In the Adventurer's Guild reception hall, clamour filled the room, from people chatting at the notice board while choosing missions, to others simply gossiping among themselves.
Among the crowd, Raven, Helga, and Wolfton stood facing each other, Raven wearing an awkward smile.
'How did she know where I was going to be?' Raven thought behind his smiling façade.
"Hehe, how's the cohort, Helga?" he asked sheepishly.
Helga glanced at him and noticed the brown card in his hand. With a small, upturned smile, she replied,
"So, you used Andel's sword and your ability to get a Grade A, huh? Good for you."
"You're not going to tattletale on me?" Raven asked.
"Do you want me to?"
"I mean, you have the chance to, you caught me red-handed."
"Nah, too much work. And since the party's been disbanded, I care even less," Helga said casually.
"You guys disbanded?" Raven repeated. He wondered if it was because of him, after all, he had robbed their leader of his sword.
"Yeah. Andel was too immature and temperamental," Helga explained. "He always got worked up over small issues. Though I wouldn't call robbing him small, using his own incompetence as an excuse to lash out at us was unreasonable. We just couldn't stand his rudeness anymore."
"Oh, so you came looking for a new party to join? Well, lucky you, we just formed one. You're welcome to join us!" Wolfton butted into the conversation suddenly.
"Uh? When did I agree to form a cohort with you?" Raven retorted.
"Will you join us? We're one of the strongest teams here, you have my word," Wolfton said confidently, ignoring Raven as he stepped between them, facing Helga.
"'Strongest,' you say? What are your achievements? How many missions so far? What's your guild point total, your party's mortality rate, success rate, total mission count…" Helga started firing off questions one after another, making Wolfton's eyes spin. He staggered. Raven sighed.
"We're just a new team, don't overload the poor boy's brain," Raven said.
"Alright then, I'll join you guys," Helga said.
"You want to… why? I mean, we're not forcing you," Raven stammered.
"Do I look like someone who can be forced by you two?" she replied.
"Not really," Raven muttered.
"Sweet! I knew you were just playing hard to get, Raven. And lady, welcome to our team. I'm Wolfton McLaren, a Grade A adventurer," Wolfton said, instantly back in high spirits.
"Grade A too? Now I see where 'strongest team' comes from. Anyway, I'm Helga Dragonheist," she said.
"Hm, what a strong name for a strong lady…" Wolfton began, but Helga's disinterested stare made him change the subject.
"Let's go find a mission to select," Wolfton said quickly, leading the way. However, they were stopped by someone, one of the examiners, Caplux.
"Hi, Mr. Raven, Mr. Wolfton. Congratulations on your grade achievements, we hope to see great things from you two," Caplux greeted, then turned to Helga. "And you too, Miss Helga."
'What the hell is she doing with those two? Don't tell me she came for the same thing as me', he thought, smiling politely at them.
"Say, you two, if you were invited to join the Cadet Academy, would you go?"
"Cadet Academy?!" the three said in unison.
The Cadet Academy was the largest institution for training both weapon and magic cultivation in Stickmanlandia and one of the most renowned in the world.
It was known to admit only the most talented individuals. Graduates were considered the elite of the kingdom; even the current King of the Stickmen had once studied there.
In his past life, Raven had applied to the academy but was crushed by failure. It was also the first time he had learned about people with special abilities.
After failing to enter, he joined the army, where he later underwent brief training at the same academy.
"But of course, yes, I would," Raven replied.
Caplux smirked. "Good. Well, take this."
He handed the two of them a small white envelope, then turned to leave.
"I'll be expecting you two in two months. Until then." He gestured farewell and walked off.
Raven and Wolfton opened their envelopes and read the contents, their eyes widened.
"A recommendation to take the Cadet Academy's entrance examination?!" Helga exclaimed. "Just like that? No application? Whoa."
Raven stared in disbelief. He had planned to apply after a year of adventuring to gain more experience, but this opportunity had come far sooner than expected. He smiled inwardly.
"If my rival's going, then I'm going too. I can't let him have all the fun," Wolfton declared.
"I can't wait to see what it has in store for us. Right, rival?"
"Yeah," Raven replied, feeling a surge of excitement.
"Rival, huh? That's good. Anyway, congrats to you two. I wish you success in your upcoming test," Helga said with a subtle smile.
"That's enough talk. Let's go find a mission," Raven said.
The trio went to the bulletin board, scanning and discussing what to pick.
"What about this one, guys? This should be easy," Wolfton said, pointing at a notice that read:
{Lost Pet!
Name: Rhodes the Blue Beast
Poster: Counselor Rodriguez
Reward: 100,000 gold coins, Shroom Root
Quest Grade: A}
"A Grade A mission right off the bat? Shouldn't you start with a lower-ranked one to gain experience first?" Helga asked.
"Nah, we've got plenty," Raven said, taking the paper off the board.
Helga stared at him, slightly exasperated. "If it's you, I get it."
Raven smirked.
The trio went to one of the receptionists to receive the official permit seal for the mission.
"Counselor Rodriguez lives in Silverware. You should go to his residence to get the full details," the receptionist said.
At first, she wanted to advise them to choose a lower-ranked quest since Raven and Wolfton were new, but seeing Helga with them, even as a Grade C adventurer, reassured her they could manage.
Before leaving, they were asked to pay a small deposit as a cushion fee, in case they caused damages or failed the mission. It would be refunded upon successful completion.
At long last, the three geared up and set off for Silverware.