"You all did well, and I must congratulate everyone on passing the Adventurer Assessment." A cool, collected voice greeted everyone who stood.
Gerund was standing behind the lanky man who was speaking.
His hair was smooth, and unlike everyone present, he looked more civilized. His auburn hair had an oily glow, and his expression exuded confidence.
Everyone could tell that the man addressing them was extremely important, considering the aura of prestige and eminence that simply oozed out of him.
'He's a Level 30. That means he's strong…' I thought to myself, gulping nervously.
My name is Zabdel Forger. I am the Vice Guild master in this Adventurer's City."
'What the—?!'
How did things even get to this point?
[Moments Earlier]
The Combat Exam was draining.
To be honest, I most definitely wouldn't have lasted very long were it not for my Hero's Title 'Auto-Recovery' effect.
Thankfully, I also Leveled Up many times during my fight, preventing my Stats from reaching rock bottom.
The biggest challenge I faced was using the Skill I obtained from Lucy, [Mana Strengthening].
The stuff ate through my Mana at an insanely quick rate, causing me to desperately slash through my enemies so that I could Level Up in order to restore the lost energy.
I had to even activate [Blessing Of Recovery] to boost my Mana Recovery due to the burnout I was experiencing.
Even though I somehow pulled through the exams, I was terrified that even more monsters would be released.
"Is that all?" I had said, actually very weary internally.
Fortunately, Gerund—our very enthusiastic Supervisor—misinterpreted my intentions, thanks to [Freedom Of Expression].
He called off the exam, most likely giving me a perfect score.
That was how I was able to scale through the System's Quest, as well as gaining extra rewards due to my outstanding Accomplishment.
Even as I returned to my seat, I noticed everyone's eyes fixated on me. It felt a bit weird , but I was already used to being the center of attention.
Sitting on my designated chair, the System finally came through.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[System Reward]
~Addition of Asa to Character List~
~(+5) Stat Points~
~(+10) Karmic Value~
[End Of Information]
Well, I was expecting it anyway, so I wasn't particularly surprised.
However, that wasn't all.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt[SYSTEM NOTICE]
<Your Achievements Have Been Completely Calculated>
~Would You Like To Receive All Your Rewards Now?~
'Hmm? So soon? Maybe there aren't many Accomplishments this time around.' Mulling these thoughts over and over in my head, I decided to check out the rest of the rewards.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
[Here Are Your Rewards Based On Your Accomplishments]
<You exceeded the conditions stipulated for the assigned Quest>
~10 Karmic Value Has Been Dispensed~
<You got a perfect score in the Adventurer's Exam>
~100 Karmic Value Has Been Dispensed~
<You achieved the impossible and significantly altered the progression of the System's expectations>
~1,000 Karmic Value Has Been Dispensed~
<You have crossed blades with monsters that are stronger than you, and emerged victorious.>
~Skill: Predator has been given~
<You have defied all odds and defeated a group of monsters relatively more powerful than you>
~Title: Monster Hunter has been given~
<You have completed an important scenario and gained the recognition of many>
~(+10) Stat Points Have Been Given~
~You Have Leveled Up (×3)~
[End Of Information]
'Holy cow!!!' I was beyond amazed.
I had Leveled Up five times when I fought the Goblins. Adding that to the three new Level-Ups I obtained, my initial Level had practically doubled.
In a flash, I jumped from Level 8 to Level 16. It was beyond crazy!
In excitement, I decided to check my System Window.
[SYSTEM WINDOW]
Name: Samuel Peterson
Level: 16
Age: 17 Years
Gender: Male
Current Condition: Elated
Status Infliction: Mild Exhaustion (Recovering)
Title: Hero [See Additional Titles]
~[QUEST DETAILS]~
[FEATURES]
~ Stats~
~Skills[Unlocked]~
~Inventory [Unlocked]~
~Character List~
~Shop [Unlocked]~
~Arcana Value [Unrestricted]~
<You have not met the requirements to unlock some Features>
[More Features will be added subsequently]
[END OF INFORMATION]
I went on to check every new thing I had gotten.
It was awesome that I grew so much in such a short span. Defeating Monsters really paid off!
[Stats]
Level: 16
Exp: 67.85
Class: None (Check Available Class)
Karmic Value: 6,354
[Basic Ability]
HP: 26/26
MP: 20/20
Strength: 21
Agility: 52
Vitality: 25
Intelligence: 37
<Stat Points: 31>
[Complete Quests and slay enemies to obtain Stat Points and EXP. Doing so will increase your Level and also grant you Stat Points]
[END OF INFORMATION]
[Skills]
<1> Five Seconds Rule
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm<2> Rune crafting
<3> Freedom Of Expression
<4> With Great Responsibility There Must Also Come Great Power
<5> Insight
<6> Martial Arts
<7> Predator
[Titles]
<1> Hero
<2> Fraud
<3> Conqueror
<4> Goblin Hunter
[End Of Information]
It was unbelievable, but even I had to admit it.
'It's not quite on the level of being OP, but compared to before…'
I was far more stronger now!
Grinning to myself, I awaited Gerund's return; only for him to arrive moments later, with an important man leading the way.
'Who the heck is that?' I thought to myself the moment I first saw the dude.
Unknown to me, he was…
[The Present]
… The Vice Guild master!
The moment Zabdel Forger introduced himself, the entire hall fell into a tranquil state, with panicked looks on their faces —most likely still reeling from the shocking revelation.
The atmosphere of the room was one of hushed reverence, and I even noticed a few people bowing.
However—
'I can't bring myself to show too much deference…'
—There was no way I would follow the crowd.
It was common knowledge that the path of a Hero wasn't carved like everyone else's, and after the stunt I pulled not too long ago, there was no way I could pretend to be ordinary.
"There's no need to be so stiff with me. We're all comrades in arms. Usually, I wouldn't even be interfering with the exams, but I just happened to be around."
I nearly rolled my eyes when I heard that statement.
It truly was convenient that the Vice Guild master would be in the area when an exceptional Adventurer candidate made his debut.
As if he read my mind, Zabdel Forger glanced in my direction and gave a warm smile.
His piercing gaze made me a bit flustered, but I made sure to maintain my composure.
"Now, for your results…" Zabdel glanced in Gerund's direction, nodding to the buff man to proceed.
Our Exam Supervisor nodded and stepped forward, holding a parchment that most likely contained our performance evaluation.
This was quite literally the moment of truth.