The Elestar: Zero

Rebecca brought the breakfast tray and placed it on the table, joining our conversation.

"Where are you headed? To the local guild?"

"Yes, that's right."

"If you want, I can tell you where it is. Of course, not for free! Also, you haven't paid for last night yet."

Master reached into his pocket, pulled out a coin pouch, and placed five silver coins on the table. Rebecca's eyes lit up with joy at the sight of silver.

"I think that should be enough. Now, tell us where the guild is!"

"It's not far from here. Just three streets down, there's a building with a bunch of armed guys gathered at the door. That's our local guild. There's a girl named Silviya working there. If you tell her I sent you, things will go a lot faster."

After Rebecca's directions, I finished my food, and Master and I left the inn, heading toward the guild.

"Master! Are we just going to leave Mister Scott behind?"

"I already spoke to him. We'll set off around noon. Until then, we've got time to sell the wolf horns."

"I wanted to ask you something else."

"What is it?"

"How did I end up at the inn?"

"You were frozen stiff sitting at the front of the wagon. Then you had a high fever. That's why I brought you here myself."

[I've been a burden to Master. I need to thank him.]

"Master Valorant!"

"Yes?"

"Thank you!"

"No need for thanks. Just focus and train properly so this doesn't happen again."

"Of course!"

We arrived at the adventurers' guild. Just as Rebecca said, there were indeed lots of armed adventurers here.

What amazed me most was how crowded and lively it was despite the snow and cold. We made our way through the people to the front of the guild.

As we stood by the door, Master grabbed me by my clothes and pulled me aside. I didn't understand what was happening.

[Why did Master pull me aside?] I was wondering, when suddenly, a man flew out the door.

"Watch where you're going!"

I nodded as if saying "Okay." When I went back to the door, another big, muscular man came out. After he left, we entered the guild.

Inside, everything was a mess—broken furniture everywhere. A girl was cleaning up the debris and straightening the tables. Master and I walked over to her.

"Good morning. You must be Silviya?"

"Yes, I'm Silviya. How can I help you?"

"Rebecca recommended you to us."

"Oh, if Rebecca sent you… are you looking to sell something?"

"Yes, and I also want to register this boy." He pointed to me.

I was surprised by what Master said.

[Master wants to register me as an adventurer? Why would he do that?]

"In that case, wait a moment. To register, head over to that desk." She pointed the way.

We went to the desk Silviya had indicated and waited. Meanwhile, Silviya continued cleaning. I turned to Master and asked why he wanted to register me.

"Master, are you really registering me?"

"You need a proper sword like mine. With your current sword, you can't perform the techniques I used to kill those snow wolves."

"Do those techniques require a magic sword?"

"What did you think?"

"Why can't I use a regular sword?"

"To perform those techniques, your current sword is too fragile. You could maybe strike five times before it breaks. With a sword like mine, you can use those techniques freely."

"I see. So that's how we were able to kill those snow wolves."

"Exactly."

"Where can I get one of those swords?"

"They're custom-made. Dwarves from the Earth Kingdom forge them on request. Since your flame is a blue flame, you'll need a special one made for that. But you can't go there right now, so for the time being, you'll use a sword designed for Eternal Flame techniques."

"How much does it cost?"

"It's custom-forged in another country, so it's not cheap. Since you can't use your own flame efficiently yet, earn some money and buy one when you can."

"Understood. I'll work hard from now on."

While we talked, Silviya returned to the desk.

"Sorry for the inconvenience! What are you selling?"

"Snow wolf horns."

"Really? This is the first time someone brought snow wolf horns this winter. Where did you hunt them?"

"They attacked us during the heavy snow last night."

"I see. How many horns do you have?"

"Check the contents of this sack." Master placed it on the table.

Silviya opened the sack and began counting. In total, there were 24 wolf horns.

"You brought 24 snow wolf horns. The set price is 10 silver coins each. Would you like to sell them?"

"Yes, and also register this boy."

"Alright, I'll go get the coins and paperwork." She took the sack and went into the back room.

As soon as she left, we picked up the fallen chairs and sat down. Just then, the same muscular man from earlier entered the guild again. I looked at him, and he noticed.

"Hey kid, you're sitting in my spot…"

Before he could finish, I stood up and gave him the chair. Then I grabbed another chair and sat down.

He chuckled.

"Didn't anyone teach you to wait till someone finishes talking? If you sat in my seat, pay up for it."

"You wanted your seat back? Well, go ahead and sit in it."

