After a bit of waiting, Rion was called over, where they snapped a picture of him. About fifteen minutes later, the guild receptionist handed him a small card.
"Here's your Adventurer I.D. If you lose it, it's not the end of the world since we'll still have you in our database. But I'd recommend keeping it safe—if you ever take a job outside the guild, your employer may ask to see it."
Rion looked at his new I.D. proudly. His picture sat on the left, capturing his beaming smile. To the right, his name was printed: Rion Leighn. Below that, in a bold font, was his starting rank: "Rank 5."
"Thank you!" he said, his excitement shining through.
"Anytime," the receptionist replied with a smile.
With that, Rion made his way toward the exit. He still had something he wanted to do before taking on any official quests. As he walked, he kept staring at his I.D., admiring it—until he bumped into someone.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
The two collided and instinctively muttered the same thing:
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention!"
Realizing they had spoken in unison, they glanced at what the other was holding. In Rion's hand was, of course, his I.D. Meanwhile, the girl clutched a worn but fancy book with a gray and gold cover.
Since both were equally at fault, they simply shared a laugh.
---
"Sorry again," the girl said.
She wore a white button-up shirt, draped with a dark blue shawl streaked with white accents. A matching blue skirt and long gloves completed her look, along with a small hat perched atop her long, snow-white hair. One thing stood out to Rion, though—the silverstaff resting on her hip. Rion didn't know much but, It looked like a mage's weapon rather than an ordinary staff.
"I found this book on my last quest. It's rare, so I couldn't help but ogle it the entire way here," she admitted with a sheepish smile.
Rion chuckled. "Don't worry, I couldn't stop staring at my Adventurer I.D. either."
The girl glanced at it. "Did you get reevaluated, or is this your first adventurer card?"
Rion hesitated before responding, "First time!" (Or at least it should be. If his past self had registered one before, surely he'd already be in the database.)
"That's amazing!" she exclaimed. "Good luck! I'll be rooting for you, Mr. Leighn."
Rion blinked, surprised. Then he realized—she had already read his I.D. even though it was upside-downforher. Maybe it was a skill all mages had? Or maybe she was just weird? He wasn't sure.
"Thank you very much?" Rion replied, still caught off guard.
"Well then…" The girl smiled and gave a small bow before stepping past him toward the front desk.
"Welcome back, Ms. Lienna!" the receptionist greeted her warmly.
The girl—Lienna—let out a sigh. "I keep telling you, just call me 'Lie.'"
Rion watched their exchange for a moment before shaking his head and stepping out the front door. He had one goal before accepting his first quest… Revenge on the slimes.
(And thus Rion's adventure continues…)