Blah, blah. It's been a couple days. The morning after I heard those two talk, and go at it James asked me the very important question. If my diary doesn't know, I'll tell ya. "Would you like for me to adopt you?" That's what he asked.
I was highly against it, it left a super weird taste in my mouth. But, if I did, I would be able to do what I want to do, become an adventurer. We're at the place now, with a lot of paperwork. I won't bore you with the standard work. Just for you to know how kind I am.
It's just a temporary position, once I grow strong enough– Or if I do, I don't know about my stats. I'll go solo, or find another group. I'd rather not be in a group of old guys for this entire life. Thankfully I didn't have to do the entire paperwork, or at all. I don't know how to write in this language.
So, it took around an hour I think for everything to be registered. The man who did all the work guided me to an area. This place was pretty small for something official. Guess it's not used much, the walls were pretty bare bones with bricks.
Shortly after, we stopped in a large area. Guess I was wrong. There were people in robes, or suits standing in front of bookcases. In the center was a crystal, it wasn't large. It was shorter than I was, and at the top was a palm shaped print.
What's this all about? Is this normal? I wondered whilst staring at it.
The man who registered us stepped to the side and pointed at the palm shaped imprint. "Press your hand here, don't ask questions and just do it."
Huh, alright? I did as he said, this crystal started to react to my touch. It flickered an orange glow. What's that all about?What the heck does that mean? Does it mean the thing was successful? Whatever that thing is.
"Interesting." That guy just said, one of the people inside looked at him, causing him to nod in approval. What is with this? Huh?
"Apologies, you don't need to worry about that." This guy just told me. I don't need to worry? Then what is this crap and why did it hurt me?! "Your new father is awaiting you, follow me."
… Right, that. I totally forgot about that. Welp… Hold it. Why is this jerk not telling me what that was?!
"W-What was that all about?" I asked, looking at him with a tilted head. Surely the puppy eyes will work right?! He wasn't even looking at me! And he doesn't want to answer, I could just smell it off him.
"You can quit the act."
"Huh?"
"Did you not hear me?"
Crap… Wait, that crystal detected that?! My heart jolted at his words, and the glare exuding from his eyes. Was that often here? It must be seeing that crystal set up there… "Um, you don't seem shocked from that…"
"It's rare, but not super rare. There are reports around the world about it."
"Eh? I'm sorry, what?"
"Otherworldly beings are common in this world. That's all I'll tell you, it's not my job to look over you."
You can't leave me on a cliffhanger like that! How and what do you mean otherworldly beings?! FFFFF. Suck it up, get back to the act… I hope James doesn't figure it out. This guy helped open the door for me, and James hadn't moved from his seat.
"Ah, welcome back Yukina. How did it go?" He asked with a curious expression. I hope he doesn't know about that thing… "Hm? What's wrong? Did they do something to you?" He yet again.
"N-No… I'm fine."
"Ah- Good. Oh!" James exclaimed, causing me to cover my ears. Superhearing can be a pain in the ass… "Sorry about that, take a look at this."
Hm? He lowered his hands to reveal a silver card. I could only read a bit of the text, it had my name on it and a last name. Looks like it's his… I couldn't help but internally sigh, it's still odd to me. But this is my ID. There was a picture of me to the left of the card. How did they do that? I assume magic, this world has a lot of it. Even with different elements. They have pictures, does that mean they have films too? I'd assume so.
From what James had told me, this world had a bare bones magic system. Well, not really just the elements. There are four basic elements: fire, earth, water, and wind. Basic, right? There's more to it.
There's offensive magic: each of the four basic elements has these types. Fire has explosive attacks, good for taking out large crowds– if you can use it. Earth, same as fire but way more destructive. Meanwhile water and wind are good for taking out stronger opponents, usually one or two at a time. Usually, the ones who can use these elements have them pop in their head, or on their status.
Support magic: Pretty standard, like the spell I have; can cook or heat things up. Not effective in combat, offensively. They come as buffs, one that can increase strength, endurance, dexterity, etc. Unluckily enough, it can't buff intelligence. That would be handy.
