Chapter 28 Finally Back To Adventuring （2）
As we arrived in front of the Guild’s storage area, Werner pulled out a ring of keys and started fumbling with the lock. The heavy door creaked as he worked, and without looking back at me, he grunted,
“So… how many monsters are you talking about, anyway?”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly. “Uh… how about I just show you instead?”
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t push. The moment the door opened, I stepped inside, summoned my Item Box, and began unloading.
One after another, monster corpses materialized—thudding onto the long sorting table, spilling across the floor, and piling against the walls.
Some were still faintly steaming from when I killed them, others glistened with frost, and a few gave off that distinct foul stench of corrupted mana.
Werner froze mid-step, eyes widening as the pile grew higher. “One… two…” He tried to count but quickly gave up, his jaw going slack. “There’s like sixty… no—seventy of them!”
I shrugged casually. “Actually, that’s only half of what I’ve got.”
His head snapped toward me. “Half of them!?”
“Yeah,” I said, scratching the back of my neck. “So… should I get the rest out, or—”
“Hold on a minute!” Werner shouted, paling as if I’d just threatened to bury him under another avalanche of corpses. Without waiting for my reply, he bolted for the door, yelling at the top of his lungs.
“Guild Master! Guild Master!!”
A moment later, the muffled but thunderous roar of a voice carried down the hall.
“Say WHAAAAT!?”
The floorboards creaked with hurried footsteps, and a few minutes later, the Guild Master himself appeared—a tall elf with sharp green eyes, golden hair tied back neatly, and an air of authority that silenced the room.
He stepped into the storage area, took one look at the mountain of corpses, and his expression twisted in disbelief.
He turned his gaze on me. “You. Are you really the one who killed all of these?”
“Yes,” I answered calmly. “Is there a problem?”
“A problem?” His voice rose, echoing against the stone walls. He jabbed a finger at the pile. “Of course there’s a problem! Some of these monsters are all A-RANK! Do you even realize what that means!?”
Werner, still pale, stammered from behind him. “Ah, sir, he also said… th-that this is just half of them.”
The Guild Master slowly turned back to me, his mouth falling open slightly. “…Half?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I was planning to bring out the rest once Werner finished recording these.”
The Guild Master pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh, as though he were aging several years on the spot. Then he straightened, fixing me with a sharp look.
“Alright. What did you say your name was?”
“Raito, sir.”
“Very well, Raito. Give Werner everything you’ve got and let him tally the full count. Once you’re done, come to my office.” His voice hardened. “We need to talk. Privately.”
I tilted my head but nodded. “Understood.”
With that, the Guild Master turned and strode away, muttering something under his breath about headaches and troublesome adventurers. Werner groaned loudly, rubbing his temples, then looked at me with a resigned expression.
“Well… let’s get this over with, kid.”
I smirked and stretched my shoulders. “Right.”
A few minutes later, I found myself standing in front of the Guild Master’s office. The heavy oak door loomed over me, engraved with the crest of the Adventurers Guild. I raised my hand, knocked twice, and called out,
“It’s Raito, sir.”
A firm voice answered from within. “Come in.”
I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The office was spacious but not overly decorated—shelves stacked with ledgers and maps lined the walls, and a large wooden desk stood at the center.
Behind it sat the Guild Master, the same sharp-eyed elf I had seen earlier, and standing at his side was a younger man in tidy clothes, his assistant.
“Take a seat, young man,” the Guild Master said, gesturing toward a couch opposite his desk.
“Right,” I replied, moving to sit down.
He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands together. “My name is Ramon, Guild Master of this branch. This here is my assistant, Vincent.”
Vincent gave me a polite nod. I nodded back, then looked at Ramon as he continued.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you here.”
I tilted my head. “It’s about the monsters, isn’t it?”
His expression hardened. “Exactly. No one in recorded history has ever managed to kill that many monsters alone—especially with several A-rank ones among them. And yet the person who did it… is still a D-rank adventurer.”
I leaned back in my seat. “So what are you planning to do about it?”
“For now,” Ramon said carefully, “I think it’s best if we sell the monsters you brought in gradually—only a small portion at a time. If word spreads that multiple A-rank monsters suddenly appeared on the market, it’ll cause a commotion. Especially with the nobles.”
I frowned. “The nobles?”
“Yes,” Ramon said, his voice laced with distaste. “They’ll want to know who managed to kill all those monsters—and they’ll try to recruit that person to their side. To them, a strong warrior is a convenient weapon. A prize. Tell me, Raito… are you that kind of person?”
I shook my head firmly. “Yeah, no. I don’t want anything to do with nobles.”
For the first time, Ramon allowed himself a small smile. “Good to hear.” Then his tone shifted back to business. “As for the monsters, we’ll have to wait until Werner finishes calculating their value before we can buy them from you.”
“Fine by me,” I replied with a shrug.
“Now then…” Ramon’s sharp gaze locked onto me again. “Raito, I think you should consider taking the Adventurer’s Trial.”
“The Adventurer’s Trial?” I repeated.
He nodded. “It’s a system that allows adventurers to skip ranks—provided they earn the approval of a Guild Master and pay the required fee of one thousand gold coins.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And why are you telling me all this?”
