The guild had never seemed so different as it did that morning.
I had passed through those doors countless times. Dirty, tired, wounded, in debt, waiting for a mission that would pay enough to eat the next day. Even so, when I pushed the door open now, I felt as if I were entering a place that no longer belonged to me in the same way.
The conversations gradually stopped.
It wasn't immediate, nor theatrical. Just a slow silence, like when the wind changes direction. Some adventurers stared at us openly. Others pretended not to look. There was respect there, but also distance.
Elara leaned slightly toward me. "They're staring at us."
"They'll get used to it," I murmured.
Liriel seemed too calm. She walked with an upright posture, a serene expression, as if that place had been made for her from the very beginning. Vespera, on the other hand, analyzed everything with cold attention, as if calculating invisible risks.
We were called to the main hall.
The guild master was standing, accompanied by two representatives of the kingdom. Sealed scrolls rested on the table. That scene said everything even before a single word was spoken.
"Takumi," he said, his voice firm. "And members of your group."
We stepped forward.
"After official analysis by the guild council, reports from allied guilds, and confirmation from the kingdom," he continued, "it is recorded that you have accomplished feats compatible with the highest level of adventurer classification."
He paused briefly.
"Therefore, as of today, you are recognized as Rank S adventurers."
The hall erupted in murmurs.
There was no applause. It wasn't that kind of announcement. It was something heavier, more definitive.
One of the kingdom's representatives stepped forward. "This recognition is not merely honorary. Rank S missions involve threats on a national scale. Failures cost cities. Successes save kingdoms."
I swallowed dryly.
I knew that. I had always known. But hearing it out loud made everything feel more real.
The guild master slid the new emblems across the table. They were simple, without excessive ornaments, but the symbol engraved there carried enormous weight.
"Do you accept this classification?" he asked.
I looked at Liriel, Elara, and Vespera.
Elara took a deep breath. "We accept."
"Together," Vespera added.
I nodded. "We accept."
The guild master smiled, something rare. "Then it is done."
I received the emblem in my hands. It was cold. Heavy. Different from any other I had ever held.
As I fastened it to my belt, I felt something strange. Not exaggerated pride. Not euphoria. Just responsibility.
As we left the hall, some adventurers approached.
"Congratulations," said a man I barely knew. "I hope I never cross paths with you on a competing mission."
Another simply nodded in silence.
Outside, the sun was high. The city followed its normal rhythm. People coming and going, merchants shouting prices, children running through the streets. The world had not stopped just because our lives had changed level.
Elara broke the silence. "So… Rank S."
"It doesn't feel real," I said.
"It will when the first mission arrives," Vespera replied.
Liriel was watching the sky. "With this, we are no longer just adventurers. We are symbols."
That word bothered me.
"I don't want to be a symbol of anything," I said.
She looked at me gently. "Even so, you will be."
We returned to the mansion earlier than expected. On the way, I noticed how people looked at us differently. It wasn't fear. It was expectation.
Inside the mansion, I sat alone for a while. The emblem was on the table in front of me.
Rank S.
For years, that had been something distant, almost legendary. Now it was there, within reach of my hand.
Elara entered without knocking. "You're overthinking again."
"Maybe."
She sat in front of me. "You don't seem happy."
"I am… just not in the way I imagined."
She smiled slightly. "Welcome to the top."
Later, we gathered for dinner. Nothing formal. Nothing special. Just simple food and light conversation.
Vespera commented, "From now on, we won't choose missions out of necessity. We'll choose them by impact."
"And that changes everything," Liriel said.
I looked at the three of them. At the group that started with nothing. No guarantees. No future.
"Regardless of Rank," I said, "I don't want us to change in here."
Elara nodded. "We won't."
Liriel smiled. "Silent promises are the strongest ones."
That night, when I went to sleep, I left the emblem on the table, far from the bed.
I needed to remember who I was before it.
Because, from that day on, the world would no longer see us as ordinary adventurers.
And deep down, I knew that Rank S was not a prize.
It was a warning.