For a single fleeting moment, my inertia was perfectly canceled by gravity, making me feel as if I'm floating in the air.

  From here, I could see the regular training yard, with a few heads already turning my way with curious gazes.

  ‘Ah.. this is gonna hurt.’

  Of course, unlike that Skypiercer mage I saw recently, I had no way to remain at this altitude – and gravity was about to collect its toll.

  I felt my body fall backwards.

  Twisting my torso and waving my arms, I managed to turn fully, and even keep my vertical position, to a large extent.

  Thump!

  I landed on the ground, bending both legs to reduce the impact, and vertically thrusting my sword into the ground to avoid tumbling to the ground.

  “Ugh!..”

  The impact going through my legs shook my organs, but beyond my calf and front leg muscles feeling like they're going to burst, a serious strain in my lower torso as well, and the momentary leg numbness, I was largely fine.

  “Bloody Hells!”

  The dwarf, Girmel, was already back on his feet. He was unharmed, barring his disheveled hair and messy beard.

  “W-what-”

  Molly's faint voice came from the stands, as the elf already made his way to the arena, standing a few steps away from both of us.

  “You..! You brat! No way is this the strength of a 1st level Slayer!”

  Unlike before, his voice radiated insult.

  “Girmel! Calm down-”

  “Calm down?! By the Gods! I can believe this kid having one 2nd realm Attribute, but all 3?! This can only be explained one way! Doping!”

  “What’s that, now? You’re accusing me of.. what, using some potion to enhance my Attributes before some shitty Guild test?”

  I tried to keep my tone calm, but I couldn't conceal my own bewilderment at the brazen accusations.

  “Damn right you did! I'm a Guardian trainer, damn it! I’ve been training low-level Warrior-adjacent Paths for over a decade! You want me to believe some random Slayer, without even a family name, somehow has the talent of a noble scion that trained from the first day he could hold a sword?! Don't give me that bullshit, brat!”

  “Well, I do have all three physical Attributes in the 2nd realm. Whether you choose to believe it or stick to your delusions is up to you.”

  “You!..”

  The dwarf's face turned rad with anger, and he was clearly close to exploding. I was preparing to [Charge] to the side, as a slender hand gripped his shoulder.

  “You are a guild official, Girmel. Stand down. I'll take it from here.”

  The elf’s voice was calm and cold, radiating authority unlike any he'd displayed before.

  “I..! Fine. Oxilor, I'm going to the bar, grab me a cold one. You can finish this… test.”

  Throwing one angry look my way, the short man strode towards the training equipment armory in anger.

  The elf’s chilly blue eyes turned towards me.

  “Sebastian. Are you aware of the consequences of cheating in a promotion test?”

  “I don't see how that's any of my business.”

  My own tone was no less frosty than the elf's.

  “Cheating in any such test usually leads to a 1 year ban from the Guild, at the very least. Doping during official kingdom evaluations, which Adventurer’s Guild promotion tests are recognized as, is also a literal crime.”

  “Is baseless slander not a crime, then?”

  Deathly silence descended upon the arena.

  Molly was silently standing at its edge, her body quivering ever so slightly. I could also feel the gazes of a few adventurers from nearby arenas drifting in our direction, the nearby sounds of clashing swords and flying arrows suddenly dying down.

  “So you're going to deny it until the end?”

  At the elf's words, I could help feel a flare of annoyance rising from within me.

  “Before, you seemed to keep an open mind about my abilities. But the moment your friend embarrasses himself, all that impartiality is gone, huh? A shame. You really didn't seem like such a hypocrite at first.”

  The elf's eyes shot open, his mouth turning into a thin line.

  I could hear the murmurs of a few onlookers who now stood nearby.

  “Very well. Let us have an impartial judge.”

  The elf's eyes now burned with silent wrath.

  “We will visit Jenifer, our Alchemist. Right here, right now. I'll pay for the tests-”

  “A trainer at the guild, visiting the guild alchemist, and paying her himself? Is that supposed to be your standard for fairness?”

  “Alright. If you wish, you can pay her yourself. Molly can also join us as a witness. If the test finds no traces of foreign substances, I will pay you back. I'll even grant you a direct promotion, forgoing the mission.”

  His tone grew lower, as his eyes grew darker.

  “However, if there is even a slightest trace of anything, I'll see to it personally that you are blacklisted from the guild for at least a decade.”

  The elf's gaze flickered with hatred.

  “Go ahead. Right here, right now.”

  My own voice was flat, but the anger underneath was noticeable.

  “Of course, we also need to check for enchantments and artifacts.”

  I didn't even respond, simply looking at him with an even gaze.

  “Grandel! Since you came all the way here to enjoy the show, I'm sure you were ready to pay for the tickets.”

  By now, a small crowd had gathered around us. Among the adventurers was someone that looked like a wizard.

  “Damn it, Oxilor.. I’ve been casting spells for nearly half an hour now.”

  “Then you can cast two more.”

  The short man, with thin bony build, shaved head and sparse facial hair just sighed in exasperation.

  I simply closed my eyes, waiting for the spells. Or, more specifically.. Despite my emotional state, my curiosity still got the better of me.

  ‘Oh, this one sigil starts by turning the energy into bone-white discernment, while the other seems to turn the rest into pearl-white observant one. Then those three turn them into a mist.. um, those seem to rearrange and combine it somehow… ah, this is the same stricture Anne used! Yes, it turns it into a stream!’

  I felt a similar sensation to when Anne cast her information gathering spell.

  “[Oltinor's Discerning Eye] didn't detect any arcane artifacts.”

  “Any enchantments?”

  “One moment.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  The next spell was even more complex. However, I managed to deduce that ‘white colors’ (that weren’t real colors) usually correlated to observation and identification, and I also got a better feel for their sigils.

  “None.”

  “Fine. Come with me, then. You too, Molly.”

  Opening my physical eyes once more, I only saw Oxilor's back, as well as the conflicted glance on Molly's face before she followed him.

  The wizard, by whom I walked past, threw me an evaluating look. I couldn't sense anything from it other than curiosity, so I ignored it.

  “Welcome to- Oxilor? What's with this look?”

  We entered a small shop. Well, the building was moderately large, but the shop itself was small, with most of the area likely dedicated to the lab in the back.

  In front of us stood a halfling, which looked like the shopkeeper.

  “Call your master, please.”

  “A- I.. Of course…”

  Stumbling over his words, as his expression shifted multiple times, the apprentice alchemist went to the back.

  After the three of us stood by in awkward silence for over half a minute, I finally heard a heavier set of footsteps approaching the door.

  “What was so important that I had to interrupt my work for it, Oxilor?”

  Before me stood a woman, with messy brown hair. Her hazel eyes, surrounded by deep dark circles, looked at the elf with annoyance.

  “I’m sorry, Jenifer, but this is urgent-”

  “Please perform every doping test you can on me. If there's even a trace of foreign substance in my body, I want it to be revealed.”

  The woman looked at me with mildly curious eyes, before turning to the elf.

  “That will be 50 gold.”

  “I’m paying. Here you go.”

  I took out 50 gold pieces from my heavy pouch, handing it over to the alchemist. I couldn't help but inwardly smile at the uneasy look that flicked through the elf's eyes as he saw my large ‘bill’, and perhaps heard it click against its two brethren.

  “Hmm..”

  The woman counted them, before hiding them away in some box behind the counter.

  “Your finger.”

  I was already familiar with this procedure - this time, I extended my left pinky to be pierced.

  “Please wait here for a few minutes.”

  With a tiny vial, containing a few drops of my blood, Jenifer quickly withdrew back into her lab, replaced by the halfling soon after.

  “Erm… look at the fine weather outside! Nice day for fishing, ain't it? Ha ha!..”

  The halfling tried to dispel the awkward atmosphere, but his failed attempts only worsened it.

  After ten long minutes, and two adventurers walking into the store only to quietly sneak out half a minute after, the alchemist finally returned.

  The elf gave her a cautious glance. I didn't even need to look at her to know the answer.

  “The blood contains traces of active arcane particles.”

  ‘What?! Oh, wait.. fuck.’

  “Hmm. I suppose this puts the matter to rest, doesn't it?”

  The elf's cold tone contained clear vindication.

  ‘Is this really how I'm forced to reveal my Path? Ugh. Maybe it would be better just to accept this? I’m sure there are other ways to-’

  “Erm, excuse me.”

  Suddenly, a voice spoke up.

  “Yes?”

  “Couldn’t this have something to do with the spells that the wizard just cast on him?”

  “...”

  The elf turned silent, while the alchemist turned towards her apprentice.

  “Yes, of course. If he was just exposed to a spell that permeated his body, that would explain the arcane particles.”

  Jebifer’s tone was casual, as if none of this had anything to do with her. Well, to be fair, it didn't – she was asked to detect foreign substances, and did exactly that, at least assuming I had no arcane particles that weren’t foreign. Her job wasn't to guess their source.

  On my end, I silently sighed in relief – it seemed I got ahead of myself with this one.

  “...is there anything else?”

  The elf's voice was awfully quiet, which couldn't help but bring a faint smile to my face.

  “If there was anything else, I would have said so. Now, you've kept me from my work long enough. Stop scaring off my actual customers and scram.”

  Without waiting for a reply, she turned around, walking back into her lab.

  “...”

  A deafening silence descended upon her departure.

  “I believe I'm owed something.”

  Of course, as much as I enjoyed the look on his face, 50 gold was 50 gold.

  Without saying a word, the elf walked to the counter and handed the halfling a card similar to the ones I was handed at the Ministry. Understanding his intention, the apprentice alchemist gathered two heavy pouches, handing one of them to the elf.

