"Alright," the guard said. "You may enter. Keep your beast under control inside the city."

"I will," Mike said.

The gates of Valor City opened, and Mike stepped inside.

The first thing he noticed was the noise.

People everywhere. Adventurers shouting, merchants calling out prices, guards giving orders. The streets were wide but crowded, filled with carts, stalls, and buildings stacked close together.

Emperor walked calmly beside him, drawing a few curious looks, but no one caused trouble.

Mike exhaled slowly.

"So this is Valor City," he muttered.

He didn't waste time sightseeing. He already had a plan.

First, he needed information.

He headed straight toward the Adventurers' Guild. The building was easy to spot—a large stone hall with a massive emblem carved above the entrance.

Inside, it was just as busy.

Groups of adventurers stood around mission boards. Some were injured, some arguing loudly, others celebrating. Behind the counters, guild staff worked nonstop.

Mike walked up to an empty counter.

"I want to register and check available missions," he said.

The staff member glanced at him. "New to the city?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll need a temporary residence permit if you plan to stay more than three days," she said. "Guild members get priority access."

"Then register me," Mike said.

She handed him a form. "Fill this out."

While filling it in, Mike thought about his next steps.

Money.

"Do you also buy beast carcasses?" he asked.

The receptionist nodded.

"Yes. Our workers will appraise the body and then pay you accordingly."

Mike nodded in relief.

"Your ID next," she said.

Mike handed over the temporary ID he had received earlier.

"Hm, you just started, right?" she asked.

Mike nodded.

"Alright. Here's your adventurer license. It also works as an ID in all kingdoms and empires," she said.

Mike accepted it with a nod.

"Do you need me to explain how adventurers work?" she asked.

"Hm… We start as E-rank, make our way up, and can only take quests and missions up to one rank above our license. Is that all?" Mike asked.

She nodded.

"Glad you did your homework before coming here," she said, then added, "Now you just need to complete a few evaluation quests. They range from E to C rank. Once you complete them, your rank will be officially assigned."

She continued, "Until then, you'll have a temporary adventurer card. It's valid for one month, so you should finish all the evaluation quests within that time."

Mike nodded again, understanding clearly.

"So, what are these evaluation quests?" he asked.

She picked up some papers from under the table and placed them in front of him.

"These are the quests. You need to take one quest each from E, D, and C rank and complete all of them. Based on how you perform in each quest, your final rank will be decided," she said, then added, "Also, one of our evaluators will follow you while you complete these quests."

"So when will an evaluator be free?" Mike asked.

"You're lucky—one just became available," she replied. "You can start right away. Pick any one of the E-rank quests for now."

Mike looked over the list carefully.

"I'll take this one," he said.

She nodded. "Hm, good choice. Night Roses only bloom at night. You can finish this tonight if you're lucky. We need five pieces, and all of them must be harvested in good condition," she said, stamping the paper on the table.

Then she placed a small book beside it.

"If you're new, this book explains how to harvest wild herbs and other alchemy ingredients properly," she said.

Mike nodded and took the book.

"How much is it?" he asked.

"One silver."

Mike nodded and placed the coins on the table.

Mike nodded and placed the coins on the table.

"By the way," he asked, "where do I sell beast carcasses?"

She pointed toward a door on the side of the hall.

"Through that door. It leads to the appraisal and harvesting area."

"Thanks," Mike said.

He turned and headed in that direction.

The moment he stepped inside, the smell hit him first.

Blood. Metal. Strong herbs.

The hall was even bigger than the guild lobby. Monster bodies were scattered around the room—some already skinned, others half-cut, with workers removing claws, horns, and cores. Tools clanged against bone and scales as people worked nonstop.

"So, newbie, what did you bring?" a tall, bald man asked, walking over.

"I have some Ether Fang Wolf bodies," Mike replied.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Not bad."

He pointed to a wide metal platform nearby. "Dump them there."

Mike nodded and opened his inventory. One by one, the bodies appeared on the platform—seven Ether Fang Wolves, along with another monster.

The workers nearby paused for a moment.

"Is that a Golden Crocodile?" one of them asked in surprise.

"And an Aqua Deer," another added.

Mike scratched his head. "Yeah. I hunted them earlier when my beast and I took a break before coming here."

The bald man let out a low whistle.

"For a new adventurer, you've been busy," he said. "Alright, step back. We'll appraise everything."

Mike stepped back and waited.

The workers moved in quickly. One of them checked the Ether Fang Wolves first, cutting small marks and checking the fangs, hides, and cores. Another worker examined the Golden Crocodile, testing its scales and teeth. A third focused on the Aqua Deer, carefully inspecting its antlers and mana organs.

The bald man watched for a few minutes, then nodded.

"Seven Ether Fang Wolves. Good condition," he said. "The hides are clean, and the fangs are intact."

He turned to the Golden Crocodile.

"This one's tougher. The scales are valuable. You didn't damage the core either. That's good."

Then he looked at the Aqua Deer.

"Rare catch. The antlers and mana organs sell well."

He stepped back and pulled out a small ledger. After a short calculation, he looked up.

"Total comes to eighteen gold and four silver," he said.

Mike nodded.

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