Untergrant seems to be in the sights of a war. The condition of the guards haven't worsened to such a degree, and there has been a curfew set out. Just as the sun's over the horizon, every citizen has to be at home. From the window in our home, people panic as they run back home; running, sprinting and in a jog.
Well anyways… Today's the supposed day of me getting a class. I thought whilst resting my chin on my hand. I woke up earlier than everyone, the early morning sky was starting to show a beautiful orange from the window. During the mission, we gathered quite a lot of silver– Equaling to almost a hundred.
It's been a few days since then, obviously… Needed time to recover from that arrow shot, mentally mainly. There was no scar, thankfully. I don't think the past Yukina, if she ever comes back… And takes over her body, she wouldn't appreciate a scar.
There are a lot of classes to choose from, if I recall correctly. I rested my chin deeper. Choosing the witch class would be best fitting of my arsenal… I won't be solely an attacker in terms of magic. As for my second, James recommended me to level up a bit more; my role hasn't been set in stone.
As the orange from the morning soon drew wider, I heard the clacks of James's door opening. He walked out with a fresh appearance, and an energetic glint in his eyes. I was the first one to greet each other, he merely smiled whilst returning it.
He's wearing something different. I noticed as my mind clicked. He was in his casual clothes; if he knew he was heading towards the adventurers' guild he would be in his classic healer attire. Damn… He really is quite buff… His arms were pretty muscular, as if he was hitting the gym for years now. Beneath the tight shirt, he even had a six pack indention.
"What're you staring at?" He asked with a tilt of his head. Shit… He saw me looking. I'm more envious… Even though I did sports and kept myself in good condition in my first life, I never had that. I avoided his gaze, I could feel my face turn a little red. "Probably shocking to see me in casual clothes, huh?" His voice trailed as he walked into the kitchen.
"I-I always saw you in your- Your adventurer's clothes."
"That is true, but we gained quite a bit of money… So we won't take missions for a while."
"I-I see."
Well that's going to be boring. I groaned internally. Ow…That stings. I rubbed my forehead, without thinking I let my head fall to the table…
"Did you eat already?"
"Y-Yes."
"Let's get to the guild before it opens." James said before plopping himself down in his seat. And there he goes with his favorite drink… "Can you heat this up for a second?" …
"There you go…"
"Thank you~"
Seriously?! I'm not a personal lighter! AND HE HAS gah… It looks like he just wanted to bully me… For kitchen appliances, and everything like that, there are these little orb things called runes. They were invented, roughly two hundred years ago, made by some otherworlder. Just a little pour of mana into them, and they work.
Depending on the color of them, changes their function. Red ones equate to fire, just a small bit of them causes a burst of flames to spurt outwards. The first time seeing this… Caused me to jump, it was just above a wooden frame. Turns out… They don't really set anything on fire, just used for heating. An additional thing, it doesn't burn…Huh, Almost like those glass counter stoves.
"Seems like you're deep in thought… Still figuring out the class you're going to get?" After a long slurp of his drink, he asked me.
"No… I-I got one in mind…"
"Good, get up, we're leaving."
"E-Eh? That- That was fast."
"Well… It's already almost open. C'mon."
He hurriedly pulled me off the chair, and guided me to the front door; with that, we went straight to the adventurers' guild. The sky started to turn blue as we just stepped inside. Some of the receptionists were running around, whilst others were cleaning up.
One rushed to the front counter, sweat covering her face and her breath was audibly rugged. Yet, she put on a beaming smile and welcomed us as we walked over. The other receptionist repeated her welcomings. IT feels like we're some kind of celebrities… Did that mission make us famous? Normally they just greet us and go on their way. Some bowed before going back to work.
"Sorry about the little mess, um… Ahem, if you're looking for missions, the guildmaster removed them–"
"Ah~ No we aren't here for that." James waved off her apology. In the next few seconds, he gave her a reassuring smile before explaining our reasoning. The lady's expression quickly turned into disbelief, her mouth slightly opening and eyes widening.
She asked if he was sure, and James nodded his head. In the next she paused before bending over and checking under the counter. I heard some papers fwipping, and things falling. Then her voice resounded, "we have an adventurer needing to choose a class.".
"I'll be right there." A familiar male voice came through. Same guy. I recognized it instantly. The same monotonous and bored voice. He was definitely a supervisor or has a different role in this place. Or just an examiner. I don't know much about the guild here, okay?
"The examiner will be here in a few seconds. Can I ask you two questions to kill time?" The lady receptionist asked with a sweet smile.
"Sure, what would you like to ask?"
"How long have you been adventuring, Mr Gabri? Your name is pretty famous among the ladies at the guild."
"Since I was eighteen… And…" I felt James's gaze linger down towards me. It seemed pleadingful. He doesn't want me to tell his wife. We'll see~ I looked up back at him, sure enough. Behind his pathetic eyes, there was pleading. Nope, she'll definitely know, you poor sucker. I gave him a response; a smile, ever so sweet I could. "I'm already married… I'm not interested in having a second or third wife."