Defensive magic: Self explanatory yet again, used for defense. Mainly in magic shields, or covering a target to protect from harm. James can use it too, he showed me. He made a transparent shield in front of me when he was showcasing. Before I could react after that, he threw a punch. That shield withstood it with a few cracks.
Oh! Right, there's more than just those four elements. There's healing, a light element apparently. Its main gimmick is supporting, obviously. It can help regenerate bones, heal broken bones or scratches. Depending on the user's INT stat, it gets stronger.
After that, there's dark magic. It's pretty much the opposite of what healing is, it can inflict pretty strong curses on opponents. Blinding, internal organ damage, etcetera.
"Yukina, watch out… Geez kid." James muttered whilst pulling me to his side. Turns out I was pretty deep in thought whilst looking at my newly acquired Id. The people I walked into just gave me a glare and continued on their way. Do they really dislike animal-kin? I pondered. Yes, my hood was down. It was pretty hot out, so it wasn't useful.
It's pretty creepy how they can hate on a kid like that… People were glaring at me, I can pretty much taste the hatred and disgust from them. I felt James pull me even closer, obviously trying to soothe me. It was pretty comforting, it lessened the amount from them.
"Hm, Yukina, why don't we go to a clothes shop?"
"H-Hm? W-Why?"
"Well…" I suddenly felt something touch the top of my head! DO NOT PAT MY HEAD I AM NOT YOUR KID! At least in my mind… Those papers, and now my ID says otherwise. To make him stop I had to struggle out of his hand.
Despite that rejection, he laughed it off before explaining himself. "My wife requested us to do so." I could guess what he wanted to say, it was written all over him. 'And have some father- daughter bonding time!' That weird crap eating grin told me everything.
"O-Okay." I'd rather not do it to spite him, but I needed different clothes… A dress is embarrassing, if possible I'd rather avoid them at all costs… What other clothes can I wear? I felt my mind wander off, slightly. I had to pay attention to the road, after all.
I let him take the lead. We weaved between people, it was densely populated. We also passed by many shops, mainly restaurants that had some sweet aromas piercing through them. It was probably my now animal-kin instincts or tastes but the ones with savory smells left my mouth watering.
In my previous life, I had a bit of a sweet tooth. No, I wasn't chubby, or overweight. I exercised regularly… Plus I did some sports. Anywho, I could feel my tastebuds change. Meats of any kind left my stomach growling.
"We're already here." James called out when I accidentally took a few steps ahead. He gestured with his hands towards the front door. "You can choose your outfits."
"T-Thanks…"
"Mhm, you don't need to keep thanking me, you know? C'mon, you go in first."
He's excited about this. Was it really that exciting to go places with your adopted daughter? Inside this place you could say embodied the medieval clothier in shows/novels. Mannequins are dressed up in the most random of clothes. Dresses, tuxedos, everything like that. Some were in armor, wasn't just a clothier eh?
At the furthest point stood a handsome man in a fancy looking suit. Although I couldn't see his face, he was most definitely above average in looks. When he heard us walk closer, he turned around with a giant grin. "Welcome! Welcome!" In an exaggerated manner, he stuck his arms out.
"Hey, how's it going, Trei?"
"Oh James! It's really good seeing you!" Seems like these two know each other. "Who's this little Missy?" This guy leaned forward to look at me. I could smell some odd odor coming from him.
Can they just stop?! I know I'm short, do you have to say that?! I could feel myself getting angry at his comments.
"This is my adopted daughter, Yukina."
"Hmm? Oh you adopted this time? I thought you and Melinda would have had another soon, you know, not through adoption."
"Not in front of the kid…"
Do- he doesn't realize And I'd rather not tell him that I heard it ALL. They've gone wild for the past two nights in a row, I'm surprised this guy isn't exhausted. I wanted to facepalm intensely at his comment.
"Ah, right, sorry, sorry. Anyways, how can I help you?"
"We're here to pick up some clothes for her. Preferably nothing girly, she can't hide her disgust for those things."
Thank you! At least someone re- Should I really be thanking him? I don't have any clue. Ugh, alright. Rather not waste anymore time. Trei showed me around, whilst James stood near the counter.
