Side Story - Adam 3: That Time I Knocked Out the [Guildmaster] and Almost Became an S-Rank Adventurer Completely by Accident (Definitely Not a Lie)

AN: This is peak title.

Adam shifted his gaze back and forth between the targets he was supposed to hit and his teacher. What spell should he use? How strong should he make it? Was he even supposed to use magic, or did they want to make him think that and he was actually supposed to pick out one of the weapons that lined the walls and use that?

"Just throw some lightning at it," Natio said. "Those don't burn or explode. Usually."

"Yeah," the [Guildmaster] echoed. "Just hit 'em with the best spell you got."

Adam gave a hesitant nod and widened his stance slightly. Just like he had done countless times before under Natio's strict supervision, he drew the mana that flowed through his body into his right arm, all the while whispering each step to himself. He breathed in, held the air in his lungs for just a moment, then thrust his hand forward and breathed out.

A bolt of lightning, blue at first but quickly turning red, raced through the air to leave a lingering burning smell in Adam's nose. It was quickly followed by a thunderclap, and a loud crash. It seemed that the target he had picked had decided it didn't want to remain in its current form, spreading itself in tiny pieces across the entirety of the room.

"Maybe everything you got was a bit much," Natio said as he picked a few splinters of wood out of his hair. "You also have to make sure the debris does not hit the person that is supposed to grade you."

Adam blinked at the words before he whipped around and saw the dwarf sprawled across the floor. "How?" he asked, trying to figure out which part of his demonstration could have done this.

"A piece of metal charged with your lightning to the head," Qhinya said as she squatted down next to the dwarf. She poked his face, eliciting a groan from the man. "Should've listened to me, old man."

"The ones at home never did this," Adam said as he looked at Natio. "Did I just… lose control, or are these targets weaker?"

Natio shook his head. "Not weaker, but different. The ones we have at the House of Healing are made to withstand magic. They were also made by Mister Penbrooks, as far as I know, and he knows what he is doing."

The Dwarven man on the ground let out another groan as he sat himself up straight. "Did not expect that."

"I told you," Qhinya said. "Adam can do a lot more than you would assume by just looking at him."

He rubbed his temple where Qhinya had poked him. "I noticed."

Adam, for his part, simply stood there and rubbed the back of his neck. He had not wanted to come here in the first place, and now he had to fear being charged with assault or whatever the equivalent was in this world.

Should I apologise? After a brief moment of deliberation he decided that, yes, he should. "I'm sorry?" he more asked than said as he offered the Dwarf a hand.

"No need to be sorry, lass," the [Guildmaster] said, taking the Human's hand and pulling himself up. "I should've prepared myself better." Once he had stood up fully, he patted himself down. "Now," he continued, "if you have other spells, feel free to show them."

"Shouldn't you replace the targets first, Andre?" Qhinya asked as she leaned herself on a weapon that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "He can't shoot at already busted dummies."

"Right," the man replied. He clapped his hands once, causing the broken targets to vanish and fresh ones to appear. "Those should be more suited for you. Unless you are also a skilled swordsman?

"A shame," Andre added after Adam shook his head, "but it doesn't really matter. That lightning is deadly even at close range."

Adam did not really know what he should say on the matter, so he simply shifted his gaze towards the new targets and prepared himself to use more of his magic.

Lightning was good and all, but Natio had made it clear that he should not specialise too deeply in any one element. Knowing many elements would help him not only to be more versatile, but apparently it also helped with understanding the element he was best with.

"Whenever you're ready," Andre said, motioning towards the targets.

Adam nodded without turning around and drew on the mana that flowed through his body once more. This time he drew on more than before, making up for his lack of skill with raw power. Natio would undoubtedly scold him for it, but he wanted to leave an impression. And prove Qhinya right.

He probably did not have to put in quite so much effort, but Adam liked the idea of stumping the [Guildmaster] just a little more. Showing proficiency was probably nothing extraordinary here, like it always seemed to be in the books he had read, but he hoped that it would still be something of note.

The mana he had gathered flowed into both of his arms this time, gathering in his palms before a small flame took shape in both. He did not simply throw them. Instead, he used more of his mana — accompanied by some rapid finger movements — to grow the two fires until they coated his hands. When they were fully engulfed, once his hands were nothing but flickering flames, Adam clapped them together to send an arc of very red fire racing towards the targets.

His hand movements might seem stupid to some, but they helped him remember how to guide his mana for maximum effect. The only thing that bothered him about any magic that was not lightning was that it appeared to him as if it took ages to form even when it only took him a breath or two to finish the cast.

Once the flame hit the dummy Adam had aimed at it flared up, and the target simply ceased to be. Only a few bits of what he assumed to be straw lingered in the air, catching the light as they began to fall. He turned to face Andre. "Are you sure they were the right ones?"

