After a few hours of walking, the pair finally arrive at Zenith.
Walls surround the city, and guards stand at the gates. The streets are wide, and the buildings each seem to serve a different purpose—libraries, research labs, experimental workshops, and numerous trading points.
All of that is fine, but the main reason Shiro and the blonde-haired girl have come here is to register at a guild.
Easier said than done. There are plenty of mercenary guilds, but they still haven't found a single adventurers' guild.
"Excuse me. Do you know where I can find an Adventurers' Guild?" Shiro asks a nearby mercenary.
"Don't know where you've been, kid, but there aren't any."
"How come?"
"Don't ask me."
The blonde-haired girl and Shiro exchange a glance.
"Let's just register as mercenaries."
"Good call," the blonde-haired girl replies.
There are advantages to becoming a mercenary. They have access to a large information network, and apparently they are paid twice as much as adventurers. Besides, she has always wanted to experience what it is like to be a mercenary. This is the perfect chance.
The two of them walk into a nearby mercenary guild. Inside, mercenaries drink beer and discuss the latest news. In the center of the room stands a massive crystal ball surrounded by small blue windows, each displaying something different—entertainment, news, or the current prices of monster materials.
"Woah. This place is more advanced than I thought."
Zenith is known as one of the most technologically advanced cities in all of Selene, but she hadn't expected even a small guild to be this sophisticated.
Shiro and the blonde-haired girl walk up to the counter. The woman behind it asks for their names.
"My name is Shiro. Just Shiro."
Why isn't he using a last name? Does he not have one…?
"And what's your name, young mistress?"
It takes her a few seconds to realize.
They are registering as mercenaries, and mercenaries will do anything for money—including selling someone out. Using their real last names could allow people to track them. Even using their first names is risky.
Best to play it safe and use a fake name entirely.
"Oh, my name is… Mira. Just Mira."
It is a little embarrassing that she needed the hint from him. She should have figured that out on her own.
"All right. Head this way, please," the woman says after jotting something down.
Shiro and Mira are led into a white room where other mercenaries are already waiting. Everyone sits at floating tables and chairs, each with a metal bracelet strapped to their right wrist.
Shiro leans closer to her.
"What's the bracelet for?" he asks.
"I don't know. Maybe a tracker."
The woman from the counter directs them to a seat and fastens the same metal bracelets around their wrists.
Shiro twists his bracelet as if it is a toy. On closer inspection, faint magic circuits run through the metal—so faint they are nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Mira, however, has always possessed sharper eyesight than most.
The moment they sit down, a loud voice echoes through the white room.
"Phase one. Begin."
A green light shines over their table, and a piece of paper materializes along with a pen.
No way. This couldn't be a… No, it can't. Can it? Who am I kidding.
It is a test. Mira has always hated tests. Not because she can't do them—she can finish one with her eyes closed—but because they are always a hassle.
All right. Let's get this over with.
She takes the pen and begins writing.
---
What is this?
Shiro stares at the questions on the paper.
This is what I get for staying in the Shadow Realm for a thousand years.
He always knew his lack of knowledge of the modern world would come back and bite him. He never expected it to be like this though.
Whenever he got the chance before, he would read up on books his master left out. But he never got to finish them because someone would always come in at the wrong time.
It's only when he was attached to his master's sister soul was he able to read up and finish some books. But the only books he's actually read about are magic books. Nothing about things you probably needed for daily life.
If he had the chance, he would go to the library at the Acadamy, but something could happen to his master's sister during that time. So the books he read, were limited to the one's his master's sister brought back with her to the dorm. Which were all magic books.
Looking back, he probably should have at least tried something.
The questions themselves aren't difficult. He can tell because everyone around him seems to be answering with ease. There are only five.
1. You were assigned to track down an S-class monster in a nearby town north of Zenith. The monster you pursued went through an evolution, raising its level to Catastrophe-class. In a situation like this, will you take on the monster yourself, or will you report back to your employer? Explain your answer.
S-class… Catastrophe-level.
He twirls his pen while lightly tapping the desk.
Why should I report it if I can just beat it?
To Shiro, that is the most logical answer. The only reason he hasn't written anything yet is because he isn't entirely sure it is the correct one.
This is a test, after all. Just because it asks what he would do doesn't mean his answer is what they want.
So I should pick reporting it back, right?
But if he does that, it might damage his reputation. He has no idea how strong the other mercenaries are. For all he knows, most of them can handle a Catastrophe-class monster. If he chooses not to face it, rumors could spread. Those rumors might reach potential clients, and they might never consider hiring him.