I was able to choose a few outfits, let's go in order from first chosen to the next.
My first one, a white sleeveless shirt. Would help cleaning it, and there wasn't a black version. I paired it with black pants. Not surprisingly, there weren't any shoes. This is a clothes shop afterall.
Second, an oversized jacket with fur around the hood. Chose this just in case it gets cold, or we go into snowy regions. Why oversized? I just decided to use it to sleep during those nights.
Thirdly, and my last one. Probably my least used one for the future. It was a long sleeved shirt, and a pair of shorts. I'd rather not show much skin… If I get older and uh nothing, nothing. I'll most likely wear this in those tents.
After everything was bought and paid for we left the shop. As we were about to head straight back to his home, Shaun's voice called to us.
"Hey, you two!"
"Oh, hi Shaun! It's been a couple days, how are things going?"
"Pretty good, seems like Yukina's doing better!"
"Yes. We actually just got her identification card." James let out an 'ohh' sound like he just realized something. "Right, wanna come with us to the adventurers' guild?"
"Hm? Oh sure."
Just like that, our destination was derailed. Like him, I did forget about that whole little signing up. I could feel my mood shift from confused to excited pretty quickly. Today's the day, right?
I can finally register as an adventurer! I don't know how the heck it slipped my mind, I guess there were too many things going on. As best I could, I increased my walking speed. It was kinda tough, my left foot wouldn't let me go faster than a mere walking speed…
How am I going to run? Whatever, we'll get there when we get there! Worry about things later, focus on the goal at hand, right? Eventually I had to let these two take the lead, I didn't know much about our city at hand. Oh, other than the name 'untergrast.'
There wasn't much history of this city according to James. Or rather known, it just popped up out of nowhere and people populated it.
But more can be explored later, we just made it to the guild. There weren't as many people as before, but still a ginormous amount. The same lady stood behind the counter, she looked exhausted as if she hadn't slept for a day.
When we got to the counter, she perked up from her dazed state of mind.
"Oh, um, welcome to the adventurers' guild! How may I help you?" She welcomed us with a tired smile. Yup, she hasn't rested for a while. She seemed much more aware just a couple days ago; probably took too many days in a row, huh? I feel you there with school.
"We're here to sign this little girl up, we managed to get an identification card for her."
Can- UGH, can you stop referring to me as that- God damn it he's not wrong, I am still a little girl in this life…
"Uhm… Pardon?" The lady tilted her head slightly at his words. After a bit more time, it looked like the gears in her head turned. "Oh, her. Can I see her Identification card real quick? I need to verify it before she can take the tests."
With her request, I put it on the table to the best of my ability. Short arms are not fun, same with short legs. Heck... I'm even shorter than his daughter, even though we're the same age.
Phew, the lady took it with a slight smirk.
She eyed it a couple of times. Then, she grabbed some kind of magic tool and waved it across it. Nothing appeared, so she gave it back to me. Alas, she grabbed some kind of orb and it glowed a bright blue color.
"We have someone trying to sign up to be an adventurer. Please grab an examiner."
Eh? Oh, wait right. Tests! She mentioned there were tests before! Crap! How did I forget that?! I can barely read, nor can I write… Please. Please let it be basic or just answering- Nevermind not any Q&As. Depending on what they ask, it can be detrimental.
"Right… Umm, Yukina, you can read and write, correct?" James whispered into my ears. I could see his usual smile falter. It completely turned into a horrified look when I shook my head. "Um… Well… Good luck… We can't stop this."
... Well, rest in peace to my dream? I suddenly felt my stomach drop, and once a scary looking guy with glasses got close to us, I nearly soiled myself. This is my examiner? Isn't that too much for a little girl?
I couldn't get a word in, he immediately ordered me to follow him. With shaky legs, I complied, not like I couldn't say anything. He led me into a smaller hallway, during which I had to force my legs to keep up with him. Heck, he never slowed his pace, and just kept an eye on me.
I'd rather not show any weakness, it might ruin my chances despite how slim they are. Once we were at some door, it had such an intricate look on it. Symbols of mysterious origins were carved into it. There were no handles, but I could feel an odd overpowering aura exuding from it.