Ramon chuckled. “Because I want to help adventurers who are gifted… like you. And,” he added with a disarming smile, “because I believe in forming good relationships with as many capable adventurers as possible.”
I smirked. “That’s a weird excuse.”
He laughed outright this time. “Perhaps. But it’s the truth.”
I leaned forward. “Alright then. Can I take the trial now?”
Ramon blinked, clearly taken aback. “Wait what—you want to take the trial immediately?”
“Yeah,” I said casually. “I already have the gold. All I need is your approval, right?”
“That’s true,” he admitted slowly. “But are you sure you don’t want to think about it first?”
“Nope.”
He studied me for a moment, then exhaled, almost amused. “I see… Then tell me—what rank are you aiming for?”
“A-rank,” I replied with a smug grin.
His eyes widened slightly, but then he nodded. “I see. Considering how you defeated those monsters, I won’t deny the possibility.” He stood, his chair scraping against the floor. “Vincent, prepare the training grounds.”
“Yes, sir,” Vincent said, bowing before leaving the room.
I raised an eyebrow. “Training grounds?”
“The trial will take place there,” Ramon explained, then extended his hand. “But first… the payment.”
“Right.” I opened my Item Box and began pulling out gleaming stacks of gold coins. The sound of clinking metal filled the room as I set them neatly on the table in front of him—exactly one thousand in total.
Ramon’s eyes glinted as he watched. “Very well then, Raito. Let’s see if you truly have what it takes to call yourself an A-rank adventurer.”
As we made our way down the hall toward the training grounds, I glanced at the Guild Master.
“So,” I asked casually, “what kind of trial do I have to do?”
“It’s a combat trial,” Ramon replied evenly.
A grin spread across my face. “Oh really? This is going to be fun. So—who do I fight?”
He didn’t even flinch as he answered, “You’ll be fighting five full adventurer parties. All at the same time.”
I blinked, then chuckled. “Is that it? I was expecting more.”
He shot me a sideways look. “You certainly have a lot of confidence.”
Before I could reply, we stepped out into the open training grounds.
The area was massive—an arena-like field encircled by tall stone walls, with wooden platforms for spectators.
Dozens of adventurers were already gathered there, murmuring among themselves.
Some were sharpening weapons, others adjusting their armor, and many looked at me with skeptical eyes.
On the far side, I saw the five chosen parties waiting. Each one had at least four or five members—warriors, mages, archers, rogues. A small army.
The Guild Master raised his voice, sharp and commanding, cutting through the noise.
“Attention, everyone!”
The murmurs died instantly. All eyes turned to us.
“This here is Raito,” Ramon announced, gesturing toward me. “He has accepted to undergo the Adventurers Trial. That is why I have gathered you all here today—so you can witness whether he is worthy of being promoted to A-rank.”
A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd. Some scoffed, others smirked, and a few narrowed their eyes as if trying to size me up.
“The rules are simple,” Ramon continued.
“Raito must face all five of these adventurer parties at once. If he defeats every one of them before sundown, he will earn his place as an A-rank adventurer. But—” his tone hardened, “—if even a single one of you is still standing when the sun sets, he fails.”
Gasps, chuckles, and murmurs filled the air. Some adventurers looked excited, others doubtful. A few were already grinning at the thought of bringing me down.
Ramon turned back to me. His piercing elven gaze seemed to test the weight of my resolve. “Is that fair enough for you, Raito?”
I smirked,“Yeah… more than fair.”
The adventurers on the other side straightened, readying their weapons. The tension in the air was thick, electric, like the moment before a storm.
This was going to be fun.
I stepped to the far side of the training ground, my boots grinding against the dirt floor. Across from me, the five adventurer parties stood shoulder to shoulder, a small army waiting for the signal. Their eyes burned with determination, some with eagerness, others with doubt.
I exhaled slowly, then tightened my stance. Alright… let’s see which one of you should I break first.
With a flick of my wrists, twin blades flared into existence—the Flare Sword igniting in my right hand with a burning crimson glow, while the Glacier Sword shimmered in my left, a pale blue mist curling from its edge.
The contrast of fire and ice hummed in the air, and I saw more than a few adventurers shift uneasily at the sight.
“Is everyone ready!?” the Guild Master’s voice boomed across the arena.
Weapons were raised, spells prepared. I gave a small nod.
“Then—BEGIN!”
The instant the words left his mouth, I vanished.
A sharp gust tore through the ground where I had been standing, dust exploding outward from the force of my speed. Gasps erupted from the onlookers as I broke into Mach 1, my body blurring faster than their eyes could follow.
I reappeared behind the enemy line, right where the archers and mages stood clustered together. Their eyes went wide, mouths still forming syllables of spells they would never finish.
“I think I’ll take out the support and long-ranged ones first,” I muttered, my voice low and sharp.
The Flare Sword roared to life as I slashed through the first archer’s bow, sparks scattering in the air. At the same time, the Glacier Sword swept across the ground, frost racing outward and locking the nearest mage’s legs in solid ice.
Chaos erupted instantly. Archers scrambled back, mages stumbled over their incantations, and the frontliners spun around in shock.
The trial had only just begun—
and I was already tearing their formation apart.