The Register

“A new registration?” the receptionist asked, finally looking Reeve up and down.

“Uh... Yes, please,” he replied, scratching the back of his neck with his right hand.

“Your name, sir...?”

“Reeve. My name is Reeve.”

“Then please step up to the counter, Mr. Reeve. I need you to complete a form before we proceed with your evaluation.”

The receptionist placed a single-page form on the counter and gave him enough space to fill it out in private. There was, however, one problem.

How am I supposed to answer this, rAIven? I can’t understand any of this world’s writing. Can’t you translate it?

{NEGATIVE. UNDERSTANDING THE RULES GOVERNING THIS WORLD’S WRITING SYSTEM WOULD BE NECESSARY TO DEVELOP A REAL-TIME TRANSLATION PROTOCOL}

“Something wrong, partner?” Bain asked casually when he noticed Reeve struggling.

“Well, for starters, Bain... I can’t read.”

The three of them looked at him with expressions of pity that were almost comical.

“Forgive me for interrupting, Mr. Reeve.”

The receptionist cleared her throat to get his attention.

“Since most adventurers come from simple farming families, it is quite common for them not to know how to read. There is no reason to be ashamed. In any case, the guild is prepared for this. A sound rune has been imbued into each form. Simply run your hand over a question, and the words will be read magically into your ear. The possible answers work the same way, so you should have no difficulty selecting your responses.”

She offered him a reassuring smile.

“The rest of the examination will be conducted by an evaluator. You have nothing to worry about.”

Reeve followed her instructions and ran his fingers across the questions. Word after word began to sound directly in his ear.

{CONVERTING THE CHARACTERS INTO SOUND ALLOWS THE CREATION OF A RUDIMENTARY CONTEXT MODEL. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL INCREASE ITS ACCURACY}

Reeve traced each question and its possible answers. There was nothing particularly complicated, only a basic survey of the applicant’s background.

Preferred weapon?

Class?

Have you ever committed a crime?

Do you possess mana?

Have you ever killed another human being?

Reeve marked his answers and handed the form to the receptionist. She quickly reviewed them, then carried the page into a room behind the counter.

A few minutes later, she returned without it.

“Mr. Reeve, the guild evaluator can see you now. Please proceed to that door and wait for your turn.”

She pointed toward another door near the guild tavern.

Reeve left the rest of the group behind. Halfway there, however, he encountered Elise entering the building. She ignored him completely and headed toward the other three. Her expression was more serious than he had ever seen since meeting her.

Do you think the Inquisition did something?

{I DO NOT POSSESS—}

I know, I know. You don’t have enough data.

{...}

Anyway, let’s get this evaluation over with. I doubt it’ll be harder than breaking into a Sakurajima tower and leaving covered in my companions’ blood with a hole in my chest.

Reeve stepped through the door. Inside, other applicants waited in line to be evaluated.

The room was relatively spacious. At the front, two men stood beside what appeared to be a series of strange devices: first, a solid black sphere mounted on a pedestal; next, a soft-looking sphere resting on a small table; and finally, something resembling a mannequin carved from stone.

One of the applicants placed his hand on the solid black sphere. A faint, almost dull glow appeared at its center. The other man standing nearby recorded something on a clipboard.

The applicant then moved to the softer sphere. He extended his hand, and its greenish surface took on an almost liquid consistency, wrapping around his fingers and then his entire hand. Nothing particularly interesting happened. After several seconds, the substance withdrew and resumed its original shape on the table, leaving the man’s hand unharmed.

The evaluator made another note.

Finally, the applicant positioned himself in front of the black stone mannequin. This time, he kept a safe distance. He extended one hand, and Reeve noticed his lips moving. Almost immediately, a circle formed before his palm and transformed into a small ball of fire, which shot toward the mannequin.

Nothing appeared to happen. Even so, the evaluator recorded the result on his clipboard.

One by one, the applicants were examined until Reeve’s turn arrived. Following the evaluator’s instructions, he approached the first sphere.

“Very well, Mr...” The man checked his clipboard. “Reeve. This first test is quite simple. Place your hand on the sphere and try to pour all the mana you possess into it. If you have any, the object will glow, allowing us to measure it. Otherwise, it will remain dark.”

