Chapter 44: Registration

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Registration

’If this guy were on my team, I’d feel incredibly safe,’ Hesia thought. ’He looks like he could punch a goblin into the ground and plant it like a radish. Maybe he has some giant or beastman blood?’

Unfortunately, a full-face helmet hid his features, making it impossible to see what he looked like.

Perhaps because Hesia had been staring for a moment too long, the "Iron Tower" suddenly turned his head. It felt as if two invisible beams of sight shot out from the eye slits of his menacing helmet, landing directly on Hesia.

Hesia’s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm expression and offered the man a friendly nod and smile.

He figured that with such a striking appearance and obvious power, drawing stares on the street must be a common occurrence for the man.

A voice called out from not far away.

"Zande, the quest is confirmed. Let’s go."

The steel giant, addressed as "Zande," retracted his gaze. He walked toward the door with heavy steps, and the ground seemed to tremble slightly with the clang of his armor.

Hesia shook the various speculations from his mind and approached the counter.

Someone was at the window on the right, but the one on the left was free.

Behind the counter sat a young woman with neat, short hair. She had delicate features and a disarmingly friendly aura.

When she saw Hesia approach, a flicker of surprise lit up her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a professional, friendly smile.

"Good day, sir. I’m Clara, a receptionist. How may I help you?"

"Hello, I’d like to register as an Adventurer," Hesia said.

"Okay, Adventurer registration." The receptionist, Clara, expertly picked up a form and a quill. "Do you have an official certification for a Profession from any of the associations?"

Hesia shook his head. "I don’t."

"I see," Clara said, unsurprised. Many newcomers were in the same boat. "In that case, would you like me to arrange a strength assessment test?

If you’re confident in your abilities, you’ll be assigned an initial Adventurer rank based on the test results.

The highest you can start is Silver Tier Five, which also waives the registration fee. Otherwise, you’ll begin at the lowest rank, Black Iron Tier Five."

’This must be the test Annis mentioned,’ he thought.

’But my own power level is only 9. I probably won’t get a good result if I take the test.’

"How much is the registration fee?" he asked to confirm.

"One Silver Scale."

Hesia decisively took a Silver Scale from his Money Bag and placed it on the counter. "No test necessary. Please just register me directly."

Clara nodded, not asking any more questions, and began to write in the registry before her. "Okay. May I have your name, please?"

"Galen." Hesia once again used his temporary identity.

"Galen..." the young woman recorded, then asked conversationally, "And what is your professional focus? A Warrior?"

Hesia paused. ’Does that name really sound so much like a Warrior’s?’ he wondered.

Seeing Hesia hesitate, Clara’s gaze fell on Bruce by his feet, and she quickly changed her guess. "Oh, my apologies. A Ranger?"

Hesia quickly asked, "Excuse me, what exactly do you mean by ’professional focus’?"

"Oh, that," Clara explained patiently. "It just refers to which school of skills you’re primarily studying and proficient in before you’ve earned an official certification for a Profession.

We record it mainly to help the system recommend suitable quests for you, and to make it easier for parties recruiting teammates to screen candidates.

Of course, if you’re already an Official Professional, you can just write down the name of your Profession."

Hesia understood. It was like a classification for a "pre-profession."

He thought for a moment, then replied, "Mage."

"Mage?"

Clara looked up, her expression clearly surprised.

She studied Hesia again. He was young, plainly dressed, and wasn’t carrying a Magic Wand or wearing a Magic Robe. Plus, he had a dog with him... The combination was certainly a far cry from the public’s image of a Mage Apprentice.

Seeming to realize her lack of composure, she quickly offered an apologetic smile. "My apologies, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just... it’s quite rare for Casters to register as Adventurers here in Rose Town."

Hesia nodded, indicating he understood.

He already knew why.

Take Mages, for example. Low-level ones lack effective self-preservation skills and stamina for sustained combat, making them heavily reliant on their teammates for protection.

He recalled when Print fought the goblins; if the Guards hadn’t been holding the front line, his meager Earth Spike Technique would have been practically useless. The time in the mine only worked because the goblin was chained and couldn’t move.

Besides, another important reason was that many people with a talent for spellcasting came from well-to-do families or were recruited by mage organizations at a young age. They had no need to start as low-level Adventurers, a high-risk profession with unstable rewards.

"It’s fine."

"All right. Your registration is complete," Clara said, taking a smooth, unadorned black metal badge from under the counter.

She placed the badge on a Rune-inlaid stone slab on the counter and lightly tapped another spot beside it with her fingertip.

A few faint lights flickered across the back of the badge, and characters swiftly took shape as if seared on by an invisible blade.

She picked up the badge and handed it to Hesia. "This is your Adventurer’s Badge. Please keep it safe."

"Congratulations on officially becoming an Adventurer, Mr. Galen."

As she said this, the short-haired young woman gave Hesia a few more looks, finding him increasingly pleasant to look at.

"Thank you."

Hesia accepted the badge.

It was a hard, black metal badge that felt slightly heavy in his hand.

The front of the badge bore the guild’s emblem: a frost-flower on a burning Iron Crown. Next to it was a small Roman numeral "V," representing his current rank of Black Iron Tier Five.

He flipped the badge over. On the back, engraved in simple Common Language, was the name he had just registered—

Galen.

After completing his registration, Hesia pinned on the Black Iron badge that signified his new identity and led Bruce toward a massive bulletin board on one side of the hall.

The board was made of heavy wooden planks pieced together and was densely covered with quest notices written on all sorts of parchment.

Following the standards established by the Vilan Clan, the quests were clearly divided into sections that corresponded with Adventurer ranks: Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, and so on.

The parchment color and border decorations of the quest notices also varied by rank, allowing Adventurers to find suitable tasks at a glance.

Guild regulations stipulated that Adventurers could generally only accept quests at or below their own rank.

Hesia’s gaze first swept carefully over the Black Iron section.

"[Find Item]: Looking for a lost pet cat, ’Patches.’ Note: Calico, white tip on her tail, lost near the marketplace, very fat. Reward: 30 copper nails."

"[Escort]: Escort a batch of ale to the mill on the west side of town. Journey time: half an hour. Reward: 50 copper nails."

"[Odd Job]: Help a stonemason move goods. Payment per item. No Stalkers (the last one was a lazy slacker)."

"[Help Wanted]: Old John’s barn roof needs repairs. Lunch provided, pay negotiable."