the streets and the buildings.

The weather was delightful. Although the sun beamed brightly over our heads, I didn't feel too hot. On the contrary, it was a pleasant kind of warmth.

Most of the buildings surrounding the inn were shops that were at most two stories tall. This place gave off a strong feeling of the medieval era.

I followed the waitress, trying my best to not lose sight of her in the crowd. The loud shouting of traders selling their wares could be clearly heard everywhere.

"D-Grade stamina recovery potion!!! Only for fifteen gold!" shouted a trader.

"E-Grade sharp sword for only four gold!!" shouted another trader.

"D-Grade dagger for only twenty gold!!" shouted another seller.

The difference in value based on grades was quite substantial.

At last, after a fifteen-minute walk, the waitress and I were standing in front of a huge, ten-story building.

A huge banner hung from its roof, which read: 'Golden Guards Branch Office'.

"Is this the place?" I inquired.

"Yup! If you issue an ID from here, most settlements in the Tower will allow you to enter without any conditions," she replied. Looks like this guild had a certain influence over the entire Tower.

Should I just ask Saroth to provide me with a 'letter of recommendation'? Well, I came this far anyway; I might as well get a proper ID.

The entire building was made of glass, just like a corporate office that could be found on Earth. In front of the building stood two guards. They wore white armour suits covering their entire bodies, just like the guards at the city's front gate.

Without asking us any questions, they allowed us to go inside. Well, it made sense since many newbies come to this place to get their IDs.

As soon as I entered the hall, I felt a comfortable chill. Was this a centralised air conditioner? I had thought the Tower to be primitive in its technology, but, luckily, that doesn't seem to be the case.

At the centre of the room was a reception desk, and a huge staircase led up from the left corner of the hall. The hall was filled with people who chattered amongst themselves.

I followed Margaret, who stopped in front of the reception desk.

"Hey there, Margaret! What brings you here?" asked the young man who stood behind the reception desk.

He wore white pants and a white single-breasted coat that reached just below his knees. Some golden stripes could be seen on his coat. What looked like an ID card hung from his neck.

"I am currently assisting him," the waitress said, pointing toward me, "He'd like to get an ID today."

"You, assisting a greenhorn… how interesting. Please head to the fourth floor, and show them this," the man said as he wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to the red-haired woman.

Margaret thanked the man and, gestured for me to follow her as she headed towards the elevator at the corner of the room.

She pressed the button, calling the elevator. Soon, we got on the elevator and headed to the fourth floor.

"Today is an especially crowded day. Maybe because so many new players arrived yesterday," the waitress said as she surveyed the fourth floor.

The fourth floor was very crowded. People ran from one place to another, and long lines were formed in front of some doors.

Margaret led the way and stood in front of the reception desk on the fourth floor.

"Why are you here?" asked the irritated voice of a middle-aged woman.

Without replying, Margaret gave her the slip given by the man on the first floor.

"Hah! Helping a newbie; Looks like your standing has deteriorated quite a bit," the woman said scornfully. Although I didn't know this woman, her scorn irked me quite a bit.

"You don't need to worry about me. Just do your job," the red-hair calmly replied. It looks like Margaret knew everyone. It was fortunate that she was helping me.

Mumbling, the receptionist punched a ticket and gave it to me. It read: '902'.

Looks like it was a token to get an ID.

"Go and join that line," the middle-aged woman said as she pointed towards a line in front of a door.

Obediently, I joined the back of the line, with Margaret beside me.

"Allow me to take my leave. I'll be waiting outside the building by the time you return," Margaret said as she offered me a slight bow.

"Sure," I replied. It looked like I'd be waiting in this line for quite a long time. No need to drag her into this too.

Thanking me, the waitress went away.

Thus began my most dreaded fear. Waiting in a queue for hours.

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Around two hours had passed since Margaret went away. I finally, had reached the front of the line.

"Token!" The man in front of the door ordered as he brought his open palm towards me.

I gave him the token the receptionist had given me. After punching the token, he threw it in a box beside him and opened the door, allowing me to enter.

Behind the door was a bright white room. A man stood in the centre with something that looked like a crystal ball, on top of a stand in front of him. The crystal ball was connected to myriad wires from a giant monitor.

Many objects, which I couldn't even begin to describe, were kept in the room.

The man wore the same dress as the receptionists. The only difference was that his white coat had blue stripes instead of golden ones.

"Please press your hand firmly on this," the man ordered as he gestured towards the crystal ball.

**********

Detection Ball(A)

It reads the status screen and detects the accurate name and level of the user.

**********

It was an A-Grade item. Looks like Caligo won't be able to do anything.

Let's hope that level ten is not too high for a newbie.

I kept my hand on the crystal ball. As soon as my hand touched the ball, a strange warmth could be felt.

[An A-Grade detection object is trying to read your status screen!]

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head and eyes. What was this?

[The detection is being countered by the Skill: 'Librarian's Eyes']

[Due to the low proficiency of the user, the detection skill was unable to be nullified!]

What was this? Why did my skill activate all of a sudden?

[Although the detection can be nullified, it can be manipulated. Would you like to manipulate the result of this detection skill?]

Yes! Lower my level that will be shown.

It was the only reply I could give right now. The man walked towards the screen. After pressing a few buttons, he came out with an ID card.

"Congratulations on receiving your ID, Mr Nox Mill! Your current level is four! But, don't worry, your ID is linked to you. It will automatically increase the level it displays, when your level increases," the man said as he gave me the ID.

Level four? That was great! Now I didn't need to worry about getting exposed. But I worried so much about it; I don't even know if it would have been a problem if my actual level had come up. I guess I was just too much of an overthinker.

But why did my skill activate now and not when the guard used his detection skill on me? Was it because my proficiency had slightly increased compared to then?

Anyway, I finally got my ID.