“Aren't you busy?”
“I'm not.”
She spoke with absolute certainty.
Alice chimed in at the right moment, her tone gentle. “My Lady truly has no plans for the next few days. Mr. Matthew is a newcomer, so it's always good to have someone accompany him. And...”
She paused, giving Elune a meaningful look. “It’s a perfect opportunity for My Lady to continue teaching him Elvish.”
“Then I'll trouble you,” Jiang Lin nodded.
The two walked out of the main house, following the manor's stone path toward the exit.
The manor was exceptionally peaceful in the morning light. The moonlight roses in the garden shimmered with a faint silver halo under the sun. Several elven gardeners were meticulously pruning branches; upon seeing Elune, they stopped their work and bowed respectfully.
“Good morning, My Lady.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
Elune nodded to each of them in response, her pace never slowing.
Leaving the manor, they walked along the wide dirt road toward Silverleaf Town. The vineyards lining the road glowed with a warm luster in the morning sun, deep purple grapes hanging heavy from the trellises. Occasionally, early-rising elven farmers could be seen working in the fields.
“What kind of quest do you plan to take today?” Elune asked.
“I'll see what's available first,” Jiang Lin replied.
“With my current rank, I should be able to take some medium-to-high difficulty quests. But exactly what I can take depends on the guild's rules.”
Elune was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Actually... if you need money, I can lend some to you.”
Jiang Lin glanced at her.
The tips of Elune's ears began to turn red again, but she gathered her courage and continued. “I know you want to go back, and you need a lot of money. I can't provide five hundred thousand gold coins, but I have a few tens of thousand. You can take them for now and repay me later... when you have enough.”
“No need, I can earn it myself,” Jiang Lin replied.
Elune went silent for a moment and gave a slight nod, saying no more.
She had already guessed that would be his answer.
They continued forward.
The Adventurer's Guild in Silverleaf Town was even more bustling than Jiang Lin had imagined.
Despite it being early morning, the guild hall was already filled with elves.
Some gathered in small groups to discuss quests, some sat alone in corners polishing their weapons, and others stood before the quest board, carefully studying every commission.
The moment Jiang Lin pushed open the door and entered, the noise in the hall died down noticeably.
Dozens of pairs of eyes fell on him simultaneously.
To be precise, they landed on his ears, which were clearly not elven.
A human appearing in the Adventurer's Guild of the Silver Moon Kingdom was an absolute rarity in Silverleaf Town.
Jiang Lin remained unfazed and walked straight to the counter.
Behind the counter sat a male elf wearing a monocle. He had graying hair and a serious expression. He was looking down, writing something, but as he sensed someone approaching, he looked up. Seeing Jiang Lin, his brow furrowed slightly.
“A human?”
“Yes,” Jiang Lin replied in Elvish.
The old elf's frown deepened.
He looked Jiang Lin up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on his high-quality elven clothing before shifting to the equally exquisitely dressed silver-haired elven girl behind him.
“Lady Elune?”
His tone changed significantly, carrying a hint of respect and surprise.
“This is my friend,” Elune stepped forward, her tone calm.
The old elf looked at her, then back at Jiang Lin. The wrinkles on his face smoothed slightly, replaced by a professional smile.
“Since he is My Lady's friend... how may I help you?”
“I want to register as an adventurer,” Jiang Lin said, getting straight to the point.
The old elf was silent for a moment before pulling a form from under the counter and pushing it toward Jiang Lin.
“Registration fee is five silver coins. The rank test is one gold coin.”
Jiang Lin pulled a few elven coins from his pocket.
These were lent to him by Elune.
Although he said he didn't need to borrow money, it was true that he couldn't do anything while penniless.
The old elf collected the coins and pushed the form closer.
“Fill in your basic information. Name, age, race, and rank. The rank can only be filled in after the guild's test, but please fill in the rest truthfully.”
Jiang Lin picked up the quill and began to write.
Name: Matthew.
Age: 16.
Race: Human.
Rank: 4th-rank early stage.
“The test is in the training grounds at the back.”
The old elf stood up and led Jiang Lin and Elune through the hall and into a side door.
Behind the door was a spacious indoor training ground. The floor was covered with thick mats, various weapons hung on the walls, and several magic targets for testing stood in the corners.
A burly male elf was by the side of the field, wiping a greatsword. He wore light leather armor that revealed his muscular arms. His dark brown short hair was messy and unkempt, and an old scar ran diagonally from his temple to his jaw.
Seeing the old elf leading people in, he put down his sword and stood up.
“A newcomer?”
