Chapter 32: Registration

Li Rui quite liked the "Monthly Mutation" trait, but he was less than fond of the 10% chance of body size increase that came with it.

According to "Jay’s Common Language Memories," there was a chance for mutant individuals to appear among spore goblins. These individuals were stronger in certain aspects than the average spore goblin, with some standing a full head taller than the rest of the pack.

Li Rui was currently one meter eighty centimeters tall. If he were to grow another head taller, he would likely exceed two meters.

However, when it came to height, bigger was not necessarily better.

Among the four members of Paul’s squad, aside from the barbarian who stood at one meter ninety, the others ranged between one meter seventy and one meter eighty.

If Li Rui were to continue adventuring with them and "Monthly Mutation" caused his height to skyrocket, he would likely become the largest target in the entire team.

But since he lacked powerful combat capabilities, this meant he would most likely become the party’s walking target... and that was a situation he had no desire to experience.

"Clack... clack..."

The sound of carriage wheels rolling over the gravel road acted like a tether, pulling Li Rui back to reality from his jumbled thoughts about height mutations.

With a slight jolt, the carriage came to a steady stop. This was the final destination mentioned by Guild Master Nova: the Adventurers’ Guild.

It was nearing noon, around ten-thirty. By now, the sunlight had completely shed the mild, hazy quality of early morning and was beginning to heat up.

Stepping into the spacious and bright hall, which was covered in ivy on the outside but stark white on the inside, the first thing Li Rui felt was an expansive silence.

As far as his eyes could see, apart from the bored receptionists at the far end of the hall, there was not a soul in sight.

Behind the counter of the "Kamil’s Alchemical Potions" shop on his right, it was empty. A dark curtain adorned with complex, mysterious patterns hung from the ceiling, completely obscuring the space behind the counter and blocking any prying eyes.

Li Rui guessed that the patterns on the curtain might be some sort of magical formation. If anyone dared to try and seize the alchemical potions by force, they might be wiped out on the spot by the formation.

The booth on the left for purchasing magic cores was also unattended. On the wooden table sat a book with a bookmark; judging by the illustration on the cover, it appeared to be a novel or travelogue for leisure.

Li Rui took a closer look at the pattern... Yes, he was certain: the protagonist of the novel was a mage.

Through that mage novel on the table, he caught a glimpse into the mind of the mage’s servant he had seen yesterday—the man clearly harbored a lingering obsession with the path of magic.

After surveying his surroundings, Li Rui walked toward Counter No. 1, which he had visited the day before.

Based on "Jay’s Common Language Memories," Li Rui knew well that the adventurers on leave in town were currently either catching up on sleep or tending to personal matters—after all, it was rare to find a moment of relaxation in a life lived on the edge of a blade.

Consequently, the Adventurers’ Guild was quiet and deserted throughout the morning.

The true period of activity was in the afternoon, when the information board was updated, the latest and most comprehensive quests were posted, and the tavern was filled with people—the perfect time to accept commissions and form parties.

Adventurers who had accepted quests would spend the night meticulously maintaining their weapons, packing supplies, studying maps, and getting a full night's sleep.

By the time the sky turned gray at the break of dawn, they would quietly slip out of town—both to avoid the heat and to set off on their journey before dangerous creatures became active.

Thus, at this hour, the idle receptionist, Miss Sura, was, like her colleagues, happily slacking off with her head bowed behind the counter.

Upon hearing footsteps, the receptionists hurriedly hid what they were holding, and in a split second, their expressions shifted, replaced by professional smiles as they looked toward the approaching Li Rui.

"Miss Sura." Li Rui waved toward Counter No. 1.

Realizing he wasn't there for them, the receptionists at the other counters curled their lips in disappointment before returning to their slacking.

"Are you... Hello, how can I help you?"

Miss Sura looked at the young man before her and immediately recalled that he had come to her counter yesterday afternoon with the "Earth Claw" squad.

However, since Li Rui’s only interaction with her at the time had been exchanging goblin left ears for gold coins, she did not yet know his name.

For creatures like goblins, which had an open bounty, the guild did not restrict the conditions for claiming rewards. They did not ask for names or species; even if other monsters brought in goblin left ears, the guild would still exchange them for gold coins.

As long as they had the capability to walk through the guild doors and weren't afraid of being hacked into mincemeat the moment they stepped back out, it was no concern of theirs.

"Miss Sura, my name is Li Rui..." He had barely started when he noticed Miss Sura’s eyes light up, and she asked, "What is it?"

"So you are Mr. Li Rui," Miss Sura said, rummaging behind the counter. She pulled out a key and pushed it through the window beneath the glass counter. "Guild Master Nova told us that if you arrived, we should give you this key and have you wait for her on the second floor."

As she spoke, she pointed toward Li Rui’s right.

Li Rui turned to look; there was a wooden door there, the same one she had emerged from when he first saw her yesterday.

It seemed the upstairs was Guild Master Nova’s private domain, and even for those who had gained her approval, one could not go up without a key.

"Alright, thank you," Li Rui said, taking the key, and then continued, "I came here today because I actually wanted to register as an adventurer."

"Register as an adventurer?" Miss Sura looked puzzled. "But you came here with Paul and the others yesterday; how are you not registered yet?"

"Well, at the time, we were actually just traveling together," Li Rui added, mentioning Paul’s squad. "By the way, I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention to others that I am only just now registering."

Having already had a "welcome banquet" at the {Goblin Left Ear} and having been tossed onto a bed by the local guild master for an entire night, it was a bit embarrassing to admit that he hadn't actually registered as an adventurer yet.

Hearing this, Miss Sura’s expression became serious. "Please rest assured. Protecting the privacy of an adventurer’s information and itinerary is our professional code. Every one of our receptionists has sworn an oath to the gods, and the messengers of the gods watch over our every word and deed at all times."

"Uh, thank you."

Li Rui hadn't expected such a serious reaction, so he quickly proceeded to the registration process.

The registration was simple and efficient. Li Rui filled in his basic information on a slightly yellowed form, such as his name, gender, eye color, and height.

Then, Miss Sura reached for a crystal ball tied with a silver thread from a rack beside her that was hung with items like a Christmas tree, and she extended it through the window below the glass.

"We now need to test your attribute values. Please hold this crystal ball, and you may let go once it begins to glow."

"Oh, right."

Li Rui spread his palm under her right hand, which was holding the crystal ball, but after waiting for a second and seeing she hadn't let go, he couldn't help but look up at her with a strange expression.