V2Ch67 New Tests

The beast-man brought me to a back room. It was wide and obviously used often for training.

"First, you said you are stronger than you look. I'd like you to prove that."

He wandered over to three rocks with swords in them.

"These swords are embedded in these rocks. Pull each sword out like this."

He reached for one sword and yanked it out of the socket with ease, then placed it back in.

"Do this with all three swords and we can move onto the next test."

Easy enough. I walked over to the first sword. I decided to try with my own strength first. I yanked up on the sword with a good amount of strength. I know I'm not weak on my own but this was not a challenge for the average person. The power of anger it is.

"If that's the best you got, then..."

I pulled out the sword with one hand.

"Spoke too soon. Continue on to the next."

I replaced the sword.

*SHINK*

... I think I put the sword in deeper than it was before. I hope the next guy can get it out.

The next sword was just as easy to remove as the second. I replaced that one more gently.

"Ah. So you are stronger than you look. Still have one more to go."

The last one was a large broadsword in a rock three times the size of the second. I placed one hand on the handle and prepared to pull.

"You might want to use both hands this time."

I saw a smirk on his face. Was this one some kind of trick? I stopped wondering and just went with one hand. I put some more effort into it to try and make it look cool.

However... It's hard to look cool when the rock lifted up with the sword. I wasn't prepared for the weight of the rock. The flat end of the blade landed on my shoulder and bent from the weight of the rock. I let go and heard the loud BOOM when the rock hit the floor. I panicked and quickly bent the sword back into a semi-straight shape. I backed away and glanced at my two onlookers.

They were in shock. I guess I used too much strength.

"Wha... Wha... Tha...?"

The receptionist stammered and pointed.

"Shiiiit."

Exclaimed the beast-man.

"Screw the adventurers guild. I'll train you in tracking myself. Do you know anything about tracking?"

"Only a little. I am good at foraging and I'm okay in a sword fight."

"How about large creatures? Some hunts require your kind of strength. If you don't know what you are doing, you might find yourself headless."

Not that I haven't found myself headless before... I thought back to the Hunt in the Lizard Lands, the large dragon that I clocked on the jaw and the giant eel in the naga dungeon.

"I have a little experience with large creatures."

"Good, good. This could be a turning point for the Trackers Guild."

The beast-man had an obvious smile across his face.

"By the way, I don't know your names. I'm Lake."

I held out a hand to the beast-man.

"Lake. A good name. A lake can be as deep or deeper than the ocean. The oceans hold many wonders but, you have to travel the oceans to find them. A lake can be in one's own backyard and carry dangers unknown. A fitting name for someone with hidden potential."

He grabbed my hand and we both gave a firm shake.

"I am Shiro. Glad to meet you."

"I'm Girard."

Said the dark elf. I took his hand in a firm shake as well.

We spent another hour doing various tests just for the sake of the ranking. I excelled in anything that required strength. I was mid-rank in a sword fight and low-rank in archery. I was shown to a temporary room for the night.

Once the guild was livelier in the morning, more proper paperwork was done and a rank was officially given. My average skill dropped me down to a high-rank E. The lowest rank was F. I would be given my own personal quarters after completing a rank C or B task, solo. Until then, any personal Items that I acquire would have to stay on me as the temporary rooms can rotate, first come first serve style.

Over the next few weeks of doing rank E and rank D tasks, I learned a great deal about tracking from Shiro. I met many new people that would be great contacts for information. I made friends with several individuals in the Trackers Guild.

I found out that the Trackers Guild was failing due to a lack of interest in the more difficult quests. The founder was a high-rank adventurer from the adventurers guild. He split off after he noticed that many tasks were left unanswered. He found a common theme in these abandoned tasks. People didn't want to do the hard work when they had no idea where to start. They just wanted to go straight to the destination, do the job and go home. Thus, the Trackers Guild was born.

Most of the trackers have an increased intellect or good info gathering skills. That is where one of the problems started. Most of the brawn had no interest in using brain cells. There were few exceptions. These exceptions were keeping the guild afloat through hard times.

The day finally came where I was allowed to take on a C rank task. However, since it's my first, I am not allowed to do it solo. I had to wait a little longer to get my own room. Then again. I hadn't planned on staying so long in the first place. I was glad to help the guild where I could, If only for the good people in it.

I had gone up to rank D recently. If I can complete this rank C task, I will go up another rank. I was paired with another D rank, Lokes. He is an orc. He was only twenty years old so I knew he had nothing to do with my imprisonment. I held no grudges against him. That didn't stop me from being annoyed by his attitude. He seemed to think he was already an A rank stuck in D rank. He ran headlong into situations that could have been solved very differently. It caused problems.

We spent two days tracking down information on the sightings of a large beast. It was assumed to be a dire wolf which is usually C rank difficulty at most. We would have to bring back proof of its death to complete the task. When we found our assumed destination, we set out immediately.