The entire crowd remained silent after Rovan's speech.
Many recruits looked nervous.
Others looked inspired.
Boros looked excited.
Far too excited.
A grin stretched across his face so wide it looked almost unnatural.
Kinuko glanced at him.
"You should really learn to control that grin, Shiro."
Akeno nodded immediately.
"Yeah. It's creepy."
"My bad."
Boros rubbed the back of his neck, though the grin didn't shrink at all.
"Something about that speech just got me fired up."
Akeno pointed at him.
"And that's exactly why you need to calm down."
Kinuko folded her arms.
"If I remember correctly, Veronica personally told us to make sure you didn't get into any fights for at least two months."
Boros' eye twitched.
"So we're actually listening to that?"
"Yes," Akeno replied instantly.
"We are."
"It's for your own good, Shiro," Kinuko added.
"You should really listen to the doctor."
Boros folded his arms.
"Whatever."
Before either girl could respond, the chatter throughout the crowd began to fade.
Attention shifted toward the front.
Rovan had stepped aside.
Another man was approaching.
One Boros immediately recognized.
"My, my."
The man smiled as he looked over the gathered recruits.
"What a crowd."
Murmurs immediately spread through the ranks.
Many of the recruits recognized him before he even introduced himself.
"The Guildmaster was supposed to be the one addressing you today."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"Unfortunately, urgent matters require his attention elsewhere."
A few disappointed sighs came from the crowd.
The man chuckled.
"So I'll be speaking in his place."
He stopped at the center of the platform.
Then straightened.
"I am the Vice Guildmaster of the White Tigers."
His smile widened slightly.
"Riley Adams."
The murmuring grew louder.
Even among the recruits who had never met him, the name carried weight.
Adams allowed the reaction to settle before continuing.
"Now then."
His gaze swept across the crowd.
"In a few moments, all of you will recite the Guild Oath."
The atmosphere immediately grew more serious.
"And once that oath is spoken..."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"You will officially become members of the White Tigers Guild."
Adams placed a hand over his chest.
"Repeat after me."
The crowd immediately straightened.
"I swear to uphold the honor of the White Tigers."
"To stand beside my comrades in times of hardship."
"To face danger without turning my back."
"To accept responsibility for my actions."
"To continue moving forward, no matter how many times I fall."
"From this day until my last."
"I am a White Tiger."
The final words thundered across the courtyard as more than a hundred recruits shouted them in unison.
"I AM A WHITE TIGER!"
For a brief moment, silence followed.
Then the courtyard erupted into cheers.
Some recruits laughed.
Others raised their fists into the air.
A few simply stood there grinning from ear to ear.
Despite the dangers that came with the profession, becoming an Adventurer was an achievement worth celebrating.
And joining one of the Top Ten Guilds made it even more special.
"I have a feeling shit is about to get crazy from here." Jonas chuckled.
"Yeah." Boros grinned.
Jonas glanced at him.
"You still owe me a loss, you know that right?"
Boros folded his arms.
"You might never get it."
"Tch. Keep talking."
"Shiro, we're really Adventurers now." Akeno said excitedly.
"Yeah." Kinuko nodded.
"I'm glad it finally happened. Feels like we've been working towards this forever."
As the four of them talked, an Adventurer jogged over.
Unlike the recruits, he wasn't wearing the White Tigers uniform, so it was obvious he wasn't a new member.
He stopped in front of Boros.
"Sir."
"What is it?" Boros asked.
"The Guildmaster called for you."
Kinuko blinked.
"Griffin? I thought he was off handling something important."
"Yeah." Akeno nodded.
"That's what we were told too."
The Adventurer shrugged.
"He's around. Follow me."
Without questioning it, Boros, Akeno and Kinuko started following him.
After taking a few steps, the Adventurer suddenly stopped and looked back.
"You too, sir."
Jonas pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"Yes sir."
"The Guildmaster called for you as well."
