You and Mira step through the heavy oak doors of the Willowbrook Adventurers' Guild. The hall is noisy and lively — wooden tables crowded with rough-looking adventurers, a big quest board covered in parchment, the smell of ale and leather. A bored receptionist with a clipboard looks up as you approach the registration counter.
You keep your merchant disguise simple and unassuming. Mira stands quietly at your side like a loyal scout.
You speak calmly: "We'd like to register as adventurers. Both of us."
The receptionist raises an eyebrow, glancing at your plain cloak and Mira's modest leathers. A few nearby adventurers chuckle under their breath.
"Newbies, huh?" one burly warrior mutters loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Look at them — skinny merchant and a little fox girl. Probably F-rank at best. Waste of time."
Another laughs: "Yeah, weaklings. Guild's full of real talent already."
The receptionist shrugs and slides two crystal orbs across the counter. "Standard procedure. Place your hand on the orb and channel a bit of mana. It'll read your rank and class. Let's see what you've got."
Mira goes first, as you nod for her to start.
She places her palm on the orb. The crystal flashes bright silver-blue. Runes spin wildly. A loud gong echoes through the hall and the orb explodes with golden light.
"S-RANK — SWORD MAGE"
The entire guild goes dead silent.
Then chaos erupts.
"What the—?!"
"S-rank?! On her first test?!"
"That fox girl is a Sword Mage?! She could solo a dragon!"
Mira stands tall, Starfang faintly glowing at her hip, fox ears perked proudly. She gives you a tiny, secret smile only you see.
The receptionist's jaw is on the floor. "I… I've never seen an S-rank on registration day. Ever."
Now it's your turn.
You place your hand on the same orb, keeping your true power tightly leashed so the test only reads the surface.
The crystal flickers weakly… then settles on a dull gray.
"F-RANK — GRAND WISH"
Laughter explodes across the hall.
"F-rank?! Hahaha!"
"Grand Wish? What kind of useless class is that? Sounds like a street magician!"
"Poor guy — brought his girlfriend who's S-rank and he's literal bottom-tier. She's gonna carry him forever."
The receptionist winces awkwardly. "Well… uh… congratulations? You're both registered now. Mira is officially S-rank Sword Mage. You, Grim… are F-rank Grand Wish. Here are your guild cards."
She hands you two bronze cards (yours stays bronze forever unless you prove otherwise). The crowd is still laughing and whispering, but no one suspects anything deeper. Your secret is untouched — they just think you're a weak, weird-class nobody riding on Mira's coattails.
Mira leans close to you, voice barely a whisper only you hear, full of devotion and amusement:
"They have no idea, my lord… Let them laugh. I'm yours, and your power is beyond anything their little orb could ever measure."
The guild hall is buzzing. People are still staring at Mira in awe and at you with pity or mockery.