This guy pulled out some sort of talisman, or compass. Sounds of scraping came from the doors, allowing them to swing inwards. They revealed what looked to be a classroom. Over sixty chairs lined the middle. All facing towards some chalkboard.
In front of the chalkboard sat a desk, with another crystal sitting atop it. This however, was much different. It was much smaller, there was no print checker or anything.
At the desk, he ordered me to place my own hand on it. I felt something take parts of my mana from my chest, from it to the crystal. It was draining my mana? Although it felt negligible. In the next moment I saw a status window appear in this guy's face.
"Weak stats, slow moving. That skill you have is only useful for farces. Your passive skills are weak, and only one? There are only two impressive things about you. That's not saying much, is your intelligence stat. It's above average for someone your age. Then, this other thing."
This guy raised his right hand to his chin, and a red magic circle appeared in his left palm. Then, a chill ran down my spine, and my body felt much weaker. It was as if something zapped my muscles, weakening them to such a degree. In my own eyes, there was a flying white orb. 'Was that my soul?' I felt a strong connection to it.
"You're not from here. You're an otherworlder." He claimed, noticing my weakened body, he let his spell go. "With that, you don't need to take the other tests. Just you being an otherworlder gives you special access to become an adventurer."
Do they have these spells and crystals everywhere? After his spell was released, I felt my strength come back. "That's… Great, how did you know I was one?" I'd rather be straightforward, I can't act as an unknowing little girl.
"Your status, these crystals." He tapped it with his free left hand. "They read your soul. They're common in the adventurers' guild." With his right, he swiped my status from his eyes so it faced me.
"Huh…" Seems like he was saying the truth, in parenthesis it had my old life's name. And just like James's [Identify] skill, it didn't show everything. "That's pretty convenient."
"Yes. Although, I would refrain from floundering this status. Many adventurers are envious of otherworlders."
"Can I ask why?"
"They gain special abilities. That's why. The majority of adventurers' are average in ability, or lack talent. Your abilities are latent, that much is to say. Right now you're weaker than an average thirteen year old. As you level." He turned around, grabbed a piece of chalk and drew an exponential line. "Your abilities are going to be like this line. Exponential, that is if the information is correct."
That's… Reassuring at first, but what if they aren't? Most of my stats grow by one, one by half. And only my intelligence stat rises by two. I tilted my head, while eyeing his words with suspicion. This is twice, today. Otherworlders? They might be common in this world. "Are there any guarantees for me? Such as my status being revealed to others?"
"Uh, there are. I can't give that much information however, I am obligated to only reveal this much to you."
AND of course there's that! I knew this life wouldn't be this kind to me. Well, whatever. I don't need to take the tests, I'm safe for now! But man, this world likes to be vague. Otherworlders? So there are more people, most likely unlike me. Could be summoned. I'll have to keep that in mind during my adventures… Doubt that will reveal itself.
We stood around this room, allowing me to get a better look. Does this world like giant bookcases? The walls were lined with humongous bookshelves, they were filled with books, not even one was empty.
I heard a ticking sound come from his wrist, that was the timer for this exam; that's what he said. He led me down the same hallway, just further. It was a smaller room, this time with a tablet in front of a pedestal.
He had me place my hand on the tablet, and mana started to converge on the pedestal. They flicked and licked at it, then he threw a wooden plate towards it. Then, splattered wood flew around the room. After the swirling ended, a carved wooden plate came out. I couldn't read what was on it, the words were too harshly scratched on. I can assume it was my information, name and age. Or my rank, which he said I'd start out at copper rank.
James welcomed me back with a proud and exaggerated hug. I couldn't wriggle out of his grasp this time, but I definitely showed my disagreement with it. Meanwhile Shaun just laughed whilst giving us a thumbs up. THIS GUY MUST'VE TOLD HIM!! LET ME GO YOU OLD GUY!
OH C'MON DON'T LAUGH AT US! STOP STARING AT MEEE! Everyone around us EVEN THE GUY WHO EXAMINED ME STARTED LAUGHING! I can't- My face is extremely hot, this is so embarrassing!