“Hello there, beautiful lady at the front desk.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Are you free tonight, miss?”
“I apologize, but if you have no further business, please step aside.”
Inside the Mercenary Guild, a young man with a silver-white braid leaned his hand on the reception desk, openly flirting with the attendant. Beside him stood a golden-haired girl, her expression one of utter helplessness.
The girl felt a pang of headache at the young man’s behavior. She had never imagined he possessed such an audacious side.
“Brother!”
Jeanne D’Arc seemed truly unable to watch any longer. She tugged on Yue Wu’s clothes, reminding him of their actual purpose.
“My apologies, I got a little carried away.”
Yue Wu quickly composed himself, straightening his attire before looking at the front desk attendant with a serious expression.
“I wish to establish a mercenary group.”
With that, Yue Wu placed several gold coins onto the desk.
“Please present your adventurer’s certificate.”
The attendant patiently guided Yue Wu through the procedure. Though he had wasted a considerable amount of time, such incidents were common, and she had grown accustomed to them.
“Uh, I don’t… have one.”
Yue Wu possessed no adventurer’s certificate, and the question left him momentarily stunned.
“If you haven’t yet applied to be an adventurer, you can do so at the Adventurer Application counter, and then return here to complete the process.”
The attendant gestured towards the desk to their front-left, marked ‘Adventurer Application’.
“Oh, thanks, beautiful. I’ll treat you to drinks tonight.”
Having spotted the location she indicated, Yue Wu offered a few more teasing remarks before departing.
“What a nuisance, wasting our time.”
As Yue Wu led Jeanne D’Arc away, passing by the queue of waiting adventurers, those individuals seemed to hold a strong dislike for him, openly mocking him. Yue Wu, however, feigned deafness, leading the visibly annoyed Jeanne D’Arc out of the guild.
“Brother, didn’t you hear those people insulting you?”
Jeanne D’Arc, fuming, pulled her hand from Yue Wu’s grasp and glared at him, her cheeks puffed out.
“Yes, and then what? Should I pick a fight with them?”
Yue Wu chuckled, amused by Jeanne D’Arc’s indignation on his behalf. He patted her head gently.
“Jeanne D’Arc, you must remember, acting that way gains you nothing but trouble.”
“So, we just have to endure it? Even if it’s an injustice?” Jeanne D’Arc asked, a hint of grievance in her voice.
“That’s not necessarily true.”
“Not necessarily?”
“Precisely. Justice may be delayed, but it is never absent.”
After uttering these words, Yue Wu flashed a mischievous smile at Jeanne D’Arc.
****
“Hey there, beautiful! I’m here to apply for adventurer qualifications, and so is my sister.”
Yue Wu shamelessly cut to the very front of the line, instantly drawing glares of dissatisfaction from those waiting to register as adventurers. Jeanne D’Arc, meanwhile, wished for a hole to swallow her whole.
She was utterly bewildered by her brother’s reliability. While he could indeed be dependable, he also possessed a carefree, roguish air, seemingly lacking any serious resolve to become an adventurer, despite his formidable strength.
“Alright.”
Though the registration attendant was clearly displeased by Yue Wu’s antics, she proceeded to process his adventurer’s certificate as usual.
“Here are your certificates.”
After completing the procedure, Yue Wu and Jeanne D’Arc successfully obtained their adventurer certificates.
“Ha! F-rank?! Only F-rank?! I refuse to accept this!”
Upon receiving his adventurer’s certificate, Yue Wu’s dissatisfaction flared when he saw his adventurer rank listed as the lowest, F-rank. While Jeanne D’Arc also received an F-rank, he felt it was an entirely different matter for him!
‘How could someone like me, who was level 500 and maxed out, only be F-rank! At my full power, I should at least be S-rank. Even if not, an A-rank would be acceptable. Why F-rank?!’
Yue Wu clutched his adventurer’s certificate, his hands trembling with indignation.
“Brother, it’s alright. Adventurer ranks aren’t set in stone; you can definitely upgrade your rank.”
Jeanne D’Arc sighed, then began to console Yue Wu’s deflated spirits.
“Hello again, lovely lady! That’s right, it’s me! I’m back!”
Once more, Yue Wu brazenly cut to the front of the line, resuming his flirtatious banter with the front desk attendant.
