The Blue haired elf smiled looking at the surprised face the boy was making.
''It's a little late but I'm Noel, the head receptionist of the guild as well as a teacher for mana theory and control for those who opt for studying as well''. Noel said to Augustus.
Augustus knew the guild provided all kinds of courses from swordsmanship to lectures like any other academy but the main difference between the guild and the academy was the level of freedom and real-world experience it provided.
Augustus was pretty much embarrassed knowing the beautiful woman in front of him would be the first one he'd fight in his life.
''I'm Augustus'' He said reciprocating her greeting.
''I know you filled that out on the form''.
Once again embarrassing himself he just smiled awkwardly before turning serious and gathering his mana while thinking of how to proceed in the fight.
Noel was playing with the icicle in her hand while still giving a teasing smile to Augustus as if telling him to attack her.
Making a grabbing motion with his hand he tried to choke her before sending a telekinetic beam covered in a purple hue at her head.
''Oh this is quite interesting'' Noel said before sending out her overwhelming mana to disable the restrictive force which was holding her neck. She was quite astonished to see something like this.
Looking at the purple beam coming towards her at a fast speed she put up a water wall which successfully blocked the beam but feeling the amount of mana that it chirped away she was genuinely surprised. Never did she think in a million years that a 1 circle mage could do this kind of thing.
Mages at first circle are not considered real mages as their attacks are mere parlour tricks in the eyes of everyone.
Noel looking at this attack, shook her head. "You can't hurt me with this attack"
Augustus knew from the start he was outmatched. The opponent was ridiculously strong, he didn't have many tricks in his arsenal that could even hurt her a little.
Augustus let most of his mana out and created almost 40 arrows which were materialized in purple as a blacksmith made them. Noel still had her easygoing face but she was enjoying being surprised today.
From the amount of mana to the quality of mana control. She thought the kid in front of her was an unpolished gem.
She just stood there without any care as if the dozens of arrows were nothing in front of her and she was partially right. Even if the power of his attacks were better than most first-circle mages, he was still in the end, a first-circle mage. She just casually blew and ice particles came from her mouth and froze all the arrows in their places before casually breaking them into countless pieces.
Augustus on the other hand was the first time in his life truly feeling helpless. He spent most of his mana on that attack making it as strong as possible but the girl in front of her just blew on his attack. He felt like an adult was bullying a child which was technically correct.
''You are giving me a lot of surprises. I never thought someone without an affinity could be born let alone become a mage like you'' Noel said.
''You pass'' She said with a little smile on her face.
''What? But any of my attacks didn't even make out took a step back'' Augustus commented with a sour face at how weak he was.
''Boy, you're a decade away from making me move'' Noel said with a chuckle making Augustus even more depressed.
''You'll be given F-Rank and you can only take tasks within your rank especially if you're solo. I'd advise you to start taking some lessons as you probably have no training before this.'' Noel commented.
''How'd you know'' Augustus asked.
''The way your magic works is interesting and it has potential but that's it. You probably don't know how to fight in close combat, nor do you have any weapons training I presume. We mages get blessed with a stronger physique as we grow stronger to keep up with our mana. Even 2-circle mages that are low on mana can defeat you. So go and try to see if you could learn something before actually venturing into dungeons.
Also, don't try to go into the dungeon alone the first time, you'll probably die from the traps on the first floor alone'' She said while giving Augustus a warning.
Seeing the difference between the kindly smiling receptionist downstairs and the girl spitting he'd die with a shit-eating grin, he wondered if she got bipolar disorder or something.
''I'll heed your advice, I was planning on training for a few months before delving into the dungeon'' Augustus replied.
Noel gave a kind smile before leading him to the reception back again and giving and explaining to him the details of the adventurer's guild. She then gave him a crystal card which was looking pretty sick to Augustus.
''This will be your identification and in case you ever lost it you'd have to come to the guild or any associate branch to inform them. Apply your mana to it and it will show your rank and the number of missions you've cleared.'' Noel said.
''Thank you for everything''. Augustus gave a small bow to her and left the guild after taking the card with him.
Applying his mana to the card, the crystal card turned violet before displaying :
"AUGUSTUS GRAY --- F-RANK ADVENTURER
QUESTS - ZERO
CREDITS - ZERO
Credits were something like a currency in the adventurer guild which you can opt for besides money in a quest and use it to buy things from the guild at a relatively cheap price compared to the real currency. That was also what Noel told him and advised him to take a few F-rank quests to earn some credits and use them to get some basic education about weapon training and combat with learning about traps and things to look out for in a dungeon.
'Ah, I miss home' He thought while walking on the streets reminiscing his past and planning his future.