Chapter 6: Adventurer Registration
I skipped the coming-of-age ceremony and tried to head straight for the Adventurers’ Guild, which, of course, caused an uproar.
My mother grabbed me by the collar and dragged me to the church, where I had to give thanks before the image of the Creator Goddess, Felicienne, for reaching the day of my independence.
It was true I’d received the gift of wind magic and gained the skills Detection and Presence Sense. I could even identify herbs with about seventy percent accuracy now. I supposed gratitude was only proper. I also prayed earnestly “Once I start making money, I’ll make generous donations, so please bless me with worldly fortune.”
Mother said that if I was going to be an adventurer, I’d need a magic pouch. When I told her I already had a Rank 2 magic pouch as thanks for saving Ted, she was shocked and furious to learn that I’d been going outside the city alone for nearly two months since the party disbanded.
To reassure her I could take care of myself, I demonstrated my wind barrier, a miniature version of the circular storm shield I’d named Wind Wall, which centered around me.
Because the church was nearby, a few of the people who had laughed when I first received my wind magic were watching and they laughed again when I showed the small barrier.
“You really think something like that can protect you?”
“This is just a weaker demonstration. In reality, I’d be surrounded by winds several times stronger than a storm.”
I surrounded myself and my mother with a gentle 3-meter-high wind. Feeling it against her hands, she asked when I’d learned to do such a thing. I dodged the question, saying I practiced while gathering herbs not mentioning that I’d been training by the window morning and night.
“When the barrier’s at full strength, it kicks up sand and stones, even wolves couldn’t get through it. So don’t worry.”
Once I’d finally convinced her, I went to the Adventurers’ Guild. When I told the receptionist I wanted to register, I was directed to a large room on the second floor.
Inside, two people were already filling out forms.
“You here to register too?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
I was handed a sheet and told to fill in my birthplace, date of birth, granted magic, and skills.
Born in Lynas, no street address needed. Calendar Year 610, June. I wrote Wind Magic and left the skill section blank.
When I finished and set down my pen, no one said anything, so I waited quietly for the orientation I’d heard about.
“Since everyone’s here, I’ll explain the adventurer rules. Listen carefully ‘I didn’t know’ or ‘I forgot’ won’t save you later.”
I already knew most of this from helping out Lynas Gale, so the lecture was dull. Still, I struggled to stay awake.
Ted had been C-rank First Class. The others were mostly D-rank Second Class, though I remembered Marco being D-rank First Class.
Guild Rank System:
- S Rank: Honorary rank; platinum card with crimson double-circle crest. Treated as nobility—count status.
- A Rank: Platinum card with crimson crest. Viscount status.
- B Rank: Gold card, First and Second Class.
- C Rank: Silver card, First and Second Class. Eligible for assigned requests and emergency summons.
- D Rank: Bronze card, First and Second Class.
- E Rank: Iron card, Second Class.
- F Rank: Iron card, First Class (new registrants remain F-rank for one year).
As the examiner glanced through the forms, he looked at me.
“Kid, are you the Leon who used to help out Ted’s party?”
“Yes, sir. What happened to the party?”
“Still disbanded. I heard you can use Detection and Presence Sense?”
“At the ceremony I was told those skills might manifest with practice. I’ve trained a bit, but since they haven’t been officially confirmed, I didn’t write them down.”
“Ted said you’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”
Downstairs, I placed my palm on a crystal sphere at the reception counter.
“Leon, sixteen years old. Wind magic. Mana: 93. Detection skill, Presence Sense skill… and you can use Appraisal a little?”
“I can identify about seven out of ten herbs correctly.”
“Then it’s not enough to register as an Appraisal skill yet.”
She handed me an iron guild card, a dull, almost rusty black. Below the round shield insignia with crossed sword and spear was written Lynas Adventurers’ Guild – Leon, with one horizontal line underneath.
On the back, my portrait appeared in fine dots, along with Born in Lynas, Year 610 June.
Listed below: Wind Magic, Mana 93, Detection Skill, Presence Sense Skill.
“Alright. You’re officially an adventurer. But don’t get careless and die too easily.”
She waved her hand dismissively dismissal given.
“Leon, planning to join a party?”
“Mintz. Since Lynas Gale gone, I’m going to focus on practicing magic for a while. What about you?”
“Scott and I are collecting herbs for now. Thinking about joining a new group or recruiting one.”
Mintz invited me to the guild tavern, where Scott gave a wry grin.
“Ted spoke highly of you. I didn’t have the guts to go back to the field. I barely made it to the highway.”
“Wish you’d seen that kick you gave Marco. Word is, his bowlegs got worse. Everyone’s been laughing about it.”
