After the chaos of the carriage incident, Luka and Rogar wandered deeper into the bustling streets of Veyra. The kingdom really felt alive—food vendors shouting over each other, smiths hammering away at glowing metal, mages negotiating prices for enchanted scrolls. Luka found himself admiring every detail, the sheer scale of the place was overwhelming.
Then something caught his eye.
A huge building stood apart from the others, sleek stone walls lined with iron-braced windows and a massive wooden door that seemed more like a castle gate than an entrance. Above it was a wide sign with golden letters spelling:
ADVENTURERS GUILD
Luka stopped walking. "Is... Is that what I think it is."
Rogar followed his gaze and chuckled. "Hmm? That's the Adventurers Guild. Strong folks come here to earn Zehli, you just complete tasks, clear dungeons, hunt monsters. That sort of stuff."
Luka turned to him, eyes wide. "Wait, you can actually make money doing that?"
"Plenty do. Though it's not for the weak-minded," Rogar said with a smile. "You interested?"
"Uh, yeah?" Luka grinned. "Ofcourse I am."
Inside, the guild was even more impressive. The ceiling arched high above them with wooden beams holding glowing crystal lamps. Long quest boards lined the walls, covered with pinned quests. Adventurers sat at wooden tables, boasting over drinks or poring through maps.
Behind a wide oak counter stood a blonde elf girl, her long hair tied in a neat braid, pointed ears twitching subtly as she greeted every newcomer with a smile. Her green eyes met theirs as they approached.
"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild!" she said warmly.
Luka was silent for a second, slightly dazed. "She's gorgeous…" he thought.
Rogar leaned in, grinning. "Got a friend here who's curious about joining. Thought I'd show him around."
"Oh, wonderful!" the elf beamed. "We're always happy to welcome new faces. I'm Elira, guild receptionist. You looking to register?"
"Yeah," Luka said, trying to sound cool while mentally reminding himself to breathe. "How does it work?"
Elira nodded. "We assign ranks from F to A based on your evaluated potential. S-Rank is above that, but it's extremely rare. Your starting rank determines the kinds of quests you can take. To get evaluated, you place your hand on the Potential Sphere. It measures your innate capacity for growth and power."
Luka glanced at Rogar, who just shrugged. "Standard stuff."
"Follow me," Elira said, stepping out from behind the counter. Luka and Rogar followed her through a side door into a stone chamber, at the center of which stood a floating orb the size of a melon—glowing faintly blue and humming with energy.
"Just place your hand on the Sphere," Elira instructed. "It'll take a moment."
Luka exhaled and reached out.
As soon as his skin touched the surface, the world stopped.
[Time Slowed for Decision-Making]
Luka blinked. "Oh come on. Now?" he muttered while rolling his eyes.
The Gambling System appeared again.
New Gamble Available: "Veil of Mediocrity"
Do you wish to suppress your true potential?
Success (60%): Your potential will be hidden. Gain a unique passive skill.
Failure (40%): No skill is granted. Your potential will be revealed normally.
Proceed? [YES] / [NO]
Luka stared at it.
"Hmm suppress my true potential? You know what... fuck it" he thought. Then he tapped [YES].
[Rolling Dice…]
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Clink.
[SUCCESS: 60% Outcome Achieved]
Time resumed.
The Sphere glowed softly. Then dimmed.
A faint number appeared, floating in the air above the orb.
[Potential: 19]
Elira's eyes widened a little. She scratched the back of her head with a sheepish smile. "...Wow. That's... uhm rare. F-Rank potential. Hah, don't worry, that just means you'll have to work a little harder heh..."
Rogar gave Luka a solid pat on the back. "Cheer up. Your rank doesn't mean everything."
Luka couldn't care less to respond.
He was staring at the system prompt in front of him.
New Skill Acquired: "Unseen Ace"
[Passive] Your true current strength is concealed from all detection-based abilities and artifacts.
His lips curled into a grin.
"Now this... this shit is fire."
Luka blinked once, twice. The words still floated in front of him, glowing faintly.
"Unseen Ace."The name alone gave him a thrill. But the implications…
He could fake his weakness. Hide his strength. Slip under the radar of enemies. If people underestimated him, they'd drop their guard.
He looked up. Elira was still explaining the basics of guild procedure, her voice gentle.
"You'll start as an F-Rank, which means you'll only be allowed to take the simplest tasks, herb gathering, pest control, minor deliveries, low-level monster hunts… that kind of thing," Elira explained with a calm smile. "Your starting rank is fixed based on the Potential Sphere evaluation—but you can rank up through the ranks by completing quests and proving yourself."
Luka raised an eyebrow. "So I'm stuck with what it said forever?"
Elira shook her head. "No, not exactly. The Potential Sphere gives us a projection—a rough idea of your natural growth curve. It determines where you begin. But it doesn't limit how far you can go. If you perform well, you'll earn promotions like anyone else."
"So the Potential Score just shows how fast someone can get stronger?" Luka asked.
"Yes, that is correct" she said. "Sometimes there's someone with a low potential score who turns out to become really strong and reaching a high rank. Rare, but it happens."
"Alright, that makes sense," Luka said, nodding slowly.
Elira smiled warmly. "Good. The Guild isn't just about raw power. Strategy, teamwork, and persistence matter just as much."
Rogar leaned in with a grin. "Looks like you're gonna fit right in, kid."
Elira handed Luka a slim leather-bound booklet and a bronze badge etched with a clear "F." "This is your Guild ID. You'll need it for quests, rank promotions, payments—everything."
Luka slipped the badge into his pocket and opened the booklet. The pages were filled with guild rules, maps of surrounding regions, and a detailed section titled "Emergency Protocols." It was a lot to take in.
As they left the stone chamber, Luka glanced up at Rogar, who was already heading toward the quest boards with his keen eyes checking for something worthwhile. Luka felt a flicker of excitement ripple through him.
He's about to have his first mission inside of a fantasy word.