Gathering Husbands with a System in a Game Like World [BL]
Chapter 11: The Adventurers Guild (2)

Chapter 11: The Adventurers Guild (2)

Kai stood before the towering entrance for a brief moment. The Adventurer’s Guild. In the game it had been one of the busiest locations in the Empire. Players came here to accept quests, hunt monsters, earn rewards, and raise their ranks. Now it stood before him in reality. He pushed open the heavy oak doors.

Immediately a wave of noise and nostalgia washed over him.

"Hahaha! That’s my third wyvern this month!"

"Who’s taking the escort request to Eastwood?"

"Two ales over here!"

"The healer’s busy! Wait your turn!"

The guild hall was enormous. High wooden beams supported the vaulted ceiling. Crystal chandeliers illuminated the spacious interior despite the daylight streaming through the windows. Dozens of long tables filled the center of the hall, occupied by adventurers sharing meals or boasting about recent exploits. One side of the building contained an extensive quest board covered in parchment notices of every color. Another housed a blacksmith’s workshop, where sparks flew with every strike of a hammer. Nearby stood a small infirmary, where white-robed healers treated injured adventurers returning from dangerous expeditions.

Kai quietly observed everything. Just like the game. No, even better. The place felt alive.

He walked toward the massive quest board. Each request was marked with a different colored seal. Some white. Some green. Others blue. A few red. Above the board hung a polished bronze plaque.

It read:

Adventurer Rankings

F Rank – Beginners

E Rank – Apprentice Adventurers

D Rank – Experienced Adventurers

C Rank – Elite Adventurers

B Rank – Veterans

A Rank – Masters

S Rank – National-Level Adventurers

Kai nodded. The system was exactly as he remembered. Only F-Rank adventurers could accept F-Rank quests. Higher ranks unlocked more dangerous commissions and better rewards. Simple. Fair. And difficult to exploit.

The system appeared briefly.

[Suggestion: Register before accepting quests.]

Kai sighed.

"I was planning to."

He approached one of the reception counters. Behind it sat a young woman with chestnut-colored hair tied into a neat ponytail. She wore the Guild’s navy-blue uniform and was busily organizing stacks of paperwork. Without looking up she spoke politely.

"Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild. How may I—"

She raised her head. Her words stopped. Although Kai’s hood concealed much of his face, the lower half remained visible. Combined with his graceful posture and calm demeanor he still possessed an unmistakable elegance. The receptionist blinked twice.

"U-Um..."

Kai smiled politely.

"I’d like to register as an adventurer."

She immediately straightened.

"O-Of course! My apologies. I thought..."

She stopped herself. Kai tilted his head slightly.

"You thought?"

She laughed awkwardly.

"I thought you were a young noble who had wandered into the wrong building."

Kai smiled.

"I get that quite often."

The receptionist cleared her throat before pulling out a registration form.

"My name is Clara. I’ll be handling your registration."

She dipped her pen into ink.

"Name?"

"Kai Valerius."

She wrote it down.

"Age?"

"Eighteen."

"Primary weapon?"

Kai paused.

"None."

Clara looked up.

"No weapon?"

"I haven’t decided what suits me best yet."

That was not entirely a lie. Kai had never truly learned swordsmanship, archery, or spear techniques. His greatest weapon at the moment was his mind.

"I see..."

Clara continued writing.

"Primary magic affinity?"

Kai hesitated again. The system had yet to fully reveal the extent of his magical capabilities.

"Still exploring that as well."

Clara smiled kindly.

"That’s perfectly normal for new adventurers."

She stamped the document with the Guild’s crest.

"Now for the practical assessment."

Clara led Kai through a side door into a spacious training room. Several wooden targets stood against one wall. Obstacle courses occupied another. A handful of new recruits waited nervously for their turn. A broad-shouldered instructor with graying hair folded his arms.

"So another rookie."

Clara handed him Kai’s registration.

"Please conduct his assessment."

The instructor glanced over the paper.

"No preferred weapon?"

Kai nodded.

"Correct."

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting."

He pointed toward a small table. Three items rested upon it. A wooden sword. A dagger. A short bow.

"Choose one."

Kai walked over. Instead of reaching immediately he observed. The bowstring was slightly frayed. The dagger’s handle had a loose rivet. The wooden sword, while scratched from use, remained perfectly balanced. His Arcane Eye quietly confirmed his observations. Kai picked up the wooden sword.

The instructor noticed.

"You inspected them first."

Kai smiled.

"I figured choosing carefully was part of the test."

For the first time the instructor smiled.

"Good answer."

He tossed Kai a small leather pouch. Kai caught it effortlessly.

"What’s this?"

"Open it."

Inside were ten polished marbles. The instructor pointed toward a series of suspended wooden bells hanging across the room.

"You have one minute. Hit as many bells as you can. The order doesn’t matter."

Several recruits nearby exchanged confused looks.

"What kind of test is that?"

