Chapter 18: Chapter 18 - Fantasy World
The day of the exam came to an end. Raqnid and Fat went back to their room, ready to leave the palace. They knew that the longer they stayed, the more problems would arise. Even though they could choose to stay, it seemed impossible given the current circumstances. Just imagine, they were once unnoticed and unknown, but now they had passed the exam. This would surely anger the other Guardian members. So, the best idea was to leave the palace.
As they entered their room, they saw Goug and Kiel packing their things. It wasn't just Raqnid and Fat who realized the situation, but their friends who had also passed the exam. The looks they received were filled with anger and jealousy. "Hey!" greeted Fat, startling Goug and Kiel as if they had committed a crime.
"Sorry! Sorry! We didn't mean to startle you," apologized Fat. They all got up, holding their belongings. "Are you guys leaving the palace too?" asked Goug. "Yes! Before more problems arise," replied Raqnid.
"Hahaha! Good! I hope we can work together after this," said Goug, extending his hand. Raqnid shook his hand. "Definitely!"
"Yeah, we're considered the weakest in the Guardian group," added Fat. "I won't let Jones take advantage of us," declared Kiel firmly. "Haha! Yeah, that's right!" Raqnid replied. "See you later!" Goug and Kiel left.
Raqnid smiled, surprised that others knew about Jones' plans. "No wonder they were able to pass."
Without wasting any time, they gathered their belongings and left the palace. Luckily, after a few minutes, the other members returned to their rooms.
"Hey, Raqnid, where should we go first? I'm so excited!" exclaimed Fat. They walked past the palace gate and, after a few steps, saw a beautiful city in the distance. It looked like something out of a video game, with intricate buildings and structures. Raqnid and Fat were thrilled to see the city. They felt an indescribable desire to experience living in this fantasy world that had previously only existed in video games. A world filled with strange and magical things. The air was fresh and unpolluted. From the palace's elevated position, they could see the blue sky adorned with peculiar birds and green hills in the distance. It was a vibrant and colorful world.
"Are you ready? Our lives won't be the same anymore," Raqnid said.
"Yes, I'm ready," replied Fat.
"All the challenges and obstacles we'll face will be extraordinary," Raqnid declared.
"I know! Our goal is to avoid big problems and minimize small ones," Fat said.
"Exactly! And most importantly, we should try to avoid drawing attention to ourselves," Raqnid emphasized.
"Hahaha! Well, we've already managed to attract a lot of attention and make enemies," laughed Fat.
Raqnid scratched his head. "Haha! That's something we can't avoid anymore."
"Well, let's not worry about that! Right now, let's focus on what lies ahead of us!" Fat said, trying to replace those memories with words of encouragement.
With renewed determination, they headed towards the city, which was only a 30-minute walk from the palace. As they entered the city, they were captivated by the sights. "Hey, Raqnid! Look, an Elf! And there's a Dwarf! And...," Fat's excitement grew as he spotted various creatures he recognized. "I see them!" The city was bustling with stalls selling food, weapons, shields, potions, and more. While Fat enjoyed the new environment,
Raqnid scanned the area, searching for a suitable place to stay. His past experience of sneaking out of the palace had honed his ability to find inconspicuous lodgings.
They continued walking until Raqnid found the perfect place that met all his criteria. It had to be in a quiet area, not too flashy, and reasonably priced. Now, all that was left was to find out the cost. Raqnid and Fat stepped into the establishment, feeling a sense of anticipation and excitement for their new temporary home.
We entered the inn without hesitation. A woman in her thirties, who looked welcoming, greeted us, saying, "Welcome!" Afterward, we were assigned a room to stay in. It cost 50 gil per night, which included two single beds and breakfast—a deal that was too good to pass up. Most other accommodations charged 80 gil per night. Moreover, the staff here served us with great friendliness. Her name was Mary.
Once settled, we put our belongings in the room and headed straight to the guild to register. Finding the guild was easy because Raqnid had been there before. "Wow, Raqnid, it's like you know your way around this town!" Fat exclaimed. Raqnid simply chuckled, seemingly unaffected by Fat's comment, as he didn't want his companion to suspect anything. They entered the establishment, where they saw many hunters selecting missions to undertake. To avoid drawing attention, they made their way directly to the counter. Despite being there for the first time, Fat didn't show his usual clumsy demeanor. He knew it would attract too much attention.
