Chapter 6: Starting the lore

"I will call the participants to have the test in an orderly fashion, starting from the first to apply up to the last one, in this case..." He looked down at a paper that he unfolded from his pant pocket, then he looked up again. "Nouflex! Please come here." 

'Shit, why did it have to be me...' I stood from my seat leaving the other participants back each on his chair as I walked to the center of the cemented platform.

"Your a magic type or a fighter?" He asked in a tone only enough for me to hear.

Remembering the the martial arts experience I got from the system, I quickly replied. "Fighter!"

"Okay, your mana proficiency?" He asked once again, thinking that I was accustomed to this type of things, well, he doesn't know im from another world where mana does not even exist.

"Very bad..." I sounded not sure or confident in myself, which gave him the chance to ask another question, more to himself than to me.

"Humm, I would've guessed that you are from the beast tribe depending on your answers but you do not have a tail or ears..." He observed while placing his fingers on his chin as if to think more efficiently. "Well it doesnt matter anyway, let's start the test. Come at me with the intention of killing, when I say that it is enough you can stop."

I simply nodded my head in understanding. As I faced off against Azazel, I could feel the tension crackling in the air, I was not scared or nervous, I had countless fights during my life, but now it was different, I was on guard the whole time.

After all, I could now clearly sense the subtle hum of mana swirling around him now, ready to be channeled into spells or to bolster his physical abilities, maybe it's because I unlocked mana earlier. His stance was firm, muscles tensed with readiness, just from the way he seemed so relaxed I knew he had countless battles during his life, let's not even talk about the scars visible on his forearms.

We locked our eyes in a fierce exchange of stares for a second, then with a swift movement, I lunged forward, aiming a quick jab towards his midsection. But he effortlessly sidestepped, his movements fluid and precise, not wasting any energy while doing so.

It felt as if I was going to hit him but in the last moment he reacted and evaded the jab. I retracted my jab with quick movement and as I was about the moment about to engage in a low hook towards his liver, he countered with a series of rapid strikes.

I called upon my newfound and advanced fighting experience and swiftness to barely dodge his blows, he was applying mana into his movements making them inhumanly fast even for a higher human version such as myself, although the fighting experience.

I also tried to hook his lips with my index and middle finger in order to try and rip it off, but he was too fast, evading easily every try I did.

Taking a few steps backs in order to have the breath I held during this short confrontation, I had one single thought at the moment. 'I definitely need to master mana or else I will be nothing but a canon fodder.'

Azazel seemed to not agree to give me a room for a break, with a whispered incantation, he unleashed a burst of mana, sending a barrage of debris from the cemented floor as small projectiles hurtling towards me.

Reacting quickly, I ran to the left side circling him with my enhanced speed, avoiding all the projectiles. But what I did not expect was for him to create a small wall to stop me from moving and trap me, and once he blocked my movement he dashed in my direction.

The mana surrounding his body felt denser resulting in an incredible increase in his speed. I could barely keep up with his movement with my eyes, let alone move my body. He reached me in a blur and lifted his hand to deliver a right hook, all I could do was to ready myself for the incoming blow.

But it was never delivered. He actually stopped his fist only a few centimeters before my face, then he collected himself as he started speaking. "I think I have seen enough. You are very talented for your age when it comes to martial-arts and physical abilities, given enough time to master mana you will for sure surpass me..."

Hearing this honest review and praise come from someone leagues above me made me crack a small smile of pride, but his next words were like nails hammered inside my head since they brought me back to the reality of things.

"But now you are weak and cannot even use mana, so your rank will be D. Although it is the worst, it also means you have a enormous room for growth. I expect great things from you Nouflex!" He said with a soft smile as he extended his hand for a shake.

'What a great man he is, Im starting to respect this guys.' I thought in my head.

"Thank you very much Azazel." I shook his hand, and after he let go he continued. "You can wait there again until the tests finish then you will receive your adventurer card and your citizenship for Daloria." 

'At least I know now where I am, this country is called Daloria. I need to remember it, even though I'm bad at remembering names.' I thought while joining my seat, then Azazel announced once again. "Now for the second participant, Ayanokoji! Please come up here."

'I know for a fact if I used my dismantling ability I would've easily won, but Ayanokoji said it's better to lay low and not show my technique since we are still weak to protect myself. As for Koji, he probably will have the same outcome as me if not worse.'

