I had them proceed with my hunter registration.
The staff member in the black robe instructed me to touch a blue rectangular stone marked with a handprint.
When I placed my right palm onto the designated spot on the blue stone, countless green lines traced across its surface.
The staff member touched a small red orb attached to the left side of the stone with his right hand, while simultaneously pressing his left palm flat against a sheet of paper.
Words and numbers surfaced one after another beneath his left hand.
Oho, a combination of appraisal and magic. He uses an appraisal skill to conceptualize the data, then magically imprints it onto the paper. Quite an intriguing technique.
Glancing at me as I watched with keen interest, the two of them froze upon reading the paper.
"N-No way... A power rating of 12...?"
Mia's strained voice sent a ripple of murmurs through the guildhouse in an instant.
It seems the average value of my appraised stats serves as the power rating. Though it could simply be a coincidence, for now, that is the most reasonable assumption.
Even so, everyone seems remarkably shocked, don't they?
Ah, right. My mistake. My Gift is The World's Most Incompetent. On top of that, I am an absolute novice, practically an amateur who just became a hunter. If someone like me possesses stats a hair above a beginner, it is only natural for them to find it bizarre. In fact, my initial appraisal result should have been 0.1.
In that case, should I revert it to 0.1 and have them test me again? No, that would only make me stand out in a bad way, and there is a high risk they might not even grant me a hunter certification. In the end, I should simply set it back to 1 and have them measure it once more.
Promptly lowering my stats back to 1, I spoke up.
"That was a mistake. Come to think of it, I was wearing an item that boosts my stats."
Manifesting an ordinary ring onto my left index finger from my Item Box, I pulled off my left glove in front of everyone. Then, making sure the whole room could see, I slipped the ring off.
"Could you run it one more time?"
I put the glove back on and urged them to take the measurement again.
"A-A Stat Boost...?"
Mia's cheek twitched, and the room grew even noisier. What in the world is wrong with these people?
"Please hurry. I have places to be."
"A-All right."
The black-robed man, presumably an appraiser, performed the appraisal once more. He seemed finally satisfied after confirming my power rating was 1.
Afterward, I filled in the required paperwork and received a brief explanation of how hunters operate. Though, for the most part, it was nearly all information I already knew.
The only new piece of information was the hunter class system.
Hunters are divided into six classes: E (Novice), D (Mid-tier), C (Veteran), B (Professional), A (Master), and S (Superhuman). Points are added to an evaluation score based on daily monster subjugations, quest completions, and the like. Once those points exceed a set threshold, a hunter can apply for an advancement review with the guild. Furthermore, advancing to C-Class—Veteran—and above requires meeting specific additional conditions depending on the rank.
Well, I tried asking about those specific conditions, but they refused to tell me, claiming it was strictly confidential. Gathering information is the most fundamental and vital skill for a hunter. I suppose figuring that out on one's own is part of the promotion exam as well.
In this manner, rising to the upper ranks is exceptionally difficult, but once you get there, you receive various benefits. Specifically, you receive discounts at inns and shops across all Hunter Guild member nations, free access to various public facilities, and even permission to open your own martial arts dojo.
Furthermore, there are various specialized fields for hunters, such as special monster hunting, ruin exploration, and ingredient harvesting, with specific privileges, perks, and commendations granted accordingly.
Well, as for me, I have no need whatsoever for such perks. Rather, great privileges invariably come with equally great obligations. Remaining an E-Class is more than enough.
Even so, the prospect is rather enticing. Earning money by selling magic stones—the cores of monsters—or completing quests. It truly is an exploration of the unknown. It sounds quite liberating and entertaining. It might not be a bad idea to find Rose a replacement Royal Guard as soon as possible and set off on a journey to wander the world as a hunter.
When handing over my card, she leaned close to my ear with a solemn look.
"Kai, I think it would be best if you didn't show off that ring in public."
She whispered in a hushed tone.
"Why is that? Surely the renowned hunters of the world wouldn't stoop to acting like bandits, would they?"
Mia bit her lower lip, looking troubled.
"Lately, many people become hunters to avoid being drafted into the war with the demon race, or because of famine and drought, so that's not always the case."
Hmm, a disillusioning reality right off the bat, is it? Reality never aligns with our ideals. I learned that to an agonizing degree over the past hundred thousand years. Still, that has its own charm.
"I shall keep that in mind."
Thanking Mia once more, I stepped out of the guildhouse.
It seems I am being followed. And glaringly so, at that. Or rather, they hardly seem interested in hiding it.
In that case, I will simply make it easy for them to make a move. I turned into a dim back alley. This place is spacious enough for a brawl. Perfect for rough business.
"Do you have business with me?"
A group of burly, armored men surrounded me with smirks on their faces. If this were their first time committing this sort of crime, they would be at least somewhat nervous. Yet, I saw no such sign in these men. In other words, they routinely threaten easy marks like me to extort money and valuables. In that case, there should be no issue even if I discipline them a bit harshly.
Come now, I will not kill them over something so trivial. Not kill them, at least. Besides, it seems we have an audience.
"Hand over that Stat Boost ring!"
"Ah, this one?"
Taking the ring from my Item Box inside my right pocket, I held it out before them.
"H-Hand it over!"
His eyes brimming with undisguised greed, a burly man with short black hair lunged for the ring in my hand.
Shifting my center of gravity slightly, I swept his legs out from under him. The man spun several times in midair before slamming face-first into the ground. Keeping the back of his head pinned beneath my foot, I looked around at the rest of them.
"Come now, boys, the ring is right here. Try and take it."
I provoked them with a smile.
"Watch out! He's already using a boosting magic tool!"
A complete turnabout from their smug arrogance moments ago, all of them drew their swords with grim faces and leveled the blades at me.
"No, my current strength is an average stat of 1. Surely lower than yours. However, the world of martial arts is not so soft that physical strength alone guarantees victory."
Stepping forward slowly, I closed the distance and slipped inside the guard of the blond man with a buzz cut right in front of me.
"Huh?"
With a bewildered squeak, the blond buzz cut flew through the air and slammed flat on his back without breaking his fall, writhing in agony.
"You bastard!"
One of the men behind me charged, swinging his sword straight down toward my left shoulder. Without looking back, I parried and deflected the blade with my left hand, spinning my body like a top to close the gap.
"Eep?!"
Letting out a pathetic shriek, the bald man caught a sharp strike to the chin from my left hand. His eyes rolled back, his entire body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground.
"Wh-What are you?! What the hell are you?! Weren't you supposed to be incompetent?!"
With three of them subdued in the blink of an eye, the remaining man—an unkempt, scruffy-bearded fellow with blue hair who appeared to be the leader—pointed his trembling sword at me and shrieked.
"Indeed. My Gift is 'The World's Most Incompetent.' Your assessment is not mistaken.
Come at me, boy. I shall beat that rotten attitude out of you."
As the scruffy blue-haired man charged with an unhinged scream, I beat him within an inch of his life.