Chapter 6: Test
"What’s the purpose of this?"
"What?", everyone asked at the same time.
"You accepted the test without knowing what it is?"
"Exactly," he said seriously.
The receptionist held back a laugh and began to explain.
"You have a non-combat class. Even though its rank is Imperial, it’s still a non-combat class. That’s why there’s no way you could have survived the orc attack. There were eighteen orcs."
Actually, there had been fewer.
"You defeated all of them, and the worst that happened was a cut on your leg, which makes us consider a few possibilities. The first is that your class has attack skills, which is unlikely since it’s an office class. The second possibility makes us think you stole someone else’s crystals, or bought them and want to sell them here. Reselling isn’t illegal. Even though many rules are ignored inside a dungeon, allowing someone to commit a crime in there or trying to defraud the purchasing system would tarnish our guild’s reputation. That’s why the Guild Master is going to test you. If you prove you can fight, or at least defend yourself, we’ll allow you to continue being an adventurer."
She looked at the Guild Master.
"Don’t worry, I’ll hold back. I won’t use my full power. But if you don’t want to take the test, I’ll allow you to leave with the crystals and sell them somewhere else, but your license for this dungeon will be revoked."
’I’m in trouble!’
"All right, I accept the challenge. But if I prove I know how to fight, I want an apology and the weapon you promised."
Masaru gave a wide smile.
"Begin."
Haru dodged one of Masaru’s punches. Even from a distance, the wind generated by the punch was enough to leave a small cut on his right arm.
The man merely observed his movements before raising one hand.
"I won’t attack anymore. I just want you to use your sword, or your hands, to attack me. I’ll only defend myself."
Haru took the sword out of his inventory and charged at Masaru. He struck with all his strength. The attack did no damage to Masaru, who started laughing.
The man laughed out loud.
"I apologize for my suspicions," he said as he bowed.
"But he didn’t do anything," the blonde woman said.
"He made my father move a little. The blow was strong enough to do that. My father is level 95, so it’s very difficult for anyone to defeat him," Mio replied.
"Follow me. Let’s choose your weapon and buy all your crystals," Masaru said as he turned and started walking. "Mio, you too. Come with me, and bring that young lady beside you."
Mio looked at her. The woman didn’t understand, but she followed Mio.
Haru followed Masaru, and the receptionist walked behind him.
"You two wait here. I’ll talk to him first."
Masaru sat down in a large leather chair, and Haru sat in another chair.
Masaru’s office was very spacious and furnished with what looked like expensive furniture. There was also a painting that seemed to have been made by a great artist. But what caught Haru’s attention the most was the enormous red dragon’s head hanging above Masaru.
"You’ve never been to the remote areas, right?"
"Exactly."
"The monsters there are different from the ones in dungeons. They don’t disappear. Which is strange, since they both have the same origin," he paused. "Let’s get straight to the point. I know your class is fake, or that you’re hiding something, but I don’t care. You proved your strength, so I want you to form a party. My daughter and that other girl will be your companions. But there’s one condition. At some point, you’ll have to tell your party about your ability."
He gestured with his hand, and the receptionist opened the door and called the other two inside.
"You’ve probably noticed that the guild has fewer people than usual. A lot of stories have been spreading, and some of the rumors are true. I do, in fact, have a debt," he clasped his hands in front of his face, elbows firmly on the desk, fingers lightly pressing against his face. "Three months ago, the Himura Guild started selling crystals to the power company at lower prices. Many guilds couldn’t keep up, so we borrowed money from the Himura family. That allowed us to keep the guilds running, but there was still one problem, our large stockpile of crystals. The Himura Clan agreed to buy our entire stock, but they would pay almost the same as the purchase price, so our profit dropped, and the debt kept piling up. Today, the Himura Guild is selling crystals at their normal price, but they’re paying much more than any other guild, so every guild is facing serious problems. Today we managed to sell crystals to the power company, but something happened," he said as he stood up and turned on a giant television.
"The current problem is that if we sell the crystals at a higher price, the power company will buy fewer of them, and the Himura Clan will profit. If we stop selling, we’ll end up with a huge stockpile. But they’ve reduced the number of crystals they sell to the power company, and the other guilds can’t supply enough crystals. That’s why there’s likely to be a blackout across the entire city before long," the receptionist explained while pointing at a graph on the television.
"But wouldn’t that also be bad for the Himura Clan?" Hina, the blonde with large breasts, asked.
The receptionist walked over to the desk, picked up a folder containing several documents, and handed it to Hina.
Hina began reading the notes and looking through a few photographs.
"Who are these two?"
"Himura and Tsukishiro. They were seen together in several in-person meetings, which is unusual since Tsukishiro almost never leaves the capital. We believe he’s financing this entire operation. As the head of one of the Four Great Families, he has more than enough money to fund everything. In the long run, the guilds will lose their share of the crystal supply, and he’ll be able to meet the demand with the crystals he’s already purchased and the crystals he’ll obtain after buying the bankrupt guilds."
Hina continued reading, then Haru asked to read it.
He didn’t understand any of it. The notes didn’t make much sense, but he kept pretending to read.
"I don’t mean to be rude, but what does this have to do with us? It’s not like I can deal with people that powerful."
"You’re the adventurer who has killed the most slimes in this guild’s entire history. On top of that, after receiving your class, you started going to the lower floors, so I’m certain you’ll be able to obtain more crystals. And you, Hina, your skill was already exceptional even before receiving a class. You were able to reach the lower floors by yourself, and even with a support class, you handle battles well. The crystals you bring back prove that."
"But simply obtaining crystals wouldn’t solve your problem, or the city’s. Wouldn’t it be better to stockpile crystals, sell some to Himura to pay off the debt, and then sell the rest to the power company in controlled amounts?"
Masaru thought about it. Haru was right.
"That makes sense, but it’s still a premature idea. We need to see how the three of you handle things first. For now, tomorrow I want you to choose your weapons and get to know each other so you’ll be able to work as a team. Dismissed!"
Haru lay down on the bed. He placed a few bets with the money he had received from the orc crystals, and with what remained, he paid his rent and part of his debt. His head was a little full, so he pulled down his pants and started thinking about the two women he had seen. He imagined what Hina’s breasts looked like. The tight blouse she wore showed her hardened nipples, and the way her ass stuck out in those shorts could raise the dead. And the scent of sweaty pussy he had caught earlier soon made him climax.
’Once again, I beat my speed record.’