After walking for hours under the bright sun, the brothers finally reached the outskirts of a small village.
The scent of cooked food and the distant chatter of people filled the air — sounds they hadn't heard in years.
Ortho, however, looked a little down. His shoulders drooped as he kicked a small pebble along the dirt road.
Ortho: "Tch… we didn't find even a single slime."
Aeth glanced at him and smiled faintly.
Aeth: "There's always next time. Besides, finding a slime in broad daylight near human settlements isn't easy."
Ortho: "Still… I wanted one as a pet."
Aeth: "You already have Ors, don't you?"
Ortho: "Yeah, but that's different!"
Aeth chuckled quietly and reached out to pat his little brother's head.
Aeth: "Alright, let's head into the village first. We need to see what kind of place this is before anything else."
Before they entered the village, Aeth told Ors and Raika to hide in their shadows.
Ortho nodded, his mood lifting a little as they began walking toward the village gates, the sound of daily life growing louder with each step.
Once inside, the streets buzzed with life — merchants calling out prices, children running around, and the smell of freshly baked bread drifting from nearby stalls.
Keeping their hoods up, Aeth and Ortho made their way through the crowd, careful not to draw attention. After a bit of searching, they found a small inn on the corner of the main street.
They went into the inn and said that they wanted to rent a room for one night.
Inn Receptionist: "Okay, sir, that will be 5 silver coins!"
Aeth: "We don't have money, but we have some stuff that we can sell you."
(Aeth showed some items that they found while coming out of the forest.)
Receptionist (shocked): "You have an Item Box skill!? That's very rare!"
Receptionist: "But sir, we don't buy things here. You can sell them first and then rent a room."
Aeth (telepathy): Ortho! You've watched anime, right? Where can we get money?
Ortho (telepathy): There might be a guild-type place — we can maybe sell our items there. Also, don't show our skills; they might be rare here since we're not from this world. So please tell me before you use any skills.
Aeth(Telepathy); Okay!
Aeth (to receptionist): "Where is the guild?"
Receptionist: "You mean the Adventurer's Guild? It's not far from here." (Tells location of the guild.)
Aeth: "Thank you! Also, can you keep it a secret about my Item Box skill? And one more thing — we'll come back, so please book one room for us with two beds."
Receptionist: "Okay, sir, consider it done!"
Aeth (telepathy): So what is this guild place?and onemore thing whats item box skill? does she means Inventory skill?
Ortho (smiling, telepathy): yeah and about guild That place is awesome! We can take quests for money — there must be a ranking system for adventurers, and I can even get information on where to find slimes!
Aeth (telepathy): Hmm, sounds interesting. But before that, don't rush in directly; we need to gather more information about this world.
Ortho: Can't promise! (Smiles)
(They entered the Adventurer's Guild.)
When they entered the Adventurers' Guild, the sound of chatter and clinking metal filled the air. The large hall was filled with adventurers — some sitting at tables, others checking job boards or handing in quests.
At the front counter, one person was currently registering as an adventurer. He looked nervous but determined, clutching his sword tightly.
Ortho (whispering): "Big bro, he looks new too."
Aeth: "Yeah… let's see what kind of stats he has."
(Both Aeth and Ortho quietly used Appraisal on the man.)
A faint blue screen appeared before their eyes.
His stats were… average — far lower than theirs, even compared to Ortho.
Ortho (telepathy): He's kinda weak, huh?
Aeth (telepathy): Yeah, but look — the receptionist will tell his rank now, i guess he will be E rank something (Smiles).
Both brothers blinked in surprise.
Guild receptionist: Wow! Sir You Are A-Rank, congratulation.
Ortho: "Wait, what!? He's A-rank with those stats?"
Aeth frowned slightly, deep in thought. Something about this world's ranking system didn't make sense.
Aeth (telepathy): We can't show our true strength here. If someone that weak is A-rank, we'll stand out way too much.
He quietly activated Concealment, lowering his and Ortho's visible stats to below the man's level, so they look like Arround D-E Rank.
Aeth (telepathy): There. This should keep us under the radar for now.
Ortho (grinning): Hehe, we'll look like total beginners!
Aeth: "Exactly. Let's play along."
(The brothers then stepped forward in line, waiting for their turn at the counter.)
The receptionist turned to them with a polite smile.
Receptionist: "Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. Are you two registering together?"
Aeth: "Yes, we're brothers."
Her eyes widened slightly.
Receptionist: "Oh, brothers? That's rare. Not many siblings join at the same time."
Both Aeth and Ortho smiled lightly.
She handed them a form.
Receptionist: "Please fill in your names and elemental affinity."
Aeth wrote down Aeth and listed only Wind as his element, hiding his true powers.
Ortho did the same, writing Ortho with Fire as his element.
After collecting the forms, the receptionist placed a glowing crystal ball on the counter.
Receptionist: "Alright, next is a quick evaluation. Please place your hand on the crystal — it will measure your magic attributes and basic status."
She gestured for Aeth to go first.
Aeth placed his hand on the crystal ball and waited.
…
Nothing happened.
No color. No glow. No reaction at all.
A quiet murmur spread through the hall.
Adventurer (whispering): "Huh? Is it broken?"
Another: "That's never happened before."
Another: "it may be becaous the last person who registered was A rank so crystal would be not messure much more mana than this"
Another: Yeah i also think that!
Aeth frowned slightly, confused.