The moment Renji stepped inside, a wave of noise hit him.
Voices overlapped across the massive hall—laughter, arguments, metal clanging against tables, mugs slamming against wood.
The place was packed.
Men and women in armor sat around long tables, some polishing weapons, others studying maps. A group of rough-looking adventurers argued loudly near a quest board covered in papers.
Renji instinctively took a step closer to Mizuki.
"…This place looks like a bar."
"In a way, it is," Mizuki replied.
She gestured toward the far side of the hall.
"But that's not why we're here."
At the end of the room stood a long wooden counter. Behind it, a young woman with golden hair was busy organizing stacks of documents.
She looked up as they approached.
Her eyes moved from Mizuki… to Renji.
Then she smiled politely.
"Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. How can I help you today?"
Mizuki placed a hand on the counter.
"He's here to register."
The receptionist nodded.
"First time?"
Renji hesitated.
"…Yeah."
She pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it across the counter along with a pen.
"Please fill out your basic information. Name, age, and magical specialization."
Renji stared at the paper.
The symbols written on it meant absolutely nothing to him.
He slowly turned his head toward Mizuki.
"…I can't read this."
The receptionist blinked.
"You can't read common script?"
Before the situation became awkward, Mizuki quietly raised two fingers.
A faint shimmer passed through the air.
"Communication Link."
The words on the page suddenly shifted in Renji's vision.
The strange symbols reorganized themselves into words he could understand.
"…Okay, that's creepy," Renji muttered.
"Just fill it out," Mizuki said.
After a moment, Renji slid the paper back across the counter.
The receptionist glanced at it briefly.
Then she reached under the desk and placed a clear crystal sphere on the counter.
It was about the size of a grapefruit, perfectly smooth, faintly glowing inside.
"This is a mana resonance crystal," she explained.
Renji leaned slightly closer.
"What does it do?"
"It measures magical affinity."
She gestured toward it.
"Place your hand on the crystal and focus."
Renji looked at Mizuki.
"…Focus on what?"
"Just try to feel the energy around you," Mizuki said.
"That's extremely vague."
"Do your best."
Renji sighed.
"…Fine."
He placed his hand on the crystal.
The hall around them continued buzzing with noise.
Nothing happened.
The crystal remained completely clear.
The receptionist tilted her head slightly.
"Hmm…"
Renji frowned.
"Did I break it?"
"No," she said.
She glanced toward Mizuki.
"Sometimes people need a moment. Try again."
Renji tried concentrating.
Still nothing.
Mizuki's eyes narrowed.
"…That's strange."
Renji pulled his hand away.
"Let me guess. I failed."
Mizuki shook her head slowly.
"No."
She stepped closer to him.
"Your power isn't missing."
She placed her palm lightly against his chest.
"…It's sealed."
Renji blinked.
"Sealed?"
Mizuki's expression turned serious.
"That curse we talked about earlier…"
Her fingers glowed faintly with magic.
"...it's suppressing your mana flow."
The receptionist leaned forward slightly, curiosity growing.
"You can remove it?"
"Temporarily."
Mizuki lifted her hand.
A quiet chant escaped her lips.
"Anti-Seal."
A faint pulse of light spread through Renji's body.
For a brief moment—
Renji felt something.
A strange warmth rising from deep inside his chest.
Mizuki stepped back.
"Try again."
Renji slowly placed his hand on the crystal once more.
For half a second—
The crystal lit up.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Orange.
Brown.
White.
All the colors flashed violently inside the sphere.
Then—
CRACK.
The crystal shattered.
Fragments scattered across the counter.
The entire hall fell silent.
Every adventurer nearby turned to look.
The receptionist stared at the broken crystal.
"…That's… not supposed to happen."
Renji slowly lifted his hand.
"…I think I broke it."
Mizuki crossed her arms, looking extremely satisfied.
"Not broken."
She glanced around the silent guild hall.
"Overloaded."
Whispers began spreading through the room.
"Did you see that?"
"The crystal exploded…"
"What kind of mana output was that?"
Renji couldn't understand what was going on. He began panicking, "Anything wrong?"
Mizuki quickly shook her head.
"Normally, when someone places their hand on the crystal, it glows in only one color. But in your case, all the colors appeared at once!"
Renji frowned. "Does the color determine the type of magic power?"
The receptionist nodded. "It seems like you don't know much about magic. So far, we've only seen the crystal glow in 8 different colors."
Saying this, she handed Renji a list.
Renji looked at the paper again. It listed 6 types of magic glow, describing them as follows:
1. Red Glow – Fire Magic (Common Magic)
2. Blue Glow – Water Magic (Common Magic)
3. Green Glow – Plant/Nature Magic (Uncommon Magic)
4. Brown Glow – Earth & Gravity Magic (Uncommon Magic)
5. Orange Glow – Lightning Magic (Uncommon Magic)
6. Blue Glow with White Jagged Lines – Wind Magic (Common Magic)
Note: Aside from these, there are also some general magic abilities that all magic users can use to some extent, such as Purifying Magic, Illusion Magic, Communication Magic, and Hypnotic Magic.
Renji whispered in his mind, "But… there's nothing written about the other two glows."
The receptionist swallowed nervously.
"I… need to report this."
Before she could move—
A deep voice came from behind them.
"There's no need."
Heavy footsteps echoed across the wooden floor.
A tall man stepped forward from the upper balcony overlooking the guild hall.
His coat carried the silver emblem of the guild.
His sharp eyes focused directly on Renji.
"I saw everything."
He stopped beside the counter.
The room remained silent.
The man studied Renji carefully.
Then he spoke.
"In this guild…"
"…we don't allow fake rankers."
Renji blinked.
"…I didn't even ask for a rank."
The man smirked slightly.
"You won't need to."
He turned to the receptionist.
"Rika Aihara."
She straightened instantly.
"Yes, Guild Master."
"Register him."
She hesitated.
"What rank?"
The Guild Master glanced at the shattered crystal pieces.
"…B-Rank."
The entire hall erupted in murmurs.
Renji blinked again.
"…What does B-Rank mean?"
Mizuki leaned closer and whispered.
"It means you just skipped the beginner stage."
Renji rubbed his face.
"…Fantastic."