Kai did not throw immediately. His eyes swept across the room. He noted the distance. The spacing. The angles. Even the slight breeze entering through the open window. The instructor watched silently. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. *Good. He’s thinking before acting.*

Kai closed the pouch. Took a slow breath. Then selected his first marble. The practical assessment had begun.

Kai rolled the smooth marble between his fingers. The training hall fell unusually quiet. The other recruits had already finished their assessments. Some had struck four bells. One talented beastkin youth had managed six. The current record for the day was seven. The broad-shouldered instructor folded his arms.

"You have one minute. Begin."

Kai did not move. Three seconds passed. Four. Five. One of the recruits snorted.

"What’s he doing?"

"Did he freeze?"

"I knew it. Probably some sheltered noble."

A muscular adventurer leaning against the wall chuckled.

"Pretty faces don’t survive long in this profession."

The instructor said nothing. Instead he watched Kai’s eyes. They were not looking at the bells. They were studying the room. Arcane Eye activated. Information flooded Kai’s vision.

[Bell One. Wind Resistance: Minimal.]

[Bell Two. Suspended rope frayed. Excessive force may detach target.]

[Bell Three. Slight leftward swing every 2.4 seconds.]

[Window. Current wind direction: Northeast.]

Kai slowly inhaled. The breeze was not random. It entered through the eastern window, curved around a supporting pillar, then weakened before reaching the targets. The bells were not hanging completely still either. Each moved according to a predictable rhythm. The system spoke.

[Recommended Success Rate: 94.7%.]

Kai smiled faintly.

"That’s more than enough."

He flicked his wrist. The marble shot forward.

Ding!

The first bell rang clearly. Without waiting Kai threw another.

Ding!

Then another.

Ding!

The room became silent. His throws were not particularly powerful. Nor were they exceptionally fast. They were accurate. Every marble struck precisely where he intended. Fourth bell. Fifth. Sixth. The recruits stared.

"What... How?"

The muscular adventurer frowned.

"That’s impossible."

Kai was not aiming where the bells were. He was aiming where they would be. Only one marble remained. Seven bells already echoed softly from the successful hits. The instructor narrowed his eyes. There was one bell left. The smallest. It swung gently behind another target, making a direct hit almost impossible. Several recruits had failed because they rushed. Kai did not. He watched. Counted. One. Two. Three. The hidden bell briefly emerged from behind the larger one. Kai released the marble. It curved slightly with the breeze.

DING!

The smallest bell rang. Perfectly. The room fell into complete silence. Ten marbles. Eight successful hits. Every target struck. Not through overwhelming skill but through observation. The instructor walked toward the targets himself. He inspected every bell before turning back to Kai.

"Interesting."

Kai scratched his cheek.

"Did I pass?"

The instructor laughed.

"Pass? You’ve just achieved today’s highest score."

The recruits erupted into murmurs.

"He beat the beastkin..."

"And he doesn’t even specialize in throwing."

"Did anyone see how he did it?"

The muscular adventurer looked thoughtfully at Kai.

"He wasn’t throwing. He was calculating."

The instructor nodded.

"Exactly."

He looked directly at Kai.

"You noticed the wind. The swinging rhythm. And even compensated for both."

Kai smiled modestly.

"I’ve always believed looking carefully saves more effort than acting blindly."

The instructor laughed loudly.

"I like that answer."

Back at the reception counter Clara smiled as she placed a small bronze badge on the desk. The badge bore a single engraved letter. F. She slid it toward Kai.

"Congratulations. From today onward you are officially an F-Rank Adventurer."

Kai picked up the badge. It was surprisingly heavy. Simple. Yet meaningful. This was the first title he had earned entirely through his own efforts. Not because he was born a noble. Not because of the system. But because he had proven himself. Clara handed him a small leather booklet.

"Guild Rules. Quest Records. And your identification. If you lose it, replacing it costs one gold coin."

Kai immediately stored both the badge and booklet inside the Ring of Infinite Storage. The items vanished in a flash invisible to everyone else. Clara blinked.

"Storage equipment?"

Kai nodded.

"A family heirloom."

"I see."

She did not pry further. Many nobles possessed magical tools. Though few owned ones as convenient as Kai’s.

Kai walked back toward the enormous commission board. Dozens of requests covered its surface. F-Rank. Gather medicinal mushrooms. Deliver a merchant’s package. Hunt five forest rabbits. Repair broken fences. E-Rank. Escort traveling merchants. Eliminate goblin scouts. Explore abandoned ruins. Protect herbal researchers.

Kai quietly read each request. Money was not his only goal. He needed experience. Knowledge. Real combat. His eyes continued moving until one parchment suddenly shone brilliantly. Not with ordinary light but with the familiar golden glow of the Arcane Eye. The system appeared.

[Hidden Opportunity Detected.]

Kai reached toward the glowing request. Its title read:

[Escort Request. Protect an herbal research expedition traveling into the Emeraldwood Forest. Rank: E. Reward: 15 Gold Coins.]

Kai smiled.

"Looks like I’ve found my first adventure."

He removed the quest from the board. Unaware that accepting it would reunite him with someone whose fate was already becoming intertwined with his own.