I took a deep breath, lifting my head to take in the building before me.


    The massive wooden doors stood nearly three meters tall, reinforced with solid wrought iron, emphasizing the authority of this place. Above them, a sign bore the symbol of two crossed swords, a clear insignia for those seeking to walk this path.


    Erwin stepped forward first, pushing the doors open, and I followed close behind, my heart pounding with anticipation.


    The moment I stepped inside, I was immediately overwhelmed by the bustling atmosphere.


    The guild hall was vast, filled with long wooden tables and rows of benches. Adventurers gathered in groups, laughing, discussing quests, or simply drinking to unwind.


    Some wore heavy armor, their gear still stained with traces of dried blood, likely just returning from a monster hunt.


    In the distance, I spotted a massive quest board mounted on the wall, covered with hundreds of parchment notices, each detailing different missions.


    To the right, a reception counter stood, where uniformed guild staff attended to adventurers behind a sturdy wooden desk.


    Erwin grinned and patted my shoulder. "Go on, time to sign up."


    I nodded and made my way to the reception desk.


    A female receptionist stood behind the counter, her brown hair neatly tied at the back of her head. Her sharp eyes held a piercing gaze, as if she could see through anyone who walked into the guild.


    She lifted her head, meeting my eyes before speaking in a calm, professional tone.


    "Welcome to the Adventurers'' Guild. You''re here to register, correct?"


    I nodded. "Yes."


    She opened a thick ledger and picked up a quill.


    "Name?"


    "Cedric."


    "Age?"


    "Sixteen."


    She nodded and jotted down my responses.


    "Combat experience?"


    I hesitated briefly before answering honestly. "I’ve fought goblins before."


    Her eyebrow arched slightly as she studied me for a moment before continuing to write.


    "Alright. Since you’re a newcomer, you’ll need to undergo an entrance assessment to confirm that you’re capable of becoming an adventurer."


    I swallowed hard. "What does the test involve?"


    "It’s fairly straightforward," she replied. "You’ll be required to fight another adventurer under the guild’s supervision. As long as you demonstrate basic combat ability, you’ll pass and officially be registered as a Copper-rank adventurer."


    I gave a firm nod. "I understand."


    The receptionist gestured for another staff member. "Take him to the testing arena."


    I turned to Erwin, who gave me an encouraging grin. "Good luck. I’ll be watching."


    Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself. This was my first real challenge on this path.


    I was led to a small training arena behind the guild hall.


    The place resembled a circular combat ring, its ground paved with solid stone. Surrounding it were rows of seats for spectators, and a few adventurers had already gathered to watch the match.


    Standing before me was a tall, imposing man with his arms crossed, waiting.


    He looked to be around twenty-five, towering over me by at least a head. His muscular frame was clad in simple leather armor, and he held a wooden training sword.


    "This will be your opponent," the guild staff member explained. "He’s an experienced Copper-rank adventurer who will be testing your abilities."


    The man sized me up before smirking. "Alright, kid. Get ready."


    I exhaled slowly and stepped into the ring.


    The referee stood in the center, raising his hand.


    "The test match begins!"


    The moment the words left his mouth, my opponent charged straight at me with surprising speed.


    Before I could react, he was already in front of me, swinging his sword down from above.


    I scrambled to step back but was a fraction too slow.


    Thwack!


    The wooden blade struck my arm, knocking me off balance. I stumbled, barely managing to keep from falling.


    Laughter erupted from the spectators, some shaking their heads in amusement.


    "That kid’s weak!"


    "He won’t last a minute!"


    Frustration boiled up inside me.


    No… I wasn’t going down that easily.


    I focused on my mana, raising my hand in front of me.


    "I don’t have much left. I have to use it wisely."


    A small flame flickered to life in my palm.


    My opponent’s eyes widened. "You can use magic?"


    I didn’t answer. Instead, I locked onto him and took my shot.


    "Fireball!"


    A blazing sphere of fire shot toward him.


    Stolen story; please report.


    But his reflexes were sharp.


    He twisted his body, narrowly dodging to the side. Though the spell missed, the heat forced him to wince.


    I didn’t give him time to counterattack.


    Dashing forward, I feigned another spell, lifting my right hand as if preparing to cast again.


    He instinctively raised his sword to block, exactly what I wanted.


    At the last second, I shifted, sweeping my leg low.


    He lost his footing, stumbling backward.


    I seized the opening, launching a second fireball.


    This time, it hit him square in the chest.


    He let out a sharp grunt, not seriously injured but clearly shaken.


    The crowd gasped in surprise.


    "That kid’s got some fight in him!"


    I clenched my fist.


    I could do this!


    My opponent straightened, his smirk gone.


    Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he gave me a look of genuine appraisal.


    "Not bad, kid."


    I took another deep breath. I knew this fight wasn’t over yet.


    My opponent, the burly man clad in leather armor, had changed his demeanor. If before he had viewed me as nothing more than a weak kid with no chance of winning, now he was taking me seriously.


    I could see it in the way he gripped his wooden sword tighter, in the way his eyes no longer held mockery but instead sharpened with pure focus.


    "Hmph, not bad, kid," he muttered with a smirk, though his tone was noticeably more serious. "But don’t think a few tricks are enough to beat me."


    I remained silent.


    Not because I had nothing to say, but because my body was on the verge of exhaustion.


