When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword

Chapter 11 Friends

A week has passed since I left Red Village.

Connecting villages and towns, I finally arrived at my destination, the “Novice Adventurer’s Town.”

Its name is “Milchronde.”

“Oh, it’s a city…”

Tall buildings.

A crowd of bustling people.

A lively, or rather, a noisy commotion.

It’s a stark contrast to Red Village.

Coming to a town this lively is actually my first time.

I’ve spent my entire life in Red Village, and I’ve never ventured far from there.

Now, looking back, I realize that was my whole world.

So, being able to gaze upon a town I’ve never seen before truly moved me.

“Let’s save sightseeing for later and start by finding the ‘Adventurer’s Guild.'”

A facility where adventurers take on requests and receive rewards—the ‘Adventurer’s Guild.’

To become an adventurer, one must take the ‘Adventurer’s Exam’ and pass it.

The ‘Adventurer’s Exam’ is conducted by the guild once a month.

It always takes place at the beginning of the month, and the exam content changes each time.

Today is the ’29th’ of the ‘Month of Staves,’ so the month will change the day after tomorrow.

Timing-wise, it’s perfect.

I want to find the guild quickly and rent an inn nearby.

While exploring the town with that in mind, I come across a conspicuously grand facility that looks different from the other buildings.

Clearly larger than the others, it seems even more bustling inside.

Apparently, there’s a bar inside, and many people are drinking in the middle of the day.

The crowning touch is a large flag depicting a pattern resembling two crossed swords.

“Oh, there it is…”

There’s no mistaking it; this must be the Adventurer’s Guild.

It’s easy to spot, which is a relief.

Since there seem to be several inns nearby, I’ll choose one to stay at.

But before that, I should ask the receptionist about the Adventurer’s Exam.

With that in mind, I nervously enter the guild.

“…There are so many adventurers.”

Upon entering, I’m immediately overwhelmed by the scene in front of me.

Despite being a town of novice adventurers, everyone here is undoubtedly a skilled adventurer.

And there are so many of them.

Adventurers cradling ‘Crystal Spheres’ protectively to their chests.

Adventurers with bandages wound meaningfully around their right arms.

There’s even an adventurer carrying an enormous ‘Fork’ on their back.

Wait, are all of those ‘Sacred Treasure’?

How do they use those to fight against the demonic forces?

I guess there are a lot of adventurers in the world who use mysterious Sacred Treasures.

Excitedly looking around, finally satisfied, I approach the receptionist and inquire about the exam.

“Um, excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“I’d like to take the Adventurer’s Exam. Could you please tell me the schedule for the exam?”

“Oh, yes. The next exam starts the day after tomorrow at noon. Please make sure to come on time.”

“Yes, understood.”

The schedule was as expected.

The exam starts the day after tomorrow at noon.

If that’s the case, I can spend tomorrow freely exploring the town.

Having decided, I rent an inn near the guild.

***

A day later, around noon on the day of the exam.

Today is finally the day of the Adventurer’s Exam.

I arrive at the Adventurer’s Guild on time.

“Th-there are quite a few people gathered.”

Compared to two days ago, a large crowd has gathered at the guild.

Are all of them aspiring adventurers?

Since everyone seems to have some kind of sacred treasure equipped, that’s probably the case.

The competition seems tough, but will I really pass?

I heard that the pass rate for the Adventurer’s Exam is consistently below 10%.

If I fail this time, the next exam will be at the beginning of next month.

During that time, I’ll be completely unemployed, so I really want to pass on this attempt.

No, I have to pass to move forward. I’ll definitely pass.

“Well then, let’s get started~ with this month’s Adventurer’s Exam~”

As I silently ponder my concerns, a voice of a young girl comes from somewhere.

In this gathering of adults, her voice is quite peculiar, inevitably raising questions from those around.

Everyone looks around, but the girl who spoke cannot be seen.

Soon, guild staff bring tables from the bar, and on top of them, someone perches.

A smiling pink-haired young girl holding a ‘Gothic Lolita Doll’ in hand.

Could she be the one who made the announcement earlier?

Dressed in a frilly pink outfit and with the doll, she looks completely like a young girl.

Having declared the start of the exam, she’s likely one of the examiners, but how old is she, really?

As skeptical gazes bombard her, she answers with a dazzling smile.

“I am today’s examiner, Charm Fluorite~. Despite appearances, I am a properly blessed adult and a genuine guild staff~.”

Her drawn-out voice echoes through the guild.

She really is one of the examiners.

Contrary to her appearance, she seems to be a properly blessed adult.

Slightly surprised, as I watch the impromptu stage with the young girl, she begins explaining the exam content.

“Now then~, I’d like to announce the content of the exam right away~. The task for this exam is to go to the ‘Seven-Colored Forest,’ located just outside the east gate of this town, and find this~.”

Charm-san holds up a smaller doll in her left hand, not the ‘Gothic Lolita Doll’ she was pulling with her right hand.

What’s that? The questioning gazes focus on her, and Charm-san answers.

“As you can see, it’s a ‘doll~.’ I’ll place this ‘exam doll’ somewhere in the Seven-Colored Forest, so please find it and bring it back to the guild~.”

I see.

This time, the exam is about finding something.

I’ve heard that the exam content changes each time, and the difficulty varies depending on the examiner.

Sometimes, there are exams with unreasonable difficulty, so I’ve mentally prepared myself to some extent.

This time, the exam seems relatively easy, so I feel relieved. It’s just finding an item.

If they told us to compete against active adventurers or fight together with all participants, I wondered what I would do.

Feeling secretly relieved, the next words from the examiner shattered that relief in an instant.

“By the way, in the Seven-Colored Forest, there are many creatures called ‘Snatch Thieves.’ They have a habit of stealing things humans carry and even pick up dropped items on their own, troublesome fellows. They most likely have already picked up all the ‘exam dolls’ left in the Seven-Colored Forest, so do your best to retrieve them.”

“Ugh…”

The Adventurer’s Exam wasn’t going to be that easy.

The exam itself involves ‘searching for dolls in the forest.’

However, due to the presence of unique creatures, the system revolves around the prerequisite of subduing these creatures.

It seems the exam evaluates both ‘exploration ability’ for navigating areas infested with magical creatures and simple ‘combat ability.’

“Of course, there are also other types of magical creatures infesting the area, posing a danger. So, participants are welcome to cooperate in facing the exam. It’s only natural for adventurers to form parties after becoming adventurers, so practicing teamwork from now on wouldn’t hurt.”

“C-Cooperation…”

Indeed, comrades are crucial. Depending on coordination, the pass rate for the exam could significantly increase.

“Ah, of course, those who form parties, please bring back as many exam dolls as there are people in your group. The time limit is two hours. Now, let the exam begin.”

With Charm’s drawn-out voice, the Adventurer’s Exam commenced.

The time limit is two hours. Considering the travel time to the area, there’s no time to waste.

“For now, I should…”

I need to gather allies quickly.

That being said, will there really be someone willing to team up with me?

Collaborators naturally prefer strong individuals, and it’s essential to possess a powerful artifact as a prerequisite.

However, my sacred treasure is just a ‘Rusty Sword.’

No one would want to include someone with such an sacred treasure in their party.

There’s also the strategy of showcasing the ‘Cursed Magic Sword’ using the ‘Evolution’ skill, but even the magic sword looks unsightly.

It resembles a demonic sacred treasure, and having such a dangerous sacred treasure would surely drive people away.

Moreover, I don’t want to use the ‘Evolution’ skill before the exam. I want to preserve the magic sword as much as possible.

Now, what should I do?