Volume 2 Chapter 2 There's No Time To Look Into The Past
Leanne was hitting some crazy numbers. It didn't make any sense at all, so it seemed like the crystal ball was busted or something.
"Leanne, you're amazing."
"It's not that big of a deal."
"There's no way these ridiculous numbers would be officially recognized. I'll go get a new crystal ball right away, so just wait."
Well, that figures.
Eric scratched his head and disappeared behind the counter, then came back holding a different crystal ball.
He pointed at the crystal ball, urging Leanne to appraise it again.
"Why is it 'more messed up'?"
Looking at the finished paper, Eric said in complete disbelief.
"What happened?"
"It's a Level Cap of '1200'. Even though your level still at Level 1, your stats are showing abnormal. As for skills, it looks like she has three fixed ones: [Goddess' Protection], [High Priestess], [Healing Magic (Holy Magic)]. I'm not sure if this is right."
"Does the Level Cap change all the time?"
"There's no way, and I don't think you're using any strange items."
"Does it look like I have?"
"I don't think so."
"Okay, so the conditions are met, right?"
"Okay. You're next. I'll appraise your one-armed later."
Eric beckons me over. It seems to be my turn now.
I stand in front of the crystal ball, taking Leanne's messed up appraisal results into account. The only solution is for me to reach Level Cap 40 or higher.
"Give it your best shot."
"But giving it your best shot doesn't always work."
I raise my hand, hoping for a good result.
However, the ball doesn't light up, and it doesn't seem to be reacting at all.
"Hey, try getting closer with more determination."
I do as I'm told, but there's no change.
Eric holds his head in frustration and lets out a deep sigh.
"I don't understand. I've never seen an appraisal fail like this before. Today's just not my lucky day..."
"Why isn't it lighting up?"
"I want to know that too. Are you really human?"
"What's wrong, Eric? Is something bothering you?"
Suddenly, a woman was standing next to Eric. She seemed to be giving orders to the other receptionists.
"Isara, things have gotten tricky. Make sure to inform the Guildmaster."
Eric said as he showed a piece of paper. Isara, the woman, tensed up without saying a word and hurriedly climbed the stairs behind the counter.
"Wait a moment. I need to confirm."
After a while, Isara returned and whispered something in Eric's ear. Eric stood up and opened a part of the counter.
"Come with me. The Guildmaster wants to speak with you directly."
"The Guildmaster?"
"Simply put, he's our boss."
Things were getting complicated. Could our abilities be causing trouble? Hopefully, we won't end up captured and sold.
Leanne and I exchanged uneasy glances.
"We have no choice but to go."
"Is there any other option?"
"...None."
It was at that moment, faced with an unavoidable outcome, that a strange feeling made me look back. Without understanding it myself, I found myself staring at the entrance to the guild.
It was an inexplicable premonition, like a pitch-black, shadowy figure about to enter.
"Ark"
"Hm?"
"What are you doing? The guild people are waiting."
"Oh, right."
In the end, no one showed up. Despite feeling relieved for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease due to not knowing why.
"How long are you going to stand there? Let's go."
Led by the two, we climbed the stairs. Eric knocked roughly on the door at the end of the hallway before opening it.
"Guildmaster, we've brought those two you asked for."
"Oh, sorry."
In a neatly arranged room with a large desk and bookshelves, a middle-aged man with a large, bear-like physique and a heavy, dull-colored armor stood.
"Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. I'm Gail, the Guild Master of the Voljanath Branch."
Wow, this guy's name is Gail. I don't know exactly what he does, but being a Guild Master must mean he's a pretty powerful warrior.
"So, what's the story you have for us?"
"Don't worry, I'm just curious to see who's capable of reaching Level Cap 1200. I wanted to confirm it with my own eyes. Just pure curiosity."
Gail picks up two pieces of paper from the desk. It's Leanne's Appraisal results.
"It seems that the Appraisal crystal couldn't accurately display her stats. Oh... what's your name?"
