The group arrived at the Lotus Plaza, the meetup location, about 3 or four hours before the end, and there were only 5 people there before them.
They were all very tired, and a few were even being treated for their wounds at the side of the plaza. After all, if the exam ended while they were being treated elsewhere, then they’d have failed the exam as well.
Their wounded companions headed there immediately, saying their thanks to them.
The rest of the three of them found a spot under the shade, with Finn handing out jerkies to chew on, gaining a few looks, not that they cared, of course.
Some minutes later, though, a group of people approached them. Remus and Maria flinched guardedly, but Finn was happy to see them.
It was none other than Marcus, Victor, and several members of their groups. Finn smiled widely, and he immediately stood up to greet them.
"You’re here!" Marcus yelled, and then grinned and looked at the others. " See ! Toldya he’d be here early!"
He then stomped to them and patted his shoulder. "Thank you."
Finn raised a brow. "For what?"
"I earned 10 gold right now."
"..." So they had a bet or something?
He rolled his eyes but didn’t pursue the topic anymore. Instead, he introduced them to his new friends.
The two were both surprised and also not really surprised to see him close with adventurers, and Class D ones, at that.
"This is Remus, and this is Maria," Finn said, introducing the two as well. "They were my carriagemates-turned-friends."
"As expected of Finn!"
"Oh, and you might want to test them out for your team," he whispered to Marcus, recalling Maria’s potential to be the tank.
Remus was a striker like Nona, but it wouldn’t hurt to have two. This was assuming they’d want to team up, of course. He did not forget that neither of them lived in Lotus Town.
Anyway, whatever happened next would be up to them.
Marcus looked at the two with interest and nodded, open to test them later on. If they passed, he’d make an offer, though with Finn’s recommendation, they were practically sure to pass if they wanted to join.
It was just that he saw their hands holding jerkies and he looked at Finn with those large eyes that were too rounded for such a hulking man.
Finn sighed and took out a small box filled with snacks, causing Marcus to sparkle.
"YAY~"
The other teammates shook their heads. "Goodness, you’d think he was the one stuck in the wilderness..."
Anyway, hours passed by like this, and more and more people arrived with varying degrees of haggardness and injuries.
They refused to leave the square and just paid some healers and doctors more to treat them there. In fact, a lot of the healers had practically camped in the area, knowing the demand was there.
After some breathing time, the proctors called all the passers to a single area. Some had to be guided, while some were carried, but everyone’s eyes were bright because they knew they passed!
"Congratulations on completing the Adventurer’s exam!"
"A total of 23 people passed on your batch, which is a bit more than our usual!"
Wow, a fraction was more than normal?
"Now will be the next step of your careers—a new beginning. I hope you will live by the adventurer’s code and never stop looking for growth!
"I am proud of everyone, and I am happy to welcome you as our new colleagues!
"Once again, congratulations, Adventurers!!"
...
Cheers were abound, and there were a lot of spectators, some of whom were families or friends of the examinees, while some just supported or rooted for certain examinees after they were impressed by them during the first exam spars.
At the same time, there was also plenty of sadness and disappointment. Most people didn’t pass, after all, and there was also a lot of anxiety for those who had not yet gotten back.
Sadly, there were those who returned as invalids, while there were also those who were welcomed with scorn by their families after failing, especially when it became obvious they were no longer of use.
It was tragic, but it wasn’t a new sight, even back on Earth.
Finn shook his head and moved on, not letting the sad sights ruin his mood.
Anyway, after a lot of celebration, every passer was given temporary tokens to bring to the guild, where the status gems would be placed on them.
The status gem was really interesting. Basically, it was more like a normal gem without innate powers, unlike how essence cores were.
However, their structures made them great vehicles for magical things, which was why most high-ranking runes also used gemstones or ores as the medium.
The status gem was something all adventurers and mercenaries—by law—had to put on themselves. It was an identifier, and it gave them freedom to do a lot of things. Merchants active in places outside their own towns were also required to have one.
For one, people who did not have this were not allowed to go into the danger zone. It just couldn’t be helped for everyone’s safety.
The installation and main registration were in the Town Hall, as all guilds would be declaring new members here. The process was fast for anyone with the temporary guild token.
There was a large glimmering gem on top of the town hall, and it was apparently a very important rune. Without one of these, they could not be called a town, only a big village.
Anyway, the new adventurers, including Finn, placed the gem bracelet on their left hand (Mercenary Guild placed theirs on the right, apparently), and then the other hand would be on the large rune.
The gems would glow and register their data. After the sync, this gem would be their personal item, unable to be used or tampered with by anyone else.
He smiled as he looked at his new bracelet. This was proof of their membership. Of course, it was not cheap. The status gem cost 10 gold but was deductible from future mission rewards, which was fair.
This was unlike how it was in the Mercenary Hall, where poor people who wanted to join would need a sponsor or a team to help them fund their joining, and would be indebted to them in turn.
He liked the ’pay later’ model. He needed all the gold he could keep, after all!
And, just like this, he had become an official Adventurer!
...
The adventure was not over though and he wasn’t even allowed to rest as he wanted.
He just wanted to find his room and flop down the bed...but the guild master and the elders called on him. What could he do? As a new adventurer, he still had to show a lot of face to them!
Besides, even if they wouldn’t force him, he didn’t want to keep thinking about it anymore. He wanted to just get it over with!
And so, not long after he passed, he was once again surrounded by old men, looking at him with twinkles in their eyes.
The noisiest ones were the guildmaster Thussalem and his right-hand elder Waeron.
"So, now we should plan what to do next—"
"Which master can train you—"
"I have a room full of cores—" the guildmaster excitedly said, but paused, "Ah, we’ll have to train his body first."
"Ah, yes, a training regime—"
The elders excitedly discussed how to get him stronger as soon as possible, and Finn could only curse to himself. He didn’t actually say any of these out loud, of course.
He cleared his throat. "To be honest... I can only fight well when I am near my home. Didn’t I say I am sickly?" he said, releasing a few coughs here and there to make his point.
He also made sure to get his acting gear on. This was especially since this ’act’ could determine the next half of his life.
" Cough , cough —I could barely stand up and, to be honest, I only passed thanks to my teammates."
Finn had long mastered the art of lying with a straight face.
The elders looked concerned. "What?"
"It seems like my body is finding it difficult to...adjust to this world. I am alive because of my master’s healing abilities, as well as the ambient essence in our home," he said. "I can only stay near my house long-term, nowhere else."
"Where do you live?"
He let out a bout of coughing, subtly stimulating his uvula for an extra gagging effect. "In the— cough! —Forest of Beasts, Elders."
"What?"
At this point, the Elders had no idea whether he was just joking with them. Finn’s ’weakling’ expression did not change.
"My master...he set up runes to help me keep my strength," he said, suddenly appearing feeble, as if a bit of wind could blow him away.
If his sparring partners were there, they’d rub their eyes.
But what could Finn do? He really just wanted to stay in the inn!
He most definitely did not want to be a hero! Heck, he abhorred the term martyr.
In retrospect, the gagging sensation was not faked at all!