Eh? That's quite shocking, and not really. Polygamy seems rampant here. Many men in the city had girls latching on their arms. Thankfully not young, but sure it made me envious to see… If I'm alive in this body, I would rather stay single… Ahem. I only had one girlfriend in my past life, and she was a firecracker. High energy, energetic and extremely controlling. That was my first, and only relationship…
"Oh the girls are well aware of your marital status, Mr Gabri. I'm just trying to fulfill their curiosities… Ahem, anyways. Little Girl, our records state you've been an adventurer for under a month. Did you try to trick Mr Gabri into coming here?"
"U-Um… No, no I didn't…" This lady had a scary smile, it quickly changed into a suspicious one. There was an overbearing aura behind her, she leaned in whilst giving me those intense eyes you see on people who don't believe you. It quickly was covered by James's arm.
I'll keep my word… He covered for me, explaining he already checked my status and confirmed it. That lady quickly retracted her spine and accusations. She apologized not to just me but to him as well. Thus, we became silent.
Thud, thud… Thud…
Footsteps resounded from the locked door to our left. There was clacking, then the door opened. Knew it. The same man walked out, closing the door then came to us. He scanned the room and his eyes sat on me.
"So, you already got to level ten, huh?" The same man that signed me up to be an adventurer questioned. He leaned forward, whilst squinting his eyes at me. Was he suspicious?! I saw his lips turn to a frown, then they twitched for a moment. "Not surprised. We'll take her to the back, we must confirm it before doing anything."
"Understood, ah- Right how much would it be?" James asked him, rubbing the back of his head. The original smile he had on his face turned crooked and a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "It's been quite a few years since I got mine…"
"Free, the mayor of Untergrant waved it off. He greatly appreciates your efforts."
"E-Eh?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Won't repeat myself, little girl follow me."
"O-Okay." I mumbled, he began to walk in long strides. I quickly waved to James before following this guy. We left the guild hall the same way we did when I first signed up.
We walked for a few minutes, before veering to the right; where the examination hall stood. He had me stand in front of the same crystal to check my level. I did as he instructed; placing my hand on it, and there was a change in his expression. Is that a smile or is-
"Pretty slow for an otherworlded, but good job." He mumbled, there was a moment of silence from him; then he leaned in and rubbed one of his eyes. "Though, now there's an issue…
"What do you mean, issue?" I asked him, staring at his face. Is there something wrong with my status? Everything looks correct,.. I even checked, and my status seems to be right, and my skills. Though, there's a question in my mind. What did the "???" mean right next to my race? I didn't bother checking or questioning it ever since I came into this body.
"Well… Your stats leave some issues. If you were to choose a class now, you only have two options." As the words two left his mouth, he raised his middle and index finger. "I'm sure that is already in your mind." He brought his hand to his chin then continued. "That's only one issue, the second one is your bloodline as a wolfkin."
"Speak of the devil…" I already expected that, I'm sure that this crystal shows it. Those words escaped my mouth. "Do you know anything of it? Or is this just a speculation type of thing? I don't really know anything, it only shows question marks on it."
"Same on this status crystal, but it's rather concerning…"
"So what's so concerning about it?"
"There's again, two things to say about it. First, the least concerning of the two. It's a unique bloodline that doesn't read. Or." He froze for a moment, I could feel my breath cut off. This guy glared at me for one moment then finally explained the next part. "The most concerning, and frightening, is the Fenrir bloodline."
Fenrir bloodline? Isn't that the wolf in norse mythology? I tilted my head at his words. Is that a thing in this world? I never was interested in mythology back then, so I don't know MUCH about Fenrir, only of its name and origin. But seeing his frown and tapping of his chin left something frightening in my heart. I can feel it beating in fear, or excitement.
"I doubt its existence in you, but in this world. It's similar to yours, in fantasy stories. Fenrir is a name of destruction. It appears in Wolfkin similar to you, but they go mad around puberty."
"So, am I some kind of danger? Or what do you think is my bloodline?" I asked, copying his movements and setting my hand on my chin. It's probably the former, I don't feel crazy or wanting to destroy anything around me. Most likely is some unique bloodline… Despite the reassurance in his claims, I could feel my heart beat in nervousness. At least, I hope it's the former.
"In the immediate future, no you aren't some kind of danger. The adventurers' guild will put a marker on you– Do you have your adventurers' plate?"
"Ah- Yeah…" I shuffled in my pocket, and pulled out that wooden title. It's called the adventurers' plate, we all have it. I handed it to him, a slight blue glow appeared at the tips of his fingers. Suddenly, I felt some cold touch my heart. It mimicked the movements of his fingers. Is that some kind of binding spell?! The hairs on my arms pricked up. That's so fucking cold…Is that how they mark people? The frigid feeling shaped the letter, 'A'.