The counter attendant, named Alene, greeted them, saying, "Welcome to the guild! How may I assist you?" Raqnid promptly replied, "We want to register as hunters!" "Oh, great! For regi..." Alene hadn't finished explaining the registration requirements when Raqnid placed a bag containing 2000 gil on the counter. The money they had received from their three months' allowance at the palace, plus an additional 800 gil given by Jones to them upon leaving the palace. All of this money had been provided by King Alex to the entire group.
"Here's 2000 gil for our registration! Where is the combat test conducted?" Raqnid hurriedly asked because the counter attendant was the same woman he had encountered when he sneaked out of the palace. "Ah, okay! May I have your IDs, please?" Alene was surprised by Raqnid's haste.
"Here you go." Raqnid handed his ID card to Alene. She then led them to the location where the test was held. "Hmm! Have we met before?" Alene suddenly asked Raqnid. This was precisely what Raqnid wanted to avoid. "Haha! No, you must have mistaken me for someone else!" Raqnid's face turned pale. "Oh, I must be wrong then. Good luck!" Alene left.
Raqnid and Fat waited for their turn. Inside the combat arena, four participants were engaged in a fight with a trainer. "Hey, Raqnid, can we take the test together?" Fat asked. "I suppose so," Raqnid replied. Their teamwork was seamless, as if they had understood each other's roles perfectly. They relentlessly attacked the trainer without pause. However, the trainer didn't seem to be struggling much against the continuous onslaught. It was as if the trainer wasn't fighting with all their might. Eventually, the trainer sheathed their sword, and all four participants stopped.
"Hey, Raqnid, what just happened? Why did they stop suddenly? Did the trainer surrender?" Fat inquired. "I don't know, I'm not quite sure," Raqnid replied.
"Passed!" the trainer shouted. The participants cheered in celebration of their success. "Their reactions are like..." Fat began to speak. "Yes! They're like ours after finishing an exam," Raqnid responded. "Good luck!" one of the participants said to us.
"Alright, next!" the trainer called out. "Us! Us!" Fat replied. "Alright, welcome! My name is Hulk! Before we begin the evaluation, let
me explain how this assessment is judged." Hulk proceeded to explain the evaluation process. The test would be evaluated based on the participants' combat skills. They had to prevent the trainer from unsheathing their sword. To achieve this, the participants needed to constantly attack the trainer, leaving no chance for them to draw their weapon. As long as the trainer was in a precarious situation, they wouldn't be able to unsheathe their sword at will. That's why the previous participants had attacked the trainer repeatedly. From this, the trainer would assess their abilities. The longer the evaluation lasted, the higher the chances of passing. Anyone who stepped out of the arena would fail. "If you fail, you'll have to retake the test until you succeed. Each retry costs 300 gil," Hulk explained.
"Hey, Raqnid, seriously? If we fail, we have to pay another 300 gil? We're not prepared at all! We'd better practice first!" Fat exclaimed. Raqnid was also surprised to hear about this. Hulk interjected, "If you don't take the test now, you'll automatically fail."
"Argh! They're just after our money!" Raqnid muttered. "Hahaha! Well, it seems you have no choice but to fight now," Hulk replied.
"Okay, okay, we'll fight," Raqnid said. "Alright, enter the arena now." We entered the arena without any preparation. "Hey, Raqnid, how are we going to fight this trainer? They're already big," Fat whispered.
"Let's just do as we usually do. You attack, and I'll back you up." Raqnid took out his bow. "Ah, it's as if we're fighting, right?" Fat prepared himself for the battle.
"Alright! When I lift my sword, the test will begin." Hulk lifted his sword, and Fat's sword was right in front of Hulk's face. Fat acted quickly, but Hulk managed to dodge the attack. "Huh! Not bad." Hulk didn't expect such an attack.
But it didn't end there. Hulk had to deflect the arrows coming from Raqnid. Raqnid knew that Fat had a slow attacking tactic due to his large sword. Moreover, Fat had to hold a shield and wear heavy armor. Raqnid couldn't continuously attack Hulk due to limited arrows. To prevent Raqnid from running out of arrows, Fat attacked Hulk with his shield while swinging his sword back at Hulk. Raqnid was surprised to see Fat's new skill. "Maybe we can win!" Raqnid said.
Hulk managed to dodge every attack from Fat but had to deflect Raqnid's arrows. "Sheshh!" Hulk approached Raqnid as time passed. However, Raqnid didn't move an inch from his position. "This kid isn't running!" Hulk whispered to himself. Usually, an archer would keep their distance from the enemy. Hulk felt surprised seeing Raqnid not moving at all, even as his enemy approached. Hulk gradually got closer to Raqnid. Raqnid still didn't move, and Hulk swung his sword to attack Raqnid.
