Chapter 145: rank Adventurer

The receptionist led me to the third floor where the office of the Guildmaster was. I walked behind her, making sure I didn't lose her as she made any corner turns.

That, and enjoying the sight she was providing generously to me.

Damn, what a nice behind.

She was wearing the usual receptionist uniform, meaning, she was wearing the usual tightfitting knee-length black pencil skirt. And boy, it barely hid anything. I could see the firmness of her butt, only enhanced by the sight of her pantylines.

Thinking about it, I had encountered a really lewd Miss Receptionist like her before, back when I first set foot in the continent. She also had a great ass just like her.

Aah, adventurer guild receptionists really are the best!

As I enjoyed the perfectly wholesome sight in front of me, I noticed something off in our surroundings. It came to my attention that the second floor was seemingly not used in the slightest. And even most of the third floor for that matter. It was silent, eerily so.

“Umm, excuse me for asking, but why is it so quiet around here? Isn’t anyone else around?” I decided to ask her.

“The second and third floor are not intended to be frequented by common adventurers,” she replied as she continued her walk. “Instead, we provide private rooms for A and S-rank adventurers to hold their meetings and such. Also, we have a library on the second floor that adventurers could peruse if they're in need of information, while on the third floor, we have our offices where we manage and archive requests. Though at this hour, they all had gone home for the day, which is why this place is pretty empty. But do not worry. The Guildmaster is still upstairs at his office."

"I see." I nodded. "That's a relief. Though this place is pretty luxurious, isn't it? I haven't seen an Adventurer's Guild building with this much stuff in it."

"I am pleased to hear that, Sir Tempest," she replied with a giggle. "Though our facilities pale in comparison to some of our other branches. Our central branch at the Demon Continent even has a school of its own to train aspiring adventurers."

That's right. The concept for Adventuring Guilds all started from the city-states of the Frontier. Thanks to their neutrality, and to how profitable the whole concept is for everyone involved, they are able to spread the concept all over the world. Though naturally, they would have to obey the nations they're setting shop in.

We stopped in front of a large mahogany door. The receptionist knocked. "Sir! He's here!"

"Come in!"

Flashing a smile towards my direction, she opened the door, revealing a spacious study with a large table on the other side of the room.

Naturally, it was where the Guild Master sat.

He was an older gentleman in the portly side. He wore a robe of green and red that reminded me of something a European monk would wear. He had a bowl cut for his black hair, as well as a smile that really made his drooping cheeks rather more pronounced.

"Please, sit." He gestured with his right hand towards the chair on the other side of his table.

Once I entered, the receptionist closed the door behind her. And I couldn’t help but feel a tad intimidated, just alone in this room with this guy.

When I approached him, he stood up from his chair and offered his wrinkly hand. 

"Greetings. My name is Rowan Vertigo, the Guildmaster of this establishment." 

I accepted his hand. We then sat back down on our respective seats. 

“Forgive me for asking again, but you are Charles Pendleton, correct?” He moved his nearsighted glasses upwards. “Nickname: The Divine Tempest. Responsible for taking down a Frost Dragon and her brood pretty much on his own.“Well, I did get some help from the Emerald Exodus. They were the ones who originally took the extermination quest. I just happened to help them in their fight.”

“Ah, no need to be modest.” He smiled, sending chills into my spine due to how creepy his face looked. “My eyes and ears have confirmed that if not for you, they would have been wiped entirely. Only a few refused to accept you as their saviors.”

Arcturus is probably one of them since I pretty much destroyed his reputation and all that.

“So, for what purpose do you come here in this late hour? I very much have wanted to meet with you but I couldn’t imagine you to have any reason to want to speak to me.”

“I seek for a promotion to a B-rank.” I went straight to the point. “I wanted to join in on the subjugation force against Flameu.”

For a few seconds, he seemingly froze, as his smile slowly transformed into a concerned frown.

“Ah, you did work with her for a bit, didn’t you? I assume you wish for revenge, now that you know she has been hiding her true nature all this time?”

“That’s right.” I nodded. “She had betrayed my trust. Not to mention the trust of the people in this country. They looked up to her for her kindness, only to find that it was a lie."

"Hmm…" He sighed. "Normally, I wouldn't recommend it, considering where she's hiding herself right now, but if it's you, perhaps there would be no problem."

"Is something the matter?"

"She had hid herself inside an undiscovered dungeon. We had no information about the place's existence until now. And she had filled it to the brim with her zombie army, mostly zombified goblins and local beasts, but there were also sightings of human zombies as well. An investigation of their identity led us to believe that they were bandits. She must have slaughtered them all and added them to her army. Truly horrifying." He shook his head. "Excuse me for asking, but have you ever participated in a dungeon exploration before?"

I shook my head.