    My mana was nearly depleted…


    I could feel it. Though I had successfully deceived him twice by faking spell casts, the truth was that I had only enough mana left for one last fireball.


    One final chance.


    If I didn’t use it wisely, I would lose.


    I began circling my opponent, not engaging head-on but moving cautiously in an arc around him.


    He followed my movements, his sharp gaze locked onto me like a wolf waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


    "What now?" he asked, probing. "Out of mana already?"


    I neither confirmed nor denied it, keeping my pace steady.


    From the sidelines, Erwin smirked knowingly. He had caught on. I was looking for an opening.


    Some of the adventurers watching seemed intrigued, while others remained skeptical.


    Then, my opponent made his move.


    He took a quick step forward before suddenly accelerating, swinging his sword from the right.


    I had anticipated this.


    I knew I wasn’t fast enough to completely dodge, so instead, I shifted my body just enough for the wooden blade to graze past my left shoulder.


    Thwack!


    Even though it wasn’t a direct hit, pain shot through my arm.


    But… this was the moment I had been waiting for!


    I immediately grabbed hold of his sword arm with my right hand and yanked downward, disrupting his balance.


    His eyes widened in shock. "What the..."


    With my left hand, I summoned my final burst of fire.


    The fireball flared to life, closer than ever before.


    "Fireball!"


    Flames exploded against his chest, igniting the front of his leather armor in a burst of heat.


    He let out a startled yell, stumbling back, frantically slapping at the flames to put them out.


    This was it.


    I clenched my fist, summoning every last ounce of strength left in my body, and delivered a powerful punch straight to his abdomen!


    Thud!


    It wasn’t as strong as a weapon strike, but after being thrown off by my spell, my hit was the final push he couldn’t recover from.


    He staggered backward, then fell, hitting the ground with a resounding thud.


    The entire arena went silent for a moment.


    Then…


    "HE WON!"


    Cheers erupted from the crowd. Some adventurers looked surprised, while others nodded in approval.


    My opponent remained on the ground, breathing heavily, before suddenly breaking into laughter.


    "Haha… kid, you fight dirty…"


    I exhaled, drained. "You didn’t go easy on me either."


    He grinned, then extended a hand. I grasped it and helped him to his feet.


    "I gotta admit, you’ve got potential," he said. "Your body’s still weak, but your mind? Not bad at all."


    I could only offer a faint smile, too exhausted to say much.


    The referee stepped forward, raising his hand.


    "Test complete. Cedric, you pass."


    I could hardly believe it.


    I did it.


    I was officially an adventurer.


    Erwin walked over and gave me a firm pat on the back, nearly making me stumble. "Well done, Cedric! I knew you had it in you!"


    I managed a tired smile. "I thought you’d bet on me losing after that first hit."


    He burst into laughter. "I had my doubts at first, but you proved me wrong."


    The receptionist approached, holding a small wooden card.


    "This is your Bronze-ranked guild card," she said, handing it to me.


    I took it and examined it closely.


    It was a solid wooden card, engraved with my name and the official insignia of the Adventurers'' Guild.


    This wasn’t just a piece of wood.


    It was proof of the new path I had chosen.


    "You can now take quests from the mission board and use the guild’s facilities," the receptionist continued. "But since you’re still a beginner, I recommend starting with simple tasks first."


    I nodded.


    Even though I had passed the test, I knew this was only the beginning.


    I took a seat at one of the wooden tables, my breath still uneven, my body trembling from exhaustion.


    I could feel it. My mana was completely drained.


    The warm energy that had always pulsed within me had vanished, leaving me with an unsettling emptiness, as if I had lost a part of myself.


    I had never experienced full mana depletion before. Even during the goblin battle, I had used quite a few spells, but I had never pushed myself to the absolute limit.


    But then…


    A strange sensation swept through me.


    At first, it was a faint warmth in my chest, barely noticeable. But within moments, that warmth spread, flowing through every fiber of my being.


    What…?


    And then I felt it.


    My mana was returning… at an impossible speed!


    I was absolutely certain I had used every last drop. So why was it coming back so quickly?


    I shut my eyes, focusing on the flow of energy within me.


    Normally, a mage needed hours, sometimes an entire day, to naturally recover mana without the aid of potions.


    I recalled what Erwin had told me before:


    "Most mages have to rest for several hours to regain their mana naturally. If they use potions, they can recover faster, but even then, it still takes time. And drinking too many can have nasty side effects."


    But I was different.


    Mere moments ago, I had been on the verge of collapsing. And now? My mana was replenished as if I had never spent it at all.


    This wasn’t normal.


    No ordinary person could do this.


    Was this the gift I had received upon reincarnating into this world?


    I thought back to my previous battles.


    During the goblin fight, I had cast multiple spells, but I had never drained myself completely, so I hadn’t noticed anything unusual.


    But this time…


    This time, I had depleted every last drop, and that was when this mysterious ability activated.


    When my mana was entirely exhausted, it automatically regenerated at an unbelievable rate.


    A blessing… or a curse?


    I wasn’t sure.


    But I knew one thing.


    If I used this ability wisely, it would be a game-changer in battle!


    I smirked, feeling the revitalized mana surging through my body once more.


    Standing up, I no longer felt the crushing exhaustion from moments ago.


    Erwin, who had been watching from a distance, raised an eyebrow. "Hey… you look way too fine for someone who was about to pass out."


    I simply smiled, offering no explanation.


    This was my secret.


    At least until I understood it completely.