Chapter 47 - The Meeting (Part One)

Lucas was feeling groggy as he woke up after a few minutes. He then got up from his sleeping position and saw Emilia sitting next to him. He quickly sat in a meditative pose and began to recuperate himself. "Those Apes, I wonder if there is any way that I can recreate this immersiveness", he thought as he was recuperating.

He then looked up to her, and smiled. "How was the test?", he asked as he was still feeling dizzy. He needed some rest, and he closed his eyes as he laid on the wall that was behind him. There was a buzz, and in came the same man that lead them the last time. "Al fo you fledglings, listen up!', he said in a commanding tone.

"Your performances were at most, average. Some of you will be scouted by Guilds right now, while the others will have to wait and prove later. All of your Ranks will be displayed in order. We will be going in the descending Order", he announced as he pulled up a projection of the F Rank.

"Let's look at the quest and see what Rank I have achieved", he thought as he pulled up the screen.

[Quest Completed]

[Place D Rank or above in this test

Beasts Killed

Demon Tier Beast 0/1

Demi-God Tier Beast 0/3

Emperor Tier Beast 1/5

King Tier Beast 7/7

Legendary Tier Beast 9/9

Advanced Tier Beast 12/11

Intermediate Tier Beast 15/15

Basic Tier Beast 24/20]

[Rewards, EXP x2 for every Beast you kill. According to your placement, EXP will be as follows.

S Rank - EXP +10,000

A Rank - EXP +8000

B Rank - EXP +6000

C Rank - EXP +3000

D Rank - EXP +1500

E Rank - -1 Level

F Rank - -3 Levels

Intermediate HP Limit Breaker Potion x1

Intermediate MP Limit Breaker Potion x1]

[Rank Placed: B Rank]

[Claim Rewards? Yes/No]

"Let's see how many levels I will move up this time", he thought as he claimed the rewards.

[Rewards Claimed]

[Accumulated EXP: 64,500 EXP]

[You Have Levelled Up!]

[You Have Levelled Up!]

[You Have Levelled Up!]

[You Have Levelled Up!]

[You Have Levelled Up!]

[You Have Levelled Up!]

[EXP for B Rank]

[EXP: 6950/20,000]

[Received Intermediate Limit Breaker HP Potion x1]

[Received Intermediate Limit Breaker MP Potion x1]

Lucas was satisfied with the level up. "Well, I've moved up six levels. But for now, until I harness my full potential, I'm not going to use it. Well, I can bring them all to the nearest round number and leave it there though", he thought and shook his head. "Maybe it will be better for later", he thought and threw it to the back of his mind.

He then opened up his status window.

[Status]

[Name: Lucas Heart]

[HP: 68/220]

[MP: 52/220]

[Level: 16]

[Job: None]

[Title: Defying The Odds, Master Of Stealth]

[EXP: 6950/20,000]

[System Level: 2/10]

[Strength: 43]

[Stamina: 43]

[Agility: 43+19]

[Perception: 41]

[Magic: 43]

[Stat points to be used: 30]

"Impressive, kid. Although you could have done better, it's your first time and you did use your wits and overcome this obstacle. But remember, don't add your stat points until you have passed Stage Three of Aura. But the Limit Breaker, Hehe", Valentine snickered and left it at a mystery.

Lucas was pissed off. "Always keeping secrets even from your descendants. Then how will you right your wrongs?", he scoffed. Valentine didn't respond. It was like he had turned his voice off. He just dusted himself off and got up, ready to go and get his badge.

"Next up, we have B Ranks", said the announcer. Lucas smiled as he looked at the list. Emilia was also looking at the list. But their names weren't there. Even amongst the lowest. "That can't be right?", thought Lucas as he was about to ask the announcer. He saw the system grade him a B Rank Adventurer.

As he and Emilia went up to the announcer, the screen changed. 'Due to their performances, they have been given a special rank. They shall be amongst the rarest Adventurers', it read and their names were below. "A B+ Rank? Is there even one?", he thought.

"Yes, there is. These ranks are for the people who surpass the B rank but are slightly lower than the A rank. Hence the term, B+. There are a lot of Adventurers out there in this category. They will be on a period of cooldown, and later they will have to come for the second test. The cooldown for you people is six months", he informed them.

Lucas was stunned when he heard this. "So there are ranks like this, huh? And after six months, we will attempt the test again?', he asked curiously. The announcer nodded his head and then gave him a black card. "This is a one-time card. You will be allowed to meet the head of this branch, as she has summoned for you", he said and motioned for them to wait.

Lucas and Emilia nodded their heads and waited. After many people had left, Lucas, Emilia, and three more people had been asked to stay behind. All of them had the same card as he had. Lucas looked at them and was about to socialize when he heard the announcer ask him to follow behind.

"Man, I thought I could form my party now. But no problems, maybe I will, when I'm much stronger", he thought as he followed behind. Emilia was behind him and they were the last among the five. All the other three were A+, meaning that they lacked something to become an S Ranked Adventurer.

Lucas was wondering who would the head of the branch be. He knew some of the famous people around the world, and they were either SS Ranked or S Ranked. There were only Seven SSS Ranked Adventurers around the globe, and one SSS+ Ranked Adventurer for the whole planet!

They entered a lift and went all the way to the top. They waited outside a room and the announcer knocked it in a rhythm and waited. The door then buzzed open and in went all of them.

The office, should it be called that was an understatement. The ceiling was high and it was in the corner of a building, making there be two sides of clear glass instead of walls. The sunlight which shone through was making the office look more like a penthouse. The table and the chairs that were placed overlooking the city, made it look like someone lived here.

"Is this an office?", thought Lucas as he looked around. And in that chair was a beautiful woman, who was sitting with her legs crossed over, and casually sipping some coffee from her cup. The aroma of the coffee was strong and it made Lucas crave for some.

The woman then got up from her seat and got everyone a cup of coffee. Lucas began to sip his coffee and he waited for the woman to introduce herself. "I am Jasmine Van Dyke. I'm sure you must have heard of my name", she smiled at them. It was pleasant yet threatening at the same time.

Lucas nodded his head. "Jasmine Van Dyke. A.K.A The Beastly Beauty. Born and raised here in Alexandria. An S Ranked Adventurer. Made a name for herself during the Monster Wave that hit the Kingdom around ten years ago", Lucas thought. He then looked at her and saw that the nickname did do her justice.

Then in came another man. He was tall and handsome, and he had long jet black hair which flowed down his neck. His face was sharp, and he had a very deep voice. He had a scar, that ran across his left cheek, which was peeking out of his beard that he used to cover it. A toned and muscular body, and he had slightly tanned skin.

"Hello everyone. My name is Steve Hudson. I will be explaining to you why we had categorized every one of you in a rank that is not told outside. This 'plus category' also has another name in the guild. It is known as 'The Growth Zone'", he said.

Lucas shook his head as he was drinking his coffee, listening keenly. He wanted to know what he did wrong, or to be more precise, what were the places he needed improvement. He wasn't disheartened by the fact that he had got a B+ Rank. He was elated when he saw that. But something inside him was telling him that this wasn't enough, telling him that he could have done better.

"What's done is done, kid. You can't dwell on the past, for that will hinder your sight into the future", said Valentine as he read his thoughts. "But I am surprised as well. I never expected him to get a B. I thought that the most he could do are get a C", thought Valentine.

Lucas sipped his coffee as Steve began his explanation of how, and why The Growth Zone was implemented.