  The other one, which I actually gave him earlier, was then tossed my way.

  ‘He could have just exchanged the card with my gold. Oh well, I heard they charge for it in the bank, so I'll consider this a commission-free service.’

  The elf was about to leave. However, just before he stepped through the door, he threw me a gaze that made it clear he felt no remorse - rather, his eyes were screaming “I know you cheated somehow.” and "this isn't over.”

  ‘I was starting to believe Harold was just an exception – but perhaps most of the high level Guild officials are petty assholes. Or maybe it's just my luck.’

  “Mr. Sebastian..”

  Molly, the unfortunate receptionist, began speaking in a hesitant voice.

  “It’s fine. Let's just get this over with.”

  It's not like she had anything to apologize for.

  “I assume that you can approve my advancement now?”

  “Emm.. direct promotions need to be signed off by one of the officials..”

  “You heard what the elf said, and saw all the witnesses there. Does his word weigh so little as not to constitute a verbal approval?”

  Perhaps my intonation was a bit harsher than intended, making my words sound needlessly provocative or patronizing.

  ‘Maybe I should work on my Charisma in the future.’

  Come to think of it, the same could be said about some of my earlier remarks in the last 20 minutes.

  Still, I stood behind everything I said.

  ‘Even if I could handle it better – fuck those guys.’

  They might be big shots in this Guild branch, but there was a limit to how much shit I was willing to take for the sake of keeping better relations with it. And I definitely wasn't going to play along with their slander just to preserve the dwarf’s fragile ego.

  ‘And they probably aren't even the top dogs around here.’

  From what I've seen, they didn't even feel as dangerous as Thomas. Still dangerous to me, if it came to a real fight, but this wasn't some band of criminals – the Adventurer’s Guild, at least its respected members, surely got there by maintaining their public image, and would not step as low as to gank a newbie.

  …at least I hoped so, but even if they did, they would probably wait for a good opportunity, and since I was planning on leaving the city anyway, such an opportunity would never come.

  Meanwhile, Molly had finally come to a decision.

  “A-alright. Please follow me.”

  Judging by her reaction, perhaps my tone made her think I'd hold a grudge if she refused?

  ‘If this is how regular people view Path-bearers, or rather, adventurers… man, people like those two might not be that uncommon, at least in the Guild.’

  With a sigh, I followed the receptionist, making our way back to the main building. This time, the destination was the 2nd floor.

  “This way, please.”

  The receptionist had regained her composure, although her overly-polite tone still held a bit of tension.

  We reached a door beside the library, leading into a small office.

  ‘Logistics Wizard - Eugene Cromwell’

  Upon seeing its owner sorting through a few documents inside, the receptionist-turned-tour-guide exhaled in relief.

  “Mr Cromwell, could you please…”

  Molly quickly explained the situation, omitting a few unnecessary details.

  “Alright. It’ll take a few minutes."

  The wizard did not produce a spell scroll. Rather, he took out a book, and opened a page containing a diagram.

  While the diagram was far simpler than the one for creating the token, it was still too complex for me to properly examine in the few seconds I had, before the wizard put the opened book vertically on the table, facing him, and began casting the spell.

  “Does every big organization have a logistics wizard?”

  I couldn’t help but make small talk. I tried to observe the arcane energy, as used by the wizard, but found out the symbols were being rapidly created in front of the wizard in quick succession. I could make out each individual symbol, but learning anything from this was beyond my ability.

  “Ah! Umm, yes! I mean, no.”

  She was evidently a bit startled by me addressing her directly, but quickly recomposed herself.

  “Even a first level wizard can fulfill this role. Not as well as a High Wizard, of course! But there aren't that many High Wizards available for hire..”

  She looked to the side, before continuing in a more formal tone.

  “It takes a Silver ranked Wizard to modify a token, so any organization that provides those services has to hire one. Of course, all such modifications are authorized and approved by the Kingdom - anything else would be a crime of the highest degree.”

  “I see. Thank you, Molly.”

  I tried to convey my gratitude in the most genuine and friendly way possible, but somehow, the receptionist’s smile became only tenser.

  ‘Did I try so hard it came out uncanny? Damn, I really need to find out how to improve Charisma.’

  “Here you go.”

  At the same time, the Wizard finished his complex spell, giving me back my token, slightly hot to the touch.

  “Congradulations on your promotion! If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my desk.”

  Molly's fake excitement was a thin veil, barely covering her nervousness. After saying her farewells, her step was so quick it was nearly a jog, and did not slow down once she turned the corner, until she left my hearing range upon entering the stairway.

  ‘Damn. I hope my reputation in the guild doesn't plummet. Oh, wait, actually, I'll be leaving soon, so who cares.’

  Now that the annoying stuff was out of the way, I had a few hours to dedicate to training.

  Is it wrong to kill to survive in this accursed world?

  Follow Xavier's journey. Discover what it means to survive… or to live.

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