"Then you should know how dangerous it is for us adventurers to explore a fresh dungeon like that. We would have no idea where the traps are, how the layout is, what kind of monsters lurk within, and so on, and so forth. Information is vital for the survival of an adventurer and we barely have anything on the place. Not to mention how both the Inquisitors and the general wanted us to rush inside. Perhaps they believe we are expendable," he added with a grim smile. "But with your strength, perhaps we would be able to make our way to the dungeon core, where we expected her to be. The good Lady Inquisitor believed she was controlling the dungeon with her dark magic so she should be somewhere close to the core."

She can manipulate dungeons now? Does that even count as necromancy?

"But, if you still insist, then you should go to Mern Valley. You’ll find her dungeon there, along with the army and those Inquisitors. You know where it is, yes?”

I nodded. The valley was located not far from the capital. I still remembered its location just from all those times I spent reading this region’s map.

“As for your rank up request.” Here he smiled creepily again. I think this guy’s smile is just a cursed sight. “I can approve that. But you shall not be a B-rank. You are far too good for that. You shall be an S-rank. You shall get a special card made out of platinum with your title printed below your name. If you don’t know, most S-ranks have a title of their own that others call them with it. Some choose it themselves, championing it everywhere they go, while others, like you, are already chosen by their peers. You shall be Charles Pendleton of the Divine Tempest! And you should be proud of that. Not many adventurers could reach S-rank. And even less can do it when they’re still so young.”

W-whoa, S-rank? Isn’t that a bit too early? “I thought the ranks are also about your contributions to the Guild, not just about your strength,” I tried to argue against his decision. “And I certainly haven’t earned my dues yet to be an S-rank. I’ve only been an adventurer for a year.”

“Oh, but you already have. Saving all those adventurers… that’s more than enough in my book.”

I paused for a bit, still trying to process what he just said, before a grin appeared on my face.

S-rank, huh? Just skipping right to that from C-rank. Heh, it’s like in those stories where the protagonist just gets to S-rank straight away.

There’s nothing bad about accepting his offer, is there? I can apply to the most well-paying jobs out there and I can get the prestige I always wanted as an adventurer. And since the Magocracy already knows where I am anyways…

“Fine!” I smiled at him. “S-rank would be fine too!”

“Excellent! Then I shall write you the recommendation letter. Take this to the receptionists down below and they’ll update your rank straight away. And of course, I would also write you a referral if you indeed wish to go after the necromancer. Show that to the good general and he would allow you to join on the expedition for sure.”

"Oh, can you make that referral for the Flaming Arrows as well?"

"Ah, your friends, if I was not mistaken. Of course. They're B-ranks, so they could participate."

This guy sure knows a lot about me… He’s probably keeping his ears wide open for any rumors about me after what I did with the dragons. Well, as expected from the master of the Adventurer’s Guild, I suppose. Though with his… less-than-fortunate looks, I can’t help but feel he’s stalking me or something...

Shrugging off the bad vibes I got from him, I bid him goodbye before going back downstairs to process my fancy new rank.

When I got back there, it was even emptier than before. The adventurers from before had left, leaving basically only me in the room.

"Oh? You're finished, Sir?" I was greeted by the same receptionist from before. "I assume he gave you the letter?" I nodded, giving her the one stating of my promotion to S-rank. She gave it a quick read-over before replying, “Please wait just a moment.”

I stood there awkwardly as she was busy shuffling through the drawers under her desk. The silence of the place certainly did not help.

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"Uhh, is this place always this empty?"

"Of course not, Sir!" Her idle friend answered with a giggle. "It's just that due to recent developments, most adventurers were either hired by the kingdom or they decided to avoid this city altogether. They don't want to get caught up with the politics, you see."

Makes sense. This kingdom is in a precarious situation right now and they don't want any of it.

Her friend soon finished her work. She stamped some documents, printed a brand new card using that magical impression device they always used every time they had a need to make a new card, and then handed over said new card to my hands.

"Congratulations, Sir Tempest! With this, you have been promoted to S-rank!"

I looked closely at the card she just gave me. Whoa. It was indeed the most luxurious card I had ever held in my hands. It looked like one of those elite credit cards only the wealthiest of the wealthy could afford back in my old world. It was platinum white, with my name and title etched artistically on the front. “Charles Pendleton. The Divine Tempest.” And beside it, a large S was etched as well, signifying my rank. Looking at it, I felt I could just hand over the card to any shops to receive special treatment.

The receptionist then proceeded to explain what perks I had as an S-rank. Basically, it’s just that some certain shops and inns would give me discounts, and I could lend books from the Guild’s libraries for as long as I wanted to, if the branch had a library, that is. I was also allowed to form my own adventuring clan, though you could already do that when you reached A-rank.

"And that would be all. Would there be any question?" I shook my head. "Great! Then, I bid you farewell, Sir Tempest. And thank you for your patronage." She stood up, placed her hands on the front of her skirt, and bowed.

And with that, my visit to the Guild was over.

-----

By the time I was outside again, nighttime was already here. I returned to the inn at once, where I was greeted by Anton and the others.

"Finally." Anne sighed with a smile. She was crossing her arms as she leaned backward to a wall. "We've been waiting for you. Did you get your promotion?"

