We walked up to Counter No. 3. The counter clerk was still spaced out, staring blankly ahead as if she didn't even notice us. So I spoke up.
"Hello."
The moment she heard my voice, she snapped back to reality—as if a student had been caught dozing off in class. She straightened up in a panic and greeted us loudly.
"Y-Yes! H-How can I help you?!"
I waited until she calmed down a little before speaking.
"We want to check in as adventurers."
"P-Please show me your Adventurer Identification Cards."
We handed her our IDs so she could fill in the paperwork. She looked at the cards, picked up a pen, and began writing—slowly—murmuring as she read.
"Ka~ren~"
She really does look like a rookie. Her movements are painfully slow, and she even read my name out loud for everyone to hear.
"So her name is Karen? How pretty."
"Ahh~ what a beautiful name."
People in line behind us overheard and immediately misunderstood. My name being mistaken for Lina's is nothing new. Once they hear Lina's name too, they'll definitely look confused.
"Li~na~"
"Another girl's name?"
"So which one is the beauty's name supposed to be?"
"Maybe it's Karen Lina. Hey, have you ever heard of Lina as a family name?"
Okay, that last one is too much! How dare you mash our names together—and since when is Lina a surname? That's a first.
"Oh! You're both also born in 2002?! You're only fifteen and already Orange-Rank adventurers?! That's amazing!"
Normally, people who reach Orange rank are close to thirty. Reaching it at half the age is shocking to most.
The counter clerk seemed excited as she checked the info on our IDs. But she said also… Could she be our age too?
"Are you fifteen as well?"
When I asked, she suddenly sprang to her feet.
"Yes! My name is Sally. I hope we can be friends!"
Her name was Sally. Light-brown hair, tied into a ponytail that curled at the ends. Every time she spoke, her ponytail bounced in a lively rhythm. Her hairband was a green silk ribbon.
A cheerful and energetic girl. And since she's the same age, she should get along well with Lina.
"Of course. I'm Lina."
Lina beat me to it. We just arrived in the capital and she's already making a friend—naturally she looked delighted.
"I'd be happy to be your friend too. I'm Karen."
When we finished introducing ourselves, Sally practically exploded with excitement, her ponytail bouncing furiously.
"Great! I only started working here a few days ago, and there are hardly any people my age around. It's wonderful to finally make friends!"
That's strange. There should be plenty of teenage adventurers. Why would there be so few? I asked her.
"Is there really so few adventurers our age?"
"Yes. Most teenagers are studying at the academy."
I glanced around the guild hall. Indeed, there wasn't anyone our age in sight. Another question arose.
"Can commoners attend academy?"
In this world, academies were usually for nobles who could afford the high tuition. But with no teens around, I could only assume…
"Of course. A few years ago, the king introduced a new policy encouraging commoners to study. He said it was to cultivate talent—and the tuition isn't outrageously expensive anymore."
So commoners can become educated too? The king must be wise and impartial. Since there's such a good opportunity, then why isn't Sally studying?
"Then why aren't you in academy?"
Sally hesitated, unsure whether to answer. After a moment, she finally spoke.
"…Even though commoners can attend, many nobles still look down on us. I couldn't stand the discrimination, so I dropped out."
Having to deal with nobles who think they're superior… that really is rough.
"That must've been tough."
Lina voiced the same thought I had. But I already understood her situation at the academy—time to return to why we came here.
"Sally, I'd like to ask about the dungeon and the rank system."
Hearing me change the topic, Sally panicked a little and hurried back into "work mode," though her fluster was still obvious.
"O-Okay! You mean the relationship between dungeon floors and adventurer ranks?"
"Exactly. I heard the dungeon has a special ranking system."
"Yes. Each ten level corresponds to a rank. Level 1 to 10 can be cleared even by normal people, so they aren't counted. Level 11 to 20 are Violet-rank. Floors 21 to 30 are Indigo-rank, and so on."
According to Sally, Level 31 is Blue, 41 is Green, 51 is Yellow, 61 is Orange, and 71 is Red.
"Then Level 81 would be Rainbow Rank. What about 91?"
"Actually, we don't know how many floors exist. The latest record is floor 85."
I remembered what Henry(Allen) wrote: the dungeon has 100 levels. The Goddess of Fate said those who reach it are Brave… so Brave must have reached the bottom, right? Why isn't it recorded?
"Has no Brave ever reached it?"
"I'm not sure. There are no records showing any Brave reaching the final level."
Strange. Across dozens of generations, not a single Brave made it? Then how did the Ten Braves' special abilities come from? Sally wouldn't know—no point pushing further.
"I see. Thank you, Sally."
"Just call me Sally—we're friends, after all."
Call another girl by her first name? I glanced at Lina, then made up my mind.
"…Alright. I'm done with my questions. Are our forms ready?"
"Ah! I haven't finished writing yet—please wait!"
Sally sat down and resumed recording our information. After quite a while, she finally returned our IDs, along with two wristbands.
"Here are your IDs and your Dungeon Recorders."
I put away my ID, then examined the wristband. It was just a strap with a magic stone embedded.
"What is this wristband?"
"It's a Dungeon Recorder. It was invented by a Brave long ago. It can record how deep you've gone in the dungeon."
"So if this shows that I reached floor 81, I'll be Rainbow Rank?"
"Yes! That's the special ranking system. You must wear it before entering the dungeon!"
Braves really did invent some convenient things. This prevents people from lying and faking their achievements.
"Got it. Lina, let's go."
"Mm. Sally, do your best at work!"
"I will!"
After bidding farewell to Sally, we made our way to Brett's location.