Chapter 22: At the Guild, the First Trial

At the reception counter, the guild staff handed us two registration forms.

One for me.

And one for Rowena.

The information required was surprisingly simple.

Name, age, and place of origin.

Aside from that, just a signature agreeing to the guild’s terms.

My name was Edwin.

Age, twenty-eight.

Place of origin…

To be honest, I didn’t know where I had been born.

I had been found and raised in an orphanage.

I suppose I could write that I was from the orphanage in the capital.

For Rowena’s form, I filled it out on her behalf.

Her name was Rowena.

As for her age…

I vaguely remembered the sister asking when I had tried to leave her at the orphanage, but I wasn’t certain.

Judging by her appearance, she was around twelve.

I wrote that down.

Place of origin…

I couldn’t exactly write “found in the Blackleaf Forest.”

I put down the name of a nearby roadside town instead.

In the section requiring a guardian’s signature, I wrote my name—Edwin.

While I was filling out the forms, the staff member explained the guild’s system in brief.

“Adventurers are ranked. Everyone starts at G rank. From G, you advance to F, E, and so on, with S being the highest. Generally, you may only accept requests at your rank or lower. By completing requests and building experience, you may take promotion exams.”

She spoke quickly.

I didn’t listen too closely, but I understood the basics.

Rowena listened with a puzzled expression.

She likely understood none of it.

I handed the completed forms back.

After a short while, the staff returned with two small dull-gray metal plates engraved with names, rank, and the guild emblem.

“These are your adventurer registration plates. Please keep them on you at all times. From this moment, you are officially adventurers.”

I took the plate.

Though small, it had a solid weight.

“Your rank is G.”

My plate bore the name “EDWIN” and the letter “G.”

Rowena’s plate read “ROWENA,” also marked with “G.”

When I handed her the plate, she examined it curiously and immediately hung it around her neck.

Just as I took her hand to leave—

A group of mid-level-looking adventurers passing nearby glanced at our plates and snorted.

“Hey, are you serious? An adventurer with a kid? That brat’s barely ten, right? What could she possibly do?”

Their mocking laughter followed.

Well, I couldn’t blame them.

Becoming an adventurer while bringing along a child wasn’t normal.

Still, I had no intention of arguing.

It was troublesome.

And nothing would change even if I did.

I simply stared at the G-rank plate in my hand.

G rank.

Naturally, that was where everyone started.

But to be honest, G-rank requests wouldn’t earn enough for traveling with Rowena efficiently.

To do that, I needed access to higher-ranked jobs.

I turned back to the reception counter.

The staff member was assisting someone else but noticed me and looked over.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes? Is there something else?”

“Is there any way to raise this rank—this G rank—right now?”

She looked visibly confused.

“I beg your pardon? Promotions require completing requests and receiving proper evaluation—”

“No exams? No other way to prove my ability and increase my rank immediately?”

I pressed.

This wasn’t a whim.

It was necessary to protect Rowena.

The staff member grew increasingly flustered.

“Such exceptional measures are not normally—”

At that moment, a booming laugh came from deeper inside the guild hall.

A burly man, who must have been watching, stepped forward with commanding presence.

“Ha! Now that’s interesting!”

He came out from behind the counter and stood before us.

“So, kid. You want to raise your rank through ability? Fine!”

He glanced at my equipment, then at Rowena beside me, and grinned.

“How about a mock battle with me? Depending on the outcome, I’ll consider your rank!”

A mock battle.

That was an opportunity I couldn’t ask for more.

If I proved myself here, perhaps they’d trust me—even with Rowena at my side.

“I accept.”

I answered without hesitation.

Rowena, not understanding what was happening, clutched at my clothes tightly.