“Yes. A human.”
The burly elf raised an eyebrow, his gaze landing on Jiang Lin.
“A human registering as an adventurer? That's rare.”
He walked to the center of the field and stretched his limbs, his joints letting out a series of crisp pops.
“The rules are simple. I will adjust my strength based on the rank you reported and spar with you. If you last for the duration of one incense stick, you pass. If you can defeat me, your rank rating will be higher.”
He grinned, revealing two rows of neat white teeth.
“I am the guild's permanent test officer, a 4th-rank peak warrior. What rank did you report?”
“4th-rank early stage,” Jiang Lin answered.
The burly elf's smile stiffened slightly.
He looked Jiang Lin up and down, a flash of disbelief in his eyes. “4th-rank early stage? How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
The training ground went silent for a moment.
The old elf adjusted his monocle and re-evaluated Jiang Lin. The burly elf frowned, seemingly trying to determine if Jiang Lin was joking.
“A sixteen-year-old at the 4th-rank early stage...” he muttered, then shook his head.
“Fine, we'll go by the standards of a 4th-rank early stage then.”
He walked to the weapon rack and took down a blunt training greatsword, weighing it in his hand. “Do you need a weapon?”
“No.”
Jiang Lin stood where he was, his hands hanging naturally at his sides.
The burly elf's frown deepened even further. “Kid, I won't go easy on you just because you're human.”
“I know,” Jiang Lin's tone was calm.
The burly elf stared at him for a few breaths before finally huffing and taking an opening stance.
“Fine. Let's begin.”
The old elf lit a stick of incense and placed it in a burner at the edge of the field. “Start!”
The burly elf moved. He stepped forward, his greatsword sweeping horizontally with a fierce momentum that whipped up a whistling wind. He used fifty percent of his strength in this strike, controlling his speed to the level of a 4th-rank early stage.
Jiang Lin stood still, not moving an inch.
The moment the greatsword was about to touch his body, he shifted to the side. The blade grazed past his clothes, stirring a few strands of his golden hair.
The burly elf narrowed his eyes slightly. His stance shifted as the horizontal sweep turned into a diagonal slash, his speed increasing slightly.
Jiang Lin shifted again, still without moving his feet. He simply leaned his upper body back, letting the tip of the sword pass just an inch from his nose.
The burly elf's brow furrowed. Having two consecutive strikes dodged so effortlessly, he finally realized that the human youth before him was no ordinary character.
He took a deep breath and stopped holding back. The greatsword turned into a silver storm, sweeping toward Jiang Lin from all directions. The sword light was like a tide, and the sword shadows were like mountains. Every strike was precise and ruthless, sealing off all avenues of escape.
But Jiang Lin still didn't move his feet.
His figure swayed amidst the sword light like a willow branch in a gale, narrowly avoiding the blade's edge every single time. On the rare occasion he couldn't fully dodge, he would raise his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together to lightly tap the side of the blade, parrying the strike away.
The movement was effortless, as if he weren't fighting a 4th-rank peak warrior, but rather instructing a beginner on their sword forms.
At the edge of the training ground, Elune's pale purple eyes widened slightly.
She could see every one of Jiang Lin's movements.
They weren't fast—one could even say they were slow. But it was this very "slowness" that always managed to appear perfectly in the right place just a split second before the blade touched him.
This was a battle instinct honed through a thousand trials, an absolute mastery over the trajectory of a sword.
The old elf adjusted his monocle, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. He had seen countless adventurer tests, but those who were as composed as this human youth could be counted on one hand.
The incense in the burner was already half-burned.
The burly elf's breathing began to grow heavy. He had already released his strength to the level of a 4th-rank peak, and both his sword speed and power were far greater than when he started.
Yet, no matter how he changed his moves or increased his speed, the human youth remained like a light feather drifting in the wind of his sword, always just out of reach.
“Kid, is all you can do hide?!”
He let out a low roar, and his sword stance suddenly changed. He no longer pursued speed or variation, but instead concentrated all his power into a single strike. He raised the greatsword high above his head, and a faint golden light shimmered on the blade.
It was a combat technique unique to the elves—Moonlight Slash.
The sword light fell like a crescent moon, carrying an unstoppable momentum as it slashed straight toward Jiang Lin.
This strike sealed off all escape routes. He either had to take it head-on or step out of the field and admit defeat.
And so, Jiang Lin took a step forward, pressing his index and middle fingers together as a point of extremely faint, deep blue light condensed at his fingertips.
Then, he raised his hand and lightly tapped the side of the falling, moon-like sword light.
