Another day begins. Waking up with the sunlight is becoming a habit for me—something I never expected, since I used to stay up all night playing games.

  I stretch in bed and look around, paying more attention to the small room that the kind couple at the inn gave us.

  Looking to my left, Axel wasn’t lying in bed but was instead sitting at the desk, mumbling something.

  I get up and walk over to him.

  — Hey, bro, you woke up early. —

  — W-what..? Oh, is it already morning? I ended up not sleeping at all, hahaha… — Axel laughs with a tired expression.

  I find that strange. Even though Axel used to stay up all night gaming with me, he was more careful with his sleep schedule than I was.

  — What were you doing? —

  I look at what was in front of him. It was that supposed grimoire he found. The signs around the city were all written in Portuguese, so we could read them, but that book was written in a completely unrecognizable script.

  — I was researching! I'm almost done translating this book—I feel like I'm so close to figuring out how this writing system works! — The boy speaks with extreme excitement, way more energy than he should have, given his lack of sleep.

  — Seriously?? But you just got it yesterday… — The thought that he’s almost deciphered an unknown language in just one night is almost comical in how absurd it is.

  — Well, when you really try to understand it, it doesn’t seem that hard. The language is made up of 26 different characters, and five of those characters appear more frequently, which probably makes them the vowels. And considering that consonants and vowels are based on the sounds we can produce, then… —

  I just listen to Axel continue explaining, surprised at how competent he can be when he puts in the effort. But I can’t fall behind!

  — I think I get it, bro. It’s great that you’re making such good progress in such a short time. —

  Axel just smiles proudly at that.

  We go downstairs to what would be the inn’s bar area.

  — Good morning, boys! — The woman greets us as soon as we step into the room.

  — Hello, good morning, ma’am. — I greet her.

  — Good morning! Thanks for the room—the desk and the lamp were really useful! — Axel says enthusiastically, not even seeming like he stayed up all night without blinking.

  — The desk..? — The woman asks, confused as to why he’s thanking her for that, but she soon ignores it and goes back to her tasks.

  We sit at one of the tables in the bar. The place was already open, even though it was still early. A few adventurers were around. Some glanced at us but quickly ignored us. I guess they’re slowly getting used to the presence of outsiders.

  — How about we go straight to the guild? — I ask Axel.

  — To sign up as adventurers? Yeah, I think that’d be a good idea… — Axel looked tired. His energy levels were definitely not stable.

  — Hahaha, alright, alright. —

  — Hey, ma’am! — I call out to the innkeeper.

  — What is it, boy? —

  — I’d like to know where the adventurers' guild is. —

  After the woman draws a small map leading to the guild, we head toward it.

  ???

  Once again, the road there was truly breathtaking: knights in heavy armor, people carrying enormous spears, gleaming swords, and even a few mages. It doesn’t take long before we arrive in front of the place.

  A massive structure, three stories tall, with an imposing fa?ade. Ornate details decorated the pillars supporting the building. In our world, that place would definitely be considered a historical landmark.

  I take the lead and step inside. Right at the entrance, I can see an information desk. To the right, there’s a spacious area where people probably gathered to form groups. To the left, a staircase leads to the upper floor, but since no one seemed to be up there, it was probably a restricted area.

  I head toward the information desk while Axel moves to the right area to "meet the people," as he put it.

  Surprisingly, no identification documents were required to sign up as an adventurer. Maybe they don’t even exist in this world, now that I think about it. I finish signing the paper, officially becoming an adventurer of Rank E. Even though I didn’t know how the ranking system worked in this world, based on games and anime, this was clearly the lowest level.

  — Where’s Axel? He should be here by now. — This thought runs through my mind, so I go find him in the other room.

  Before I can see exactly what’s going on, someone is thrown through the air, flying right past me, nearly hitting me.

  I stare in shock. That definitely proved this was a fantasy world. Brawls in bars and guilds weren’t surprising in these settings…

  I look at the person struggling to get up—it was Axel.

  I rush over to him.

