The Transience of Her

Training Hour

We all end up in the courtyard of a medieval castle.

The walls are made of bricks enchanted with protection spells, the spires are tall enough for defenders to detect and intercept enemies from afar, and the courtyard itself consists of not just variegated flora and fauna, but also open spaces for training sessions like this.

“Impressed by our little abode, squire?”

The guild leader asks me.

“Oh, of course. This thing is huge that you can build a kingdom in itself!”

“Yeah, but I have no plans to usurp power from whoever rules our current kingdom.”

She takes a deep breath before commanding her subordinates...

“Everyone but Melchor, please head to your individual quarters. And Melchor, you will stay here, as we will commence your screening tests shortly.”

“Understood.”

The guildmates all say that in unison while nodding.

Lianna then flashes me a bright smile.

“Break a leg, you hear? You're doing this not just for me, but also for yourself.”

“Of course.”

She then leaves the courtyard alongside the other guildmates.

“Atten...TION!”

Whoa! I'm quite caught off-guard by her demeanor.

Guess Lianna's right; our guildmaster does come from a long line of soldiers.

In a split second, I stand straight up, facing my soon-to-be superior.

“Provisional member Melchor Kam'arin, your screening tests for admission into The Sandwich Guild start right now.

“We will run four tests to determine your worthiness of entry into one of the best guilds Eleftheria has ever known.

“First is the agility and stealth test. You will run through the fields outside our HQ without being noticed by monsters within the time limit.

“Second is the field agent proficiency test. You must gather specific items rightfully, without the usage of any cheating or bug exploits.

“Third is a one-on-one interview with yours truly. We want to know your background as well as test your mental willingness to work as a team, not as an individual adventurer.

“The final test will involve a PVP duel against yours truly. This may sound absurd to you since you are of a ranged attack-oriented job and I am of a magical support job. But regardless, never underestimate the power of someone like yours truly. Do I make myself clear, squire?

Based from what I've watched in that military recruitment documentary, the typical answer that is “Sir, yes, sir” disregards the gender of the commanding officer. Some branches of the military have varying rules on that, though.

I wholehearted answer thus.

“Sir, yes, sir!”

“M-hm. I personally don't care if you call me 'sir' or 'ma'am'. The fact that you're addressing yours truly with a voice that is full of enthusiasm, obedience, and loyalty is what matters most. I always believe that in the battlefield, it doesn't matter if the superior is male or female. Performance and excellence matter most to me.

“Alright. Enough with the pleasantries. We'll start with the agility and stealth test. Please follow me to your first training ground.”

“Ma'am, yes, ma'am!”

I follow her steps out of the courtyard, then into the entrance gate, then into the wide-open field near the castle moat.

“You must reach the lone tree over there within five minutes. Use any means necessary to not get detected by enemies. Items, magic, or even your own intuition – they are all fine and dandy to me.

Alright then. Your five minutes starts... NOW!”

I start dashing towards the distant tree.

Though the path is at first straight and linear, the fact that there are enemies littered there means I must take detours to comply with the stealth requirement.

Oh, why do I need detours when I can just use the Invisibility Nets I have laying around in my satchel?

I saved those Nets for quests where I didn't want to be bothered too much by enemies while I was focusing on my main objectives.

But alas, those enemies were quite easy to kill, as I could snipe them from a distance and they wouldn't even know what hit them.

In times like these, where I must not attack enemies at all, these Invisibility Nets are a lifesaver.

I hastily use one Invisibility Net right after I started dashing.

The item grants its effectiveness for only one minute, and I have ten of it.

I can easily use another Net seconds before the effectiveness wears out, because there is no cumulative effect when using items like these.

With this judicious use of items, this test is a walk in the park; and before I know it, I reach the goal.

“You have successfully reached the tree in one minute and 24 seconds! Great job!”

She definitely is impressed by what I did to pass her first trial.

“Now then, please follow me back to the courtyard.”

“Ma'am, yes, ma'am!”

Once we reach the courtyard again, she tells me the details of the second test.

“The field agent proficiency test involves gathering specific items. Each provisional member is assigned different items so as to prevent leaks that can lead to cheating. In your case, squire, you must procure four Dadara Trei Seeds and give them to yours truly within 30 minutes. Do I make myself clear?”

“Ma'am, yes, ma'am!”

Ah, Dadara Trei Seeds. If I recall correctly, monsters called Gastragoras (mandragoras with a particularly omnivorous appetite) drop these seeds when they are defeated, with a 50% drop rate. The Gastragoras aren't even that hard to kill, as even level 30 adventurers can slay them with ease.

“Your second test starts... NOW!”

No sooner do I use my Teleportation Crystal to transport myself to the Khabouyow Crags, a region not that far from Tulyasi.

“Teleport, Khabouyow Crags!”

