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The rest of the day went smoothly and when school finally ended, Arnold quickly got back into his adventuring disguise and headed for the guild.
He didn't run into Luke or Olivia today since he spent his time with Rina mostly. He managed to convince her to go shopping tomorrow during lunch.
Aside from keeping up the "lie", she definitely needs them. What she's been wearing so far, besides the school uniform, is stuff Siana gave her. She only arrived in his city in a dress, after all.
In any case, he and Morwenne met up with the first-year boy he ordered to meet him at the SDC office. The boy confessed under Morwenne's pressuring tone. She didn't threaten him, but she did make him realize what he'll lose if the whole empire discovers he was involved in this whole operation.
By working with them, he can be known as their insider who leaked information under the guise of buying from the criminals. This way, they can use his involvement to twist the narrative so that his whole life won't be ruined once the information leaks.
Him using the drugs will be redacted from the official report that Morwenne is busy writing.
They found out the following:
There were about two locations where the students connected to the drug operation gather.
One of them is in one of the alchemy classes (the teacher in charge of it might be connected to them as well) and the other the boys' gym locker room. There are many empty classrooms where they could gather but knowing these are the first places that are checked, they were smart enough to not use them.
An extra dormitory is also in the midst of construction (the construction crew will only resume building by the end of the month) which could be another location they gather at. Even if it's just conjecture, Morwenne said she'll check it out.
In any case, he's itching to go see how Anais and Lauran were doing but the two don't need to be disturbed by his presence right now. Maybe he'll swing by later and hopefully they'll have made progress.
…
'It's very crowded today.' he thought as he approached the Misteltein Guildhouse. The whole street was filled to the brim with adventurers. Each of them had a piece of paper in hand, which was probably written tests of some sort.
From a glance at everyone's statuses, he could tell most, if not all, of them were newbies.
"Hey! No cutting in line!" someone grabbed his shoulder as he walked past them. The guy froze up when he got a good look at him.
He just gave the guy a silent look before continuing on.
Whispers spread and everyone's eyes remained on him. They quickly gave way and none of them greeted him.
The bell of the door rung when he entered. There were newbies even inside the main hall.
No one seemed to notice him since there was such a commotion going on.
"Why the fuck was I not accepted into the program!? I killed the required monsters for D-rank!"
One of the greenhorns were arguing with their secretary Josephine.
Arnold couldn't see Elora or anyone else familiar in sight so he chose to listen to their exchange.
She replied calmly, "Yes, you did splendidly on that front. But that's a practical test completed. One of many, actually. Besides the written one that you chose to ignore by not attending."
"What the hell!? There's more!? And why is a written test important for adventurers!?"
"Having the abilities to fight monsters is an important aspect of adventuring. However, there are many other aspects that you need to use in conjunction with each other. One is first aid. You can't expect a healer to patch you up every time, no? What if the healer is also injured? Should you not use the amateur skills you obtained as a new adventurer to get them back on their feet so that they can heal the rest of the party? And what about food? You don't honestly think adventurers march from quest to quest with taverns always waiting for them, do you? You need to learn how to ration, how to prepare food that won't spoil, and how to survive if supply lines fail. The forest is a treasure trove of ingredients but you need to be able to differentiate the edible food from the poisonous.
And let's not forget navigation. A map and a compass are not just trinkets we carry for decoration. Without them, you will be wandering in circles until your provisions run out. Monsters don't care if you are lost—they will happily eat you while you try to recall where north is.
Then there's communication. Can you read contracts? Can you tell the difference between a binding agreement and a scam written by some merchant who wants your head on a platter? If you can't, then you'll spend more time in courtrooms than on the battlefield—if you're not already rotting in a debtor's cell.
And finally, teamwork. Adventurers don't survive by swinging their blades wildly like drunk mercenaries. We rely on formations, on signals, on discipline. One poorly timed move can turn a skirmish into a massacre. Tell me, did you even bother to learn the hand signals that could save your life when your throat is too parched or bloodied to shout? No? Then you'd be nothing but dead weight to any party foolish enough to take you in."