  — Bro, are you okay?? What happened?? — I look at him worriedly. That fall was really bad.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  — T-this is nothing, Dante, don’t worry about it. — Axel tries to act tough, but he’s clearly in a lot of pain.

  I get really pissed off. Extremely pissed off. And I look in the direction Axel came from. From there, I see a group of adventurers. One of them was at least two meters tall, and five other strange-looking people were with him.

  I start walking toward them, stopping right in front of the big guy who was laughing the loudest. He was probably the leader responsible for all this.

  — Was it you who did that? —

  — Ohh, how cute. So you’re that little brat’s friend, huh? Sorry, kiddo, I guess I got a bit carried away, but your friend was provoking us a lot here. You know how it is, right? Let’s just leave it at that. — The huge man places his hand on my shoulder as he says this and starts pressing down. The pressure he puts on my shoulder is immense. I can barely stay on my feet under it.

  — What did he say that was so outrageous? — I manage to ask.

  — Ah, some nonsense about you guys just starting out and saying you’d be the strongest and blah blah blah. I couldn’t take so much crap and sent him flying before I could even stop myself. HAHAHAHA! — The man laughs, holding his belly as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

  — Ah, I see… so that’s what happened. Alright. —

  I draw my sword from my waist and press the blade against his neck.

  — He wasn’t lying. We *will* be the strongest. In this situation, with my blade so close to a vital point, do you have the guts to do the same to me? —

  — Oh, you lunatic! Don’t think you’re getting away with this! — The warrior looked apprehensive, his group seeming ready to rush at me, but he gestured with his hand for them to lower their blades.

  — Then I guess this is ove—

  — HEY, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU SEND ME FLYING AND NOW YOU WANT TO RUN AWAY WITH YOUR TAIL BETWEEN YOUR LEGS?! — Axel shouted. I couldn't tell if he had hit his head too hard or if the adrenaline was just kicking in now.

  — DANTE, GET OUT OF THE WAY NOW! I'M GOING TO FINISH THESE WORMS WITH A SINGLE ATTACK! — Axel said this to me while opening the tome he carried, stopping on a specific page he had been searching for.

  A magic attack? Could Axel really pull something like that off? I definitely didn’t want to be in the way to find out.

  — Look at me, Dante! This moment marks our first step as adventurers! What rank do you think we'll reach if we defeat people of a higher rank?! My curiosity burns for an answer! — Axel was frantic, no doubt the adrenaline had hit him late.

  The book's pages glowed, and he shouted:

  — ILUMIèRE!!!! —

  A flash of light enveloped him—that was magic! Axel, on the second day in this world, had cast his first spell. He was already ahead of me. I CAN'T FALL BEHIND!

  But… the flash of light quickly faded, the pages stopped glowing, and nothing happened beyond the brightness.

  A silence filled the area for several seconds. Everyone exchanged glances, trying to understand what had just happened.

  — Looks like it wasn’t an attack spell… — Axel, embarrassed, looked thoughtfully at the page in front of him.

  — HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA — A wave of laughter filled the place. Even people who had nothing to do with the situation and were just observing were laughing. I didn’t even know what to do, but I felt frustrated somehow.

  — HAHAHAHAHA, YOU REALLY SCARED ME FOR A SECOND, KID. — The large knight spoke hysterically, walking heavily with a crazed grin on his face.

  Axel took a few steps back, frightened by the situation he now found himself in. All his excitement had gone down the drain.

  — Hey, don’t ignore me! — I said, trying to get the big man's attention. But he simply ignored me and kept walking.

  — I said, don’t ignore me! — I tried to strike him with my sword, but he easily deflected it using the hilt of his weapon, then raised his blade above his head, preparing an attack that would probably kill me in a single slash.

  — Hahaha… the story of the two strongest adventurers ends today. — The man spoke with a crazed look in his eyes.

  What do I do? Run? No, I don’t think I’ll have time for that. Dodge? I didn’t even have time for that either. So I just closed my eyes, waiting for the sword to strike me.

  — What is all this? — A voice echoed through the area, and the crazed warrior before me froze mid-motion.

