"This story is about the Level 7 promotion exam three years ago," Celia said, her voice soft but capturing the complete attention of everyone at the table.
"There are actually two versions of this story. The first one is the version Kian told us, straight from his own mouth. The second is the official version published by the Adventurer's Association. I will tell you Kian's version first, from his exact point of view."
Celia took a small sip of her tea, her eyes reflecting a fond memory.
"It started about three years ago. Back then, Kian did not have this massive clan house or a noble mansion. He just rented a small, cheap office above a noisy tavern..."
---
Kian's Point of View (Three Years Ago)
I sat behind my cheap wooden desk, staring blankly at the big, terrifying man standing in my office.
This was the Branch Manager of the Imperial Capital's Adventurer's Association. He was a giant of a man, covered in thick scars, and a retired Level 7 veteran.
Just standing there, he radiated a heavy, suffocating pressure that made my stomach tie itself into knots.
At this time, I was officially a Level 6 Adventurer.
But that badge was a complete joke. I was actually incredibly weak. I had absolutely zero mana. I couldn't even swing a sword properly, let alone kill a low-level monster. That was exactly why I was sweating bullets right now.
The Branch Manager slammed a thick piece of parchment onto my desk. The wood groaned under the force of his huge hand.
"Congratulations, Thousand Strings," the Manager boomed, his voice rattling the cheap windows of my office. "I pushed the paperwork through the upper council myself. Your promotion exam has been officially approved. You will take the Level 7 exam six months from now. You have half a year to prepare."
I stared at the paper.
Level 7? Are you out of your mind? I thought, panic rising in my throat. If I take a Level 7 exam, I will literally die in the first five minutes.
"I respectfully decline," I said quickly, trying to hand the paper back to him. "I am not ready. I want to stay at Level 6."
The Manager's face instantly darkened. He slammed his hand down on the desk again, completely cracking the wood right down the middle. A terrifying, murderous Aura leaked from his body, freezing the air in the room.
"I spent three weeks arguing with the council to get you this slot," the Manager growled, leaning over the broken desk until his scarred face was inches from mine. "I worked my bones to the dirt for you, and you are going to decline just like that?"
I felt the raw, heavy pressure of a retired Level 7 veteran pressing down on my lungs. I couldn't breathe. My survival instincts screamed at me to surrender immediately.
"I... I will do it," I squeaked out, forcing a stiff nod. "Thank you for the opportunity."
The terrifying Aura instantly vanished. The Manager smiled, a wide, scary grin that showed entirely too many teeth. "Good man. I knew you had the fire in you. The details of the exam are on the paper. I expect great things from you in six months."
He turned and marched out of my office, leaving me alone with a cracked desk and a heavy heart.
Later that afternoon, the five members of my party gathered in my ruined office. They were sitting on the floor and leaning against the walls, casually chatting among themselves.
I sat in my chair, resting my chin on my hands, completely ignoring their conversation. I just looked at them, entirely lost in my own thoughts.
These kids, I thought, letting out a quiet sigh. Who the heck are they?
They had suddenly appeared in my life when I was a child, and they had followed me around like lost ducks ever since. I didn't even know what their real names were. I had never bothered to learn them. In my head, I just called them by the color of their hair: Yellow, Red, Brown, Pink, and Black.
These kids are absolute monsters, I monologued internally, watching Yellow casually polish her healing staff while Red sharpened his sword. They are so impossibly strong. While me? I am just a weakling. I don't have a single drop of mana. I can't even kill a wolf. But these kids have terrifying talents. I don't understand why they follow me around. How the heck did they even become this strong? I didn't teach them anything.
I looked down at the silver badge pinned to my shirt.
My Level 6 badge is a complete illusion. I am just a weakling who got incredibly lucky because these colorful monsters keep killing everything near me. If they are so strong, they should just leave, find their own futures, and become legendary heroes. Why do they keep following me?
I needed a plan. I had exactly six months before the Association dragged me to a Level 7 death trap. I needed to run away and go into hiding. But if I just packed my bags and ran right now, these color-coded kids would definitely follow me. I needed to get rid of them first.
I slammed my hand on my cracked desk, demanding their attention. They all stopped talking and looked at me.
"Black, Brown, Pink, Yellow, and Red," I commanded, keeping my voice as flat and serious as possible. "I have a mission for you. Go to the South East, around four thousand kilometers from here. I need you to find a very special kind of salt. Do not ask me any questions about it. If you cannot find this salt, you will all be fired from the party."
I completely lied about a salt that does not exist just to chase them away, I thought, feeling a little smug. Four thousand kilometers should take them forever. That is more than enough time for me to run away and hide.
Pink, the Thief girl, jumped up from the floor. "Understood! If we just run at full speed, we can get there and back in no time!"
"No!" I panicked, my calm expression almost slipping. "You cannot run. You must use a standard horse carriage. If you don't use a carriage, that is cheating. I will fire you all on the spot."
Are you kidding me? I thought, sweating nervously. If they just run on foot, they will actually be faster than horses. They can sprint all day and night because Yellow can just cast a continuous, low-level healing spell on all of them at the exact same time. Her magic will repair their tearing muscles instantly. They will never get tired. I can't let them run! They have to use a slow, boring horse carriage to stall for time.
Black, the Mage girl, sighed and raised her hand. "Can I cast a spell to make the carriage float twelve inches from the ground? That way the horses won't feel the weight and we can travel much faster."
"No!" I snapped, pointing a finger at her. "That is also cheating."
If that terrifying Mage makes the cart float, the horses will sprint like the wind! I need to stall for time! I need them to stay out there for more than six months looking for a salt that literally does not exist!
Red, the swordsman, suddenly crossed his arms. His eyes widened as if he had just realized something profound.
"I see," Red said, nodding slowly. "This is a new type of training, isn't that right, Kian? We have to learn how to ride in a heavy, non-floating carriage over completely broken dirt roads. By forcing us to endure the slow, bumpy, grueling ride without any magical assistance, you are teaching us how to maintain our internal mana stabilization under constant, unpredictable physical turbulence! It is stability training for our Aura!"
All the other color-coded kids gasped softly.
"I see," they all said in unison. Some of them put their hands on their chins, nodding seriously as they analyzed this completely made-up training concept.
I stared at them blankly. Training? There is no training. You people are insane. I am just chasing you away.
"Yeah," I lied, keeping a straight face. "That is the training. Now go. If you don't leave this office within one minute, you are all fired."
They all scrambled to their feet instantly. Black groaned, picking up her heavy staff. "You are always giving us unreasonable, annoying missions, Kian. This is so annoying."
She complained the entire way out, but she still ran out the door with the rest of them.
Once the office was completely empty, I let out a deep sigh of relief. I grabbed a small leather bag and immediately started packing my clothes, some dry bread, and a comic book.
For the next six months, I became a ghost. I avoided my own office. I hid in dirty taverns, slept in the basements of cheap inns, and constantly moved from district to district just to avoid the Association staff who were trying to check on my exam preparations. I was a master at running away.
Then my bad luck came.