The gates of Elderglen creaked open.
The guards waved Raelus through with wide eyes and confused gratitude, stepping aside like one would for royalty—no, for something more.
Raelus just waved back with a lopsided grin and a, "Thanks! Lovely weather for a save-the-day moment, huh?"
Behind him, the townspeople were still buzzing.
Some whispered.
Some stared.
One child was trying to mimic his tail using a rope.
Raelus didn't notice.
He was too busy looking around—glowing.
⸻
Cobblestone streets. Wooden balconies. Hanging lanterns. Winding streets that seem to go in every direction. The smells of meat pies and sweetbark pastries drifting from bakeries. A bard singing off-key in a corner. Horses tied to troughs. A blacksmith hammering away.
Raelus spun in a slow circle.
"This is amazing," he whispered.
He crouched near a fountain, dipped his hand in, and tasted the water.
"Sweet! That's wild!"
A nearby vendor blinked. "You okay, sir?"
"I'm fantastic! Thank you for your contribution to public hydration!"
He passed a tailor's stall, admired the colorful cloaks, and told the seamstress her embroidery was "basically magic." She blushed for a full minute.
He was given a candied fruit skewer by a vendor and nearly cried from joy at the taste.
"That's it. That's my weakness. You found it. Sugar."
By the time he reached the town square, at least twenty people had smiled at him. Seven women had stared a little too long. Two kids had followed him giggling. One dog wouldn't stop wagging its tail near his boots.
Raelus greeted every single one of them.
By name.
Even if he didn't know them.
"Good morning, Miss Fantastic Hair! Hello there, Master Giggles! Who's a good boy? Yes, you are!"
⸻
Eventually, he reached the Adventurer's Guild—a huge sturdy white and gold stone building with banners fluttering and swords crossed above the door.
He walked in.
And every head turned.
Like, actually turned.
The room was loud before he entered.
Now?
You could hear a coin hit the floor.
Raelus froze, blinking.
"…Hi?"
Silence.
Then—
A large, gruff receptionist stood up behind the desk. A woman. Broad shoulders. Tattoos. Eyepatch.
"You the one who handled those bandits?"
Raelus nodded.
"Yep. They were rude. And noisy. And one of them yelled too much."
The receptionist narrowed her eyes.
Then grinned.
"I like you. What's your name, pretty boy?"
"Raelus."
"You here to register?"
"What's registering?"
A beat.
Then laughter.
"You're gonna be fun."
She tossed him a blank guild token.
"Name, specialization, and class—if you got one."
Raelus looked at the form, tilted his head, and scribbled in a bunch of random lines.
The receptionist squinted.
Then cackled.
"You're gonna cause problems. I can feel it."
Raelus beamed.
"Only fun ones."
"Alright well, follow me. We need to go see what you're made of at the testing yard."
⸻
The Adventurer's Guild testing yard was usually a quiet place.
A stone arena surrounded by reinforced walls, magical wards, and a modest crowd of curious onlookers. It was meant for practice, sparring, and the occasional rank evaluation.
Today, it was packed.
Word had spread like wildfire:
"The horned boy is taking the test."
"They say he stopped six bandits with a smile."
"They say he flies."
"They say his eyes sparkle like mana crystals!"
Inside the viewing ring, guild veterans and staff gathered around with folded arms and skeptical eyes.
Because while rumors were easy to start…
Proving them?
That was harder.
⸻
Raelus stood in the center of the ring, arms crossed behind his back, coat fluttering in a wind that didn't exist.
He was smiling.
Mostly because someone had given him a banana muffin ten minutes ago and he was still thinking about it.
The receptionist from before—now in a full set of black battle armor—stood beside a grizzled man with a clipboard and an aura of exhaustion.
"Alright, Raelus," she said, grinning. "This is Sir Cedric. He's the ranking officer."
"Hi!" Raelus waved.
"You're going to spar against one of our rank-A adventurers," Cedric said without looking up. "If you impress us, we'll consider starting you at D. Exceptional performance gets you to B."
Raelus tilted his head.
"What's SS then?"
Cedric blinked. Looked up. Then snorted.
"Kid, there are barely a hundred SS-ranks alive. You don't get there by smiling pretty and flipping bandits. You get there by bleeding in a war."
"Fair," Raelus nodded. "Guess we'll see."
⸻
The Challenger Appears
From the far end of the arena.
A woman strode into the ring.
Tall athletic build. Red-haired. Armor etched with flame runes. Two greatswords on her back.
She cracked her neck and smirked at Raelus.
"I'm Vetra. Rank A. Don't take it personal if I knock your pretty teeth out."
Raelus lit up.
"You're so cool!"
She paused.
"What?"
"You're strong. I can feel it. You smell like volcanoes and good decisions."
She blinked.
"…This is gonna be weird."
⸻
Cedric raised a hand.
"This is a controlled evaluation. Non-lethal combat only. Winner decided by disarm, disable, or surrender. Begin!"
Vetra moved first.
Fast. Clean. A greatsword came down like thunder.
Raelus didn't dodge.
He raised a finger.
Tapped the blade.
CLANG.
The sword stopped.
Mid-swing.
Everyone froze.
Vetra's eyes went wide.
Raelus leaned in, grinning.
"Tag."
He stepped back.
Spun.
And vanished.
Wind exploded across the ring.
He reappeared behind her—hands glowing with mana, one foot floating above the ground.
Vetra turned. Swung both blades.
He ducked.
"Nice form!"
She activated a flame rune and launched a fireburst from her shoulder.
Raelus caught it.
With his teeth.
Then spit it into the air and flicked it away with his tail.
The crowd screamed.
The Finish
Raelus sighed.
"Okay… let's make it fun."
He stepped forward.
And suddenly the entire ring shifted.
The air trembled.
The stone cracked under his boot.
Every magical barrier flared.
He raised one hand.
No blade.
No spell.
Just a snap.
CRACK.
A shockwave rippled outward.
Vetra's swords flew from her hands.
She dropped to one knee, stunned, overwhelmed by the sheer weight of his aura.
Raelus lowered his hand.
"Do I get bonus points if I say please?"
⸻
Nobody moved.
Vetra looked up, blinking.
Then… laughed.
"Yeah. You're terrifying."
She stood. Walked over. Slapped his shoulder.
"You're SS. Easy."
Cedric dropped his clipboard.
"That's… impossible. You didn't even use a weapon."
Raelus smiled.
"Didn't need to. She was cool. I didn't want to go all out."
Cedric stared at him.
"All out?"
"Yeah. That would've been rude."
The crowd exploded.
People screamed.
Guards bowed.
Apprentices fainted.
Somewhere, a bard began writing a song.
Raelus stood in the middle, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So… do I get a certificate or something?"
End of chapter 14 "Rank Me If You Can"