THE WORLD’S FASTEST RABBIT, TAKE TWO
“Eina, Eina! Everybody’s talking about Little Rookie!” cried Misha, running over to her colleague’s desk.
“Yeah, I heard…” came the reply.
It was after dark at Guild HQ, but Eina was still at the office. She and other Guild employees were sitting at their desks, their quill pens scribbling away—a matter that for Eina was only made more difficult by the frequent interruptions of her old schoolmate.
“He’s reached Level Three in only a month!” she said. “And unlike last time, barely anyone’s claiming it’s a trick! No one can deny it anymore!”
“Uh-huh…”
“People don’t want to believe it, but after seeing him in action during the War Game, they’ve got no choice! They’re all saying he’s the real deal, just like the gods have been saying all along! That kid you always dote on like a little brother has finally become a star!”
“Huh…”
“You’re not listening to meeee!! What’s got you so fascinated anyway?”
Misha puffed out her cheeks, but the sounds of Eina’s pen still didn’t stop.
“A log of Bell’s activities as an adventurer,” she said.
“Is that for the Level-Up Guidelines?” Misha asked, peering over Eina’s shoulder at the parchment.
“Yeah,” Eina nodded.
In the interests of fostering a collaborative spirit and bringing up the average level of all adventurers, the Guild released detailed logs on those who had recently leveled up so that others could follow in their footsteps—assuming, that is, that the familia in question chose to cooperate.
Eina put down her pen and ran her eyes over the finished document.
Within ten days of attaining Level 2, you must reach the middle floors of the Dungeon, advance to the eighteenth floor on the first day thereof, pass a hazing ceremony conducted by your peers, and fight a floor boss on two separate occasions, emerging victorious. On the surface, you must survive an attack conducted by a vastly better-equipped familia, beat overwhelming odds in a War Game, and finally, defeat a Level 3 adventurer in solo combat.
Yeah, this is impossible to follow, thought Eina, sparing a sympathetic thought for any would-be Level 3 hoping to survive the same trial by fire that Bell had endured. She might as well have written, “If you want to beat Bell’s record, then prepare to die.” Come to think of it, Eina vaguely remembered that Bell’s Level 2 report read very similarly…
And so Eina diligently filed her paperwork, even though she knew full well it was pointless. Sure enough, the Guild refused to even publish it, and Bell Cranell’s Level-Up Guidelines were shelved for a second time.
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