“Leon’s Detection and Sense are on par with mine. Want to team up?”
“I’ve got wind magic, and I’ve been practicing for the past couple of months. I can use it a bit.”
“Wind magic, huh? How strong is it?”
“Strong enough to protect myself. If we team up, I’ll still need practice. I plan to adventure for a year or two, then see other cities. if that’s fine, I’m in.”
“Fair enough. Let’s see this magic of yours tomorrow.”
“Right. We don’t need another bad mage like Marco around.”
I told them I’d meet them at the west gate in the morning, then we parted ways.
Since my Rank 2–10 Magic Pouch could hold two days’ worth of food, I stocked up, but I didn’t plan to camp yet. Mintz had experience with it, but I recalled Scott didn’t.
Honestly, I preferred a bed to sleeping outdoors, especially somewhere unsafe.
“Where to?”
“Somewhere away from the usual adventurer routes, out of sight from the city.”
“Then we’ll head a bit south after leaving the gate. Not many herbs there, and big monsters are rare.”
Following Scott’s lead, we left through the west gate and, after walking for a while, stepped into the southern grasslands. About an hour later, we reached a sparsely vegetated area.
“Would this spot do?”
“Yes, please stand back a little and watch from there.”
Once the two of them had moved away, I conjured a [Whirlwind!], gradually increasing its wind speed and size.
The roaring windstorm grew into what could only be described as a small tornado, leaving both Mintz and Scott gaping in astonishment.
Then, as if a timer had gone off, the wind speed suddenly dropped and the whirlwind vanished.
“That’s… pretty impressive.”
Scott said.
“Yeah, wind magic’s not something to scoff at.”
Mintz agreed.
“Though it doesn’t look like it’s good for attacking.”
“Come to think of it.”
Scott added.
“You said it was only strong enough to ‘protect yourself.’ Let’s see that part.”
I had Scott stand beside me, while Mintz stayed more than ten meters away. I told him to run immediately if things looked dangerous—since I’d only ever seen my Barrier from the inside, I wasn’t sure what the dust and pebbles caught in it looked like from outside.
I usually just muttered “Whirlwind” to activate it, but this time I decided to be a bit dramatic.
“O barrier of wind, rise and rage!”
As I chanted, I poured mana into it.
A circular barrier, about a meter and a half in radius, began rotating around my feet. With a deep, rumbling roar, it rose upward, swirling more and more violently. When it reached three meters in height, I stopped it from expanding further and focused on increasing its rotation speed.
Looking beside me, I saw Scott standing there, jaw hanging open.
When I tapped him on the shoulder and asked what he thought, he just trembled, pointing silently at the roaring wall of wind in front of us.
The barrier only lasted about three minutes, but I didn’t mention that and if I added more mana, I could extend it anyway.
When it finally dissipated, a pale-faced Mintz came running back.
“Hey, don’t kid me! That’s way beyond ‘protecting yourself’. I couldn’t even get close! I bolted the moment it started. Maybe it won’t stop a big monster, but no dog or wolf is getting through that thing.”
“Was it really that intense? I mean, I could tell it was powerful from inside, but…”
“Then switch places with Mintz and see it from the outside.”
I said.
Mintz, looking excited, stood beside me. Again, I chanted dramatically:
“O barrier of wind, rise and rage!”
…Yeah, saying that out loud was kind of embarrassing. I decided then that from now on I’d just say “Barrier” and pretend it was silent chanting if anyone asked.
When it reached full height again, I tapped Mintz’s arm and pointed to the swirling wall. Then, I split the wind vertically, opening a gap about fifteen centimeters wide. Mintz blinked in surprise, his eyes wide.
“Who the hell said wind magic was useless?”
“It’s stronger than Marco’s pathetic little Fireball!”
“Well, right now, all I can really do offensively is fling pebbles with it.”
I admitted.
“Still…”
Mintz said,
“…with this barrier, a pack of wolves wouldn’t be a threat.”
“Ah—just so you know.”
I warned.
“…the barrier disappears after a certain amount of time.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“The one you just saw—it doesn’t stay up permanently. I can make a new one anytime, but it’s not like an earth wall that just stays put.”
“Even if it can’t hold off a Black Bear, it could still block attacks long enough for us to counter. And that opening, can make it anytime, right?”
“That’s not a problem. I can reform it when it’s about to fade, and there are other ways I can use it too.”
“Got it. Then we’ll split earnings evenly. Scott, that good with you?”
“Yeah, no problem. Nice to have you, Leon.”
“Like I said yesterday, I’ll be taking one or two days off each week to practice magic. And I’m planning to stay with the party for about two years, so don’t complain if I leave early, okay?”
“Understood. By then, we’ll have found a few more members anyway.”