"This is how we'll track you. If we catch any odd changes in your body, we'll call you back here." This guy explained whilst handing it back. Was that all? It was just a tracker?How am I supposed to tell them who needed me? I tilted my head again, it's more of a subconscious thing. I realized it around a couple weeks ago… "Ah, right. You need to know my name, you can call me, Exim. It's not my real name, but a name you can call me by."
"Exim? Odd nickname." I shook his hand that extended out. "So, can I get my class now, or are there any other things we have to talk about?"
"No, follow me." Exim led me out the door. We went down a pretty barren hallway. There weren't any doors on the side, instead there was a glass wall to our left. It was a simple garden, and other guild employees were on their knees. Plucking plants, vegetables and fruits that hung from trees. "You seem to have questions."
"From what I've read, at least in the stories in my past life. I thought the adventurers' guild was just… At least here, it seems different." I rambled without thinking. In the stories and shows I watched, the guild was just there for adventurers… It seems like whoever made it here, meant for it to be self-sufficient, and provide homage to their employees.
"The founder, a nameless being. Intended it to become like this, it allows us to build the bonds of the workers. Allows jobs to the citizens of many different nations and creates a safe haven for slaves, or prisoners who were rescued."
"Yeah… That's expected."
"There's also a lesser known fact about the guild. Wanna hear it?"
"Oh… Uhm, sure?" I looked up at him, he held his index finger up, and a serious look across his face.
"The founder was also an otherworlder, one that lived over a thousand years ago." He explained, as the words otherworlder left his mouth, he pointed at me. "That's why your class selection was free, the guild favors those who were brought into this world from another."
"Eh-? So the mayor of this place didn't appreciate the mission we did?"
"Haha… No, no he did not. That old fool only favors those who kiss his ass and donate to him."
"Ah… I should've expected that."
"There isn't much else to expect from him. Ever since the guild has been set in this city, he's been treating everyone that way."
Why does that seem like any other ruler in these types of scenarios… Internally I let out a sigh. We had no meaningful conversation, it seems after talking a bit Exim did open up. He always seemed like a stickler at first, but he's pretty open at least for the adventurers' guild.
He navigated me to a wide open area, crystals strung to the roof, beaming down light onto a marbled pedestal.
"Take a step forward, and set your adventurers' plate onto it. I'll activate the formation once you do." He explained. He then took a few steps to the side. The ground surrounding it made a circle of chalk.
Carefully, I lightly stepped towards the pedestal. Once directly in front of it, I set my plate down. Just as I did, I felt electricity course through my feet– Flowing upwards till it struck the center of my chest. Then, bright light started surrounding me, but it soon changed.
I'm in this… Void again… Pitch black, those two words described the world around me. I looked down, I was in my old body. My entire body was transparent. Is it implanting into my soul? I thought. I was there for just a few moments, till a blue screen popped in my retinae.
[Class selection in process]
[1..]
[2…]
[3….]
[Class has been chosen.]
Wait, hold on! I didn't get to choose?! I thought I was- Wasn't it supposed to be a class selection?! Did it choose for me?! No… James and Exim told me it allowed me to… Is th-
[Congratulations, Yukina on choosing the Witch class.]
I- My mind went blank as the void started to melt around me. I thought… This weird sensation– As if something was crawling through my body met at my heart. I felt an indescribable itchy sensation there. It remained even after the room's interior came into my eye.
"Seems like you did have it pre-chosen." Exim said to me as I turned around. He had his arms crossed, and left foot leaning against the wall. "Witch class?" A blue light stayed in his right eye for a moment before disappearing. "Not a bad first choice, don't regret it."
"Um… I didn't get to choose…"
"Eh? But it says on your status."
I held my head low as I explained what happened inside– Finding myself in that void– Then the system notifications. As I finished, he held a contemplating look on his face. Is this the first time he's heard of this happening? I wondered as he held that position for some time.
"I'll have to look into this. But that was the class you wanted right?"
"It was… But…" I wanted to see the selection! It could've let me see the potential classes I could choose in the future!
"Be thankful it wasn't anything else. If that had happened, you would've had to pay the fee to remove it from your soul."
"I-I guess…"
"Let's get going."
What the fuck was that…? Everything's not making sense. As we went back, I racked my head. There wasn't anything wrong with that ritual, Exim said so… I was supposed to choose, it was meant to ingrain into my soul, that's what he said.
"Ah. Before we part ways. I recommend leaving this city– This whole kingdom before the war ravages these plains." Exim said to me. His friendly and open tone turned into a cold dagger. It struck my head, causing me to slowly turn to him. "The other branches of the guild are sending messages. There's a war path coming– It will strike here soon. A notice will be given to every adventurer. Go. Now."