  I looked in the direction of the voice. A man who seemed to be around his 30s, with dark skin and a long ponytail made from his braided hair, stood there. He wore an extremely white suit of armor and carried two swords on his back.

  — S-Sir Kai… What an unexpected surprise to find you h-here. — One of the receptionists, with bubblegum-pink hair, who had just been watching the fight, spoke fearfully, stuttering through her words.

  — I was just passing by when I saw a flash of light, so I came in to see what was happening. —

  — A-ah, yes, yes, yes, the flash of light was caused by someone inside the guild—this young man here. — She pointed to Axel, who had been trying to hide behind a pillar the moment he saw the swordsman enter.

  — Did you know there's a severe penalty for using magic inside the city walls? Even more so inside an enclosed space.

  — Ah… I didn’t know that. I apologize, good sir… — Axel appeared surprisingly obedient.

  — And attacking others out of nowhere isn’t something that deserves punishment too?! — I spoke loudly toward the swordsman.

  He then noticed my presence, looking me up and down before responding.

  — Obviously, acts of violence and disorder are equally deserving of punishment. — The swordsman replied calmly, still gazing at me with a curious expression.

  — Then arrest this guy here— — I gave light taps on the armored chest of the warrior in front of me.

  The white swordsman looked at the warrior.

  — Should I understand that you were the one who attacked them? —

  — Y-yes, sir, but they— —

  — You were the one who attacked them..? — The white swordsman interrupted him.

  The once crazed warrior now looked like a scared rabbit. This swordsman was definitely not an ordinary person. It made my blood boil… Was this excitement? Excitement for what? A fight?

  — Yes, sir. I was the one who initiated the attack. — The warrior spoke reluctantly.

  — Alright, then. May I see your adventurer badge? — The swordsman asked, extending his hand.

  — Here… —

  When the swordsman took the badge and examined it, he spoke to the warrior:

  — Rank B, not bad at all. — After saying that, he crushed the warrior’s badge with just the grip of his hand.

  — As a high-ranked adventurer, you’ve done a lot for our people, so I won’t forbid you from being an adventurer. But to reconsider your actions, you will be required to start over from Rank E. — The swordsman said. The warrior didn’t even seem angry—his face showed more frustration, sadness.

  — And you… — He pointed at Axel.

  — You are completely banned from entering the Adventurers' Guild again. If you enter, anyone here will have the right to use force to remove you. — Upon hearing that, Axel was speechless. He had broken a rule, and we were still nobodies, so the punishment clearly wouldn’t be lenient for us. But even so, I couldn’t just let this slide.

  — I don’t agree with this! — I said toward the swordsman.

  Everyone fell silent again, but this time it was different. The atmosphere became so tense that I could almost hear people’s hearts pounding with nervousness. This swordsman was definitely strong.

  — You don’t agree with what exactly, boy? —

  — The punishment you gave Axel. That guy was demoted to the lowest rank, but you just BANNED AXEL. What kind of justice is that?! —

  People became even more frightened and backed away. Now practically everyone in the entire guild was pressed against the wall, trying to escape from a potential confrontation. I felt it too—his power was overwhelming, thunderous. My legs trembled, and my voice barely came out. I had no ability to measure power, but I could tell as clearly as day that this guy was strong. But for some reason, every fiber of my being was begging to fight him.

  The swordsman walked toward me, stopping right in front of me. Unlike the previous warrior, he showed no sign of anger or even mockery—just a calm expression.

  — What’s your name? — the swordsman asked.

  — My name is Dante. I’m a swordsman too. — I said, looking straight into his eyes.

  — If you’re dissatisfied with my decision, let’s settle it with a sword fight. You seem a bit more competent than that crybaby over there. — I said, pointing at the warrior with my last remark.

  The swordsman gave a slight smile, as if he were listening to a child talk about wanting to be an astronaut.

  — Not yet. You’re still too green. But I could give you some lessons if you’d like. — The swordsman smiled.

  — Hah! As if I needed your help! — I stomped toward the guild’s exit.

  — Axel, let’s go! —

  — Right! —