The Dwarf gave a slow nod at the words. "I am," he said. "Those are usually used by B-Ranks. They break them too, of course, but not quite like this." Andre scratched the side of his neck. "I'll have you gather some first hand experience fighting monsters before I give you a rank, but I doubt you'll start anywhere under C. You obviously have the power but you lack control, and I am not quite sure if you can cast the spells fast enough."

"He can," Natio said, not waiting for Adam to answer himself. "But when he does, he usually blows up more than he wants to."

"Ah, did he suddenly gain more mana from a title or something?"

"I didn't have any before," Adam replied, his voice a lot quieter than intended. "Then I had a lot more than I knew what to do with."

"He suffered from Etherical Rejection," Qhinya said. "After I gave him one of those training crystals for apprentice mages, he, uh… unlocked his potential."

The Dwarf gave a full bellied laugh at both Qhinya's and Adam's expression, as neither of them seemed particularly happy about what had happened. "You should know better than to leave someone with that much potential alone, Qhinya. I bet it hurt."

"It did," was all that Adam had to say on the matter. He was in no particular rush to relive that memory anytime soon. The pain, the helplessness; all things he never wanted to feel again.

"I see," Andre replied, his voice a lot more somber than before. After a moment, the man still mustered a smile. "Well, I think it's time for you to kill some monsters. The first few floors of the dungeon should work just fine." He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "Ever since the core was destroyed and the dungeon got two [Dungeon Masters], it has turned into quite the place to train. Almost like it was made for that exact purpose."

"That's because it was," Natio replied, his voice devoid of any emotion or even inflection. "Their original purpose was to make mortals stronger."

Qhinya bent backwards and mimicked a scream before she grabbed her face and gave a fake sob. "Who knows this stupid janitor’s name?!" she half asked, half yelled. "Why does he know all these things?"

Adam was about to answer the Dragonkin's question, not thinking much of it, but a sharp glare from the man in question made him think better of it. If Natio wanted his name to remain a secret, he would oblige. Wouldn't know why though… One of the first things he had asked both Laelia and Caethya was if something like a True Name existed and could be used against someone. Both women had laughed at the concept and told him that no, names were not able to exert any power over someone beyond that which you allowed it.

"We all have our secrets," the [Guildmaster] said, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "If you are so keen on finding out his, why don't you start by telling us your family history?"

Qhinya opened and closed her mouth a few times before she folded her arms in front of her chest and simply mumbled something Adam did not catch. "Fine," she said eventually. "We'll just go kill some slimes or something."

"Goblins," Andre corrected as he produced a piece of paper and offered it to Adam. "This will get you and your teacher into the dungeon and inform the guild staff that Qhinya will be your guardian. She is cleared for that duty up to floor fifty, which should be more than enough."

Adam took the piece of paper, turning it to see if there was anything special about it. As he could find nothing, he simply shrugged and put it in his pocket. He wanted to ask if they were sure he could actually fight, but the fact that Natio was already wearing armour and Qhinya's had just appeared on her told Adam that the decision had already been made for him.

"Come on," Natio said and started walking out of the room. "We don't have all day."

"Still have cleaning to do?" Qhinya asked as she fell into step behind Adam's teacher.

"Yes."

Adam stifled a laugh at Natio's deadpan reply and started following the two of them as they had already passed through the door. He gave the [Guildmaster] a hasty goodbye as he started jogging after his teacher and apparent guardian, not quite sure why neither of them had said anything to the Dwarf.

Andre just gave another of his full-bellied laughs and yelled a "Goodbye" after Adam, but did not say much more. Nothing the now apprentice Adventurer could understand, at least.

"Where is this dungeon, anyway?" Adam asked as soon as he had caught up with Qhinya and Adam. "I doubt you could hide something like that on one of the islands."

"It's not hidden," Qhinya replied. "And it's also the main reason Ebenlowe was built in the first place. We have to go to another island, but that isn't too hard. Especially not with the pass Andre gave you."

"Do you have a faster way to get there than walking over countless bridges?" Adam asked. "I really did not like the last excursion and the endless amount of rather shaky-looking crossings it had."

"We’ll be going by boat," Qhinya said, taking a turn down a hallway instead of leaving the guild the way they came.

Adam followed, trying to make himself as small as possible as they passed by various groups of Adventurers that all looked to be a lot more prepared for fighting monsters then he was. All of them had armour of one form or another and, more importantly, weapons. During his training with Natio, they had quickly realised that most magical foci broke when Adam used them as he was not skilled enough to control the mana flowing through them.

Natio had told him that he should not feel too bad about it, and that casting without one was technically better anyway as you could do it anywhere you pleased. Adam simply felt… inadequate, a feeling that was in direct conflict with the sense of belonging he felt in this world. Emotions are never easy, are they?

With a small shake of his head and a slighter straighter than usual gait, Adam followed Natio and Qhinya through yet another door and towards a new chapter of his life.