Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

As expected of the acknowledged star of the Graystone Town Adventurers’ Guild, many male adventurers would rather wait a little longer just to show their faces in front of that pretty brown-haired girl.

Lance decisively gave up the idea of going over to greet her.

In his previous life, he had been an overworked employee who often stayed late. He could deeply understand that collapsing feeling when it was almost time to get off work, only for a flood of heavy tasks to suddenly arrive.

On the surface, one might still smile at customers, but inside, the urge to smash the stamp onto someone’s face would already be boiling over.

As a friend, it was better not to make things harder for her.

Lance chose a counter at the edge where the queue was relatively shorter.

Although the clerk there was a middle-aged man wearing thick glasses, all the staff were experienced in handling materials. Their verification of proof and reward settlement was extremely efficient.

Soon, it was Lance’s turn.

As Lance poured out an entire bag of blood-stained Goblin ears onto the counter for settlement, Cecilia stood quietly at the side waiting.

“Cecilia!”

The sudden shout made the girl’s body jolt.

Almost reflexively, she immediately raised both hands and tightly grabbed the edge of her hood, afraid that her half-elf ears might be exposed and draw attention.

Only after assuming this defensive posture did she cautiously turn her head toward the source of the voice.

A familiar figure squeezed through the crowd.

It was her roommate, Yuna.

Yuna’s attire today was completely different from what she wore at the academy. She was dressed in a linen short robe cinched at the waist, with a durable leather vest on top.

Her lower body was clad in dark, flexible trousers suitable for movement, and she wore thick-soled leather boots covered in dirt.

This grounded outfit made her blend seamlessly into the surrounding rough adventurers, without any trace of a delicate noble mage.

Yuna had just entered the hall. Even though Cecilia had wrapped herself tightly, she recognized her roommate instantly.

Just as Yuna shouted without thinking, the female adventurer beside her reacted immediately.

She had a tall, sturdy build—at least a head taller than Yuna.

She extended her broad palm and pressed down firmly on Yuna’s head.

Yuna’s loud voice was abruptly forced back into her throat.

Valeria turned to quickly give a few instructions to the nearby team members—roughly telling them to head to the front desk to process the mission items—while she personally brought Yuna over.

Yuna was like a chick being carried by the neck by an eagle as she was brought to Cecilia’s side.

The strong female adventurer wore a look of clear apology.

“Hello, I’m Valeria, Yuna’s internship mentor.”

As she spoke, she applied a bit more pressure to the back of Yuna’s head.

“Yuna, apologize to your classmate.”

Lance, who was busy pouring out the bloody Goblin ears at the counter, casually glanced over when he heard the commotion.

Seeing that the newcomer seemed to be someone Cecilia knew from the academy, he withdrew his gaze.

Yuna, meanwhile, was completely confused, her mind full of question marks, not knowing what she had done wrong.

But she held great respect—and fear—for this strict mentor.

She immediately followed the force pressing on her head and bowed deeply toward Cecilia.

“Cecilia, I’m sorry.”

Cecilia was startled by the sudden formal apology.

She hurriedly reached out to hold Yuna’s arms, lifting her up while repeatedly saying it was fine.

Valeria looked at the girl wrapped in a dark cloak and explained the reason.

“Since your classmate chose to wear a cloak that conceals her appearance, it means she absolutely doesn’t want her identity exposed in public.”

“This is a place where all sorts of people gather. Calling out her name loudly like that could attract the attention of criminal forces lurking in the shadows and bring her trouble.”

Hearing this stern reprimand, Yuna finally came to her senses.

She realized just how foolish and dangerous her behavior had been.

A wave of guilt surged through her, and she quickly bowed repeatedly toward Cecilia again, with exaggerated movements.

Cecilia, already holding her arms, was nearly pulled down to the ground by Yuna’s motions.

While the two girls fumbled awkwardly—

Valeria’s gaze passed over them and landed on Lance, who was settling his commission.

With her keen perception, she immediately noticed something unusual among the pile of loot.

A pair of thick fangs.

A Hobgoblin!

Valeria was surprised and couldn’t help but look at the hooded man more closely.

This was too abnormal.

As a professional, she could not sense any class-granted title from him.

And judging from the aura emanating from him, he hadn’t even crossed the threshold of becoming a professional.

How could a newcomer without any Professional Rank bonuses possibly kill a Hobgoblin with such high Constitution on his own?

Driven by strong curiosity, Valeria unconsciously activated the observation skill she had mastered.

A faint blue light flickered deep within her pupils.

Then she saw a shocking scene that made her scalp tingle.

In her special vision, the surrounding aether elements floating in the air were being drawn toward the man’s lungs like iron filings to a magnet.

And those aether particles weren’t simply inhaled—they were violently ignited the moment they entered his lungs.

“How is this possible?”

Valeria found it hard to believe.

Maintaining a constant Breathing Technique in the state of an unclassed individual—

only those who had truly stepped into the realm of professionals could understand just how terrifying this sight was.

This touched upon one of the Legacy exploration hypotheses proposed by the genius scholar Hermann of the Church of Truth.

Over his lifetime, Hermann had proposed more than three hundred Legacy hypotheses, of which twenty-eight had already been proven by later explorers at the cost of their lives.

In this world, whenever any brand-new Legacy was triggered by a mortal for the first time,

the great bell atop the sacred mountain in the Radiant Capital Elcadia would toll with a thunderous roar that echoed through the skies.

That Legacy would then be recorded in history and transformed into a bestowed power.

Among Hermann’s hypotheses was one that stated:

Before reaching the Professional Rank, if one could maintain a Breathing Technique continuously for twenty-four hours a day over thirty days, a brand-new Legacy would be triggered.