Chương 29: Rank up

Julio slowly folded the letter and placed it back inside the scroll. He took a deep breath, wiping the remaining tears from his face.

"... Let's just go." Mochi nodded.

"If it's fine by you." Julio gave him a small smile.

"Yeah." He carefully tucked the scroll away before standing. Tony suddenly raised a paw.

"Wait a minute." Everyone looked at him.

"We were supposed to burn the thing, right?" Julio blinked.

"... Technically." Tony's ears dropped.

"So..."

"No burning means..." His eyes widened.

"... No pay?" Amelia's eyes immediately widened too.

"Oh no..." She looked down at her completely empty pockets.

"All that work..."

"And my pockets are still going to be empty..." Her face fell.

"I can't buy crackers..." She whimpered.

"... Or yummy alcohol." Mochi looked at her.

"Amelia, you're seriously thinking about the alcohol right now?" Amelia's shoulders slumped.

"It's important to me you know..." Julio couldn't help but chuckle. He stood up fully and smiled softly at them.

"Don't worry."

"You'll still be paid for your efforts." Amelia's head snapped upward.

"Really?!" Julio nodded.

"The task was to escort me here."

"Nothing in the request said you had to destroy the scroll." He tapped the scroll tucked safely against his side.

"That part was simply something I wanted done personally." Tony's eyes lit up.

"So we're getting paid anyway?" Julio nodded..

"Yep." Amelia practically came back to life.

"THANK GOODNESS!" She grabbed her empty pockets.

"My money!" Tony sighed in relief.

"I was worried we'd just walked all this way for nothing." Mochi grinned.

"Guess our quick money grab worked after all." Julio chuckled.

"Alright, then." He turned toward the road leading out of Nensho.

"Let's head back to Azuma." Mochi nodded.

"Sounds good." Amelia smiled.

"Yep!" Tony raised a paw.

"Let's go back home!" With that, the four of them began making their way back toward the carriage. The adventure in Nensho hadn't gone anything like they expected. But their quest was complete. And now... It was time to head home. The moment they returned to Azuma City, Mochi practically kicked the guild hall doors open. BANG! Every conversation in the building immediately stopped. Mochi walked inside like he owned the place, with Amelia and Tony following behind him. Julio entered last.

The entire guild hall slowly turned toward them. Whispers began spreading.

"Wait..."

"Isn't that the F-Rank kid?"

"That's the guy who accepted the C-Rank quest!"

"No way..."

"Did he actually complete it?"

"There's no way."

"Maybe he abandoned it and came back." Mochi ignored every whisper and confidently walked toward the reception counter. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. He slapped the completed quest notice onto the desk.

"Hello!"

"We'd like to report." The receptionist looked up. Mochi grinned.

"We've done the mission." The guild hall went quiet. The receptionist blinked.

"... The C-Rank?" Mochi nodded.

"Yep." A few adventurers immediately started murmuring again.

"He actually did it?"

"There's no way."

"An F-Rank?"

"Maybe the client died or something." Mochi's eye twitched.

"Uh..." The receptionist cleared her throat.

"Could I have some form of evidence?" Mochi pointed behind him.

"We've got the guy right here." Julio stepped forward.

"Indeed."

"I can confirm it." The guild hall exploded.

"WHAT?!"

"THAT'S THE CLIENT?!"

"They actually completed it?!"

"An F-Rank party completed a C-Rank quest?!"

"I thought they were dead!"

"How the hell did they pull that off?!" One adventurer nearly fell out of his chair. Another stood up and stared at Mochi like he'd just witnessed a miracle. The receptionist looked between Julio and the three Voyagers, clearly still trying to process everything.

"Well..."

"If the client himself confirms completion..." She pulled out a small pouch.

"Then I suppose there's nothing more to discuss." She placed three coins onto the counter. One gold Gilm for each of them. Amelia's eyes practically sparkled.

"Whoa..." She carefully picked hers up.

"So this is a gold Gilm?"

"I've never seen one before!" Tony proudly held his up.

"Well, I have!" He grinned.

"And I'm very happy to have one in my possession again!" Mochi stared at his coin.