Clang!
The deafening sound of metal clashing echoed through the training ground.
The burly elf felt an indescribable, massive force travel through the blade, numbing his hands. The greatsword flew out of his grip, spinning several times in the air before stabbing into the floor at the edge of the field with a loud thud.
As for the man himself, he stumbled back, retreating seven or eight steps before barely managing to steady himself. The skin between his thumb and index finger had split open, and blood dripped from his hand.
The entire hall fell into a dead silence.
The burly elf looked down at his trembling right hand, then up at the golden-haired youth who still stood in place without even a wrinkle in his clothes. A gurgling sound came from his throat, but he couldn't say a single word.
The old elf adjusted his monocle, his fingertips trembling slightly.
A third of the incense stick still remained.
“You...” The burly elf's voice was as dry as sandpaper. “Who exactly are you?”
“Just an ordinary human swordsman,” Jiang Lin replied calmly.
The burly elf opened his mouth, but in the end, he only gave a bitter laugh. He walked to the weapon rack, pulled out his greatsword, and sheathed it.
“I lost. I admit defeat wholeheartedly.”
He walked over to Jiang Lin and solemnly performed an elven warrior's salute.
“I am Gal, the permanent test officer of the Silverleaf Town Adventurer's Guild. Your strength far exceeds the 4th-rank early stage. According to guild regulations, you can be rated as 4th-rank peak, or even higher.”
Jiang Lin nodded slightly. “Then let's go with 4th-rank peak.”
Gal was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. I'll register you right away.”
He turned to the old elf and whispered a few words. The old elf nodded and quickly walked out of the training ground.
Gal turned back to look at Jiang Lin, his expression complex. “That move just now... what kind of sword technique was it?”
“It wasn't a technique, it was sword intent,” Jiang Lin replied.
Gal's pupils constricted slightly.
Sword intent was a realm that could only be touched after one's swordsmanship reached an extremely high level.
In the entire Silver Moon Kingdom, the number of swordsmen who had mastered sword intent could be counted on one hand.
And this sixteen-year-old human youth had already mastered it?
A moment later, the old elf returned, holding a silver badge and a piece of parchment.
“This is your adventurer badge, 4th-rank peak. With this, you can accept quests at any Adventurer's Guild in Alderon. Quest rewards will be recorded directly onto the badge and can be exchanged for gold coins or supplies at any guild.”
Jiang Lin took the badge and the parchment. The badge was shield-shaped, with two crossed longswords engraved on the front and a lush ancient tree on the back. It was the symbol of the Alderon Adventurer's Guild.
“The quest board is on the left side of the hall. White are low-level quests, green are mid-level, blue are high-level, and purple are elite quests. With your 4th-rank peak rating, you can accept all quests at the blue level and below. Purple elite quests require the approval of the guild master.”
Jiang Lin nodded and pinned the badge to his chest. “Thank you.”
He turned and walked out of the training ground, with Elune following behind him.
“You were... amazing just now,” she said softly, her pale purple eyes sparkling with an indescribable light.
“I couldn't even see how you dodged those strikes. And that final finger strike was...”
She didn't finish her sentence, only looking at Jiang Lin with a complex gaze.
“Do you want to learn?” Jiang Lin suddenly asked.
Elune was stunned.
“I can teach you,” Jiang Lin's tone remained calm.
Elune's eyes suddenly lit up, but they quickly dimmed again. “But I'm an elf and you're human. I might not be able to learn your sword techniques...”
“Swordsmanship knows no race,” Jiang Lin interrupted her, his golden eyes looking at her calmly. “As long as you're willing to learn, I can teach you.”
Elune was silent for a moment before nodding vigorously. “I'll learn.”
Her voice was soft, yet firm.
The two walked back into the guild hall.
The elves in the hall saw the silver badge on Jiang Lin's chest and all showed expressions of surprise. A human had obtained a 4th-rank peak rating on his first visit to the guild?
Jiang Lin ignored those gazes and walked straight to the quest board.
White low-level quests were the most numerous, mostly involving gathering herbs, escorting caravans, or clearing low-level monsters. The rewards ranged from a few silver coins to several dozen silver coins.
Green mid-level quests were fewer and more difficult, with rewards ranging from a few gold coins to several dozen gold coins.
There were only a few blue high-level quests.
Jiang Lin scanned them; they included clearing out ogre tribes, escorting important supplies through dangerous areas, and investigating missing caravans, with rewards ranging from one hundred to five hundred gold coins.
His gaze finally landed on the only purple elite quest commission.
...
Rate on N.U.