"I'm Leanne. The one-armed guy is Ark."
"Leanne and Ark, huh?"
Gail looks at each of our faces and then speaks.
"This time, it's our mistake. I'll allow the Adventurer Registration."
I was expecting something completely different, but the problem was resolved so easily that I'm a little disappointed.
"No way, Gail-san. If we make these guys adventurers, our reputation will only get worse."
"But what if they have special abilities that even we don't know about? It would be a loss for the guild to let talented individuals slip away."
"You can tell just by looking at them that they're not anything special, right?"
It seems like there's a difference of opinion between the two. From our perspective, there's no reason to reject Gail's offer, but we're just ordinary villagers, nothing special. It's troublesome to be expected to do something extraordinary.
"I've been working at the guild for ten years, and this is the first time something like this has happened. I've never heard any rumors like this before."
I see, so that's why they were called.
It's a problem for us too if the appraisal results are strange. Since our abilities are uncertain, it will be difficult to plan for the future. If we can solve it, we should do it.
"Can I ask a question?"
"Sure, go ahead and tell me anything without hesitation."
"If there are people who are knowledgeable about the workings of the crystal, can't they identify the problematic areas?"
"Well, actually, we don't know much about the contents ourselves. We've only been told that the Alchemist Guild is responsible for everything from manufacturing to transportation."
"Guild Master, please refrain from leaking confidential information to outsiders."
Isara interrupts the conversation. Judging by the way she's staring at Gail, it seems like she's genuinely angry.
"It's not the kind of thing we need to hide. Those who know, know."
I've heard that the Alchemist Guild is an association where alchemists, who mainly work on potion concoction, are members.
I've never even seen an actual potion. It's something that's completely unrelated to us poor people.
"So, the guild can't do anything about it?"
"To put it bluntly, no. That's why I decided to grant permission for registration with my authority."
I got poked in the side by Leanne.
"We just want to be registered as adventurers. We have no interest in internal affairs."
She seemed eager to wrap up the conversation quickly. With so much going on, I had completely forgotten that we needed to finish the work soon if we wanted to have dinner.
"Yeah, I get it. So that's all I have to say. You should go to the reception downstairs and get your registration card from Eric. I've made you go through a lot of trouble."
"Got it. Let's go back then."
In the end, I still wasn't sure why we were called for the meeting with the Guild Master.
As we returned to the first floor, Eric handed me a piece of thin steel with our names neatly engraved on it. It was our registration card.
"Here you go. It's not what I wanted, but I can't go against the higher-ups."
"Thanks."
"Your Rank is 'E.' It represents your level as an adventurer. If you contribute to the guild and increase your Rank, you'll have access to more requests."
I put my ID card in my pocket. Not sure why, but I might need it at some point.
"Hey, Eric, can I ask you something?"
"What's up? I won't lend you money."
"We're looking for a job. Is there anything even a newbie like us can do?"
"No job for you guys."
"We need money right now. Got anything?"
"Then it's weeding."
"Weeding?"
Eric pulled out a big sack from under the counter and quickly drew a picture on a small piece of paper. It looked like some kind of long, smooth grass that I've seen somewhere before.
"What's this?"
"Go to the forest east of town and pick medicinal herbs until the bag's full. There's no easier job than this here."
It's a pretty dull job, but it seems more doable than being told to go defeat a monster.
"Hey, be careful not to go too far in there. There may not be a lot of them, but there are goblins and orcs lurking around, and there are even more dangerous creatures than that."
"More dangerous creatures? What do you mean?"
"Beastmen. They're the ones with wolf-like ears and tails. They have a town nearby, and they claim that whole area as their territory. Running into them while they're patrolling could be a real hassle."
Beastmen, huh? I don't know much about them since they're not in our village, but it seems like the people of Voljanathh don't really like them.
"Thanks for the heads up. Let's go, Ark."
"Yeah."
"Oh, and if you happen to come across other adventurers, just raise your hand as a way of greeting. It's like saying hello."
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