"That's too much," an adventurer whispered in disbelief, shaking his head at the extraordinary crowd inside the Guild.
"Absolutely, where on earth did all these people come from?" his companion chimed in, his eyes narrowed suspiciously as he observed the group of newcomers filling almost the entire hall.
At the entrance of the bustling Adventurers' Guild, Momonga, disguised as a mysterious dark warrior, and the elegant yet cold battle maid Narberal Gamma, were about to step inside to accept their first adventure commission in this city. However, their steps halted momentarily as they heard the astonished whispers of an adventure team just exiting the building.
What exactly is going on inside? Momonga wondered in his mind, a sense of curiosity mixed with a hint of unease beginning to creep into his thoughts.
With the same question swirling in his mind, Momonga stepped into the main hall of the Guild. The scene that greeted him immediately made him realize that something very unusual was happening.
Based on the information he had obtained yesterday during the brief basic training provided by the Adventurers' Guild, there were only about 3,000 registered adventurers throughout the vast Re-Estize Kingdom. Considering the kingdom had a total of nine significant large cities, roughly, the average total number of active adventurers in each metropolitan city should only be around 330 people.
Of course, Momonga realized that the reality on the ground was clearly not as simple as this mathematical calculation. For example, in E-Rantel, which was famous as a haven for adventurers due to its strategic location near a monster-rich forest, the number of active adventurers was definitely much higher than in other major cities.
However, the types of missions generally accepted by adventurers usually revolved around escort jobs, monster extermination around the city, exploration of ancient ruins and collection of valuable items in dangerous areas, and other similar tasks. These often required them to travel back and forth between the city and their mission destinations. So, although there would always be a certain number of adventurers inside the Adventurers' Guild at any given time, the place should never be as crowded and packed as the scene he was witnessing right now.
Yes, the place was truly bustling. There were about sixty or seventy people gathered in front of the business service counter. They formed three fairly long lines in front of the three receptionists on duty, occupying almost a third of the entire spacious hall.
Through his keen hearing and bits of conversation he managed to overhear with the seemingly overwhelmed counter staff, Momonga finally learned that this crowd was actually in the process of registering as new adventurers.
Although it was strange enough to see so many new people registering simultaneously, Momonga, with his vast experience and sharp eyes, quickly noticed two other more striking anomalies.
The first was the composition of this group of sixty or seventy people, which appeared very diverse and unusual. They included young men and women with the fiery spirit of adventure in their eyes, middle-aged individuals who seemed to possess strong determination, and even children who appeared to be only around seven or eight years old, far too young to venture into this dangerous world.
As for the second point... Momonga had experienced it firsthand last night when he registered. A newcomer who was just about to become an adventurer had far better and more expensive equipment than a veteran who had spent many years in this harsh world of adventure. This was a very unusual sight among ordinary adventurers, where good equipment was usually the result of hard work and years of experience.
However, among the group of prospective adventurers standing before him at this moment, almost all the warriors wore full-body armor whose quality was no less than his own seemingly sturdy and expensive jet-black armor. The equipment worn by the other magic casters and rangers in the group was also no less impressive than that worn by the warriors, and Momonga could sense that most of their equipment even emitted a faint magical aura, signifying exceptional quality.
Compared to this group of prospective adventurers who looked like an elite force, the senior adventurers standing on both sides of the hall looked shabby and tattered like poor beggars. Even Momonga, who usually felt his disguise as a dark warrior was quite intimidating, felt he was no longer so special amidst this extraordinary group.
"It looks like we'll have to wait a very long time for our turn. Would you like us to just come back later, Narberal?" Momonga asked the battle maid beside him in a slightly subdued tone, realizing how slowly the line was moving.
Since there were only three service staff on duty at this bustling Adventurers' Guild counter, Momonga knew that he would have to register properly if he wanted to accept an adventure commission. Moreover, since he still hadn't fully mastered the language of this new world, he would probably need a lot of help from the Guild staff to fill out forms and understand various requirements. Meanwhile, the other adventurers who had been members of the Guild for a long time also looked impatient and held back by the long waiting time.
Perhaps because they had been waiting for too long without any clarity, a fierce-looking man with a terrible scar running across his face could no longer restrain himself. With wide strides, he walked to the side of the long line of newcomers and shouted in an annoyed tone at the group.
"Hey! You newcomers! Don't monopolize all the attendants at the counter! We senior adventurers are in a hurry to get out of the city and carry out missions!"
After hearing the harsh and demanding words from Scarface, the group of prospective adventurers exchanged glances with unreadable expressions. They then whispered among themselves for a moment, as if discussing how to respond to this confrontation.
To the surprise of the senior adventurers who were watching the scene with great interest, the group of newcomers then calmly and without resistance gave up their seats in front of the counter and showed not the slightest intention of conflicting with the seemingly angry Scarface.
This unexpected action made Scarface, who had already prepared for a fierce argument or even a fight if necessary, feel a little relieved that the confrontation had been avoided. However, at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little more disgusted and contemptuous towards this group of people he considered weak and dared not resist. Almost out of bad habit, he opened his mouth to utter a scathing sneer, but a sudden conversation he heard from the direction of the counter completely drew his attention.
"Excuse me, could I meet with the Guild Master?" a soft yet clear female voice asked.
