"Adventure Rank: Full-Fledged Adventurer II"

Rat Calendar, Year 2026

4th Day of March

The Outside City of Nova Asta

Verdant Hollow, Inner Zone

The next day in the Inner Zone of Verdant Hollow, Accel woke up at his camping site. He had set up camp near a small mountain with a cave. His current goal was to either defeat a total of 100 monsters or wait until the last day of the test. Accel wanted to avoid drawing attention from others because once someone reaches the Adventure Rank of Full-Fledged Adventurer, guilds from across the continent begin scouting for recruits.

Accel believes he should join smaller and lesser-known guilds. He has had this strategy in mind ever since his identity from the Second Expedition was at risk of exposure. To protect himself, he created a fake system called the Swordsman System instead of his real Archivist System, ensuring that his actual history does not appear on the Western Continent. Using the Archivist System, he accessed his monster encyclopedia to gather information about monsters and beasts from the Inner Zone, learning how to handle or avoid them effectively.

Since the introduction of the World of Tranquilis, the Adventure Rank Promotion has been updated to increase from ranks 1-13 to 1-20. This change was made to address the challenges in identifying the abilities and powers of numerous individuals. The previous system made it difficult to accurately assess everyone's skills, so the increase in ranks allows for a more detailed and organized way to recognize what each person excels at and what they are capable of achieving.

Newbie Adventurers, Trainee Adventurers, and Apprentice Adventurers primarily explore the Outside and Outer Zones of the Boss Territory. To help distinguish between these adventurer ranks, they are now issued an adventurer badge. This badge indicates the number and types of monsters or beasts they have defeated. It also includes security features to prevent tampering or the creation of false information without the permission of the Grand Adventurer's Council.

The Grand Adventurer's Council is a governing body that holds a significant level of authority and influence. This council is led by wise leaders, including retired military officers and seasoned adventurers, who have laid down their weapons to use their experience and knowledge for the betterment of humanity.

Creating false identities or concealing personal information is permitted for adventurers who wish to maintain a low profile, as long as they pass a required test. This measure was implemented following an incident where an individual fabricated their identity, falsely claiming to possess exceptional strength to gain popularity and recognition.

The adventurer badge has a feature that notifies individuals when they reach a certain number of monsters defeated, beasts encountered, or quests completed. At that point, they can take a test to advance to the next adventure rank. Once an adventurer achieves the Full-Fledged Adventure Rank, they can join guilds based on what they offer. Some guilds are free to join, while others require an application or scouting process before admitting new members.

Unlike party groups, guilds provide a wide range of opportunities and benefits. Each guild is unique, so it's important to choose carefully; a guild that seems good on the outside might not be as favorable once you're involved.

Accel and the other participants are currently undergoing the Adventure Rank Test, which is necessary for them to become Full-Fledged Adventurers. This test involves defeating monsters in the Inner Zone, an area that is typically unsafe for Apprentice Adventurers.

The Inner Zone, located in the Boss Territory of Verdant Hollow, is recommended only for those with an Adventure Rank above Full-Fledged Adventurer due to the increased number, size, and danger level of the monsters present. The challenge for Accel and the other participants is to defeat a total of 100 monsters within a time limit of three days. So far, Accel has defeated 55 goblins using his powerful dual swords, Aetherium and Voidbringer.

This is already the second day of the test, and Accel plans to deal with the remaining 45 monsters he will encounter in the Inner Zone. Unlike during the Second Expedition in the World of Tranquilis, this task is much easier for him. The reason for this is that the Second Expedition was quite unexpected for Accel, as the recommended level for adventurers or soldiers from all continents was over level 500.

When Accel compares his experiences from the Second Expedition to his current situation, the monsters he faces now seem trivial. He has already taken down 100 monsters and plans to complete his test by the third day. By finishing early, he hopes to avoid drawing attention as the fastest adventurer to finish the test. His goal is to complete the task before the time runs out.

5th Day of March

The Outside City of Nova Asta

One of the Main Branches of the Adventure Outpost

On the third day of the test, Accel returned to the Main Branch of the Adventure Outpost, where he encountered hundreds of participants completing their tasks. Accel was ranked as the 1350th participant to finish the test. As the sun was setting, a notification from the Adventure Outpost announced that the test was over. The results revealed that out of 3,000 Apprentice Adventurers who took the test, over 2,000 had completed their tasks. Officers from the main branch then used their devices to promote the adventure badges of these successful participants from Apprentice Adventurer to Full-Fledged Adventurer. 

Once promoted, many adventurers from lesser guilds to powerful ones began scouting for potential candidates, making their moves toward those who finished the test quickly or toward those who, despite finishing a little later, had proven themselves by hunting stronger monsters and beasts. In contrast, Accel chose to navigate through the crowd and leave the Adventure Outpost, heading back to the Inner City of Nova Asta to go home.

Accel celebrated with his parents and siblings, marking his promotion to a Full-Fledged Adventurer. However, during the celebration, an unexpected announcement changed the mood. His father, Thomas Winchester, revealed that his business had gone bankrupt. Despite this setback, he expressed a desire to become an adventurer like his son.

Thomas stated that instead of fighting on the front lines, he would focus on support roles from the back. Accel was puzzled about how his father would do this, especially since Thomas had a Businessman System. Just then, something unusual happened with Accel's Archivist System, raising more questions about their future.