Teleportation should be allowed, especially in time-sensitive missions like this.

As expected, I end up in the crags.

Mosses cover large formations of rocks that dot the landscape, and some plants even grow here despite the lack of available rich soil.

And in those formations, I can already spot a bunch of Gastragoras.

I aim my Musket of Precious Grace once more, and start pulling the trigger.

[1701 damage]. [Critical hit!]

[1235 damage].

[1628 damage]. [Critical hit!]

[1335 damage].

[1226 damage].

[1134 damage].

[1132 damage].

In just a matter of seconds, the entire bunch of these plant monsters is reduced to nothing but lifeless stalks.

And lo and behold... they all drop their own Dadara Trei Seeds!

Man, am I feeling lucky!

I happily pick up the loot from the one-sided run-in, which is more than what the guildmaster requires.

[Acquired 7 Dadara Trei Seeds.]

I once again hoist my Teleportation Crystal, and...

“Teleport, The Sandwich Guild HQ!”

Instantaneously, I end up in the courtyard, right in front of my future superior.

In my two hands, I present her seven Dadara Trei Seeds.

[Surrendered 7 Dadara Trei Seeds.]

“Excellent work! I only asked for four, but you brought home seven! And you did all of this in just under 5 minutes! I know you can be dependable!

“However, our selection process isn't over yet. We still have to conduct the third phase: The one-on-one interview.

“You can meet me at the HQ's command center, which should be on the second floor in front of the balcony facing the courtyard.

“Our interview will start in five minutes. Just relax, and have a good casual conversation with an air of professionalism.”

I should really get used to interviews like these. In real life, I'll face a boatload of them whenever I'm applying for a job and stuff.

“Do I make myself clear, squire?”

“Ma'am, yes, ma'am!”

I breathe a sigh of relief as she leaves for the command center.

I have proven my skillfulness and reliability to her, but there's more to being an excellent guild member other than these.

Social skills are important in this game, just like in real life.

It is the key to not just effectively communicate with each other during a boss raid, but also an important building block in building trust. Online or offline, trust is as important as our basic needs.

And in the upcoming interview, I'll prove my trust in her, and vice-versa.

Mustering my confidence, I head towards the command center, and she greets me with gusto.

“Ready for your interview, squire?”

“Ma'am, yes, ma'am!”

“OK, then. Have a seat over there.”

She points me towards a just-refurbished wooden chair.

I let my body rest in it, but not to the level of looking like I'm slacking off.

Even little things such as posture can mean plus or minus points in an interview.

“Let's start. First off, Linnia said to me not too long ago that prior to this, you preferred to play alone. Why exactly is that?”

“I just wanted to steer clear of toxic players. I may never know when I can run into one.”

“You are obviously aware of harsh penalties against such players, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then that answer you gave is kind of... insubstantial. Fortunately, the 'antisocial' schtick doesn't apply to you, as Linnia can prove it to me time and again. You are definitely still best pals with her.”

“Of course. In fact, I was the reason she got into the game. And she loves every minute of it, especially when I'm with her.”

“And that is why I presume you finally decide to join us, so that she can easily spend more time with us and you, as compared to dividing time between us and you. A fine line, pretty much.”

“Yes, it's ultimately a matter of convenience on her part.”

“Good. We can proceed with the second question. Sometimes, quests that can only be partaken by guilds can have puzzle-solving elements. Do you think you have what it takes to solve puzzles without resorting to cheating?”

“Yes. I'm fully aware that for every quest instance, every puzzle in it is randomly generated while still retaining its basic mechanics. I once saw a video on how to jump onto randomly-generated raised switch platforms, which many players cannot do due to the inherent random nature that forces them to time and calculate their jumps differently with each instance.”

“Excellent answer. And here is my third and final question. You are fully aware that despite my real-life family's long history of military service, I still chose a mostly non-combat role in this game. Will you never ever make fun of my decision, squire?”

“Obviously, ma'am, no. Because of your job, there's an in-game mechanic that forbids you to swear, enter inappropriate emojis in chat, or even make rude hand and body gestures, lest you will be punished with a special penalty: A special kind of Silence that does not get cured by items or spells, and that effect lasts for a day. And with your disposition as a DI, I personally thought you would swear up a storm, but then I realized this almost unknown mechanic.”

“And remember: Never provoke me into speaking those profane words or doing those obscene actions, especially when we get to the next and final phase.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Alright. You have passed the third phase of the screening tests. Now let's head back to the courtyard right away for the final and most rigorous part: a PVP duel.”

“Ma'am, yes, ma'am!”

We stand up and make our way back to the courtyard.

Moments later, I'm immediately greeted with a pop-up prompt.

[Do you accept this offer of a PVP duel from Maricar van der Valde? Yes/No]

I instinctively pick yes.