Jonas frowned.
"The hell does he want with me?"
The Adventurer shrugged again.
"No idea."
And with that, the four of them followed him towards Griffin's office.
....
"IN YER FACE!"
"IN YER FACE!"
"IN YER FACE!"
Griffin yelled repeatedly while pointing directly at Jonas.
Jonas' eye twitched.
Boros stared at him for a few seconds.
Then rubbed his forehead.
"So you're trying to tell me..."
He pointed at Griffin.
"That the 'important business' you skipped the induction for..."
His voice rose.
"WAS A GOD DAMN HORSE RACE?!"
"Yep." Griffin grinned.
"And I won the bet too."
He immediately turned back to Jonas.
"IN YER FA-"
Boros shoved him away.
"Get out of his face."
"Aww." Griffin pouted.
"Don't be sad I didn't come."
"I don't care."
A few seconds passed.
Then Griffin smiled again.
"Aww."
He wiped away an imaginary tear.
"Don't be sad I didn't come."
"WE DON'T CARE!" everyone shouted.
Adams cleared his throat.
The room immediately quieted.
"I'm sure Griffin would love to continue whatever this is."
"I would." Griffin nodded seriously.
"But that's not why you're here."
Adams folded his arms and looked around the room.
"As I'm sure all of you are wondering why you're here..."
"You've all probably seen each other before," Adams began.
"Most of you met during the candidate exams."
He looked around the room.
"But before we continue, I'd like everyone to introduce themselves."
A brief silence followed.
Then a tall red-haired woman stepped forward.
Her broad shoulders and imposing build immediately drew attention.
"Rayka Thorne."
She folded her arms and stepped back.
"Lykon Vren," a man said next.
"J-John Hale," a nervous-looking boy followed.
"Kaien Mure." A brown-haired woman spoke next.
As she stepped back, her eyes drifted toward Akeno.
The stare lingered for a few seconds before she finally looked away.
Boros noticed immediately.
"What was that about?" he asked, leaning closer to Akeno.
Akeno rolled her eyes.
"Just the creep I fought during the combat phase."
"Creep?" Boros repeated.
"Yeah."
Akeno nodded.
"She kept staring at me before we even fought."
"Damn creep."
"Kinuko."
Kinuko's voice suddenly cut through their conversation.
She had already stepped forward and given her introduction.
"Oh."
Akeno straightened.
"Right."
She cleared her throat.
"Akeno."
Then she stepped back into line.
"Jonas Tyrek."
Jonas folded his arms as he introduced himself.
"Rael Stren."
Another young man followed.
"N-Naelle Voss."
A girl with pale hair spoke next.
As she stepped back, she glanced toward Kinuko.
Kinuko wasn't looking at her.
Not even once.
Naelle lowered her gaze.
'Not even looking my way, huh?'
Her fingers tightened slightly.
'Was I just another opponent?'
'Another obstacle she overcame?'
'Did our fight mean that little to her?'
"Hey y'all."
A cheerful voice suddenly broke the tension.
A girl raised a hand and smiled.
"Name's Lira."
She grinned.
"Lira Quilen."
The room went quiet for a second.
Everyone stared at her.
She was the only person who had introduced herself like she was meeting drinking buddies.
"...Right."
People quickly moved on.
Eventually, the room fell silent once more.
One person hadn't introduced themselves.
Boros.
Every eye slowly turned toward him.
Boros folded his arms.
"If you're expecting an introduction..."
He shrugged.
"You're not getting one."
"What?" Rayka frowned.
"You can't even tell us your name?"
Boros turned and looked directly at her.
"It's not that I can't."
A grin appeared on his face.
"I just won't."
A few people immediately groaned.
Jonas, however, started laughing.
"I can't believe it."
He shook his head.
"I had my suspicions before."
His grin widened.
"But now I'm sure."
Boros raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Jonas pointed at him.
"You're one of them, aren't you?"