Kageura Keiichiro walked through the streets.
An unfamiliar sight.
Keiichiro had traveled outside his prefecture.
The reason for this was—
“I’m sorry for making you come with me today…”
It was Tōru who apologized to Keiichiro like that.
Usui Tooru.
She was the magic attacker for [Omokage], the Party led by Keiichiro.
She seemed genuinely apologetic, her usual ‘Yukiko’ persona almost slipping away.
“Nah. It was about time for my renewal anyway. Don’t worry about it.”
Saying that, Keiichiro patted Tōru’s head.
Her height only reached about his chest, putting her head in an easy-to-pat position.
“Mm… Renewal… it’s my first time. What do we do?”
Tōru asked while he patted her head.
—The renewal of their Adventurer Licenses.
That was the main reason they had visited this place today.
Adventurers require a license issued by the country.
That much was obvious.
Ordinary people couldn’t be allowed to pretend to be Adventurers and delve into Dungeons.
Tens of millions could change hands in a single exploration. The country needed to keep track of Adventurer information precisely and collect taxes.
For these reasons, there was a rule that Adventurers could not operate without a license.
“What do we do…? Well… It’s mainly for confirming you’re still alive and verifying your identity, so it’ll be over quickly.”
“…Understood.”
When Keiichiro answered, Tōru seemed satisfied and turned her gaze forward again.
Ultimately, whether an Adventurer lived or died after entering a Dungeon was their own responsibility.
Therefore, the country likely didn’t intend to set overly high standards for Adventurer certification.
As long as there were no major violations, they would simply renew the license, and that would be it.
“So… after the renewal is done, are we heading straight back?”
Tōru asked about their plans.
In response, Keiichiro scratched his head.
“Ah… I have some other business, so I’ll be staying behind.”
“…Business?”
“Yeah.”
Adventurer License renewals had to be done at the Adventurers Guild, the only one in the country.
Conversely, without such an occasion, one wouldn’t likely visit the Guild.
Especially Adventurers like Keiichiro, who were based outside the prefecture.
That’s precisely why Keiichiro had made a certain decision for this timing.
“I’m taking the B-Rank Promotion Exam.”
Currently, Keiichiro was a C-Rank Adventurer.
And he needed to reach A-Rank within the next three months.
To achieve that, he first had to hurry and get promoted to B-Rank.
Promotion exams could only be taken at the Adventurers Guild.
In that sense, this trip out of the prefecture was convenient.
“I don’t remember taking that.”
Tōru pondered.
She was a B-Rank Adventurer.
Yet, the fact that she didn’t remember taking an exam seemed to bother her.
“Maybe you were B-Rank from the start, Tōru?”
“How do you know?”
Tōru tilted her head.
“Yeah. Even though it’s called the B-Rank certification exam, it’s the same process as getting your initial Adventurer License. If you already exceed the B-Rank standards at that point, you’re automatically treated as having passed the promotion exam.”
Not all Adventurers start at Level 1 when they awaken their potential.
It’s said that levels increase with age, and by the time one’s body reaches its peak, they can reach around Level 20 even without ever having defeated a Monster.
Because of that, when people come to get their licenses, the average Adventurer level is apparently around 30.
And talented Adventurers might even have reached Level 50.
Tōru probably had stats high enough to operate as a B-Rank Adventurer right from the beginning.
“I just ran… wore some weird machine… and released my magic power.”
“Up to B-Rank, you can get promoted based on ability scores alone.”
“Is A-Rank… different?”
Keiichiro nodded at Tōru’s question.
“Yeah. From A-Rank onwards, combat skills and such are also taken into consideration.”
The initial ranks given to Adventurers range from E to B.
With enough talent, one can reach B-Rank in a single leap.
But A-Rank can only be attained after gaining combat experience in Dungeons and being recognized for possessing both high-level talent and skill.
That’s why, among Adventurers, the perception changes drastically between B-Rank and A-Rank.
“Mm.”
“Today’s goal is promotion to B-Rank. And if possible, fulfilling the conditions to become an A-Rank Adventurer.”
“Can you do that in one day?”
“Depends on luck. It’d be great if the schedule works out well.”
The B-Rank exam is easy to take if you book it in advance.
But A-Rank requires a bit of chance.
If things go smoothly, he could fulfill the promotion requirements today, but—
“…I don’t really get it.”
Tōru murmured.
Adventurer License renewal is annual.
Having no experience with it meant she had been active as an Adventurer for less than a year.
She probably wasn’t very familiar with these kinds of rules.
“If you’re free, want to watch the A-Rank exam too? To call ourselves an A-Rank Party, we’ll need at least one more person to reach A-Rank anyway.”
“Mm… For future reference.”
With that conversation, the two headed towards the location of the Adventurers Guild.
☆
“Hah… Annual renewals are such a pain…”
A red-haired girl walked along.
A girl dressed casually in a hoodie and jeans.
She walked down the street, making no effort to hide her dissatisfied expression.
“Just ’cause it’s summer vacation, the old hag won’t shut up about coming home to help out.”
Another sigh escaped her.
“Delving Dungeons in the Magic Capital is way better than doing this crap.”
Another complaint.
And another sigh.
“…Hah. I can’t stand this unless I blow off some steam at the training grounds.”
On her way back—the girl decided to stop by the Adventurers Guild.
The shadow of a new heroine—
By the way, she happens to be the same girl Keiichiro bumped into in Chapter 1, Episode 1.
This chapter ended up being mostly exposition, so I will post another chapter later.