Quickly, Raqnid evaded Hulk's attack and blocked Hulk's leg. Hulk was surprised to see how easily Raqnid evaded his attack and wanted to attack again, but Raqnid had blocked his leg. Hulk tried to regain his balance, but it was too late as Fat pushed Hulk out of the arena with his shield. "Yeah! We won!" Fat exclaimed.
"No, we didn't!" Hulk replied. Hulk was angry because his dignity was tarnished by two insignificant kids. Moreover, their fight ended so quickly. "You're out of the arena! We won!" Raqnid retorted. However, Hulk tried to deny Raqnid's words. He didn't want to admit defeat. "Let's start again!" Hulk tried to change the subject.
"What are you trying to do, Lord Hulk?" Alene approached them. "They successfully defeated you! So they passed."
"They didn't defeat me! I haven't lost! Besides, I determine whether they pass or not according to my satisfaction," Hulk replied to Alene.
"Wasn't this test conducted to assess the participants' fighting abilities? They succeeded in defeating you. Doesn't that already prove their abilities? And since when can Lord Hulk pass or fail participants based on his whims? Don't tell me the previous participants were also passed or failed based on your whims and not their abilities?" Although Alene's face appeared to be smiling, her heart was already burning. We could feel the aura emanating from her. "Truly frightening!" Fat whispered. Raqnid nudged Hulk with his elbow. "Lord, apologize quickly before things get worse." Hulk also sensed it. "Well, before there's any bloodshed, it's better for me to apologize!" Fat whispered.
"Alene! I'm sorry! Sorry! They passed, I was just joking earlier. Hehehe!" Hulk swallowed his saliva. "Haha! Lord Hulk is good at joking in a situation like this." Alene still smiled, but her aura hadn't subsided yet. "Alright, please follow me, Raqnid, Fat." "Alright..." Fat and Raqnid replied.
Hulk breathed a sigh of relief after Alene left. "Don't think everything is over, Lord Hulk. I will report this to the leader!" Alene turned her head slightly and
glared at Hulk. "Wait! Alene, there's no need to report it to the leader. I was just joking! Wait, Alene! Aleneeee!!!" Hulk shouted. However, all of that had no effect on Alene. She left without even looking back.
As soon as we entered the building, the bustling atmosphere suddenly turned silent after Alene's arrival. Everyone could feel the terrifying aura from Alene. No one dared to say a word.
"Congratulations! You both passed," a smile appeared on Alene's face, but her aura had changed. "Hehe! Thank you," Raqnid replied uneasily. "Are you both from another world?" Alene asked. Raqnid's face turned pale upon hearing that. Alene could tell from the identification cards we gave earlier.
"Don't worry! Besides, most of your friends registered yesterday. All of them passed brilliantly, especially the heroes! They're all amazing." Alene's aura disappeared after discussing that. "Haha! Really? They must be amazing then. Can we get our licenses?"
"Oh! I forgot about that," Alene handed us our licenses and IDs. When Raqnid was about to take his license, Alene didn't let go of it. "No wonder! I feel like we've met before." Alene smiled. Alene seemed to already know about Raqnid secretly leaving the palace. "Haha! Yes! I feel like I've seen you too?" Raqnid could no longer hide it. "Wouldn't it be easier for you to admit it from the beginning? Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret." Alene whispered in Raqnid's ear. Goosebumps ran down Raqnid's spine after hearing that.
"Alright, congratulations once again! Your achievements can be considered quite good compared to the Hero group. You should be proud," Fat was happy to hear that. "Really?" Raqnid and Fat then went home.
"These kids are really skilled, especially the archer. The way he dodged earlier was not like an ordinary archer. Only assassins can dodge like that. He's an insane archer," Hulk approached Alene.
"Yes, I saw what happened. I have to go now," Alene replied.
"Where are you going?"
"To meet the leader!"
"Wait! Alene, we can talk more, don't rush."
"Talk?"
Alene's aura returned. Fear began to be felt by everyone there.
"I'm sorry! It was my mistake," Hulk admitted defeat.
"This old man is causing trouble again!"
"There's no one else left!" a voice came from inside the guild.
"Yes! Yes! It's my fault. Don't you guys have anything else to do? You've got jobs to do, get lost..." Hulk shouted in frustration.
After that, Raqnid and Fat's adventure in the new world began.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone