Iris went up to the stage and created a holographic staff
'I could technically try to use teleport in order to outlast Shiro... that would be fun' She thought with a smile, though wasn't sure if she could do it. She didnt want to show her faze to anyone so that was off the table too.
'However first I want to see just how long I can last using the Third phantom. Shiro was just useing the Third Phantom and her observational skills, but this would be a good opportunity to test both.' Iris thought, locking her eyes on the device that fires the arrows.
"Ready." She said, as they started the arrows.
*Click click click click
Iris instinctively moved out of the way of the first few, before remembering
'Oh wait, I'm supposed to be using the staff I just made'
Iris stood her ground, and hit the next two arrows out of the air, hitting the first with the tip of the staff and the second with the back
Unlike Shiro, Iris was moving around a bit, using her momentum from the previous deflection to make her faster as the arrows got faster.
'Tip, side, back, side, back, tip'
Iris kept her focus on the arrows, however eventually couldn't keep track of all of them anymore.
"Eep!"
Iris yelped and reflexively teleported just a tiny bit out of the way of one of the arrows that had almost grazed her. To most of the spectators they couldn't even notice it.
'Wait, focus!'
However before Iris could get back on track an arrow grazed her.
"Another great performance right after the last! This time by young lady Iris, at 1 minute and a half exactly! Unfortunately for you that is just short of top three, dont worry though as top 10 still get rewards!"
Iris walked back to Shiro and Helion with a sigh
###
Receiving her 10 C ranked mana stones, Shiro couldn't hold back the grin and the sparkle in her eyes.
Iris meanwhile got 20 D ranked mana stones, completely useless for her really but she wasn't complaining.
"Wow, you must really have wanted those mana stones." Helion said seeing Shiro about to drool.
[Yeah I did.] Shiro wrote out as stored away the C rank mana stones. Keeping 4 out, she put them in her pocket as Yin chirped happily.
"Oh were they snacks for your pet?" Helion asked seeing Yin.
[4 of them were. The rest are for me.] Shiro smiled.
She wasn't lying. Just that they weren't used for any other purpose other than filling her stomach.
"Heh~ Is that so." Helion nodded in understanding.
It wasn't uncommon for people to keep a few mana stones on them as they never know when they want to commission a weapon or armor to be made.
Yin popped his head out the pocket and swallowed one of the finger-sized mana stone in one go.
Shiro was surprised how it didn't choke on the stone but what did she know about monster physiology.
[Yin LVL 5]
HP: 5,000/5,000
MP: 10,000/10,000
"..."
'Did the little guy just almost catch up to my MP in one go?!' Shiro thought in shock.
"Hey, little Yin. Why don't you eat another mana stone to level up again?" Shiro asked.
Yin made a painful expression as it pointed at its bloated belly.
...
'It wasted the C ranked mana stone!!' She thought realising this fact. A low level monster couldn't possibly absorb everything the mana stone gave, therefore, it was surprising Yin didn't explode into chunks.
"Awww, shes chubby now~" Iris said, poking Yin's bloated belly, to which Yin tried to peck her finger.
"Greedy little fellow. I'll confiscate your stones for now so you don't waste them." Shiro said storing away the stones.
Yin wanted to grab them but was too bloated to move. It was as if Yin transformed into a grenade.
To Helion, Shiro fed a stone to Yin who became bloated. She then opened her mouth a few times before closing them again.
"Anyways, I'm going to go back to make a new weapon using my new materials. If you two need anything commissioning, just come to me." Helion smiled and patted his chest.
[Alright. I might need you for something else, but not right now.] Shiro smiled.
"Thank you for the offer though!" Iris replied.
"Sure. Just look for me and I'll help if I can." He said before walking away.
Now that it was just Iris and Shiro, Iris asked
"Is it... Finally... ID time...?"
"Yes, its ID time, I have todo a few things at the guild anyways.
"YESSS, what is it?"
"I wanna do a raid, to level up a bit more before faction recruitment."
Before the faction recruitment, Shiro had a few goals in mind.
1) Reach level 30+
2) Complete E rank raid
3) Raise Lyrica's level to 20+
These are the three tasks she wanted to complete before the faction recruitment. Not only will it give Lyrica the edge in the recruitment, but she will also have a head start.
By doing a raid ahead of time, she is able to get a feeling for how the quests are.
As for why she wants to reach level 30, it was because she gets her first mini class up.
Since she chose to become a Snow Girl ★, she has smaller level ups that allow her to eventually reach 5 ★'s if she wished.
The tests are given at level 25, 30, 35, 40 and finally, level 45 which brings up to 5★'s just before her level 50 class up
Shiro handed Iris a pair of gloves, the ones that would replicate a mana signal sense Iris didn't have mana.
"Huh? Oh I forgot about that- when did you make them?" Iris asked, putting on the gloves. They were simple black gloves that weren't very thick.
"While you were napping away yesterday." Shiro replied.
Walking back to the adventurer's guild, Shiro and Iris looked for the receptionist.
[Hi, I'd like to update my status.] Shiro smiled.
[Also my friend here would like to register with the guild.] She added, gesturing at Iris.
"Hello!" She said with a little wave.
"Alright, Ill update your status first. Can you give me your ID card and place your hand on the crystal please." The woman said as Shiro nodded.
"It says here that you registered a two weeks ago when you were level 20, is that correct?"
Shiro nodded as a response since her only free hand was holding the crystal.
"Alright.... Done. You're now a level 28 D ranked adventurer. You now have access to D rank quests and E rank raid party leader status. With this, you're able to lead an E ranked raiding party." The woman said as Shiro nodded.
[Name: Shiro
Estimated Age: 13
Rank: E+ -> D-
Class: Ice Mage
LVL: 20 -> 28]
Seeing her updated ID card, Shiro thanked the lady.
The process of Iris getting her ID was the same as Shiro, going up to the examination room, having no data, going back to the lobby, before getting an ID created for her.
The only part that differed, was her combat test.
Walking into the combat room, they saw who Iris had to fight standing in the middle of the stage. She wielded a metal spear in her right hand that had a C ranked mana stone imbedded in it.
Liliath-LVL46-Fire Mage
"So I have to fight you?" Iris asked, walking onto the stage.
"That would be correct. The purpose of this fight is simply to test your combat prowess, so do not fear for I will not attack you seriously." Liliath replied calmly. She had an air of authority and confidence around her.
'Fancy...' Iris thought upon hearing how she talked.
"You may start." Liliath said, pointing her spear at Iris
Iris immediately got up close and personal, using the speed phantom to close the distance.
'Fast!' Liliath thought
Iris created a holographic sword but only used it to strike Liliath's spear out of the way and punch her
Unfortunately for Iris though, Liliath didn't just stand there and take it as she swiftly blocked and jumped back, moving back quite a bit to gain some distance.
'Most mages are at a disadvantage in close quarters combat' Iris remembered
'Best to keep this fight up close and personal!'
However before Iris could jump back into Liliaths personal space, she swung her spear and left a crescent shaped mark on the ground.
*FWOOM
It burst into flames, creating a fire barrier. Liliath then tapped her on the ground as multiple fireballs appeared, she then swung her spear, sending multiple high speed fireballs straight Iris's way.
Iris raised her hand flexed her fingers and created five daggers daggers before swinging her arm forward and sending them flying at the fireballs
The fireballs exploded upon making contact, which only made Iris grin as she got an Idea
She looked at Liliath, who sent even more fireballs at her. The challenge was simple, all Iris needed todo was close the distance.
Iris crouched down before dashing forward straight toward Liliath
She raised her hand and created a big holographic block, before swinging it as hard as she could
*Boom boom boom boom
A sequence of explosions sounded as the block hit multiple fireballs. It nearly hit Liliath's shield however it passed in front of it, blocking her vision for a quick moment.
When the block was gone however, Iris was right in front of the shield, holographic shield in hand.
"Hello!"
Iris said cheerfully, ramming her holographic shield right into Liliath's fire one.
*BOOM
The shield let out a strong explosion, pushing both Liliath and Iris back, however Iris used her shield as a springboard to go flying in the opposite direction.
She then teleported behind Liliath with a grin, still having all that momentum as she tackled Liliath from behind, she knew better than to think she could pin her on the ground so she yanked Liliaths spear from her hand and jumped back
Liliath looked like she was about to counter-attack, however didn't and allowed Iris to disarm her and jump back.
"Spar over." She said calmly, brushing herself off. She reached out for her sear and it yanked out of Iris's grip and returned to hers as if magnetized.
"You pass."
Iris nodded and returned to Shiro, and they both went back to the lobby.
"Abusing inertia is fun~" Iris said cheerfully, waiting in the lobby with Shiro
"This means that I can FINALLY walk around just fine now right?" Iris asked
"You can, though nothing was stopping you before either." Shiro replied, playing around with Yin.
"Eh?"
"You could have walked around the city just fine without an ID, the only problem you would get is needing to confirm your rank before going into a dungeon." Shiro replied with a smile, only deciding to drop that fact right now.
"..."
"I have been scammed." Iris said blankly, looking down as if contemplating life.
"Miss. Iris?" The receptionist called as they both went to her.
"Here is your ID, you may apply for a new one if you ever lose this one." She said, handing Iris her ID.
"Thank you" Iris thanked the receptionist before looking at her ID.
[Name: Iris
Age: 13
Rank: D-
Class: Holographic Light Mage
LVL: 28]
"Shiro what's the point of the ID if most of this is just what you see when you inspect someone?" Iris asked, following her.
"It's meant more for showing that you are in the Adventurers Guild rather than showing information." She replied simply, going to one of the terminals
"Anyways, its about time to find a raiding party."
The terminal was easy to use as they had to scan their ID card to gain access to the quests.
There were several types of quests ranging from the easy collection to the hardest Raids.
One could also find commissions from other cities but they were extremely dangerous.
Clicking on the raiding tab, Shiro and Iris searched for an appropriate raid.
[E rank raid – Knight Garden LVL 20]
No noobs under level 18!
Adventurers: 29/35
[E rank raid – Knights Garden LVL 20]
Need healers and tankers!
Adventurers: 25/35
[E rank raid – Goblin Castle LVL 20]
Just need to fill numbers! We got D class helpers! (Must be level 15+)
Adventurers: 34/35
...
...
The list went on as they looked for a suitable one. According to Shiro if the raiding party is too high leveled due there is a risk of backstabbers, but if its too low there is a risk of party wipe.
They were useing two different terminals to search faster.
"What about this one?" Iris asked
"No, their level is too high, remember we are bringing Lyrica too."
"This one?"
"No, don't pick any ice element ones or my magic will be weak against it.
"Okayyyyyyy, what about-"
"Found one."
[E rank raid – Spiders Whispers LVL 20]
New party mostly made up of level 20's.
Adventurers: 22/35
"Spiders Whispers..." Iris read
"Do you think Lyrica is afraid of spiders?" Iris asked
"If she is then that's even more reason to go with this one" Shiro replied as arachnid monsters aren't exactly uncommon. Its a bad fear to have in the long run.
Shiro applied for the raid and wrote a letter.
[I'm a level 28 ice mage with 20k MP. I want to bring my 2 friends, one is a level 28 Light Mage while the other is a level 15 Elven Swordswoman. I can guarantee her combat abilities myself and Both me and the Light Mage will also look after her in the raid. This is to just give her some experience.]
Shiro sent over as they waited for the reply.
"Do you think they will accept Lyrica in?" Iris asked
"Well if they dont we can always find another raid." Shiro replied with a shrug.
Since the raid party request was put up not too long ago, the time to wait for the reply was short and they got a reply within a few minutes.
[We don't mind that she's a level 15. However, she'll have to take care of herself. Not only does she need to do that, we'll also need to conduct a little test on her if that is fine. Since she needs to that the basic survivability even with you and your friend looking after him/her. We'll also need to sign a contract saying her death is not on us. It'll be on you as you were the one to bring her to the raid.]
Seeing the reply, Shiro nodded in understanding.
"Yeah makes sense." Iris commented.
[Yes, that isn't a problem. Can you give me the time and date of this test?] Shiro asked.
[We'll do the test tomorrow as we are still waiting for people who meet the bill. The time of the test is 1 pm in the afternoon and the venue will be the training facility just down the block of the adventurer's guild. Can you give us a basic description of you and your friends as we know who you are tomorrow.]
[My name is Shiro, the Light Mage is Iris, and the Elven Swordswoman is Lyrica. I'm 5ft 3, black hair and blue eyes, Iris is also 5,3 with black hair and purple eyes, and Lyrica is an elf around half a head taller than me. She has blond hair, green eyes and a pretty good figure.]
"Erm, ACTUALLY, my eyes are violet, not purple" Iris corrected as Shiro just rolled her eyes.
[Ok, see you tomorrow and we hope the Elf can match up to the bare minimum. Since an adventurer like you and the Light Mage will be a great asset to our party and help boost the survival rate.]
Saving the information to her phone, Iris and Shiro walked out of the guild.
"What next?" Iris asked, In a good mood after getting her ID.
"I was planning on buying the level up requirements for Lyrica's weapon, to get it up to level 15." Shiro replied as they went to the auction house.
The materials Lyrica's weapon needed were:
5x E rank Mana Stone
2x LVL 15 Sword type weapons
The E rank mana stones were easy. So was the level 15 sword types initially, but due to this city being quite a low level city, the lower level equipment had priority. Therefore, what would be a easy weapon to get became hard to get.
Walking to the auction house, they walked to one of the terminals and Shiro scanned her ID card.
Searching up level 15 sword type weapons. There were none available.
"None...? Swords are pretty common weapons right?" Iris asked
"Yes, but this city is low leveled so lower level equipment have priority over these." Shiro replied with a light sigh.
"Lets check the blacksmiths area." She said, walking over to the blacksmiths area and they looked for anything that fit the bill.
Level 10 spear, level 12 bow, level 8 dagger, level 20 rapier....
There were a lot of weapons yet, to Iris's surprise, none fit the requirements. Despite the low level priority it still confused her how they didn't have a Level 15 of one of the most used weapons in the world.
Shiro saw a Green cleaver and waited in line while Iris looked to more weapons.
"So many weapons..." Iris muttered, it made her wonder if she should try finding a main weapon.
Lyrica uses Dual Poison Blades while Madison uses a Shield. Shiro uses a variety of weapons made from her nanotech and ice magic however that's because she already has experience and knows how to use all those weapons properly.
'But what weapon would I use- Oh blade!' Iris's thoughts were interrupted as she found a blade that would fit Lyrica's weapon requirements.
She looked for Shiro and saw her walking towards her with a smile on her face, clearly satisfied about something.
Iris then watched as Shiro proceeded to scam the guy to get the blade off him for 40K
"..."
"At least I'm not the only one who got scammed today..." Iris muttered.
They about to head home when they came face to face with Helion again.
He had the face of a broken child who had his heart broke.
[Are you ok?] Shiro asked.
"Why didn't you come to me if you wanted the swords? I would have made you 2 easily." He said feeling a little betrayed.
[Because I didn't want to bother you. You also had your new materials so I wanted to see what you did with them first. Not to mention, I'd rather watch you focus and make a masterpiece than to make throw away trash.] Shiro typed out as it was the truth. Well.... It included truths.
"Ah I see... Then you should have just told me." Helion shrugged.
[I still need to go back to Lyrica so I'll commission something next time.] Shiro smiled as she bid Helion a farewell. Iris silently followed her.