"So, what happened? What rank did you get?"
Ever since I had come out of the room with the veteran, Amelia hadn't stopped asking me questions about what had happened in there. After all, I had come out with bruises all over my body from resisting the increased gravity. Both my arms were also in very bad shape from using [Spatial Sever].
"I got B-Rank," I said as I showed the small medal with the letter B on it.
Her mouth opened. "Wah... you're B-Rank already!?"
I briefly nodded.
I had already noticed from the reactions around us that being ranked B-Rank was a big deal. Most mercenaries were C-Rank and below, only the best of the best could reach B-Rank, and I had done so right after the evaluation. It could only mean that I was a top talent.
"Still, did nothing else happen?" She said as she glanced at my body.
I nodded.
However, that wasn't actually true.
I had come out of the evaluation with a lot more than I had first expected. I had gained a teacher specialized in the Space Affinity, the one thing I needed the most right now.
It was the Affinity where I was the most lacking given its rarity.
Nevertheless, we couldn't begin training right away. I still needed to get some money, and the mercenary veteran didn't have any to give me, which meant I needed to complete a mission.
I headed back to the main desk and handed over my B-Rank medallion.
"What mission did you complete?" The woman asked, not even looking up.
"I'm actually here to register."
The woman's eyes widened as she double-checked the medallion in her right hand. "You're registering as a B-Rank?!"
She couldn't help but raise her voice in shock as I immediately felt even more glances in my direction. If I had known that it was such a big deal, I wouldn't have given my all in the test. But, at the same time, if I had done that, I wouldn't have gotten a teacher.
So, overall, I was still satisfied with my decision.
"Yes."
"What will be your nickname?"
I didn't say it out loud since people were listening; I wrote it down on a piece of paper and gave it to her.
[Unknown]
I decided to use the same name as in the Virtual Game. People might link the two together if I were to become known. However, I didn't really care as long as my identity as Yike Vale stayed hidden.
"Alright, you're all set. Please check out the Quest Billboard on your left."
Both Amelia and I nodded as we headed over to the Quest Billboard where dozens of small pieces of paper were up on a wall, all of them categorized based on their difficulty. It began from F-Rank all the way to SSS-Rank Quests.
Also, mercenaries working alone can only accept quests which are equal to their rankings. But, if they work as a team and the group is strong enough, they might be allowed to take quests one rank higher than their own. However, that was quite rare since mercenaries tend to prefer working alone.
"What rank are you?" I asked Amelia.
She smirked as she quietly handed me her Mercenary Medallion.
'Hm, she's also B-Rank. If we go together, we could potentially take on an A-Rank Quest...'
I didn't speak up just yet as I quietly glanced at the A-Rank Quests. I would only recommend going together if one of the quests caught my eye.
[A-Rank Quest]
[Name: Minotaur Subjugation]
[Description: A small village is consistently attacked by Minotaurs. Kill them and come back.]
[Rewards: 2M Gold Coins, +100 Mercenary Reputation Points (MRP)]
I shook my head. It seemed far too dangerous for the rewards.
However, as I scanned the rest of them, one of them immediately caught my eye.
[A-Rank Quest]
[Name: Mysterious Deaths]
[Description: Inside a small city west of the Royal Capital, a lot of young adults have been found dead in the streets, seemingly burned alive. The cause of death is unknown. Figure out the cause and return.]
[Rewards: 2.5M Gold Coins, +500 MRP]
I frowned at the rewards because they were slightly bigger than the other quests. However, from a glance at the quest description, it seemed a lot easier. It didn't even require us to fight, which gave me slight doubts about the Quest Description.
It had to be much harder than it seemed. The Mercenary Center wasn't even asking us to root out the cause or defeat whatever had been causing it.
'They're clearly hiding something.'
However, it only made me more interested.
The rewards were also quite good. It would be enough money for me to pay off the tuition and buy some much-needed equipment. After all, that shitty training dagger wouldn't work any longer.
I needed something better and fast.
"Let's take this quest. What do you think?" I said quietly as I discreetly pointed at the Quest Billboard.
Amelia was confused for a moment as she began reading the quest. However, unlike me, she didn't seem to realize the hidden danger of the quest.
"Sure," she said with a bright smile. "Let's leave right now~!"
She grabbed my arm as she pulled me back to the counter where we gave the quest, and after that, we directly began heading toward the small city named Altrix located west of the Royal Capital.
"You'll see, Altrix is a great place! It's said to be the home of the best blacksmiths in the world. Most aspiring blacksmiths head there when they're young in hopes of learning from the best of the best."
I nodded. 'I guess I'll buy a new dagger once I arrive there. Well... if we arrive in one piece.'
I discreetly glanced behind us.
Ever since we had left the Mercenary Center, I had felt someone following us. They didn't seem very good in spying techniques, which meant that they likely weren't from the camp.
However, if someone was following us, there had to be a reason...