Reeve placed his hand on the sphere.

{WARNING: EXTERNAL INFLUENCE DETECTED. THE SPHERE APPEARS CAPABLE OF ABSORBING ENERGY PATTERNS. A POLARITY REVERSAL CAN BE USED TO REDIRECT ITS STORED ENERGY INTO THE IMPLANTS. SHALL I PROCEED?}

You’re saying this thing can work like a battery? Go ahead. What do we have to lose?

{IMPLANT POWER: 100%}

“Can I take my hand off now?” Reeve asked the evaluator.

“No reaction? A purely physical class, then? Very well. Let us proceed to the next test.”

The evaluator made several notes before explaining the following stage.

“This, Mr. Reeve, is a corrosive slime. The purpose of this test is to measure your physical resistance and identify any possible magical protections. Allow it to cover your hand and endure the corrosion for as long as you can.”

Reeve extended his hand toward the slime, which responded by reaching part of its body toward him.

{WARNING: CORROSIVE SUBSTANCE DETECTED. THE CORROSIVE AGENT IS INSUFFICIENT TO DAMAGE THE OUTER LAYER OF SYNTHSKIN. ACTIVATION OF SUBDERMAL ARMOR IS UNNECESSARY}

Several minutes passed, and the evaluator began studying Reeve’s hand with growing confusion.

“Am I supposed to do anything, sir?” Reeve asked, rapidly wiggling the fingers covered by the creature.

“No. That is sufficient. You appear to possess exceptionally high physical resistance.”

The man recorded the information on his clipboard and moved beside the stone mannequin.

“The final stage is a simple test of offensive potential. Strike it however you prefer. You may use one of the weapons we provide.”

He pointed toward a rack containing several types of bladed and blunt weapons.

“I ask only that you do not hold back. The mannequin will measure the force of the impact precisely. You may begin whenever you are ready.”

Reeve selected a dagger from the rack. He would have preferred a longsword, but since he had already assumed the role of a dagger fighter, that choice made more sense.

rAIven, could we use Synaptic Acceleration locally? Just in my arm, for example, right before I hit the stone?

{AFFIRMATIVE. A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE CORTEX AND THE UPPER LIMBS CAN BE ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. HOWEVER, UNLIKE FULL SYNAPTIC ACCELERATION, PRECISE CALCULATIONS MUST BE PERFORMED WITHIN MILLISECONDS. THE ACTION CANNOT BE EXECUTED WITHOUT ASSISTANCE FROM THE ONBOARD AI}

Would that damage my limbs?

{THE STRAIN WILL REMAIN WITHIN ACCEPTABLE PARAMETERS}

I don’t think going all out in this test would be smart.

{THAT DEPENDS ON THE USER’S OBJECTIVES. THE MEMBERS OF THE STEEL ROSE HAVE ALREADY OBSERVED THE USER IN COMBAT. EXCESSIVELY RESTRAINING PERFORMANCE AND RECEIVING AN INCOMPATIBLE EVALUATION COULD AROUSE SUSPICION}

Do you think this thing could withstand an accelerated strike using the implants at full power?

{DIFFICULT TO PREDICT. PREVIOUS APPLICANTS APPEARED INCAPABLE OF PRODUCING MORE THAN SUPERFICIAL LACERATIONS ON THE OBJECT. I RECOMMEND USING 30% CAPACITY. CONCEALING THE USER’S FULL POTENTIAL WOULD PROVIDE A STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE AND, BASED ON MY ANALYSIS OF THE OTHER APPLICANTS, 30% SHOULD PLACE THE USER AMONG THE HIGHEST RESULTS IN THE OFFENSIVE TEST}

Then do it.

Reeve positioned himself before the mannequin with the dagger in hand. His target was exactly where the object’s heart would have been.

He began the strike and felt rAIven restrict the output of his implants. A few inches before the dagger’s point touched the mannequin’s surface, the localized acceleration activated for less than the blink of an eye.

The next instant, the dagger was buried to the hilt in the mannequin’s chest, its blade still perfectly intact. It had been a powerful, rapid strike delivered with a degree of precision only a machine could provide.

