They walked toward the reception.
And then… there was the receptionist.
Ai stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened, pupils shrinking.
"…Oh no. Not this again."
The woman behind the counter wasn't just attractive — she was weaponized hot.
Massive breasts that looked like they were moments away from bursting free of the tiny, skin-tight tube top she wore — a scrap of stretchy fabric that seemed to exist purely for the legal technicality of clothing. It barely covered her nipples and the lower swell of her breasts, leaving a deep, obscene canyon of cleavage on full display.
Her hips were just as excessive, stretching her short shorts to the point the seams looked ready to surrender. Her toned stomach and defined obliques were bare for the world to see, a golden tan making her skin practically glow under the lanterns.
And that face — sharp jaw, high cheekbones, plump, glossy red lips that seemed too moist to be real, framed by a waterfall of red hair that spilled in big, soft waves over her shoulders.
The woman leaned forward just enough to make her chest shift in ways Ai swore were in slow motion. Her voice was a perfect mix of husky seduction and playful cuteness.
"Well… hello there, handsome."
Shiki blinked once. "…Sup."
Ai moved instantly, hooking both hands around his arm and pulling it into her chest. She narrowed her eyes at the receptionist like a cat guarding its favorite sunny spot.
The woman's lips curled In a knowing smile. "Name's Salene. Are you two here to register?"
"Yeah," Shiki said, and Ai felt her jaw clench at the casual flirty lilt in his tone.
Inside his head, Shiki was thinking: 'This NPC is… damn. My random character generator is getting ridiculous. And It made her deliberately aware of it? What the hell was it thinking…?'
Ai's eyes darted between him and Salene, clearly imagining every bad outcome in existence.
Salene rested her elbows on the counter, cleavage shifting again in a way that was definitely deliberate. "Alright, lovebirds, names?"
"Ajio Shiki," he said smoothly. "And this kitten... her name's Ai."
Salene's brow quirked. "Only Ai? Not Ajio Ai?"
Shiki's head tilted. "…Huh?"
"I thought she was your wife," Salene said, tone dripping with casual provocation.
Ai's brain had a half-second of static before her mouth ran ahead of her thoughts. "Yes, I am Ajio Ai. We're married."
She was smiling way too brightly as she hugged his arm tighter, cheeks blazing red. In the back of her mind she knew she'd regret saying it because Shiki would never let it go.
Sure enough, he smirked immediately, voice dropping low. "Yes… we love each other a lot," he drawled, pulling her closer until her hip was snug against his.
Salene's knowing grin deepened. "Thought so."
She reached under the counter and set a crystal ball down in front of them.
The sphere was mounted on a silver base engraved with intricate runes, the glass-like surface faintly glowing from within. Strange symbols shimmered along its surface like moving ink.
"Place your hand on it," Salene instructed. "It'll read your mana signature and generate a guild card for you."
Ai glanced at Shiki, who nodded toward it. "Go on, kitten"
She placed her hand hesitantly on the ball. A pulse of faint light travelled up her arm and the runes flared brighter. The sphere hummed, the glow building until Salene's eyes went wide.
"…A-Class…" she muttered under her breath.
That single word carried across the room like a thunderclap. Conversations stopped. Heads turned. Chairs scraped.
"A-Class?!" someone near the fireplace whispered.
"She's so young…"
"Never seen her before — where's she from?"
"Too powerful for a rookie."
Ai shrank slightly under the sudden attention, pulling her hand back as the crystal dimmed.
Shiki grinned. "Not bad, wife."
Her blush deepened. "S-Shut up…"
Salene slid a freshly printed guild card across the counter — sturdy metal with engraved details.
---
Name: Ajio Ai
Class: A
Martial Status: Married.
The rest of the stats were neatly listed beneath: mana meter, intelligence score, strength index, etc.
---
Ai stared at it. "…It even put married on there?!"
"Guess it's official now," Shiki said, clearly enjoying himself.
"Your turn," Salene said, resetting the crystal.
Every eye in the room followed Shiki as he stepped forward. He rested his hand on the glass.
For a moment, it was stable — the same steady glow as Ai's reading. Then the light started to thicken, swirling faster. The hum deepened into a low vibration.
The crystal shook violently, glowing so brightly it lit the rafters. Runes flickered erratically.
Salene's eyes widened. "What the—"
A sharp CRACK split the air. Hairline fractures webbed across the sphere. The glow intensified, then —
BOOM!
Shards of magic-infused glass exploded outward in a harmless flash of light, dissipating into motes before they hit the floor. The silver base clanged against the counter, smoking faintly.
The room was dead silent for a full two seconds.
Then —
"…It… broke."
"It's never broken before!"
"Mana overload…"
"No way — even the Celestial Knight only made it buzz!"
"He's gotta be S-Class at least."
"S? That's SS if I've ever seen it!"
"Or higher… maybe SSS…"
"That's more than the Celestial Knight's reading, I swear on my life!"
Someone near the back whispered like they were speaking a forbidden name. "…GOD-level."
---
Salene just stared at him, lips parted. "…I've… never seen that happen."
