Congratulations, Mr. Raven

Nia casually set the thing on a cluttered table, then raised a hand to rub the dust from her face. Her once-exquisite makeup immediately turned her into a little tabby cat.

"What is this?"

Lance leaned closer and asked curiously.

At the Adventurers' Guild, newcomers usually had several established ways to register.

The most common was to be guaranteed and recommended by a high-ranking adventurer, or to directly find a qualified instructor for testing and obtain proof of eligibility.

Lance did not know any high-ranking adventurers, so he could only choose the latter.

He had originally explained his requirements to Nia: keep it low-profile, low-profile, and low-profile.

He had meant for her to introduce him to an instructor who was tight-lipped and trustworthy.

After all, he had heard plenty of stories about shady dealings. Some newcomers got lucky in dungeons and found rare materials, only for the instructor responsible for their test to sell their information. In the end, they were murdered and robbed of their treasure.

For adventurers at the bottom, finding someone trustworthy was crucial.

Many guild receptionists had their own relevant connections, and Nia was no exception.

But Lance had never expected that, after hearing his requirements, Nia would dig out such an antique.

"This is Aredia's Ember."

Nia dusted off her hands and said it casually.

Hearing that name, Lance froze.

Of course he had heard of it.

But it should not have been the name of an object. It was a fairy tale known throughout the world.

Legend said that, long, long ago, the world had suddenly fallen into eternal darkness.

Desperate people hid in cold, damp caves, trembling like frightened beasts.

Until a young boy stepped forward.

He slung a pack over his back and told those whose eyes had lost their light:

"The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. As long as I keep walking west to find the lost sun, I can bring hope back."

Yet when he truly entered that boundless wasteland, he quickly lost his way in the darkness.

Then the goddess Aredia descended.

She placed an unlit lantern in the boy's hands.

"Carry it. It will guide you through this darkness and help you find tomorrow."

The boy gripped the lantern tightly and looked at its lifeless wick in confusion. "But it has no light. I can't see the road ahead."

Aredia merely smiled at him.

"This flame does not burn wood. It burns courage."

"It is not because you see the light that you find the direction to move forward. It is when you take that step that the light appears."

The boy only half understood.

But he still gathered his courage and took his first step into the unknown darkness.

A miracle happened.

The stone inside the lantern truly lit up with a faint red glow, illuminating only the small patch of ground beneath his feet.

As his steps became firmer, the light grew hotter.

When he finally stopped hesitating and ran boldly through the darkness, the ember in his hand became a blazing fire that tore through the endless night.

That was the world's first dawn.

And that boy became the world's first hero.

The fairy tale ended like this:

[So, children, do not fear being unable to see the future]

[As long as you dare to walk forward, the light is in your hands]

"So... the fairy tale was actually real?"

Lance stared at the dusty base on the table, his eyes full of astonishment.

Just as he was immersed in that epic romance,

Nia gave him a strange look from beside him and mercilessly dumped cold water over him.

"What are you thinking?"

"Of course the fairy tale is fake."

She explained.

"This is a standard-issue item that headquarters distributes whenever an Adventurers' Guild branch is established in a region. It is specifically used to test whether newcomers qualify for registration."

"Its function is actually simple. It can sense the user's strength."

"As long as you possess a combat skill at the proficient level, it is enough to trigger its faintest red light."

Sense strength? What kind of magical high-tech nonsense was that?

Lance grumbled to himself.

Nia pointed at the base.

"Just like the fairy tale says, once you make up your mind, this light symbolizes that you have the courage to take the first step."

"Then why..."

Lance had been about to ask why the guild still went through the trouble of promoting manual tests when it had such a convenient and objective tool.

But before he could finish, the answer flashed through his mind like lightning.

It was because of the instructors.

"Looks like you've already guessed it."

Nia shrugged and spoke somewhat helplessly.

"From the very beginning of the Adventurers' Guild, it needed a way to provide for veteran adventurers who had rendered service but were forced to retire due to injury or illness."

"The guild specifically established the instructor certification system, allowing them to assess and recommend newcomers, thereby ensuring they had a source of income in their old age."

"It has already formed a fixed chain of interests."

"So later on, although Aredia's Ember continued to be distributed as usual, it was basically just thrown into storage to gather dust."

At that, Nia winked at Lance.

"When I heard your requirements earlier, I remembered this thing. It can perfectly avoid everyone and suits your strange obsession with keeping things quiet."

"Come on, give it a try."

Nia pushed the base in front of Lance. Then, like a kitten lying in wait for prey, she gripped the edge of the table with both hands, rested her chin on the backs of them, and stared unblinkingly at the stone.

Lance took a deep breath and extended his right hand, gently laying his palm over the translucent mineral.

It did not feel as cold as a mineral should. Instead, it carried a gentle warmth.

The next second,

Nia's cherry-red lips parted slightly as she stared at the sight before her in surprise.

Threads of orange-red light suddenly flared within the previously dim stone.

The glow was not dazzling, but it brimmed with vigorous life, like charcoal rekindled by a cold wind.

"It lit up..."

Nia looked at the steady glow.

"You really meet the standard."

Although Lance had spoken with complete confidence earlier, seeing the result with her own eyes still felt unbelievable to Nia.

After her brief surprise, an exceptionally radiant smile bloomed across her face. She was sincerely happy for Lance.

"Looks like I'll have to call you Mr. Adventurer from now on."

She quickly put the item back into the depths of the cabinet, then took out an adventurer registration form from her shoulder bag and began filling it out in swift strokes.

In the "Method of Testing" field, she solemnly wrote [Aredia's Ember].

"What should I put in the adventurer name field? Should I still write Lance?"

Nia looked up, her quill hovering above the parchment as she reminded him seriously:

"Although the guild's internal records must use your real name, I suggest you choose an alias for public display."

Lance nodded in wholehearted agreement.

He understood that principle all too well.

He absolutely needed an alternate identity, and it had to be wrapped up tight.

He thought of the talents he possessed, all of which came from Norse mythology.

"Call me Raven."

In Norse mythology, ravens were not only Odin's eyes and ears, but also symbols of messengers.

The original owner of this body had helped adventurers write letters, while Lance himself had delivered notices of death in battle when he worked as a copyist.

There could not have been a more fitting alias.

"Raven?"

Nia tilted her head and repeated it, then smiled.

"It does sound quite fitting for someone as low-key as you."

In the "Name" field, she neatly wrote those two words.

"Ta-da!"

Nia held the two corners of the form and raised it before Lance like a certificate, her smile blooming like a flower.

"Congratulations, Mr. Raven. From this moment on, you are a true..."

"Grrr—grrrrr—"

A sudden, resounding growl of hunger echoed through the quiet storeroom, abruptly cutting off Nia's congratulatory speech.

Nia's smile instantly froze on her face.

It was her stomach protesting.