The impact made the papers clipped to the evaluator’s board tremble.

He was clearly impressed. Judging by his restrained reaction, however, Reeve probably wasn’t the first applicant in the guild’s history to achieve an extraordinary result.

The same couldn’t be said for the other candidates. Those still waiting for their turn and those who had remained to compare results stared at Reeve and the mannequin in silence.

{USING 30% CAPACITY WAS AN EFFECTIVE CHOICE. I ESTIMATE THAT A HIGHER OUTPUT LEVEL COULD HAVE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE CONSTRUCT}

If you weren’t an AI, I’d say you were waiting for me to praise you for getting the calculations right.

{NEGATIVE. EMOTIONAL FEEDBACK IS IRRELEVANT TO THE rAIven ASSISTANCE MODEL. HOWEVER, A POSITIVE REVIEW OF THE MANUFACTURER IS RECOMMENDED}

Sure. When I learn how to send messages to another world, I’ll give you five stars.

“Very well, Mr. Reeve. That concludes your physical evaluation. You may remain here and observe the other applicants, or wait outside while your identification tag is prepared.”

“Thank you, sir.”

As he left the room, Reeve glanced back and watched the mannequin open magically so the evaluator could remove the dagger. The construct then reassembled itself. Apparently, the guild already had countermeasures in place in case an applicant managed to damage it.

Upon returning to the main hall, Reeve found the group seated at one of the guild tavern’s tables and walked over to them.

“Hey, Reeve! How did you do against the mannequin? Did you destroy the thing?” Bain asked, far too excited. He had probably already consumed more than one beer.

“I didn’t destroy it, but I buried the dagger to the hilt. Fuck, that thing was a lot tougher than a goblin’s neck.”

“Hahaha! I know. That’s still impressive. I told you he’d bury the dagger in it, Dora. Pay up.”

“You bet on my result?”

“Don’t take it personally, Reeve. It’s just a little tradition among adventurers. But I believed in you the entire time, unlike Dora! Hahaha!”

“You bet against me? And here I thought we already had some kind of connection, shorty.”

Elliot and Bain failed to contain their laughter. Calling Dora short was probably some kind of group taboo Reeve had just broken.

Her entire face turned red, from her chin to the tips of her ears.

“Listen, Reeve. You’re new, so I’ll let that pass this time. But next time, I’ll put an arrow through your eye.”

Dora spoke with an expression so calm that it made her even more frightening than her initial irritation.

“And I didn’t bet against you. I thought you’d leave a few cuts on the mannequin. Bain said you’d bury the dagger to the hilt. The captain and Elise refused to participate.”

She tossed two silver coins across the table toward Bain.

“I imagine they’ll place you at rank C or above,” Elliot said, draining his beer before continuing. “Even if your abilities exceed that level, it is standard practice to place new adventurers one or two ranks lower.”

“And what about the black sphere?” Elise asked.

The entire group seemed surprised to hear her finally speak.

“How did it react to all that mana you possess?”

“Uh... The sphere stayed completely dark until I removed my hand,” Reeve replied with an awkward smile.

“That’s impossible!” Elise exclaimed. “The obsidian sphere is a precision artifact created by the Inquisition itself to detect potential mages. There is no way it could fail to register such an enormous quantity of mana.”

“But that’s what happened, Miss Elise. I don’t know what you’re sensing inside me, but I’ve told you several times that I’m not a mage. I fight with blades. And even if I did possess mana, I’ve never cast a spell. I wouldn’t even know how.”

The explanation didn’t seem sufficient for Elise. She rose and walked toward the guild’s exit.

“Well... That went more smoothly than I expected,” Dora remarked, staring sadly at her coin purse, now two silver pieces lighter.

“Please don’t take it personally, Reeve. Magic and freedom are delicate subjects in Olliria, as you have likely begun to realize,” Elliot explained as he stood as well. “I’m sorry I can’t stay for the announcement of your rank, but it appears the Guild Master is ready to receive me. Good luck.”

Near a staircase on the other side of the hall, a tall woman with carefully arranged hair appeared to be waiting for Elliot.

In the opposite direction, the receptionist was calling Reeve back to the counter.

It was time to discover his rank.