Shiki pulled his hand back, flexing his fingers like nothing happened. "Guess you need a bigger crystal."
Ai's eyes were huge. "…You…"
"Yeah?"
"You just broke the test."
He smirked. "What can I say? Your husband's impressive."
Her blush shot right back into full bloom. "Don't call yourself that!"
The crowd was still murmuring, a few people giving Shiki side-eyes like they weren't sure whether to respect him or run away.
---
Salene shook herself out of the daze, leaning in over the counter, voice dropping low but urgent.
"…You two. With me. Now."
The room went quiet again. People didn't need to hear the whole sentence to understand something serious was going down.
"Why?" Shiki asked casually, but there was a glint in his eyes like he already knew.
"Guild Master needs to see this immediately." Her smile was gone — replaced by professional sharpness. "And before the entire damn city hears."
That last part was pointless, because the gossip had already detonated.
Everywhere they passed on the way to the side door, people whispered:
"Did you see the ball? It shattered like glass—"
"That wasn't glass. That was enchanted crystal from the capital!"
"No way… a GOD-Class in our city?"
"Who is he?!"
"And… did you see his wife? A real beauty and an A-Class—"
"No, no, forget her, I'm talking about his mana. That wasn't normal."
"Normal?! That was divine."
Men were craning their necks to get another look. Women were biting their lips, eyes darting toward Shiki like he was some forbidden treasure. Even the older adventurers — the ones too jaded to care about rookies — were paying attention.
One woman near the wall muttered, "That much power in one man… dangerous."
Another guy near the bar leaned over to his friend. "Dangerous? That's Goddamn unstoppable."
---
Salene led them through a back hallway, her hips swaying even when she wasn't trying, which only made Ai cling harder to Shiki's arm.
She whispered up at him, her voice tight. "How… how are you so strong?"
Shiki didn't look at her, just smirked faintly. "I'm the creator of this world. A literal GOD."
Ai blinked. "…Eh?"
"Obviously I'm GOD-Class. I created this world." he murmured, tone low so Salene wouldn't overhear. Then he added with a smirk, "And you're the wife of a GOD-Class. To everyone now."
Ai nearly tripped, her face exploding red. "W-Wife of—!"
"Married. On paper," he said, shrugging like it was nothing. "Guild card says so. Means it's real enough."
Her pout was so sharp it could cut steel, but she didn't let go of him. If anything, she pressed her chest against his arm even harder.
They reached a heavy oak door at the end of the hall. Salene knocked once.
A deep, rolling laugh answered from inside — warm, rich, and carrying the same weight as a storm cloud.
"HOHOHOHO! Enter!"
Salene pushed the door open, gesturing them in.
The Guild Master's office was big enough to feel like its own hall. Shelves of books lined the walls, a massive map of the continent stretched across one side, and the far wall was dominated by a wide desk carved from dark, ancient wood.
Behind it sat a man who looked like the kind of person fairy tales made up.
Long gray hair spilling over his shoulders, a beard just as long and full, both perfectly groomed. His robe was deep navy trimmed with silver, embroidered with runes that shimmered faintly. His eyes were sharp despite his age, and they glowed faintly in the lamplight like he could see through your soul.
But it was the laugh that sealed it — booming and warm, like he'd just heard the best joke in the world.
"HOHOHO! So you're the boy who shattered my testing crystal!"
Shiki raised a brow. "…Your crystal?"
The old man's eyes twinkled. "Indestructible, they told me when they brought it from the capital. HOHOHO! Guess they were wrong."
Salene stepped aside, gesturing to Shiki. "Guild Master, his reading wasn't just off the charts — it destroyed the charts. I've never seen anything like it."
The Guild Master leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, fingers steepled. "What's your name, lad?"
"Ajio Shiki."
The old man's grin widened. "And your rank?"
Shiki shrugged. "GOD-Class, apparently."
"HOHOHOHO!" The old man slapped the desk hard enough to make his inkwell wobble. "Not just apparently. I can feel it from here."
Ai's eyes darted between them. "…You can feel it?"
The Guild Master nodded solemnly. "Power like that… even without trying, it spills into the air. You could walk into a battlefield and everyone would know before you raised a hand."
Shiki's smirk deepened. "Convenient."
The old man leaned back, stroking his beard. "Convenient… and dangerous. HOHOHOHO!"
---
Salene crossed her arms, still eyeing Shiki like she was trying to figure out if he was a gift from the gods or a disaster waiting to happen. "We need to discuss his guild registration privately."
"Agreed," the Guild Master said, his voice dropping into something far more serious. "Because if the capital hears about this before we're ready…" He looked directly at Shiki. "…they'll come for you."
Ai's grip on Shiki's arm tightened.
Shiki? He just smiled like someone had told him the weather was nice. "Let them."
The Guild Master's eyes narrowed for a second — then he laughed again, long and deep. "HOHOHOHO! With powers like that, they can't do anything if they tried."
The air In the room felt heavy now. Not hostile — but charged. Like something important had just been set in motion.
---
END OF CHAPTER : 12 : GOD-CLASS!
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