"Imagine all the grub we can buy with this..." His mind immediately filled with images of food. Amelia hugged her coin.

"And crackers..." Tony added,"And alchemist supplies." Mochi looked toward Amelia.

"Please don't spend yours on alcohol." Amelia pouted.

"... But why not..." Mochi said"Becuase I don't think the old man will react lightly too see you drinking so heavily" Julio smiled.

"Well then."

"You've received your reward."

"I suppose I'll be going." Mochi's head snapped toward him.

"Already?"

"Aren't you gonna stay even for a while?" Julio shook his head.

"Nah."

"I'm exhausted."

"I think I'll go home and get some rest." Mochi nodded.

"Yeah."

"We understand."

"See you, Julio." Julio smiled.

"Take care, Mochi." He waved to Amelia and Tony before turning toward the exit.

"Goodbye, everyone." Amelia waved.

"Bye, Julio!" Tony raised his paw.

"See ya!" Julio walked out of the guild hall. Mochi watched him disappear through the doors. Tony suddenly turned toward the others.

"Alright!"

"Let's go show Thomas!"

"I bet he'll be impressed that we managed to complete a quest above our rank!" Mochi nodded confidently.

"I sure bet he will." Before they could leave, however"Excuse me." The receptionist called them back. The three turned around.

"Yes?" She smiled.

"Since you've successfully completed a quest..." She reached for their Voyager cards.

"I'll update your records and see whether you're eligible for a rank promotion." Mochi's eyes widened.

"Oh!"

"Alright!" The three handed over their cards. The receptionist placed them onto a magical examination device. She studied the results.

"Hmm..." She looked at Mochi's card. Then Amelia's. Then Tony's.

"Alright."

"Mochi..."

"Amelia..." She smiled.

"Congratulations."

"You've both been promoted to E-Rank." Mochi's eyes widened.

"Wait, seriously?!" Amelia smiled.

"We ranked up!" Mochi pumped his fist.

"YES!" The receptionist then looked toward Tony.

"And for Mr. Tony..." Tony leaned forward eagerly.

"Yeah?" She handed his card back.

"You're still D-Rank." Tony's ears drooped.

"Aww..."

"But..." The receptionist smiled.

"One more completed quest should put you in consideration for C-Rank." Tony froze.

"... One?" He stared at his card.

"I'm only one quest away?!" Mochi laughed.

"Don't, you're almost there!" Tony groaned dramatically.

"One away..."

"ONE!" He held his head.

"Why couldn't this mission have counted?!" Amelia patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Tony."

"We'll get you there." Tony looked up.

"Really, you'd do that?" Mochi grinned.

"Absolutely." Amelia suddenly grabbed Mochi's arm.

"Alright!"

"Let's go show Thomas!"

"I can already tell he'll be impressed." Mochi nodded.

"Yeah!"

"Let's see his face." Tony quickly followed them.

"Wait for me!" The three headed deeper into the guild hall, their newly updated Voyager cards in hand. And for the first time since they'd started their journey... Mochi and Amelia were no longer F-Rank. They had officially taken their first step upward. Back at the guild hall Thomas paced back and forth across the guild hall. Mochi, Amelia, and Tony sat on the floor in front of him like three children who had just been caught doing something stupid. Thomas stopped.

"Let me get this straight."

"You three..." He pointed at them.

"Accepted a C-Rank quest while two of you were F-Rank and one was D-Rank." Mochi looked away.

"Well, Amelia and I are E-Rank now if that makes it any better?" Thomas said"NO IT DOES NOT!" Thomas continued.

"You had no idea what you were getting yourselves into."

"You didn't know the client's real objective."

"And you ended up getting attacked by another guild because of it!" Amelia quietly lowered her head. Tony's ears drooped. Mochi scratched his cheek. Thomas sighed.

"Look, I'm glad you're all safe."

"But ranks exist for a reason."

"They aren't just fancy letters you put on your Voyager cards." He paced again.

"A higher-ranked quest means stronger enemies, greater risks, and situations you're not necessarily prepared to handle." Thomas stopped directly in front of them.

