The guild hall was dead silent.
The Bronze Rank warrior was still on his knee, clutching his wrist like I'd hit him with a divine punishment beam instead of a grip. His axe lay embedded in the floorboards, wobbling from the impact.
Every eye in the room was glued to me.
And in the middle of that silence, the receptionist cleared her throat.
"Ahem… New registrants are required to complete a standard evaluation. Follow me."
I followed her past the main hall, pushing through swinging doors into a long corridor lit by crystal lanterns. The deeper we went, the quieter it became, muted footsteps, faint echoes, the hum of mana in the walls.
"This," she said, stopping in front of a reinforced steel door, "is the Guild's Assessment Chamber."
"Looks safe," I said.
She then unlocked it with a key that probably cost more than my mortal life.
Inside was a large, empty room that was divided into three sections.
Mana Resonance Stone. A giant crimson crystal designed to measure magical potential.
Strength Column. A thick marble pillar covered in runes.
Speed Track. A straight 40-meter lane with glowing markers.
I held up a thumb at her.
"Cool."
She didnt respond.
"First… mana aptitude," She said.
She motioned to the resonance stone. "Place your hand on it and channel as much mana as you can manage. The color will indicate your rank."
"And what are the colors?"
She tipped her glasses upward.
She then explained, "Red for low. Yellow for mid. Green for great. Blue for exceedingly great."
I nodded with each word, "Alright, I got it."
I placed my hand on the crystal.
[Mana is reacting to yours.]
[It is resisting your output.]
[+1 Skill: Mana Circuit Acceleration]
For a moment, nothing happened.
WHOOM!
The entire stone burst into radiant golden light, beams shooting upward and swirling across the ceiling like a divine disco.
The receptionist's clipboard clattered to the floor.
"T-That's… impossible," she whispered. "Gold resonance is… is… highest-tier royal class… You should need at least master rank as a maga to..."
I grinned, my nose to the air.
"It's simple Isekai protagonist magic, don't get all surprised."
I was clearly enjoying my life so far.
I removed my hand now.
"Anyway. So… did I pass?"
She opened and closed her mouth like a dying fish.
"I… I… yes. You passed. Obviously. Let's… let's move on."
She practically jogged to the next test.
"This is the Strength Column. Hit it with everything you've got. Don't hold back, it's reinforced with monster bone and dragon-scale composite."
"Dragon-scale?" I repeated. "Like, real dragon?"
"Yes. The Guild invested—"
I didn't let her finish.
I pulled back my fist.
Activated Enhanced Strength.
Activated Sword Pierce out of habit.
Then punched.
BOOOOM!
The impact echoed like an explosion. Dust blasted into the air. The runes flickered. A spiderweb of cracks spread down the length of the pillar before the entire thing split in half and collapsed.
The receptionist screamed.
I sighed.
"My bad."
"We… we still have the speed test," she said weakly.
"Okay."
She pointed to the track. "Just run from one end to the other as fast as
"We… we still have the speed test," she said weakly.
"Okay."
She pointed to the track. "Just run from one end to the other as fast as-"
I was already gone.
By the time she blinked, I was on the opposite end, leaning on the wall, bored.
[+1 Skill: Hyper Acceleration]
The receptionist finally reached me after what felt like a century.
"You… you teleported."
"Nope. Ran."
"But you were just… and then you… and… and…"
She swayed.
I caught her before she face-planted.
"You good?"
She pressed a hand to her forehead. "I… need to report this to the Guildmaster."
"Cool. Should I come?"
She shook her head rapidly. "No. Don't move. Don't breathe. Don't touch anything else in this building. Don't use magic. Don't even think aggressively."
"Wow. That last one is kinda harsh."
I waited.
A few minutes later.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor.
The doors slammed open.
A massive man walked in, muscular, scarred, and wearing a decorated cloak with gold tassels. His beard was braided with metal rings, and his mana felt like a violent furnace stuffed inside a human.
The Guildmaster.
He stared at the broken crystal, stared at the shattered pillar, and then stared at me.
"…Who the hell are you?" He asked.
I smiled.
"I'm Ken Haru. And I think I accidentally broke your stuff."
He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly.
"In thirty years… no rookie has ever broken anything in this room."
"Oh. So I'm special?"
"Yes," he growled. "You are a problem."
[TITLE ACQUIRED!]["Problem Child"]
The Guildmaster rubbed his temples.
"Welcome to the Guild. You're now officially Rank C."
I blinked. "C? That seems low."
"You're not ready for higher."
"Why?"
"Because I refuse to give a rookie with your power access to high-level quests until I'm sure you can't accidentally blow up the kingdom."
"That's… fair."
I expected this.
It's how most isekai protagonists get nerfed.
He slapped a metal plate into my hands. A black adventurer badge with silver trim.
It glowed faintly with my name.
[Ken Haru - Rank C]
"Congratulations," the Guildmaster said with a sigh. "Now get out before you break anything else."
I grinned and walked toward the exit.
Outside now, I breathed in the fresh air of the world and the Edith kingdom.
"Now... what's next?"
Just then, I saw a sexy wolf girl being harassed by some older guys.
The wolf girl had long silver hair and crimson eyes, her soft ears stiff in alertness. Her large bust strained at her snug white tunic, completed with a short skirt and thigh-high boots.
One man grabbed her left arm, the other man snatched her right.
This was taking place in an alley just in front of me.
"L...Let me go! Stop, please just stop!"
"Come on... just relax. You know you want this. A cute lady like you needs to relax those shoulders..."
"Yeah... with mounds like those, I'm sure your back needs a massage!" The next man said obnoxiously.
They attempted to grope her, but she put up greater resistance.
Meanwhile, I watched with furrowed eyebrows.
"Of course. I nearly forgot trash like them exists everywhere. How could I forget such a trope so quickly?"
I strided forward, my gait quick and calculated.
Yeah, I could have just swooshed over there in a blur, but I needed to look cool, too.
The men continued to try and touch her.
When...
The sound of someone landing on the ground came from behind them.
The two men turned, the wolf girl looking up as well, tears welling in her eyes.
"Unhand her. Or face the shine of my sword."
They looked at each other.
They laughed now, one of them now glaring.
"Get lost, kid, we don't want to embarrass you in front of the lady."
The older of the two wafted me away with his hand.
In a flash of my sword, his hand was gone.
Blood spurted from the clean slash like a geyser.
"Ah...AHHH! C..Cousin! My hand!"
I didnt want to waste any more time on these idiots.
I swung my sword now.
I cut open one of the men's chests, slicing his heart.
And the man whose hand I had just severed moments earlier had their head done the same way.
The girl was surprised, but utterly grateful. She threw herself onto me, arms hooking at my neck.
"Thank you so much!"
I smiled, albeit smugly.
As quickly as she hugged me, she let go.
Her arms crossed under her chest now, unintentionally pushing her breasts up.
A pout formed in her cheek.
"W...Whatever. That didnt happen... so, so forget it!"
Ah. I see.
"You give nice hugs."
She became a raging beet.
"D..DONT JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!.... Idiot."
I laughed.
"D... Don't laugh either! It's stupid! Stupid boy! Hmph."
That's how I met Nyla.