They were standing at the entrance of the Red Claw Hunter Guild, a functional, well polished hall built from dark timber and reinforced iron. The air around it smelt of smoke, leather, and dried monster blood. Hunters—rough men and women in armor—lean on axes, clean blades, or toss back ale after a long hunt.
The door creaked open, and they stepped inside. Cassie looked energized, her determination clear, but Damian was busy studying the packed hall. Standing right beside him, Agnes stood, looking entirely casual.
'The aura density is surprisingly high for a place filled with dormants,' Damian realized as he scanned the hall. 'So this is what professional hunters are like.'
Already known to Damian, in this world hunters—to be precise, professional hunters—are skilled individuals who track and dispatch the various beasts roaming the forests, either for extermination or to profit from the sale of their products.
Damian's analysis of the room was cut short when Cassie decided to approach the counter. She immediately noticed the prying eyes of the various hunters, who were already trying to gauge her strength.
Behind the worn counter stood two figures, Vasylia and Rahni, both dressed in classic medieval receptionist clothes. Vasylia, with her sharp-eyed and calm expression, quickly took note of Cassie's approach, while Rahni just muttered to herself as she stamped request forms with more force than necessary.
Vasylia, already taking careful note of Cassie, also registered her companions. "Ah... this must be Cassie's party," she murmured, offering a small smile to them.
Without looking up from whatever she was doing, Rahni let out a sharp snort. "Hope she's tougher than she looks. The last 'Cub' we had quit the moment they saw their first gore-drenched dire wolf."
"This isn't a party yet," Cassie said, as she needed to clarify. "Neither of them has been formally offered a position at Red Claw. But, is the guild accepting recruits? I would like to register them both now."
"Yes, recruits are still being processed," Vasylia said. "But, Red Claw only takes hunters who earn their blood the old way. Through steel, sweat, and sense."
Cassie then looked back at Agnes and Damian. Simultaneously, behind the counter, Rahni let out a quiet "Provisional," as the sharp thud of her stamping two blank tags filled the air.
"They can try," Rahni said. "But no special treatment."
She then continued, "The first trial is simple, you're to clear the dire wolf den near the Hollow Creek. Alive or dead, bring back three pelts and a claw set. Fail? You don't get ranked. No rank means no guild access."
She then tossed two heavy iron badges onto the counter, and continued. "Cassie was exceptional when she did hers, and she seems to vouch for you... so you've got one chance. Prove yourselves before sundown tomorrow, and we'll call you hunting partners, not just strays off the trail."
Damian and Agnes quickly grabbed the iron badges, the three iconic claw marks of the Red Claw Guild, along with the word "Provisional," were sharply engraved on the metal. They had already agreed to follow Cassie and join the guild, but what she failed to mention was the test required for entry, a detail that, in retrospect, should have been glaringly obvious to them both.
'Dire Wolves,' Damian noted. 'Omni, do you have any details on them?'
[Of course, Damian. I'm always here to help,] Omni began smoothly. [Dire Wolves are colossal, grey-pelted predators, significantly larger and more vicious than common wolves. To put it simply, they dominate the deep forests of Hollow Creek, a well-known hunting ground in the Green Azure Kingdom where new hunters go specifically to prove their basic combat skills.]
'Omni,' Damian began. 'How am I supposed to pull this off? I have practically zero combat skills. Yeah, I have infinite mana, a haxxed dagger, and many more, but knowing how to actually wield a blade? That's an entirely different matter.'
[That's a valid concern, but don't worry, you already possess the Dagger Mastery skill for exactly this reason. Just keep your primary combat weapon as the dagger, and you should be fine. Furthermore, your high Intelligence stat means you'll be able to learn other weapon paths with exceptional ease.]
Then, Cassie placed a hand on both Agnes and Damian's shoulders, her expression firm. "Don't worry," she assured them. "I will guide you along the way. With me, you are sure to pass this test, just—"
"It is you!" someone shouted from the top of the stairs, before leaping down and landing perfectly on the floor with barely a sound. "Aren't you Cassie?" he demanded, immediately following the question with a rich laugh.
'Who the fuck is that?' Damian thought, as he quickly sized up the man that approached them. He was seven feet tall and wore a silver full-body armor, excluding a helmet. The armor was designed with red edges and featured a large red Phoenix emblem at the chest plate. Over his shoulders was a golden sword sheath with a blade clearly placed inside, and his blonde long hair cascaded down his back.
"I see you have taken an interest in my blade, young lad," he said as he noticed Damian's glare. He quickly unsheathed the blade, the longsword raised high as he gazed up at it. "Behold, Excalibur—a treasure sought by many, held by a few."
'What's up with this guy?'
Then, with a stomp of his feet, he let out a massive aura. The aura's density was so great that it had people crouching if they were standing, or holding their chests if they were seated. But Damian stood unfazed. It wasn't that he didn't notice the aura's pressure, but it wasn't affecting him due to his own infinite aura instinctively cancelling it out.
'Impressive aura,' Damian thought, taking note of the man's power. 'So, he's the one I sensed earlier.'
Damian then turned and saw how everyone else was reacting to the man's aura, but he couldn't fathom their situation, as he hadn't felt a thing.
'Who is this boy?' the man thought, surprised at how Damian had so easily negated his aura. With another stomp of his foot, he stopped releasing his aura pressure.
"I'm Conrad ," he said, offering a hand to Damian for a shake. "And you are?"