"You can't keep accepting jobs above your skill level just because the reward looks good." Mochi muttered,"But it was 3 Gold Gilm""MOCHI!!."

"Yes, sir." Mochi quieted down.. Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Do you understand?" The three immediately sat up straight.

"YES, SIR!" Thomas stared at them for a moment. Then sighed.

"Kids these days..." From nearby Slurp. Ace sat comfortably in a chair, sipping from a juice box. He had been watching the entire thing. And he was grinning. Mochi slowly turned toward him.

"... What are you grinning about?" Ace continued drinking. Mochi narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you laughing at us?!" Ace simply looked away. Mochi's eyebrow twitched.

"You're seriously going to ignore me?" Ace took another sip not saying another word.. Mochi puffed his cheeks"Fine then." Mochi crossed his arms.

"How about we all take a job together?" Ace finally glanced toward him. Mochi continued.

"And we won't have to worry about getting our asses kicked because Gramps is coming with us!" Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"... You do have a point." Mochi's grin returned. Thomas folded his arms.

"Very well."

"We'll take one together." Ace's smile disappeared. Thomas continued.

"But don't get too excited."

"I strongly advise that all of you use this time to train and hone your skills."

"The job I'm going to choose won't be a walk in the park." Mochi nodded.

"Alright." Thomas suddenly paused.

"Actually..."

"That reminds me." He turned and walked away. Mochi blinked.

"Where's he going?" A few moments later, Thomas returned carrying a thick, weathered book. He dropped it onto the table. THUD. Mochi stared.

"What's that?" Thomas placed a hand on the cover.

"This..."

"... is a book written by the original leader of the Voyagers." Mochi's eyes widened.

"Atlas?" Thomas nodded.

"Atlas himself."

"He recorded the Magic Skills developed by the Voyagers of his generation." Thomas opened the ancient book. The pages were filled with handwritten notes, diagrams, symbols, and descriptions of various techniques. Amelia leaned closer.

"Whoa..." Tony's ears perked up.

"That's seriously old." Thomas flipped through several pages.

"There's a technique I want you three to learn." Mochi looked confused.

"Three?" Thomas continued searching.

"Let's see..."

"Here..."

"No."

"Not that one." He flipped through several more pages. Then suddenly stopped.

"There we go." Thomas pointed toward the page.

"Magic Skill: Super Voyage Break." Mochi's eyes lit up.

"Super Voyage Break?" Thomas nodded.

"It's a Magic Skill that requires three people to perform." He pointed at the diagram.

"The three users combine their magical energy into a single blast based attack."

"Rather than firing three separate techniques..." He turned the page toward them.

"... you combine your power into one devastating attack." Amelia's eyes sparkled.

"So we'd all be contributing our magic?"

"Exactly." Tony's tail started wagging.

"That sounds awesome!" Ace, however, slowly lowered his juice box.

"... Wait." Thomas looked toward him. Ace pointed at the book.

"You're saying..."

"I have to work with Mochi?!" Mochi immediately turned toward him.

"What's wrong with working with me?!" Ace rubbed his temples.

"Why..." Mochi's eye twitched.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Thomas sighed.

"Quit your whining, Ace." Ace stared at the ceiling.

"Fantastic..." Mochi grinned.

"Don't worry, Ace."

"I'll carry you." Ace's eye twitched.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about."

"HEY!" Amelia giggled. Tony laughed. Thomas closed the book.

"Enough." He placed it in the center of the table.

"I don't care when you start."

"But I need this technique mastered before our next expedition." Everyone looked at one another. Mochi clenched his fist.

"Alright." Amelia nodded.

"Got it." Tony raised his paw.

"Let's do it!" Ace sighed.

"... Fine." Thomas nodded.

"Good."

"Then get to work." Mochi immediately stood up.

"Alright!"

"Let's master this thing!" Ace reluctantly stood as well.

"This is going to be a nightmare..." Mochi grinned.

"You're gonna love working with me!"

"I already hate it."

"HEY!" Amelia laughed as Tony ran around them excitedly. And just like that... Their training for Super Voyage Break began.