Chapter 33: Attributes and Levels

After a second of hesitation, Miss Sura quickly pulled her hand away.

However, after retracting her hand and looking at the young man before her, who was focused intently on the crystal ball, her perception of him shifted significantly.

He actually hadn’t tried to take advantage of her like all those other disgusting men!

It was worth noting that receptionists like her had performance quotas to meet. To fulfill them, they often had to endure the revulsion of letting adventurers, fresh from blood and fire, touch their hands or worse. Suddenly receiving such unexpected respect, the look in Miss Sura’s eyes as she gazed at Li Rui softened.

As a bright, yet gentle white light flashed through the glass sphere in Li Rui’s hands, the god-bestowed instrument behind the counter groaned like a printer, spitting out a piece of parchment.

Miss Sura’s gaze naturally fell upon the unfurled parchment.

——————
[Name]: Li Rui
[Gender]: Male
[Strength]: 9 (Muscular explosive power and load-bearing: affects melee damage, load capacity, and obstacle-clearing ability)
[Agility]: 10 (Reaction speed and physical coordination: determines evasion, attack precision, and initiative)
[Constitution]: 10 (Vitality and endurance: linked to maximum HP, stamina recovery, resistance to disease/toxins, and tolerance to extreme environments)
[Intelligence]: 12 (Thought logic and mental power: affects learning efficiency and spell power)
[Perception]: 11 (Environmental insight and intuitive warning: enhances scouting/listening, trap detection, danger prediction, and sensitivity to nature/elements)
[Charisma]: 13 (Ability to influence others with one's will: affects elemental affinity, first impressions, and persuasion)
[Adventurer Rank]: Level 1
——————

Looking at the Charisma attribute on the parchment, a flash of realization crossed Miss Sura’s mind: "No wonder he is so well-liked... Could he be a warlock?"

While her mind wandered, her hands remained busy. After operating the instrument further, it dispensed a necklace.

"Congratulations, Mr. Li Rui." She handed him the parchment detailing his stats along with the necklace, her formulaic congratulations tinged with a hint of genuine warmth. "From now on, you are officially a Level 1 adventurer recognized by our guild. This is your identification tag and the record of your current status. Please take a look."

Li Rui accepted the parchment, his heart filled with a mix of novelty and apprehension as his eyes swept over the clear, crisp writing.

'From today on, I am a formal adventurer.'

He picked up the necklace. It was extremely simple, consisting only of a sturdy black leather cord holding a small, slightly rough metal tab. On one side, it was engraved with his name, gender, eye color, hair color, and height; on the other, the Common tongue character for "One."

The necklace functioned much like a "dog tag" in Earth's military; its sole purpose was to ensure that if an adventurer died in some desolate wilderness, those who found them would know who they were.

As for the adventurer rank...

After all, this was a real world, not the games Li Rui used to play on his computer. One did not gain attributes or new skills simply by leveling up; rather, one improved attributes and acquired new skills through rigorous training, which then earned a higher rank from the Adventurer’s Guild.

Because the guild provided free attribute testing, almost every adventurer had developed the habit of checking their progress after intense training. It could be said that this free service acted like a magnet, drawing in all the adventurers; otherwise, this vast guild hall would not be as lively as it was.

Once the registration was complete, the estate manager for Guildmaster Nova stated that his task was finished. After bidding Li Rui farewell, he turned and left. Li Rui used the key to open the door to the second floor and headed up.

Upon reaching the second floor, the scene before him was somewhat surprising. He had expected an office space, but what greeted him was a small, open-plan library.

The entire second floor had no windows, relying entirely on magic lamps for illumination, yet it was as bright as a university study hall at night. Rows of bookshelves lined both sides, with a small open space in the middle, at the end of which sat a large desk.

The floor was deserted. Li Rui walked over to the desk and saw a note resting there with a single sentence written on it.

——————
Read some books here while you wait; I will come find you once I have finished handling some matters.
——Nova
——————

About half an hour later, when Guildmaster Nova arrived on the second floor, she found Li Rui carefully reading a thick volume titled *Illustrated Guide to Marine Monsters*.

As she set a stack of papers on the desk in front of him, she asked, "So, you like these kinds of books?"

"It’s not that I specifically like them," Li Rui said, shaking his head and closing the book. "I wanted to find a guide to land monsters, but I discovered that all the books here are related to rivers, lakes, seas, or ice fields and snowy mountains. Hmm..."

Before he could finish, his mouth was silenced.

Guildmaster Nova’s ice-blue eyes were inches away, almost reflecting into the depths of his pupils. Their breaths mingled, and their eyelashes brushed against each other’s skin. After a long while, they slowly pulled apart, a trace of imperceptible moisture vanishing between them.

"Hmm," Guildmaster Nova pursed her lips, then lifted her chin and said with an unquestionable tone, "You should have stood up to hug me and welcome me back first."

"You're right," Li Rui agreed, nodding. He stood up and gently pulled her warm, soft body into his arms... lifting her completely off the ground.

"Welcome back!"

Guildmaster Nova was amused by his gesture. Her fair, soft hands patted his shoulders repeatedly, signaling for him to put her down. But Li Rui refused; instead, he began to spin around.

As he circled slowly, Li Rui asked in a muffled voice, "So, esteemed Guildmaster Nova, what did you want to see me about?"

Guildmaster Nova chuckled and leaned forward, pressing her ample assets deeper into him before speaking. "Golden Wheat Town has made its decision regarding the Pure White City and the Mind Flayer that most likely resides within it."

Startled by such important news, Li Rui quickly emerged from his thoughts and peeked out: "And what is it?"

With his relationship with Guildmaster Nova, Golden Wheat Town had effectively become his base of operations. As long as she remained there, and as long as they maintained their relatively intimate connection, he could continuously reap various benefits from the town. But if Golden Wheat Town were to vanish...

Guildmaster Nova sighed, pressing his face back down and resting her own head upon his, sighing with a sense of helplessness, "Golden Wheat Town is about to become history."