“Please present your adventurer’s certificate.”
This time, the attendant completely ignored Yue Wu’s advances, cutting straight to the point.
“Here you go.”
Yue Wu waited eagerly for the outcome, but the desired result never came. Instead, he was informed that he could not establish a mercenary group. The reasons cited were insufficient rank and the requirement to complete at least ten D-rank missions or one B-rank mission, along with an adventurer rank of E or higher.
This news infuriated Yue Wu to the point of nearly overturning the table. If Jeanne D’Arc hadn’t forcibly dragged him away, it was highly probable he would have caused a scene.
“Ah! Jeanne D’Arc, let go of me! I’m going to blow up this wicked guild!”
Yue Wu had completely lost his composure, flailing his fists and declaring his intent to obliterate the Mercenary Guild.
“Brother, you need to calm down! It’s just a matter of rank; we can simply accept some missions and complete them.”
Jeanne D’Arc painstakingly tried to reason with Yue Wu for a long time.
“Hmph, they simply can’t comprehend my strength. How could someone as handsome as me be defeated by such trivial prerequisites?”
Yue Wu indulged in a moment of narcissistic self-praise.
“Jeanne D’Arc, practice meditation here for now. I’ll transfer the meditation method into your mind shortly. I’m going to check the quest board.”
“Alright.”
Yue Wu implanted his meditation skill into Jeanne D’Arc’s mind, instructing her to wait by the guild’s fountain.
‘Quests, are there any B-rank quests? I see one!’
At the quest board, Yue Wu desperately pushed his way through the crowd, eventually reaching the very front. He rapidly scanned the available missions. Indeed, fortune favored the persistent, as Yue Wu finally spotted a B-rank quest. However, just as he was about to tear off the quest slip, someone moved faster, snatching it away before him.
“Who! Stop! Don’t run!”
Seeing his target vanish, Yue Wu spun around and spotted a girl, roughly fifteen or sixteen, holding the quest slip in her hand.
The girl, seeing Yue Wu charging through the crowd like a mad dog, clutched the quest slip anxiously and sped away.
“Director, a monster is chasing me!”
When Yue Wu caught up, he saw the girl who had stolen his quest slip hiding behind a handsome man dressed in a blue mage’s robe. She peered out, watching the furious Yue Wu approach.
“May I inquire why you are pursuing a teacher from our academy, sir?”
The handsome man narrowed his eyes, regarding Yue Wu with a friendly expression.
“Hmph, I saw that quest first.”
Yue Wu pointed accusingly at the girl behind the handsome man, his tone righteous.
“It appears, sir, that you are merely an F-rank adventurer. F-rank adventurers are not permitted to accept E-rank missions or higher. Therefore… Sir? Sir?”
The handsome man began explaining the Mercenary Guild’s regulations to Yue Wu. However, midway through his explanation, Yue Wu seemed to turn to stone, standing motionless.
“You wish to establish a mercenary group, do you not, sir? While completing a B-rank mission can fulfill the prerequisite for organizing a mercenary group, it’s not always the best approach.”
“However, if you don’t mind, we could complete it together.”
The handsome man was already well-aware of Yue Wu’s antics. After all, Yue Wu’s behavior at the Mercenary Guild that day had been highly conspicuous; many knew he had nearly caused a riot over forming a mercenary group.
“Since you’ve extended such a sincere invitation, I suppose I’ll humor you.”
Upon receiving the invitation, Yue Wu seemed to spring back to life, his entire demeanor radiating self-congratulatory pride.
“Although the Director has permitted you to join our party, we still need to ascertain your specific strength and abilities.”
At that moment, a formidable warrior, fully clad in armor, stepped forward. He carried a knight’s sword as tall as himself and a heavy lion shield strapped to his back.
Yue Wu appeared exceptionally small standing before him. The warrior’s height was estimated to be over two meters, and despite being covered in armor, his sculpted muscles were clearly discernible beneath.
“Do you want to test me?”
Yue Wu offered a mischievous smile.
“Anytime you’re ready.”
The formidable warrior seemed highly confident in his own strength, assuring Yue Wu with a self-assured air that he was prepared whenever.
“Then I’ll begin.”
Yue Wu raised his right hand, clenching his fist.