"What can I help you with, Miss?" one of the counter attendants replied in a polite but slightly confused tone.
"It's like this," the woman continued, "my team needs to raise our adventurer level in a short period of time due to some special urgent reasons. Therefore, I would like to discuss this matter directly with the Guild Master."
"This..." the counter attendant replied with a hesitant and slightly uncomfortable expression. The attention of everyone around the counter, including Momonga and the previously angry senior adventurers, was immediately drawn to this unusual conversation.
It wasn't uncommon for some adventurers who considered themselves important or had great potential to dream of becoming famous and ranking up overnight. Therefore, the request for a rapid level increase to the Adventurers' Guild wasn't something they hadn't heard before.
The young girl in the pure white priest's robe standing in front of the counter and the group of unknown people with luxurious equipment behind her should be her teammates. Moreover, the fact that they were all wearing high-level equipment that most ordinary adventurers couldn't even afford made their request sound even more absurd.
But... "I am truly sorry, Miss," the counter attendant said in a regretful yet firm tone, "but every adventure team must start from the most basic bronze level, accumulate achievements through completing missions, and pass the predetermined ranking-up examinations before they can raise their adventurer level. This is a rule that applies to everyone without exception." Her expression looked very wise and professional, but the attendant hoped her refusal had been conveyed clearly enough and wouldn't cause further trouble.
However, the white-robed girl didn't seem willing to give up so easily. She looked at the counter attendant with calm yet confident eyes and said in a soft yet firm tone, "I fully understand the rules of the Adventurers' Guild, but I am a magic caster capable of using fifth-tier magic, including [Raise Dead]. I sincerely hope the Guild Master can grant some special consideration given my abilities."
"Oh!" several adventurers around the counter exclaimed in surprise and disbelief.
"Is this true or just boasting?..." another muttered skeptically.
"That's... impossible?" an old adventurer whispered with wide eyes.
As soon as the girl finished speaking calmly yet confidently, the entire Adventurers' Guild hall suddenly became noisy. Exclamations of surprise, curious whispers, and questioning voices echoed back and forth from the adventurers who were shocked by this extraordinary admission. Even the attendant on duty at the reception desk looked stunned and speechless.
For ordinary mages in this world, reaching the third tier in magic mastery was already considered the pinnacle of a difficult magical path. And then, the fifth tier?! If the young girl in front of them wasn't lying and was truly capable of using magic of such a high level, then her power was on par with the top adventurers of the kingdom, perhaps even comparable to the legendary Adamantite-ranked adventurer team captain, Blue Rose!
"Alright... alright, please wait here for a moment, Miss!" the counter attendant said, finally recovering from her shock, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness. "This... this is definitely not something I can handle myself. I will report to the Guild Master immediately!" Hastily, the attendant greeted the white-robed girl respectfully and hurried towards the stairs near the counter, disappearing behind the corridor leading to the upper floor.
In this way, shouldn't I be able to complete the task Lord Kael gave me well? Looking at the back of the attendant disappearing into the corridor, the girl couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and thought to herself, feeling a little anxious but also full of hope.
The white-robed girl was none other than Enri Emmot, who had just visited Lizzie Barreare's potion workshop with Kael some time ago. After Kael and Lizzie finished their secret meeting, Kael sent Enri to the Adventurers' Guild with an important task: to lead the adventurer registration for all the villagers of Carne Village who would soon move to the city. At the same time, Kael also gave Enri an additional task to "become famous in E-Rantel as soon as possible" in order to attract attention and gain influence. Worried that Enri didn't have a clear idea of how to achieve this goal, Kael even gave her a bold suggestion, which was to publicly display a small part of her magical abilities so that she would have the opportunity to meet directly with the highest leaders of the Adventurers' Guild. As for whether she would successfully complete the task given by Kael, it would largely depend on the outcome of her discussion with the Guild Master later.
Perhaps the admission of her abilities as a fifth-tier mage was indeed too astonishing and could not be ignored. Not long after, a dignified-looking middle-aged man, estimated to be around 40 to 45 years old, appeared before Enri. From the way the female attendant who had hurried upstairs respectfully followed behind him, Enri could roughly guess that the person standing in front of her at this moment was the president of the E-Rantel Adventurers' Guild, Ainzach.
Ainzach himself was a famous and powerful adventurer in his youth. Although he had now retired from the front lines of battle and taken on the role of manager of the Adventurers' Guild, he still looked very strong and healthy. Moreover, due to his high position, he exuded an aura of noble and undeniable leadership.
Without any preamble, Ainzach directly sized Enri up and down with a searching gaze and asked in a serious yet curious tone, "Little girl, is what my attendant said true? Are you really a magic caster capable of using fifth-tier magic?" There was a questioning and slightly testing tone in his voice.
Facing someone who clearly possessed a much higher status and power than her, Enri couldn't help but feel a little restrained and uneasy. However, remembering the great expectations that Lord Kael had placed on her shoulders and the future of all the residents of Carne Village, she mustered her courage to raise her head straight and look directly into Ainzach's eyes without the slightest hesitation. In a calm yet confident voice, she replied, "Yes, Guild Master Ainzach. Not only am I capable of using fifth-tier [Resurrection of the Dead] and [Teleportation], but I have also mastered sixth-tier [Summon Power Angels]."
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