The interior of the Adventurer’s Guild was far more spacious than Yggdrasil had imagined. Stone walls intersected with towering wooden beams, the lights were bright, and the air was filled with constant clamor. Various quest notices hung on the walls, and several staff members behind the counters were busy attending to adventurers.

  Balin led him to one of the registration counters to process the basic paperwork for his Adventurer Card. Since Yggdrasil was a newcomer with no letters of recommendation or identity records, guild regulations required him to undergo a capability assessment before a rank could be assigned.

  "Don't worry, it's just the procedure. Everyone has to do this at the start," Balin laughed, patting Yggdrasil’s thick shoulder. "I was nervous as hell when I first came here, too."

  Yggdrasil nodded with a smile, his gaze involuntarily drifting to the rounded belly of Balin. That reassuring arc made him feel exceptionally relaxed. The distance between the two seemed to have narrowed unknowingly, and Balin did not reject those occasional light touches of fingers or lingering glances.

  In a stone room at the back, a middle-aged man was already waiting. He had messy hair, wore a simple guild uniform, and held a thick ledger. This man was the evaluation officer responsible for measuring capabilities.

  "Please stand in the center of the magic circle," the evaluator said in a cold tone, though his focused gaze revealed his professional habits. "We will first test your mana capacity and elemental potential, followed by physical capability and reaction speed."

  Yggdrasil stepped into the magic circle as instructed, silently recalling what Zareon had told him—magic is a power derived from will and imagination.

  Yggdrasil felt the rhythmic shifts beneath the magic circle. Guided by the evaluator, he began to awaken the elemental powers within his body one by one.

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  When he imagined heatwaves scorching the air, his palm grew warm, and a wisp of orange-red flame condensed in the air.

  Next, he closed his eyes slightly, turning his intent toward the deep flow of still water; a ripple rose from beneath his feet, gently swirling around his fingers.

  The lightning was even more direct, flashing across his right arm with a sharp crackling sound that caused the surrounding observation crystals to resonate and flicker.

  As for the Holy attribute—the moment he thought of protection, healing, and hope, a soft golden light radiated from his chest, instantaneously repairing a tiny scratch on his leg from earlier in the test.

  The evaluator recorded everything with a gaping mouth, whispering to himself: "This is... all five attributes..."

  He stared wide-eyed, nearly dropping his ledger to the floor.

  "This... You’re a dwarf, right? How is this possible..."

  Before he could even react, the second phase of the physical test began. Yggdrasil easily hoisted a greatsword taller than himself, completing a series of strikes and defensive maneuvers. He even evaded high-speed magical spheres during the reaction test.

  Silence fell over the stone room. The evaluator’s face was filled with shock as he flipped through his ledger, muttering: "Mana capacity far beyond average... possesses Fire, Water, Lightning, Holy, and Recovery attributes... physical strength and reactions are exceptionally outstanding... there even seems to be some unidentifiable reaction signals... what... is that...?"

  Before he could finish, a faint golden light flashed across the instrument, vanishing in an instant.

  The evaluator frowned and shook his head. "Perhaps a system malfunction... or just some interference..."

  Standing to the side, Balin watched all of this with eyes full of pride and joy. His stout, burly face was split by a wide smile, his dense black beard twitching as he pursed his lips. Looking at Yggdrasil’s back, a sense of inexplicable relief and affection welled up within him.

  "Truly worthy of my... um, my new friend!" he whispered to himself, his cheeks flushing slightly. He lowered his head and held his own belly, trying to hide his smile.

  "Your abilities are highly unusual," the evaluator approached, his attitude clearly changed. "Among dwarves... I have never seen such a genius. Your Adventurer Card will be marked as a 'Special Observation Object.' I hope you use this power with caution."

  Yggdrasil simply nodded, his tone calm. "I will make good use of it."