Chapter 120: The Crack
The guildhall was already bustling that morning, the smell of roasted beans from the nearby tavern mixing with the leather, steel, and sweat of countless adventurers. Quills scratched over parchment as clerks updated records behind the long counters, and the ever-present clinking of coin pouches set the background rhythm of the hall.
At the center counter, the receptionist's voice rang out above the din.
"Congratulations, Sir Karl. You are now officially registered as a Rank B adventurer."
Her polite smile was professional, but her eyes betrayed the faintest glimmer of weariness. She had seen too many faces like Karl's before—puffed up with self-importance the moment they were handed a higher badge.
Karl held up the silver-edged insignia for everyone nearby to see, chest puffed out and chin high. He gave it a theatrical polish on his cloak, making sure the light from the chandelier overhead caught on the engraved 'B'.