I really should have tried before.
---
Mira glances at Shiro on her left.
He seems to be struggling with the test. He keeps twisting his pen and tapping the table while mumbling to himself. He doesn't notice that the other mercenaries are looking at him strangely.
Maybe I should help him. I don't exactly need him failing on me here.
But just as she is about to speak—
Ding. Ding. Ding.
"Number 21 has been caught using enhancement magic. Number 21, please leave the testing area."
The same loud voice booms through the room. The mercenary whose number was called leaves regretfully, cursing under his breath. The moment he steps out, the metal bracelet detaches and falls to the ground with a heavy thud. The magic circuits glow for a few seconds before shutting off completely.
Oh, so that's what it is.
It is a tracking device, just as she expected—only it detects the use of magic, not location.
Sorry, Shiro. You're on your own.
The questions shouldn't be that hard. It's all a matter of perspective.
Take the first question, for example. The request was only to track the monster. That was it. The client never ordered them to defeat or capture it. Mission complete.
If the monster evolved, that became the client's problem. Mercenaries do the job they are paid for—nothing more, nothing less.
Shiro should be able to figure that out.
And so she continues answering the questions with ease, while Shiro remains stuck on the first one.
---
"Time's up. All participants, please exit the room."
Thirty minutes later, the papers float up and stack themselves into a neat pile. They drift over and insert themselves into a small hole in the corner of the room.
All the tables and chairs dissolve into particles of light, leaving the white room empty.
Mira walks toward Shiro, who sits in the corner looking depressed.
"Did you finish?" she asks.
"…Barely. As shameful as it was, when I got to question three, I had to cheat."
"Cheat? How? The bracelets can detect when you use magic."
"Yeah. Here's the thing—I didn't use my own magic."
His own magic? Did he have some kind of device on him?
No… that couldn't be. This guy didn't even know what an Arcane Knight was.
"Elaborate, please."
"The bracelet has magic circuits running through it. That means there's a spell attached to those circuits."
He traces his finger along the circuits for a moment, then points to a specific section.
"This is where the spell is."
Mira just stares.
"That doesn't really explain much."
"Once I found the spell, all I had to do was rewrite it into whatever I wanted. Rewriting it completely might have been risky, though."
He taps the spot, and a small green magic circle hovers above it.
"Since it's sensory magic, I decided to make it enhance my own senses instead of detecting when I use magic."
"In other words, you rearranged the magic formula engraved on it."
"Yeah, pretty much."
Woah.
It is fascinating. He can understand something as complicated as a magical formula engraved into a spell circuit after only a few seconds of looking at it… yet somehow he can spend thirty minutes overthinking a question a child could answer.
Shiro… just who are you?
Ding. Ding. Ding.
"Phase two will now begin. All participants will be transported in ten seconds."
As Shiro stands, a magic circle forms beneath each mercenary in the room. The outer layer expands and rises, surrounding their bodies.
Teleportation magic?
The inner part of the circle begins to rise, and the mercenaries slowly disappear from the legs upward.
Mira looks at Shiro, who is still messing with the bracelet. He doesn't look worried in the slightest. In fact, he seems eager.
This is most likely a practical exam. Since it is a mercenary trial, they probably won't be placed in teams.
"All participants will be transported to random locations. To pass, you must last twenty-four hours inside the dungeon while protecting the bracelet you are wearing. You can also acquire extra points by stealing other participants' bracelets. Be careful of the magic beasts in the dungeon—their levels are random. Good luck to all participants."
Well then. This is it. For now, they part ways.
Mira looks at Shiro, and Shiro looks back. The magic circle continues to rise.
Shiro finally breaks the silence.
"You'll do great out there, mistress Claudia."
He smiles at her, his long white hair glowing under the light of the magic circle.
"…Yeah," she says, steadying herself. "I'll do what I can."
The inner part of the magic circle finishes rising. The last thing Claudia sees is a bright green light.
When the light fades and her vision returns, she finds herself standing at the entrance of a wooden gate. A small keyhole sits in the middle. The magic circuits on her bracelet begin to react.
Claudia brings the bracelet closer to the keyhole, and the magic circuits glow brighter as they get closer.
Once Claudia touches the keyhole with the bracelet—
Click.
The door dissolves into particles of green light. What remains ahead are a bunch of trees. Sunlight shining through the space between the leaves.
Dungeon huh.
Without a moment to spare, Claudia walks through.