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Chapter 465
🕑 Added 2025-05-12 02:00:03 +0000 UTCAnton observed all that he could while waiting for his turn in the queue. The ambiance of the place didn’t fully feel like that of an Adventurer guild, but instead, it felt like a bank. He felt that that was because of the counters, the clerks, and their behavior. He did notice that there was another large hallway to the left, and there, he glimpsed a huge notice board or possibly the mission board where a lot of people were gathered.
There were several waiting areas as well, and some of those waiting areas were inside privacy booths. At least the design still looked like the old-school adventurer guilds that one would imagine when reading a fantasy novel. The walls consisted of wooden paneling, and the tables, chairs, and booths were all made of wood. Looking at the sturdy build of the furniture, Anton was guessing that the wood they used was not ordinary wood but possibly enchanted wood. There was even a chance that they were not wood at all but made to look like one.
Anton finally reached the counter after an hour. He was disappointed that the clerk was not some cute beast girl but instead a middle-aged male wizard who looked like an accountant.
“How may I help you, sir?” The mage clerk asked.
“Good afternoon. I’m an archmage, and I want to register as an adventurer, but I need more information. May I speak with a learned mage adventurer who’s part of the guild?” Anton replied.
The clerk simply replied “Of course” and then he called someone in the back. After talking to his colleague, the mage was replaced by the girl that he was talking to and told Anton to wait for him by the side so he went by the side and the next in line moved forward.
Anton didn’t wait for too long, and the clerk appeared from somewhere.
“My name is Forsythe. Come with me, please.”
“You weren't surprised by my request?” Anton asked the mage while they were walking.
“Although your request is uncommon, it’s not that rare. The guild staff who will be answering your questions is also an archmage,” Forsythe informed him.
“Will there be any charge?” Anton asked since he didn’t have many gold coins left, which was less than a thousand gold coins.
“That question will be answered by the one who’s going to talk with you.”
They arrived at the waiting area and entered one of the privacy booths. There, Forsythe waited with him. After a few minutes, an old mage arrived.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. My name is Archmage Tobias, and I will be answering your question regarding the adventurer guild.”
The mage clerk Forsythe said goodbye and left. The old archmage sat in front of Anton.
“You will be charged 10 gold coins for this, but depending on your questions and my answers, the charge may increase. Are you amenable to that?” The old archmage asked, and when Anton said that he was, he added a question.
“May I ask you some questions? If you don’t want to answer a specific question, just tell me. If we learn information that we didn’t know, I can deduct the charge or even pay you. Is that okay?”
Anton agreed, and the question and answer started.
“I’m an archmage, and it was confirmed officially by the wizards of Zalnothel in Rendindura, and they gave me a noble title, but I’m guessing that title doesn’t have value due to the fact that the city was conquered by the Undead Coalition. My rank is also confirmed by a mage of the Academy of Evocation Magic named Piamon, but he only used an orb tester. I want to register as an adventurer with the proper rank that is equal to my power. I also have the power of a Paladin, able to heal and empower my group. My question is, can I register with a double identity, the first one as an archmage who prefers to solo, and as a beginner adventurer using my Paladin powers, who will join a group?”
“Why would you want to do something like that?” Archmage Tobias asked.
“As an archmage, I plan to challenge myself by delving into the dangerous floors of a dungeon. By doing so will increase my combat ability and will allow me to learn the intricacies of my bloodline magic. I want to do it solo since I don’t want to endanger anyone. The other identity that I want to use is a Paladin, and a beginner one at that. I want to join low-level groups because I believe that my ability to heal and protect others will allow beginners to grow strong. It’s a way to relax and as a form of therapy to combat my grief.”
To be honest, Anton only wanted a Smurf account. The thought excited him, and he had enough power to do so anyway.
“I have enough authority to allow you to do it, and as a matter of fact, there are others who are doing the same thing. Some of them had sensitive identities like important nobles who wanted to increase their martial power as adventurer but couldn’t allow others to learn of their noble identity. Some were powerful wizards like yourself who wanted to delve into a low-level dungeon simply because they wanted to experiment or gather low-level materials. May I know the reason why you are grieving?”
“As I mentioned earlier, I’m from Rendindura. We’re traveling here to escape the Undead Coalition, but halfway through our journey, we were attacked by two hundred of the Coalition’s ships, causing my ship’s destruction, and I don’t know if others survived, but in my family, only I, my father, and my sister did. We lost a lot of family members. My sister is currently a student in one of the magical academies here, and my father is currently traveling to New Drennor to gather our remaining relatives. My next question is, will this kingdom be able to defend itself in case the Undead Coalition attacks this continent? Based on the information that I gathered, this kingdom is extremely powerful based on the number of Invincible Wizards and Supreme Wizards living here, but our family thought that Zalnothel was powerful as well, but it only took three days for the Coalition to conquer the city. Of course, I understand that Zalnothel couldn’t be compared to this kingdom, but I still worry, especially due to the trauma that I’ve already experienced regarding the undead.”
“The only answer I can give you regarding that question is, you have already learned that this kingdom is extremely powerful, and in my personal opinion, no power in this world can threaten this place, but my advice is for you to continue increasing your power because only that can truly guarantee your survival. May I ask how old you are, and at what age did you reach your archmage rank?”
“I’m currently eighteen years old, and I reached my archmage status at the age of seventeen. Do I need to use different names for my mage identity and my paladin identity?”
The answer surprised the old mage, but he answered Anton’s question immediately.
“It really doesn’t matter since there are thousands upon thousands of adventurers in this kingdom, but I suggest that you do so to avoid confusion.”
“If the group that I joined as a paladin learned that I’m also a wizard, will they treat it as some sort of betrayal?”
“I have been an adventurer for many years before I joined the guild as a staff, and in my experience, if you’re truly a capable healer and support, the only thing that they would feel is gratefulness that you bother to join them as a healer.”
Anton had a lot more questions, and since Tobias was accommodating, he planned to spend the rest of the day asking the man questions but he suddenly felt hungry and asked the old mage if they could take a break to eat. The old mage told him that he could accompany him to eat in a nearby restaurant and he agreed.
