Adventurer Ranks

"Would Flying Blade work?"

"Yes. There are targets at the training grounds out back. If you don't want to go, I can use the [Appraisal] skill instead." The receptionist tilted her head, her long hair falling across the counter. She rather hoped this child would turn around and leave.

Six, or maybe seven? In any case, there had never been an adventurer this young.

"Let's go to the back." After thinking it over, Mel Carlo decided the training grounds would be better.

If all the skills he knew were appraised, that would bring him serious trouble. He had learned from Miss Kate that very few people, like him, learned skills from different professions.

Generally speaking, being able to master one skill was already impressive. A Level 15 swordsman could learn class skills such as Triple Slash, Cross Slash, and Twin Moon Slash, but Kate had only learned Cross Slash. After all, a person's lifetime was limited, and it was difficult to become proficient in every skill.

The same went for additional skills like Sword Sweep and Sword Dance. Since they were not main-class skills, most adventurers could only learn them if they had enough energy to spare. It was much like skill points in games: since skill points were limited, so were the skills one could invest in.

In this real alternate world, those skill points were like a person's time.

Mel Carlo only needed to perform an action ten times to learn a skill, and ten thousand times to master one completely. But some skills still consumed a great deal of time because his mana could not keep up. He had calculated the training time for Steal before: even if he did nothing else and practiced ten times a day, it would still take three years.

Now that he was alone, he also had to consider making a living and other matters. That doubled the time needed, meaning he could only practice five times a day.

Led by the guild receptionist, Mel Carlo arrived at the training grounds behind the guild. There was no one else there. In such cold weather, no one enjoyed training out in the open.

"All right, please demonstrate your skill for me. Use that target ten meters away." The receptionist pointed at a target in the middle of the field.

Ten meters was neither particularly close nor particularly far. Without good accuracy, it would probably be difficult to hit.

"Okay." Mel Carlo drew his dagger and activated the [Flying Blade] skill in an instant.

The dagger tore through the air and pierced straight through the bullseye in a flash.

The receptionist had not even realized what had happened. She had not been paying close attention just now, and the child before her had not made any aiming motion. The moment he raised his hand, the target was pierced through.

"How did you do that?"

"Flying Blade. Didn't I say I was going to demonstrate that skill?"

"That's true. I'm so scatterbrained. Sorry, I didn't see it clearly just now. Could you demonstrate it again?" The receptionist hurriedly apologized.

She found it hard to believe that a child possessed such ability. It had been too fast, too accurate, and had impressive penetrating power. Even some veteran guild adventurers might not have such skill.

"But I only have one dagger. Can I retrieve it first?" Mel Carlo stated his difficulty.

He could use the skill again, but he had no other throwing weapons in hand.

"Use my dagger." The guild receptionist lifted her heavy long skirt, revealing a leather strap tied around her thigh with a dagger secured to it.

Mel Carlo accepted the dagger, still warm from her thigh, and instantly used the [Flying Blade] skill again.

This time, the receptionist saw it clearly. It truly was the thief-class [Flying Blade] skill. To reach such a level at such a young age—could this child's father be some remarkable assassin?

An ordinary petty thief could never reach such a level.

"May I register as an adventurer now?"

"Yes, I can register you first. However, your adventurer rank can only be assessed after you complete a mission. Let me explain..."

Adventurer Ranks:

Bronze (Levels 1–5): Beginners who can only take simple missions, such as gathering herbs, collecting Slime mucus, or helping people find pets.

Black Iron (Levels 6–15): Still novices. They can handle low-level monsters like goblins, but must remain careful when facing large numbers of monsters.

Silver (Levels 16–30): Somewhat experienced. They can handle stronger monsters such as Goblin Priests or trolls, accept missions to destroy monster nests, and enter some low-difficulty underground fortresses.

Gold (Levels 31–49): The backbone of adventurers. They can deal with monsters such as Minotaurs and explore dangerous dungeons.

Platinum (Levels 50–69): Rare experts. Adventurers who reach this level could already be considered strong. They faced powerful monsters, and in a party, they could kill Sub-dragon species.

Hall of Fame (Levels 70–89): Rare masters. Adventurers at this level could easily find stable, high-paying work, because they could already face Sub-dragon species alone.

Legendary Class (Level 90 and above): Legends. As the name implied, these were adventurers who existed only in legends. Other than Apostles, it was probably difficult for any adventurer to approach this level.

Mel Carlo patiently listened as the guild receptionist finished explaining the adventurer rank system. There were strict restrictions on the missions adventurers could accept, meant to keep reckless fools from losing their lives.

"In short, once you complete your first mission, you can come to the guild and receive a Bronze badge to prove your identity. The badge will record your basic information. For now, come with me and fill out the form so I can complete your adventurer registration." The receptionist's attitude had changed drastically. This was not a reckless child, but a genius with exceptional talent.

Retrieve the dagger.

The two returned to the guild hall. The onlookers, who had been waiting expectantly, did not hear the rebuke they had anticipated. The child had not been thrown out. He was not here to cause trouble.

And was this child registering as an adventurer?

"Um, Miss Ainoor, is it really all right to register someone so young?" A man stood up angrily.

Even if the guild wanted to make money, it could offer better rewards to attract capable adventurers. There was no need to register even a child!

The adults had not all died out. Why would Oak City need a child to clear out monsters?

The other adventurers who had been drinking also stopped and looked toward the front desk. If they really did this, the Adventurer's Guild would be going too far.

"Please calm down, everyone. This child has the ability to become an adventurer. I have already verified it! I will explain everything afterward. Please trust me." The guild receptionist's tone was extremely serious, but she still could not dispel everyone's doubts.

After all, who would believe that such a small child possessed the strength to fight monsters?

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