Chapter 69 - Proof Of Eligibility

"You might not know this since you're new to the kingdom, but our city-state has the weakest military force in the alliance. Even if we stack the prowess of adventurers, the number of casualties still remains above a hundred."

Noticing Adam's clueless gaze and tilt head, she decided to speak without any prelude.

"Your sparring with Edgar was impressive. I can... see your unusually high strength and agility which could only be seen in exceptional individuals. To reach level 30 at the age of 26 years might not be an achievement, but your stats speak otherwise.

So, I personally request you to aid the army and the adventurers."

Celestina gave a perfect 90-degree bow and pleaded. Her voice was definitely distraught and had concern for those who departed to the frontlines.

[It seems that she has 'Appraisal' has her innate skill.]

'I figured out.'

Dumbfound by how things turned out, Adam's mind went blank. He stood there unable to find any words to paste together and reply verbally. Unaware of what to do, he extended his forefinger and tapped on her shoulder.

"Uhh... can you stand up?" Raising her head, Celestina saw the young man with a wry smile.

"Well, then... I'll just... go and... take a look... what's happening."

The lack of social interaction was evident as Adam stuttered. Celestina comprehended his urge to leave the spot and thus nodded with a content smile.

***

[Pardon me for intruding, but what kind of rock did you live under until now?]

Swiftly departing from the Guild building, the earthling began to pace towards the southern gate through the silence of dusk when Endevil's mildly annoying query emerged in his head.

'You're partially right. I lived on Earth which is technically a big rock. It was-'

[I asked why your social skills are so negligible?]

'That's because animals on Earth and beasts in here don't speak the same dialect. It's more like a language barrier, an obstruction in communication.'

No more questions came as he continued walking through the unusually empty street. Yet, there was some kind of unintelligible but audible murmur ringing in his head.

Ignoring the humming backdrop, Adam probed, 'Did you find out anything about the Evolution skill?'

[Nothing so far.] The mechanical voice replied devoid of any emotions.

Adam acknowledged the answer and picked up the pace. Pivoting his head around, he enjoyed the roadside views as he passed them by at incredible speed.

***

"Hey, what's the status?!" A guard standing at the foot of the watchtower yelled at the one on top of the walls. A second later, a head popped out.

"None yet. The adventurers are holding the line pretty neatly. The army is literally berserk. All we have on our side is flesh wounds. But I can't shake off this ominous feeling."

Hearing the report, the guard lowered his sight. The three soldiers standing beside him had grave faces.

"This is the second attack in a week." One of them grumbled with a grim expression.

True, it was the second attack that Swanhild was encountering. The previous battle was a victory but a shameful one. It was as if they were allowed to take the trophy. The survived adventurers clearly saw the fiends and spectres retreating in an organised manner.

"But let's be optimistic. The rift appeared about half a kilometre away from the city walls. With the combined strength of the army and the guild, my heart says that we'll win." Another one tried to lighten the atmosphere.

"I overheard an adventurer saying that the Guild Leader announced a rank promotion for exceptional performances." As if suddenly remembering something, the spear-wielding soldier rubbing his chin raised his head and exclaimed mildly.

Their discussion began to revolve around the current situation of Swanhild and the unsolved mystery between two consecutive attacks. Plus, it was very rare for rifts to appear nearby the same place twice at such close interval.

"Though it was a Typical-grade rift, it still exuded a baleful aura. You felt that too, right?"

"Argh... don't remind me. My knees tremble just by thinking about that moment... Hey look, someone's coming."

The daylight had greatly receded but it was enough for highlighting the dark-golden armour plates of the berserker. The headgear was retracted and Adam's face was disclosed to the public.

Alerted by the notification, the remaining three soldiers turned around and saw the armoured individual walking to them. The cape's elegant dance in the faint fleeting breeze attributed a peculiar aura to him.

"Halt."

As soon as Adam came in range, the guards grabbed their weapons and ordered the stranger to stop in the tracks. "Identify yourselves."

Promptly, Adam raised his hands. "I'm an adventurer who came to fight the fiends." With a flick of his wrist, he tossed his Guild Card to the soldiers.

"Buhahahaha... what are you, a Copper-rank, going to do in the battlefield? Collect corpses? Hahaha..."

As soon as skimming through the card, laughter was the first response that left the soldier's lips. The fellow guards also took a glimpse at the card and shared the same expressions.

'Assholes.'

Keeping his cool intact, Adam could only shake his head as he saw them mocking him.

After almost a minute, the soldier tossed back the card.

"Ahem... you can't pass now. The gate is closed. Those who came late could only stand idle like them." Pointing to his right, the soldier replied.

Adam followed the man's forefinger and caught the sight of three mages and two militants standing under a tree. They were about a few ten metres away from where Adam was standing. Without the visual amplification, he could tell that one of the mages is a healer and the two militants were an assassin and a tank.

The guards conveyed that the Guild leader personally sealed the gate from the outside to prevent infiltration. Plus, he also mentioned some spell names which Adam didn't bother to care about.

And as soon as the man sealed his lips after speaking, the watchtower exploded.

Boom!

The deafening pop startled and stunned the guards and the adventurers alike. Adam too was caught by surprise.

[That's a fiend.]

The cloud of dust that descended from the watchtower had obstructed their view and nothing could be seen.

At this moment, a young man's shout could be heard.

"Wind Wave!"

Within seconds, a powerful gust of wind came out of nowhere and swept the area. the dust and the dirt were carried away and the reality was disclosed.

"Fi..."

The soldier standing beside Adam wanted to cry and exclaim but his voice wasn't strong enough to escape his throat. The beginning of the word was perceivable, but towards the end, only air left his lips.

The demonic being embedded in the stone tower shook its head vigorously and regained orientation. After blasting a hole through the walls of dense stones, the concussion was understandable.

Just as it slowly spread its wings to escape into the city, a fireball and an ice spear came dashing at the fiend. Fortunately, their combined forces charred and froze the demon's body before its soul left the vessel.

Adam and the soldier shuttled their focus to the group of adventurers but their eyes saw the assassin running towards the watchtower. With insane agility, that frail lady climbed to the hole almost 20 metres above the ground, just by utilising her momentum.

Following her lead, the female tank and the mages swiftly paced to the broken watchtower and ascended it. Since the gate is closed, the partially destroyed watchtower could possibly spell disaster if left unguarded.

[Let's not stand here like an idiot.]

Endevil spoke the exact thought what Adam was pondering about.

Noticing the subtle nod he executed, the soldiers immediately stopped Adam.

"Look man, we can't let you go. Not that I hold a grudge on you, but you're just a Copper rank while they're Iron and Silver ranks. Plus, they have the skill to defend and fight back."

The concern for a totally unfamiliar rookie adventurer was evident from their voice and Adam didn't protest. "I do have skills to fight." He simply replied.

And this somehow flipped another soldier.

"Oh, you have skills? Then why don't you climb this wall and prove it?"

Just as he finished speaking while pointing at the walls behind him with his eyes, the howling of wind rang in his ears.

What!?

In front of him, the absence of a particular person was evident. The remaining three soldiers were staring onto the walls.

"I hope this is sufficient for having skills." The familiar voice rang from on top of the wall and the person who mocked Adam whipped his head and saw the armoured individual on the walls.

What the!?

Is that humanely possible?

Whilst Adam's figure slowly disappeared from their sight, that one soldier was truly flabbergasted and rock-solid by the sudden turn of events.

Ignorant of this, the earthling walked to the edge of the wall and beheld the sight.

"Is it just me or this battle seems fishy?"