Chapter 5 : Congratulations, Mr. Raven
Chapter 5: Congratulations, Mr. Raven
Nia casually placed the item onto a cluttered table and raised her hand to rub her dust-stained face. Her originally delicate makeup instantly turned into that of a little smudged kitten.
“What is this?”
Lance stepped forward and asked curiously.
In the Adventurers’ Guild, there were usually several fixed ways for newcomers to register.
The most common was being recommended and guaranteed by a high-ranking Adventurer, or directly seeking a qualified instructor for testing and obtaining certification.
Lance didn’t know any high-ranking Adventurers, so he could only choose the latter.
Originally, he had explained his requirements to Nia—low profile, low profile, and still low profile.
His intention was for her to introduce a trustworthy instructor with a tight mouth.
After all, he had heard quite a few dark stories—newcomers who got lucky in a dungeon and obtained rare materials, only to have their information sold by the very instructor who tested them, ending up killed for their loot.
For low-level Adventurers, finding someone reliable was crucial.
Many front desk staff in the Guild had their own channels, and Nia was no exception.
But he never expected that after hearing his request, Nia would dig out such an antique.
“This is Areteia’s Ember.”
Nia clapped the dust off her hands and said casually.
Hearing the name, Lance froze.
Of course he had heard it before.
But it shouldn’t have been the name of an item—it was a well-known fairy tale in this world.
Legend had it that long, long ago, the world had suddenly fallen into eternal darkness.
Desperate people, like frightened beasts, hid in cold caves, trembling.
Until a young boy stepped forward.
He packed his belongings and said to those whose eyes had lost their light:
“The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. As long as I keep walking west to find the lost sun, I can bring hope back.”
However, when he truly entered that boundless wasteland, he soon lost his way in the darkness.
At that moment, the goddess Areteia descended.
She handed the boy a lantern that did not emit light.
“Take it. It will guide you through this darkness to find tomorrow.”
The boy gripped the lantern tightly, looking at the lifeless wick in confusion. “But it has no light. I can’t see the path ahead.”
Areteia merely smiled at him.
“This flame does not burn wood—it burns courage.”
“It is not because you see the light that you have direction. It is when you take a step forward that the light appears.”
The boy half understood.
But he still gathered his courage and took his first step into the unknown darkness.
A miracle happened.
The stone within the lantern indeed lit up with a faint red glow, just enough to illuminate the small patch beneath his feet.
As his steps grew firmer, the light became increasingly intense.
When he finally stopped hesitating and ran boldly through the darkness, the ember in his hand transformed into a blazing fire that tore apart the long night.
That became the first dawn of this world.
And that boy became the first Hero.
The fairy tale ended with these words:
【So, children, do not fear the unseen future】
【As long as you dare to move forward, the light is in your hands】
“So… the fairy tale is actually real?”
Lance stared at the dusty base on the table, his eyes filled with shock.
Just as he was immersed in this epic sense of romance—
Nia glanced at him strangely and mercilessly poured cold water on him.
“What are you thinking?”
“Of course the fairy tale is fake.”
She explained:
“This is a standard-issue item distributed by the headquarters whenever a regional Adventurers’ Guild branch is established. It’s specifically used to test whether newcomers qualify for registration.”
“Its function is actually very simple—it can sense the user’s strength.”
“As long as you possess a combat skill at the Proficient level, it will be enough to trigger the faintest red glow.”
Sense strength? What kind of magical black technology was this?
Lance muttered inwardly.
Nia pointed at the base.
“Just like in the fairy tale—when you make up your mind, this light symbolizes that you have the courage to take the first step.”
“Then why—”
Lance had been about to ask: if such a convenient and objective tool existed, why did the Guild still go through the trouble of conducting manual tests?
But halfway through his sentence, the answer flashed through his mind like lightning.
Because of instructors.
“Looks like you’ve already figured it out.”
Nia shrugged helplessly.
“Since the establishment of the Adventurers’ Guild, in order to provide for veteran Adventurers who had made contributions but had to retire due to injury or illness—”
“the Guild created the instructor certification system, letting them handle newcomer evaluations and recommendations, ensuring their livelihood in later years.”
“This has already formed a fixed chain of interests.”
“So later on, even though Areteia’s Ember is still distributed as usual, it’s basically left in storage to gather dust.”
At this point, Nia blinked at Lance.
“When I heard your request earlier, I remembered this thing. It perfectly avoids involving anyone and fits your preference for staying low-key.”
“Come on, give it a try.”
Nia pushed the base toward Lance, then leaned on the table like a small cat stalking prey, her hands gripping the edge while her chin rested on the back of her hands, staring intently at the stone.
Lance took a deep breath and extended his right hand, gently placing his palm over the translucent mineral.
The sensation was not the coldness typical of stone—it instead carried a warm, gentle heat.
In the next moment—
Nia’s cherry-like lips parted slightly as she watched in astonishment.
Inside the previously dull stone, strands of orange-red light suddenly ignited.
The glow wasn’t dazzling, but it carried a vibrant vitality, like embers reignited by a cold wind.
“It lit up…”
Nia looked at the steady glow.
“You really met the standard.”
Though Lance had been confident earlier, seeing it with her own eyes still felt unbelievable.
After the brief shock, a bright smile bloomed across her face, genuinely happy for him.
“Looks like I’ll have to call you Mr. Adventurer from now on.”
She quickly put the item back deep into the cabinet, then took out an Adventurer registration form from her shoulder bag and began filling it out swiftly.
In the “Test Method” field, she carefully wrote 【Areteia’s Ember】.
“What should we put in the Adventurer title field? Still Lance?”
Nia looked up, her quill hovering above the parchment, her expression serious as she reminded him:
“Although the Guild requires your real name internally, for public display, I suggest you choose a codename.”
Lance nodded in full agreement.
He understood this principle all too well.
A disguise was necessary—and it had to be airtight.
Thinking of his talents, all derived from Norse mythology—
“Raven,” he said.
In Norse mythology, ravens were not only the eyes and ears of Odin but also symbols of messengers.
And the original owner had written letters for Adventurers, while he himself, as a Scribe, had delivered death notices.
There was no more fitting codename.
“Raven?”
Nia tilted her head as she repeated it, then smiled.
“It does suit your low-key personality.”
She neatly wrote the name into the “Title” field.
“Ta-da!”
Holding the form by its two corners, Nia lifted it in front of Lance like a certificate, her smile radiant.
“Congratulations, Mr. Raven. From now on, you are officially a true—”
“Grrrr—gurgle—”
A sudden, loud rumbling sound echoed through the quiet warehouse, abruptly interrupting her congratulatory speech.
Nia’s smile froze instantly.
It was her stomach protesting.