And as I thought we had the same rank, both of us are D rank at the lowest of the echelon. But it's okay, with this system it's only a matter of time before I become the strongest.

The other battles went quite fast, some were fighters like me, while others used elemental magic. But thing they all had in common was their mana usage. Everyone depends on mana in their battle, and no one managed to beat Azazel. The only one who was close to achieving that was a young girl with ice magic. She was the one to push Azazel to his limit but she was still losing the fight tho.

Until he decided it was enough demonstartion and he gave her C rank. The only one with a rank above myself and the others but apparently its very hard to gain strengh and breakthrough rank in the adventurer guild.

Anyways after the whole thing I received my adventurer card as well as my IDs with Koji. And as I got my IDs delivered to me, so did my reward from the generated mission.

[Mission passed: Become an adventurer

 Reward: A rank ability]

I was happy for getting the missions done but I ignored the notification since I still had something to do. We were still in the guild building, so I walked toward the same girl I spoke to earlier, she was spacing out but when she noticed me coming in her direction she quickly collected herwself, and fixed her hair.

"Hey there uhh umm..." I placed my hands on her counter.

"Y-you can call me Sandy." She stutered, unable to hold long eye contact with me.

"Okay Sandy, there is something I wanna know about. What are the best ways to make money and hop up ranks as an adventurer?" I asked.

She once again seemed suprised by question as it was too obvious for people around here, but she quickly dismissed it as she focused on my face with a light blush.

The receptionist's eyes lit up at the same time with enthusiasm as she leaned in slightly, eager to share her knowledge with me. "Ah, climbing the ranks in our esteemed guild is no small feat, but fear not, for I shall guide you through the steps." She began, her voice carrying a hint of excitement.

"Firstly..." She continued, tapping a slender finger on the guild's rulebook resting on the desk. "One must demonstrate exceptional skill and valor in completing quests. The more daring the quest and the greater the challenges overcome, the more recognition you shall receive from our guild."

My gaze remained fixed on hers, and the receptionist couldn't help but feel a surge of confidence. "But that's not all." She added, her voice softening with a touch of excitement. "Building strong connections within the guild is equally vital. Engage with fellow adventurers, offer assistance, and forge alliances. Remember, camaraderie is key to success in our noble profession."

"Lastly and most importantly." She concluded, a smile gracing her lips. "Your reputation is your most valuable asset in our line of work" She began earnestly.

"Imagine it as a currency that precedes you into every tavern, every country, kingdom or village, and every corner of the realm. A sterling reputation opens doors that would otherwise remain firmly shut. It's not merely about completing quests, it's about how you conduct yourself during them, the tales that spread like wildfire among both common folk and seasoned adventurers alike."

She paused, allowing her words to sink in, before continuing with a knowing smile. "A renowned adventurer not only receives the choicest of quests but also earns the trust of those who seek aid. Villagers will turn to you in times of dire need, merchants will offer you their finest wares, and fellow adventurers will flock to your side in pursuit of glory and fortune."

"But beware." She cautioned, her tone turning solemn. "For just as a good reputation can elevate you to unimaginable heights, a tarnished one can cast you into the depths of obscurity. Rumors spread like wildfire, and a single misstep can undo years of hard-earned trust. Integrity, honor, and reliability are the cornerstones upon which a sterling reputation is built."

The receptionist's gaze shifted, her focus now directed towards the practical aspects of the adventurer's life. "Now, when it comes to filling your coin purse, there are several avenues to explore." She began, her voice taking on a more pragmatic tone.

"The most obvious route is through missions and quests." She continued, her fingers tapping lightly on the guild's quest board nearby. "These range from simple escort missions to more perilous dungeon delves, each offering a generous reward upon successful completion. Keep an eye on the board, for new opportunities arise daily, and fortune favors the vigilant."

Her expression grew more serious as she broached the topic of monsters and mana beasts. "Beyond the safety of our kingdoms and countries lie untamed wilderness teeming with creatures both fierce and formidable. Hunting these creatures for their valuable materials can prove to be a lucrative endeavor, you should bring something that proves that you indeed deafet the beaat such as a distinguished body part, and depending on the level of strengh of the monster, you will be rewarded."

