Alec has bothered them enough and he doesn’t want to intrude more on their hospitality. So, he decided to see what the adventuring shtick is. Ralof warned that the adventuring life is dangerous. Beginners should find a party firsthand before they can do solo quests. Guilds usually have a ton of party seekers and Alabaster is teeming with them.
“I don’t know how I am going to repay all the kindness you gave me,” Alec said.
“I said no worries. Although, you can repay us by helping another in need. Kindness is a circle - that’s what our village elder used to say.”
Before leaving, Ralof gave Alec a rusting dirk. It’s not the best starting weapon out there but it’ll help him on his first few quests. With some gold, he could have it sharpened by a blacksmith or enchanted by a sideroad mage. The choice is up to Alec.
And with that, Alec bid farewell to Ralof and his litter of kids. Arley looked crestfallen because he didn’t have time to talk with the stranger who fell from the sky.
---
If what Ralof said is right, this should be the adventuring guild. It’s a large stone building with an indiscernible sign but Alec recognized nonetheless because of the sword & shield crest. The inside of the building is livelier than the outside. The men and women there are clad in clothing weirder than Ralof’s. Most have fabric apparel while a small population has iron paddings on top of their clothes. A large number of them carried weapons ranging from daggers to huge black war hammers that could crush a human’s skull in one swing.
“How can we help you?” A voice suddenly said behind Alec.
“Ah!” Alec screamed, “I- uh… I want to apply as an adventurer.”
“Okay, please follow me to the lobby.”
Alec followed the petite green-haired girl wearing lacy clothes befitting a maid further into the guild. There, the girl asked him to sit in a chair while she gets the necessary documents for adventuring registrations. While Alec was waiting, he heard a pair of men talking behind him.
“A rusted throwing knife? Psh, that kid won’t last out there.” A bald man with bulging muscles said.
“I know, right?” A lanky man with a mouse-like face replied.
Alec did his best to ignore them. Answering their provocations would not end well for him since one of them can easily punch him out of the guild. And besides, he doesn’t want to die before he could do his first job in this world.
The girl returned with a card at hand. She asked Alec about his name, age, and other usual stuff you’d place in your resume. Once finished, she gave the card to Alec which suddenly gave him a papercut.
“Ow!” Alec sucked on his thumb, which is now bleeding a bit.
“Your card has taken your blood sample. Wait a moment before it registers your profile.”
Suddenly, the card gave a ping sound and the characters glowed blue. It’s paper but the surface slides like the texture of a phone. Alec laid the card on the coffee table and a hologram popped out, showing a 3D figure of his body and his stats beside it.
---
Name: Alec Hansen
Age: 18
Race: Human
Nationality: Unregistered
Skills:
Strength: F
Speed: F
Agility: F
Intelligence: D
Magic: None
Health: 100/100
Mana: 20/20
Skills: None
Special Skills: Possession
Equipment: T-Shirt, Shorts, Rusty Throwing Knife
---
Alec was amazed at the 3D render of his body. It captured him perfectly, from his wry dark-brown hair, the thin lanky arms and legs, and even the mole behind his ear that his mother would often tease him about. However, the girl’s amazement and curiosity are focused on another. It’s about Alec’s special skills named possession. People with special skills are rare and far in between. The girl has lived her whole life as a lobby custodian for the Alabaster Adventure Guild and by her estimate, she has only seen 3 or 5 people with special skills. Two of them had the same skill named “Copy” which allows them to copy other people’s skills. One of them left Alabaster while the other one was in the crowd inside the guild.
As for Alec’s other attributes, they are abysmal. Alec and the girl shared that sentiment when they saw the series of F’s. At least, his intelligence is D so Alec got that going which is nice. Bearing through Mrs. Puff’s philosophy class must have contributed to that.
“Mr. Alec, might I ask what your Possession skill is?” The girl said. She’s asking it not as a custodian, but as a curious individual.
“I don’t know. Is it a skill?” It says in the profile that it’s a special skill, like in those video games. Is it?
“It’s a special skill that’s only held by a few. If I may be so crude, I believe you don’t know how to activate your skills?” Alec nodded. “It’s simple. Just focus and call out the skill’s name. But don’t try it here. Your ‘possession’ skill is not contained by our database and special skills are known for their strange effects.”
Other than that warning, the girl pushed back the card to Alec and that concluded his Adventurer Registration. The girl then directed Alec to the mission board where he can do some solo missions, or go to the guild grand hall where adventurers are seeking additions to their party. The girl insisted on doing the latter since Alec is a beginner, and he’s only armed by an unknown special skill and dingy iron knife.