Hearing that, the man was visibly annoyed. He reached to grab my collar, but Master grabbed his arm and stopped him. The man tried to pull free but couldn't—Master's grip was like steel.

"You old bastard!" he shouted, trying to punch Master.

Master twisted his arm and, with a single kick, sent the man flying out the door.

[That was incredible—Master just kicked an 80-kilo man out the door like it was nothing. What a legend.]

"People here seem a bit rough."

At that moment, Silviya came back carrying a tray with a white paper, a round orb, two gold coins, and forty silver coins.

"Here's your reward."

"I'll take the two gold coins. The rest is for him," said Master, nodding toward me.

[It feels so satisfying to earn money with my own effort. I'm really happy.]

"Who's being registered?"

"Me."

"Alright. How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Perfect, that's the minimum age we're allowed to register. If you were eleven or younger, I wouldn't be able to do it. You're in luck. Now place your hand on the orb and channel your mana into it."

I was relieved. [I thought she wouldn't register me.] I placed my hand on the orb and channeled my mana. The orb began to glow.

"That's enough. You can remove your hand now."

"That's it?"

"Yes, we've registered you. Look at your hand—you'll see a mark. That mark will allow other guilds to identify you and serve you."

I looked at my left hand and saw two rings with the words "Northstat" and "2.12.2018" between them.

"What do these words mean?"

"It's the date and place of your registration. Now let's determine your rank." She placed the white paper on the orb. Dark patterns began to appear.

"Your rank is D."

"Is that good?"

"Considering your age, yes. It's a decent starting point."

"How many ranks are there?"

"Six total: E, D, C, B, A, and S. You're D rank now, which reflects your current physical and mana-handling abilities."

"Got it."

"Now that we're done, let's get back to Scott."

"Wait. Silviya, is that everything? Don't I need to write my name somewhere?"

"Your name isn't needed. The mark on your hand contains all your info. As you train and improve, your rank will also rise."

"Thank you, then."

"The Northstat guild is proud to register you. Good luck on your hunts, Adventurer Attu!"

"See you around!" We left the guild.

After we left the guild, we looked around and saw that the same man Master had kicked out was now just getting back on his feet.

"Didn't have enough the first time?"

"I'll show you soon."

"You think you can defeat one of the Seven Sages?" I said proudly, trying to praise Master.

Hearing this, Master slapped his forehead and shook his head. Everyone in the street turned to look at us in surprise.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing important!" the man shouted.

Master, annoyed, released his bloodthirsty aura. Everyone nearby felt the intense pressure, and fear spread across their faces. The loud man fell silent immediately.

Meanwhile, Scott was preparing the wagon to leave. He drove it to the front of the inn. Master and I came from the other direction.

"Good day, Mister Scott."

"Hello. How are you feeling? Have you recovered?"

"Yes, I'm much better now."

"Master Valorant. Shall we get going?"

"Yes."

Master Valorant and I climbed into the wagon, and Mister Scott, as always, sat in the front to drive.

As we neared the city gates, a thought crossed my mind.

[This is the city I was supposed to reach six months ago. I finally made it here, though much later than planned. It seems that if I truly want to achieve something, I can—just need time. That saying was right: everything happens in its own time.]

And so, we left the city by wagon. Duke Alaris's estate was far away. It took us four full days to reach it. Finally, after such a long journey, we arrived.

When we stopped in front of the Duke's mansion gates, two soldiers approached us. Despite the Duke's high status, only two guards were posted at the entrance. They didn't even look like real soldiers. Although they wore armor, their stance and demeanor were sloppy.

[They don't look like real soldiers. I've only seen soldiers once before, but even they stood more firmly than this. Maybe the Duke is too confident in himself.]

"Hello, boys! Open the gates. We're bringing a guest at Duke Alaris's invitation," Mister Scott said to the guards.

The soldiers opened the gates wide. As we rode through, the estate looked almost like a palace to my eyes. The closer we got, the bigger it seemed.

The road from the gates to the mansion stretched at least a hundred meters, with neatly trimmed fir trees planted along the sides. Even though it was winter, there was no snow on the trees.

As we neared the entrance, I noticed an old man standing at the door, waiting for us. He looked to be around fifty years old. His posture was neat and refined. He wore a long-tailed, wide-collared formal suit.

[This old man must be the estate's steward.]

The wagon stopped right in front of the mansion door. Master and I got off and looked toward the man.

"Good day. The Duke is expecting you, Flame Sage."