Josephine's eyes narrowed, her tone still calm but carrying the weight of steel. "So yes, the written exam matters. It matters because this job is more than hacking apart goblins. It's about living long enough to take the next contract. If you can't handle learning the basics, then you won't last a month in this profession. What you've done to get so far to even become a D-rank is mere luck or your competent allies."
The greenhorn's face went pale halfway through her lecture, his earlier bravado shrinking with every point she listed. By the time she finished, he looked like a boy scolded by his mother.
"I… didn't know it was all that important," he stammered, his voice cracking. "I thought… I thought killing monsters was the whole point…"
"Will you complete the test or leave the program since it isn't to your liking?"
His eyes darted anywhere but her face, shoulders hunched as if trying to make himself smaller. "…I'll study. I'll do the other tests. Just… don't—don't kick me out yet."
"The program is meant to determine whether you will get kicked or not, not me. Please return here in two days at noon. We will rent out the library hall for everyone to take tests again like last time."
"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" he quickly bowed and stormed out in a hurry.
"Next." Josephine calmly walked to behind the desk and sat back down. However, she spotted Nova before the next greenhorn could speak. She gestured with a finger to the lounge area entrance.
He nodded then headed that way.
The voices were then drowned out as he walked further inside the building, passing by the hall leading upstairs and to the kitchen.
He heard different voices from inside the lounge area.
"Guild Master! You're back so soon?" Shaun and Idalia were sitting at the 'war table' going through some notes together.
"Yeah, I wanted to stretch my legs. What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be taking quests?"
"We can't take any alone…" Idalia said with a wry smile, "We're waiting on Miss Lucia so that we can head out."
"Where is she?"
"She's introducing a new member of our team to the vice guild master."
"New… member?"
A voice came from behind him just as he was about to ask who it was.
"—There you are! The guy I fought before!"
A rather familiar voice…?
He turned to see Leonard or was it Leonhard? He kind of forgot the guy's name since he's so insignificant.
"You fought the Guild Master, Leonard?" Lucia looked at him as if he was an idiot. Her expression seemed so natural, as if she had given him the look many times in the past.
Idalia and Shaun gave him the same face.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that!? He was manageable back then!" he said it as if it happened a month ago.
"Back then? We met last year." Arnold replied, since the kid made it sound like it was a long time ago.
"Uh, well, it's good to see you haven't died yet, rival!" he patted Arnold's shoulder with a grin.
"So… this kid is the new addition to Team Beta?" he asked Lucia.
"I ain't a kid! I'm pretty sure we're the same age!" Leonard remarked, though he was about Shaun's height.
"Yes, out of the three of them, he has the greatest combat power so he will be the rearguard in place of Shaun to protect their backs once he is accepted into the program." Lucia replied, "But there are some areas he lacks a lot in. For one, he's extremely impatient, which could lead to one's death in the field if all you have going for you is brawn."
"Why are you talking about me as if I'm not here!?" he inserted himself between the two.
Lucia sighed, "And then there's his attitude. He refuses to listen to his peers or even his party leader."
"So, he's not eligible for the field at the moment then."
"Yes."
"What!? But I'm plenty strong!"
"Do you want Josephine to give you an earful of what being an adventurer means?" Lucia said while a vein was popping on her temple, "You are only C-rank level so don't think you can fight anything with bruteforce alone."
"Tch. My combat power is way above that..."
"Maybe achieve some feats then you wouldn't be ranked so low. Also, don't give me that attitude. You were the one who begged to join the program."
"That was because I thought I could join Nova's team!"
"There are steps to joining the alpha team, young man."
"You will be of no use to us," Arnold interjected, "Being a hot-head as an adventurer can cloud your judgment in a life-or-death situation. I also don't like fighting alongside people who won't listen to my orders."
Even he will rely on allies and brains for what they're going to face in the Kingdom of Thalivielle and World Tree Forest.
"But why do those kids get to go with you!?"
"We need porters for a very important quest." Lucia responded instead, "They're not going as combatants or backup either, if that's what you're thinking. You should know what porters are even if you aren't smart, right? They carry essential potions, scrolls and extra equipment."
"I-I can also be a porter…"
"Knowing you, you will jump on the first monster you see."
"…."
"You will remain here to train with the other squads. Josephine and Lucri arranged for other veteran adventurers to teach you kids what the field is all about and testing you out there. I know a few of them personally so if you can impress them then I will believe you're an Alpha material even at C-rank."
"What does being Alpha material even mean!? Please let me go on one quest with you at least, Nova!"
"That's not how adventuring works."
"Stop overreacting like a child! And don't be so familiar with the guild master!" Lucia slapped him at the back of his head.
"Ouch!"
"What were you two working on earlier? Is it related to a quest with Lucia?" Arnold asked Shaun while Lucia was chiding Leonard.
"We were discussing a strategy to trap a Basilisk so that we can take its eggs."
"That's an A-rank monster and you're thinking of taking it down? Who gave the quest?"
"The Alchemy Guild wants them. I think it's to make antidotes for strong poisons."
"Since the quest states you need to trap it only, this would make the quest a C or D-rank depending on where the Basilisk is."
The environment could determine the rank of the quest. For example, an open field would be much higher since the terrain is flat so the monster can move freely and you have no place to hide but a mountain cave would be an easier quest since you could simply blow the cave walls in on the creature.
"It's in a swamp, I think."
"Yup, Barren Swamp." Answered Idalia.
"The water might not be easy to move in but there's a lot of vegetation that can be set on fire. Because of this, it will be easy for you to capture it since you can use its fear to make it panic."
"Eh? Really?"
"The Basilisk is afraid of fire since it knows its poison breath can be ignited. This poison cloud comes from a special organ in its body so if a fire sets it off, it will explode from the inside."
Lucia chimed in, "So we will need to wait for it to go hunting before trapping it in a cage of fire."
"Shaun, why didn't we think of that! I told you to study the creature more while you were at the library!" Idalia complained.
"Huh? What was your plan then?"
"…We about disguising ourselves as crocodiles by wearing fake suits since Basilisks coexist with different reptiles." Shaun blushed as he answered.
"Y-Yeah, since it's an apex predator, it doesn't care about smaller monsters or reptile around its young…"
Lucia burst out laughing, "Hahahaha! The Basilisk might coexist with other reptiles but that doesn't mean it won't smell you approach its nest! That thing can smell you coming before it even sees you."
"I-I get it already!" Shaun ran over to the table and put away their notes.
"I'll observe you three today." Said Arnold.
"What, but I thought we could spar!" Leonard, who he forgot was here, whined.
"The Guild Master will make time for these newbies? Careful, they might think they're more special than all the rest." Lucia remarked.
"I have a lot of free time right now. I also want to observe the two who will join us on the SS-rank quest a month from now."
This is to also boost morale so that they don't feel nervous and know their guild master will jump in if they're in danger. This way they won't ever hesitate, just execute their mission.
"And you, young man," Lucia turned to Leonard who was standing there with a sour face, "There will be a new test next week so you need to do your research."
"Ughhhh! Fine, Mom! I'll catch up to you two soon!" he pointed at Shaun and Idalia, "Then I'll join the Alpha party!"
Before Lucia could say anything back, he rushed out with a big grin on his face.
"So determined… Anyway, Shaun is the one who brought the kid on the team. He's quite a loudmouth. Even with that handsome face, I find him quite annoying."
"His stats are quite good for someone who's C-rank level…" Arnold said.
"Stats?"
"Ah, nothing. Just muttering to myself. You two get ready to leave." He told Shaun and Idalia. "I'll head upstairs for a bit and join you later."
"Got it!"