Seeing how respectfully everyone greeted the branch manager, no one would dare doubt his authority. Just one look at the adventurers bowing with reverence made it obvious—this man was a big deal.
"Settle down, settle down, okay," the manager said, waving his hand with a casual smile.
Once the crowd calmed, he turned toward Arthur's father.
"My name is Meiser Von, Adventurers Guild Manager. Son of Vox—a Heaven-rank expert—of the Don Clan, one of the most prestigious families in this region. Every nook and cranny of this fortress is like a part of my body—I know it all. Pleased to meet you. I'm not someone who talks much, so... let's go to the testing area. Let's go."
'He talks a lot…' Arthur thought, deadpan.
Father and son nodded and followed Meiser Von. The receptionist did not join them. They entered the elevator, the doors closed, and Meiser pressed a button. A moment later, the elevator shook strangely, and when the doors opened again, a vast area came into view.
This was the training ground—also known as the testing area.
It was enormous—easily larger than three U.S. baseball stadiums. Weapons of all kinds, both massive and delicate, were neatly displayed along the sides. Roughly a thousand people were already undergoing tests.
The moment they stepped out, they caught everyone's attention—especially the branch manager's, whose presence was clearly revered.
"Look! That's the manager!"
"Eh?"
"Oh, you're right—cool."
One of the examiners immediately stood up and called out, "Hurry, give your greetings!"
"Branch Manager!"
"Branch Manager!"
Voices echoed in unison.
Meiser Von looked pleased. "Good," he said, waving for them to continue with their tasks.
He turned to Arthur and gestured toward the vast training field.
"This is the testing area—or training ground, if you prefer that term. If you're uncomfortable here, there are ten other zones based on crystal readings. You'll go to the third training ground if your talent scores that high. You'll see—come with me!"
Meiser was practically grinning from ear to ear, proud of the facilities.
They walked toward the southern part of the training ground, where a giant crystal was embedded into the wall. It was larger than Arthur's father and even wider than his height. You could almost call it oblong—though not quite. Still, its roundness gave it the feel of a circular monolith.
Beside the giant crystal was a signboard with the word "Talent", and ten smaller crystals were embedded below it.
Meiser checked the main crystal and nodded.
"Place your hand on the big crystal. Let's see what you've got."
Arthur stepped forward. Just as he was about to touch the crystal, he felt a faint stinging sensation in his head. It vanished almost instantly, leaving only a trace of confusion. He frowned but moved forward—he didn't have any way to suppress his talent, so he simply complied.
The crystal glowed faintly before sending waves of light into the ten smaller crystals.
First crystal—lit up.
Second—lit up.
Third, fourth, fifth… sixth—lit up.
Then it stopped.
A brief silence.
A flicker of disappointment flashed in Meiser's eyes. But he quickly masked it with encouraging words.
"Not bad. Truly not bad. But remember, there are many above you. Alright, head to the sixth level—you'll find the door at the corner marked with a number six. I won't accompany you from here. I have matters to attend to."
Meiser pointed to a row of ten doors, each engraved with a number in the language of Eveer.
He handed Arthur a wooden tablet, about the size of a phone, with the number six carved into it and Arthur's name on the back. Then he walked off, trusting that no one would dare cause trouble in the training grounds.
Arthur sighed. A mix of disappointment and relief washed over him.
He didn't want any attention—but still, he wanted to make his father proud. He glanced at his dad and apologized quietly.
"Sorry, Father…"
But his father simply smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay, son. Just do your best. Just because you don't have high talent doesn't mean you can't achieve greatness. Fight for supremacy. Fight for power. You can do it. I believe in you. Now—let's go."
They approached the sixth door, towering at six meters high and five meters wide. It had no doorknob.
"How do we open it?" Arthur wondered aloud.
Then they noticed a small indentation—a tablet-shaped hole. They inserted the wooden card, and the door glowed faintly before opening.
As it slid open, they saw a vast space filled with people—at least ten thousand. Yet strangely, it felt as if they were just next door, like only a thin wall separated the rooms.
Arthur was tempted to blast the wall just to check. But he shook the thought away and walked forward, his father by his side.
As they passed through the door, a strange sensation overcame them—like time had warped briefly. Naturally, Arthur noticed it more. His father, being absurdly powerful, didn't seem fazed.
Inside, people were entering and exiting like commuters in a train station.
Arthur saw all kinds of beings: humans, rock-like creatures, beastfolk with goat heads and human bodies... even a pterodactyl-headed humanoid whose massive skull took up an enormous amount of space.
It was surreal—but Arthur had read enough fantasy to not be shocked.
Still—it broadened his horizons.
"So this is the sixth level, huh?" Arthur muttered, eyes scanning the crowd. "...Great."
---
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
[1] "Talent" here refers to "aptitude level." I added this just because I felt like it. Haha.
Also, Branch Manager and Branch Master are different positions. You might wonder why such a figure personally guided them—well, you'll see later.