“With that flimsy punch of yours? I doubt you could ever breach my defenses. Jokes should be…”
The warrior scoffed at Yue Wu’s gesture, beginning to mock him. Yet, before he could finish his sentence, a flash of light suddenly gleamed from Yue Wu’s fist. His punch, swift as a meteor, struck the warrior’s armor.
*Thud!*
The warrior distinctly felt the impact of that blow against his armor. It generated a considerable shockwave that stimulated his skin, causing even his entire body to subtly vibrate.
“I didn’t expect your shell to be so tough. It didn’t even crack after a few of my Flowing Light-enhanced punches.”
Yue Wu’s tone conveyed a hint of disappointment as he shook his right hand. However, his expression betrayed no such emotion, displaying nothing but a carefree, devil-may-care smile.
“Indeed. Are you a martial artist? From another continent?”
The formidable warrior shed his earlier disdain and mockery, now regarding Yue Wu with serious attention.
“I am from the Asian Continent, that’s true, but I am not a martial artist. I am a Priest.”
Yue Wu corrected the warrior.
“A Priest? What’s that? Director, have you heard of it?”
The warrior had never encountered the profession of ‘Priest’ that Yue Wu spoke of, so he turned to the knowledgeable handsome man for an answer.
“My apologies, I’ve never heard of it either.”
The handsome man shook his head regretfully.
“What?! You don’t know what a Priest is?”
Yue Wu was utterly dumbfounded. The Priest class was a staple of the European Continent; how could it possibly not exist here?
“Water? Is that your friend’s name?”
The warrior, unable to comprehend the English word Yue Wu had just uttered, looked bewildered.
“A Priest is a class that can heal, support, and deal damage. Haven’t you heard of it?”
Yue Wu was growing flustered. What kind of situation was this? How could the European Continent lack the Priest class? His thoughts in disarray, game terminology spilled from his lips.
“Can heal?”
“Can support?”
“Can deal damage?”
The warrior, the handsome man, and the girl were all completely lost, having no idea what Yue Wu meant by ‘can heal,’ ‘can support,’ and ‘can deal damage.’ They exchanged confused glances before unanimously turning to Yue Wu, hoping for a more detailed explanation.
“Never mind, never mind. I don’t even know how to explain it. You’ll understand the ‘support’ part if you experience it directly.”
Yue Wu was on the verge of a mental breakdown and no longer wished to explain. He immediately cast ‘Magic Power Boost’ on the three of them, a spell that temporarily increased their magic power, causing their eyes to light up.
“Hm? This! Isn’t this…”
“A Sage.”
After all that, the three of them suddenly thought they understood Yue Wu’s profession. However, they were completely mistaken. In the game, a Sage was purely a support class, utterly incapable of healing or dealing damage.
“Which of you three is willing to make a sacrifice and give yourselves a cut?”
Yue Wu adopted a deadpan expression; he was already starting to despair.
“I’ll do it! I’m thick-skinned.”
The formidable warrior removed his gauntlet, drew a dagger from his waist, and lightly made a cut on his arm. They seemed to place great trust in this intriguing, mysterious young man, yet they were even more curious about the nature of the ‘Priest’ he spoke of.
“Watch closely. Healing Touch.”
Yue Wu raised his hand, condensing magic power into his palm, and placed it over the warrior’s fresh wound. In the next second, the cut instantly stopped bleeding and healed, leaving his arm as perfectly intact as before.
“A Shaman!”
At this, the three of them simultaneously blurted out their unified answer. Yue Wu, however, merely rolled his eyes at their conclusion.
“I never imagined, sir, that you possessed the abilities of both a Sage and a Shaman. I wonder if you would consider…”
Yue Wu’s capabilities immediately piqued the handsome man’s interest. He intended to recruit Yue Wu as a lecturer for their academy, but Yue Wu cut him off before he could finish.
“Hold on, hold on. I’m here to discuss a mission with you, not to be put on display like an animal.”
Yue Wu only then realized, almost forgetting the main purpose of his day.
“That’s easily arranged. We can depart right now.”
Fearing that this prodigy, Yue Wu, might slip away, the handsome man quickly agreed to his demands. No matter what conditions Yue Wu set, as long as he would come to their academy, it would be acceptable.