She explained, her words tinged with a hint of caution. "But tread carefully." She cautioned, her eyes narrowing with concern. "For the dangers that lurk beyond our borders are not to be underestimated. Many a brave adventurer has fallen prey to the wrath of these beasts, their dreams of wealth and glory dashed upon the unforgiving rocks of the wild."

"Okay, okay I understand. In that case I have a body part from a huge beast I encountered before." I placed my hand in my pocket to reach for the huge wolf ear I cut earlier to show it to the girl.

"Here is it, how much would this go for?" I asked in anticipation. It was a huge and string monster so I should get some good cash with that.

"Let me see that..." She carefuly took the severed ear in her hand examining it closely, then she placed it on a sort of flat stone next to her on the desk. Waiting for a few seconds, she finaly spoke. "Well this is a white furred wolf. it does not have mana so it is pretty easy to deal with. I can give you 2 silver coins for that."

'The fuck? You call that enraged beast easy? If it was not for the Sukuna ability we would've been dead meat!' That's what I wished to say out loud, but there was nothing I can do. She has been nice and respectful also apparently it does not have mana at all soooo... Fair enough.

*Sigh* "Okay then I'll take it." I said while taking the two coins from here. "Well Mary, thank you very much for your time and have a great day." I said while walking away and waving at the receptionist.

"My name was Sandy... Please come back..." She said with a pout and disapointement. Well having a handsome man such as myself not remember your name must suck right? Well im glad im me! 

Well puting the IDs in a same place which is my pockets, I walked to a huge wooden board with pinned papers, each paper is a mission from the gouvernement or personal requests from people facing some sort of problems.

The quests rank vart depending the damnger level, for me the only quests I can accept are D and C rank quests, they dont want newbies to die on their first missions after all. Every one can go on missions on thE same rank or one higher than himself.

D rank missions are just some search missions for lost pets or help with physical activities, these are for the new people without experience or zero knowlege of mana, while C rank missions are for easy monsters extermination, such as slimes, huge farm rats and things like these.

'I would never go for a mission to help a granny find her lost dental prosthesis, that dosent even pay that much. 5 bronze coins? Am I some sort of broke homeless to accept such a mission? Humph!'

'Well techniquely I actualy am but you know that's boring as fuck.

While deciding my mission, a system notification poped in front of my face. By now I already knew what this sound means... A mission!

[Generated Mission: Finish your first guild mission

Reward: B rank ability]

'How convinient, in this case I will accept this!' I thought as I pulled a pinned paper from the board and slammed it on the counter of the same receptionnist.

"Carol! Im going for this mission!" I excitedly annouced to my favorite receptionnist now.

"It's Sandy..." She barely muttered under her breath, which I ironicaly completely missed although my highened senses. "*Sigh* Well a slime extermination mission, a good mission for starting. Great!" She wrote something in her book. I think she confirmed that I am the one to take the mission.

"Okay perfect, here are the details of the missions, good luck out there Nouflex." She handed me a paper with a warm smile.

"Appreciate it Laura!" I dont know why but I could see a thick vein mark appear on her forehead but I just ignored it.

Going out with Ayaokoji, I remembered the mission I had completed and I checked my inventory. "Okay... So I got an A rank ability for becoming an advemturer."

'Open the A rank ability.' I commended in my mind as a new text appeared in front of me.

[A rank ability: Shadow Imitation Technique

 User: Shikamaru Nara

 Anime: Naruto]

"Oh very good very nice!" I expressed. "With this I can do a buch of things, such as trapping my ennemies."

"Did you get something from the system Nouflex-sama?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Yeah, you know, the usual. A new anime ability. Well that dosent really matter. Now we are adventurers and I have already chosen a mission for myself, I will go do it by myself. Im strong enough now to take care of myself so you dont have to worry about me. And while Im out to do the mission I have a task for you." I replied.

"What is it?" Ayanokoji replied indifferently, but I am aware that he is ready to do anything he is about to be ordered. And he had already proved it earlier with the wolf since he wanted to sacrifice his life to save mine.

"Well now we are broke and need money, so here is your mission. While I'm out there completing the question, you will gather some info about mana and the world and also you will... Steal money from people." I shamelessly said with a straigth face.

"For real?" Ayanokoji's expression turned from indifferent to a poker face, or was it just my imagination? No idea, it's hard to read his facial expressions.

"For real!" I shamelessly comfirmed with my hands on my waist.

TO BE CONTINUED --->