Platinum Groups were basically the top of it all. These were groups where the best rankers gathered, and they were usually small in number. Entrants in these types of groups were either Guild Leaders, Lords, Mayors, or holders of other top positions in the Badlands.
Roman had watched himself get tossed out repeatedly by the other groups, which he was sure were created by rookies just like him. Now he couldn't believe that after all of that, it was a Platinum Group that was accepting his sorry ass!
At that point, he felt like he was dreaming.
[Entrant #40865000: Roman Rings, you can kindly go ahead and save my contact. I'm here anytime you need me.]
[Entrant #40663650: What do you mean, North? It should be "We" not "I."]
A member of the group suddenly chimed in with that response to the admin, and North replied with a laughing emoji.
[Entrant #40865000: Easy, Lyra. I'm the boss here.]
[Entrant #40663650: Yeah that's true, but that doesn't give you enough reason to hoard the new guy for yourself. I'm a member of this group as well, and I'm an S ranker just like you!]
[Entrant #40697111: Since when did we start winning arguments by bragging about our ranks? We are all S rankers here. Except for our new guy.]
[Entrant #40865000: Lyra's crazy. And I know she knows it.]
[Entrant #40663650: If you're not crazy in the Badlands, you are as good as dead.]
[Entrant #40697111: Well, that's true.]
[Entrant #40865000: Whatever. I'm out of here. Me and my first-choice group are heading towards Terror Lake tonight. @Entrant #45611100, don't forget to save my contact.]
[Entrant #40663650: Good luck. Try not to die there, please. We still need you for the Cross Operation.]
[Entrant #40697111: Very important.]
[Entrant #40663650: Entrant #45611100, save our numbers! I'm Lyra Genalds, the goat-head admin is North, and he's...]
[Entrant #40697111: Nightmare Ashran.]
Just like that, the three had introduced themselves before signing off, and before they left, they mentioned they were heading out for hunting. At night?
'Did Norman not say that it wasn't safe to hunt at night? Or is it because they are all S rankers?'
On a serious note, Roman had nearly lost his mind when he processed it. They were all S rankers in the group chat, and he was literally the only F rank among them.
There wasn't even a B or A ranked Entrant in the group, which made the gap so massive it was almost unbelievable.
Roman was stunned.
"Why did they let me stay?"
"What are they up to?"
"Did they not see the rankings?"
The fact that they had accepted him even after seeing his academic standard made the whole thing suspicious, because Roman could swear that no one in their right mind would ever do such a thing.
It took him a moment to calm his nerves, and then he decided he would ask North about it the next time she was online.
Roman dismissed the BSP and returned his attention to his room. He had been provided with a few sets of clothes, so he changed up.
After that, he headed straight to the outpost's restaurant, which was just a few metres away. Norman had told him that rookies would be given a one week free food allowance, and it was only after Privilege Day that they would be treated like every other member of the outpost.
What mattered most to him right now was the fact that he could eat to his satisfaction without paying, and that was all that counted at that point.
Upon reaching the restaurant, he noticed that quite a lot of people were already occupying almost every available space, and they were mostly rookies like him.
That was understandable. They had all had a long day.
"Hey, come on over!"
When the chef spotted him hovering near the entrance, trying to decide whether to go back or not, he quickly called out.
Roman shrugged and walked over, keeping his eyes down as almost everyone in the room glanced his way. He didn't know if they were all aware of his status, and that thought made him even more nervous.
"Do you care for some porridge?" The chef asked, and Roman nodded without hesitation.
He was offered a small bowl of what looked like carrot and cabbage porridge, but Roman didn't care in the slightest. Filling his stomach was all that mattered at that point.
He found a small space and sat down to eat, finishing quickly because unlike most of the others there, dinner was not the last thing Roman wanted to get done today.
He still had the blacksmith on his mind, and more importantly, he had a hunt to carry out.
He didn't know why North and the others had chosen to operate in the dark, but he was certain the results could be rewarding.
Since hunting at night carried high risk, didn't that mean there would be high rewards as well?
For instance, he could find monsters with better drops than the ones available during the day, or even ones that offered better EXP.
Roman thought about that, and it became clear to him that there was nothing stopping him tonight.
Just as he was finishing his meal, a young lady with red hair stepped into the restaurant.
He only looked for a few seconds before pulling his gaze away, but it was more than enough to tell that she was beautiful, even though she had announced herself as someone who wanted nothing to do with anyone the moment she walked in.
"Hey, beauty. Do you care for some porridge?" The chef asked her.
"Of course. I would love to have it packaged as I'll be heading back to my room right away."
The chef clicked his tongue and shrugged, before doing exactly as she said.
"Sure then."
After packaging it, he handed it over, and she was about to step out when a guy sitting in the restaurant suddenly stood up and approached her.
Roman raised his head and watched.
"Hey, gorgeous. Do you mind if I..."
"F**k off!"
The moment she said that and walked out on him, the entire restaurant erupted into laughter, and instead of feeling embarrassed, the only things on the guy's face were anger and disgust.
Anger that she had insulted him, and disgust at the others making fun of it.
Before he left, his last glance landed on Roman, who had also accidentally met his eyes at that exact same moment, still chuckling.
His two friends who had been sitting with him the whole time quickly followed, and soon the laughter died down.
It didn't take long before Roman left as well, making his way straight to the blacksmith.
The Blacksmith Profession was one of the most valued in the Badlands, but it all depended on quality and potential.
You wouldn't compare a Blacksmith in Citadel City to a Blacksmith in Blood Trail Outpost. And sometimes, it wasn't only about rank but about raw potential as well.
A First Class Blacksmith would tend to outperform a Third Class, even if the Third Class had entered the Badlands earlier.
This applied to all other professions as well, and that was why leaders cared so much about academic standard above everything else when taking on rookies during the Red Zenith.
When Roman approached the blacksmith, he learned that he was a D Rank Level 44, and had been stationed there for over two decades.
As for why he was still a D Rank, it was simple. Ranking up was never easy, and with a mediocre academic standard of Third Class, reaching ranks like C, B or A was nearly impossible. If he was lucky, a C Rank was the ceiling, and even then, he would likely retire there, because only S rankers and above could realistically begin to think about achieving immortality.
"The Academic Standard matters a lot. It really does," the blacksmith said, and that was the last thing he told Roman before their short conversation ended.
And Roman, a Fourth Class, couldn't quite hold himself together after hearing that.
He didn't dare disclose anything about himself to the blacksmith. He simply collected a Common Grade longsword and a dagger, which was his right as a member of the outpost, and then turned to face the gate.
The gatekeepers' expressions darkened the moment he approached.
"Where are you heading, rookie? Can't you see it's dark?"
"I want to go hunting," Roman said, sighing.
"What? Are you out of your mind? Seems like you feel like dying on your very first night. Can't you do your parents a favour and at least survive until Privilege Day?" The second gatekeeper said.
"Well, nobody said I'm dying. Because I'm not. Since it's not mandatory to stay back, I want to take my chances, and I'd appreciate it if you let me through," Roman said, all while smiling.
After a moment of hesitation, they opened the gate, and Roman was allowed to pass.
"Good luck getting yourself killed, boy. Hopefully you don't run into any high rank Ordinary Monsters."
"Thanks!" Roman responded, and straight away...
He headed straight into the valley.
"Time to see how this system works," he muttered, giving the blue interface a brief glance.