"I did." I grinned. "Straight to S-rank."

"Wow, that's amazing, Hugo!" Amelie clasped her hands together.

Anne clacked her tongue. "Hmph, of course. Only to be expected from the Divine Tempest himself."

"I also got referral letters for all of us. Since you guys seem to want to come along, I figured I'd ask for them from the Guildmaster. With these, we don't even need to go to the castle. We can go straight to Mern Valley tomorrow where the necromancer is currently hiding."

“Good.” Anton smiled. “Then we’ll depart early in the morning. I’ve hired us some horses we could take there.”

“Hugo, you can ride a horse, can’t you?” Anne asked with a grin.

“Umm, n-no, actually.”

“Heh, that’s unexpected from the great and mighty S-rank adventurer.” She chuckled victoriously. “It can’t be helped then. You’ll ride with me tomorrow. Anton will be with Amelie. She can’t ride a horse either.”

"T-that's not fair!" Amelie protested, pointing her finger towards her. "Then you'll get Hugo all to yourself!"

"It can't be helped, can it?" Anne shrugged with a big grin on her face.

"It can! I ride with you instead!"

"You're too heavy!"

"Are you calling me fat?!"

"With those two fatty mounds of yours slapping me on my back, I won't be able to concentrate at all!"

Anton and I could only exchange exasperated smiles before sighing in unison.

---------

The next morning, before the sun even rose fully, we already made our way to the valley.

As promised, I rode on Anne’s horse, while Amelie rode with Anton. As a gentleman, I took an oath not to try anything perverted on her, but she seemed to desire otherwise.

"H-hey, you should hang on tighter." She whispered to me as our horse began to move. "I don't want you to fall off."

Currently, I was resting my hands on her shoulders. I guess she wants me to wrap my hands around her stomach.

Well, don't mind if I do.

"Hyah!"

She yelped the moment I had my arms around her.

"You alright?" I asked with a grin.

"I-I'm fine! Hold on tight, alright? I'm going to speed up!"

Looking across to the other horse, I noticed Amelie pouting as she saw our current pose. As for her own pose, she too was wrapping her hands around Anton's waist. Normally, I would think that he would be happy having her breasts pressing into his back like that, but I know Anton had no interest in her whatsoever. She might have a mature body, but she's too childish for his taste. I know that after he had too many drinks that one time, admitting that he indeed prefers older, mature women.

We rode like that for the entire day, stopping only for lunch in a small village we passed through. We arrived at the valley proper when the sun was setting, where we made a beeline to the all-too-obvious encampment the army had built. We left our rental horses to return on their own. They were already trained by their owner to do so.

“Adventurers?” The guard in the front of the camp said once he approached us. “Papers, please.”

I handed him the introduction letters the Guildmaster had provided.

“Let’s see here…” He squinted his eyes as he began reading. “B-rank Flaming Arrows and S-rank Divine Tempest… hold on, Divine Tempest?" He looked up towards Anton. "Is that you? The dragonslayer himself?" He broke out into a smile. "Oh, I've heard so much about you! My daughter—"

Anton chuckled. "That would be him." He patted me on the shoulder. "I'm just a humble B-rank adventurer."

"O-oh, r-right… A-apologies…" He gave me an apologetic bow.

Well, that was awkward. Makes sense though why he thinks it's Anton and not me. I'm just too young for the role.

"Please, let me take you to the lieutenant. He'll surely be happy by your arrival."

Lieutenant? Not the general himself?

We followed him through the camp. Counting by the number of tents alone, there had to be at least hundreds of soldiers there, perhaps even reaching up to a thousand. It was really a full-blown military operation. Isn’t it too much? She's just one person, you know.

We were led to a large tent who looked to be their command center. "Wait here." The soldier told us before he went and spoke to the two guards that stood in front of said tent. We were told to wait quite far away from the tent itself so we couldn't make out what they were saying. Afterward, he entered the tent, and not a moment later, he came out with another man in tow—a middle aged mustachioed man dressed in a well-polished chainmail armor. Before we could say anything, he took the initiative and started the conversation.

“Well met. I assume you’re here to assist us with the necromancer problem?” His voice was silky smooth with a tinge of snobbery into it. “Then you would be welcome to join your other, fellow adventurers. For B-ranks, your job would be to secure the already captured sections of the dungeon. As for you, the S-rank,” He specifically stared at me while he said those words. “You are to go directly to the general in the frontline. You will serve as our frontline fighters. The details would be given by my subordinates. Ask around for directions for where the dungeon entrance is.”

And just like that, he left. Wow, how rude. He doesn’t even bother introducing himself.

The soldier from before approached us again. "Apologies for the lieutenant's attitude. He's been real busy with this whole expedition. He barely gets any sleep so he gets cranky like that. Anyway, if you would, I will be your guide for the evening." He bowed.

"Tell us everything." Anton spoke with a serious look.  "Especially any information you know about the dungeon."

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