“I won't hold anything back, squire! Let's see if you're truly worthy!”

She immediately prepares her buffs that increase her physical and magical defense.

Oh, yes. I realize that I'm dueling against someone with near-infinite healing reserves. In this battle of endurance and attrition, I'm more on the losing side.

But I can't turn back now. I have to improvise something if I wanna win.

And this improvisation I come up with consists of equipping one accessory: a Bracelet of Magical Constriction.

With it, every weapon-based attack has a 75% chance of removing magical-oriented buffs on the target, and also a 50% chance of cutting the target's MP in half. It's indispensable for enemies who love to cast magic all the time.

I just can't rely on Silence to “shut” her up, since I know she most likely has anti-Silence equipment on her.

I aim my Musket of Precious Grace as she prepares her Pearl Explosion spell.

[1651 damage]. [Critical hit!]

Her casting gets interrupted, but she never fazes as she prepares another one.

I fire the next shot.

[953 damage]. [Magical defense buff nullified.] [MP -50%.]

Lucky shot! But I can't let my guard down yet.

“I'm not going down that easily, squire! [Pearl Explosion!]”

Advanced magical-oriented jobs have an innate ability to randomly have their casting uninterrupted by enemies. In this case, my shot didn't interrupt her spell.

A white ball of light comes careening at me, and I have the opportunity to dodge it.

As soon as I dodge that ball, I shoot again.

[935 damage]. [MP -50%.]

She realizes that I'm cutting off her MP, and thus she immediately downs a Magical Energy Canteen.

She brings up her buffs once more, and quickly follows that up with another serving of Pearl Explosion.

Unfortunately, despite my daft dodging abilities, I suddenly trip on a stray root on the courtyard's garden.

I eat the ball, and consequently, [1727 damage].

Sucks that I chose this Infernal Gunner job, which adds another innate ability, albeit a disadvantageous one: Incur additional 50% more damage from holy-elemental attacks. And I didn't have any anti-holy equipment with me.

Oh, well. Too late to hightail it like a coward.

She casts another round of Pearl Explosion, and I'm struck by it again while I'm trying to get up.

[1920 damage].

OK, time to drink that Excellent Potion!

My HP gets restored to max as I hastily rise up and hide behind a tree.

With multiple trees in this courtyard, she'll just waste MP casting Pearl Explosion after Pearl Explosion while ignoring that she must heal herself, too.

Oh, scratch that. She's healing herself while I'm hiding.

But why hide when I can go all Simo Hayha on her?

I instinctively hide behind another tree that has a small hollow hole in it, around the size of my Musket's barrel.

As I chuck the barrel onto the hole, I see her prepare yet another Pearl Explosion.

I bet my victory in this duel on this single shot.

And BOOM!

[2220 damage]. [Critical hit!] [Magical defense buff nullified.] [MP -50%.]

No sooner does a black globe materialize and slam onto her.

[975 damage].

That shot was even luckier. Critical hit + debuff + MP reduction + additional Umbraclast III = total ownage.

“Let's stop this duel, now!”

I hear the guildmaster's voice loud and clear.

After I remove my Musket's barrel from the tree hollow, I reveal myself, asking...

“Why, ma'am?”

“Can't you see, squire? I concede this duel, because you did something inventive that impressed even me.”

“I get it.”

“This inventiveness is what I'm looking for in our guild. Actually, the reason why we put up a recruitment ad in the first place is kind of embarrassing. But enough of that. You have won the PVP duel, and thus have passed all screening tests! Congratulations, Sir Melchor Kam'arin! You are no longer a squire, but now a full-fledged member of The Sandwich Guild!”

With that, my name's display is now “Melchor Kam'arin, The Sandwich Guild.” And the tasty sandwich guild emblem, of course.

I stand up straight, give a firm salute, and then accept her handshake firmly.

For the first time in my history of playing Skypaths Online, I'm now part of a guild.

I'm doing Lianna proud.

And as expected, Lianna jumps onto me, waiting for a hug.

I triumphantly hug her back.

“Alright, Linnia and Melchor. You can both rest just like the rest of us. In an hour, our guild will have an important meeting at the command center. Dismissed.”

Maricar the guildmaster leaves posthaste, not wanting to spoil our moment together.

“You're incredible, you know what, Soren?”

“It's no big deal, really. I just took advantage of the surroundings, which should be included in the big book of common sense.”

“Yeah. And players can't consider that cheating, because the developers knew that some would use tactics like, well, what you did earlier.”

“Hah. Oh, by the way, what's all the talk about something embarrassing I've heard from the guildmaster?”

“You'll know it in the upcoming meeting. Don't want leaks undermining guild harmony, no?”

“I see.”

I'm honestly curious as to what exactly is that thing that will be on the table an hour from now.