"Mostly though?"
"Well, we do have records."
"So someone has reached it?"
"Records, stories, old reports. Don't get excited. Nobody has seen those guys in more than 50 years, who's to say they're still alive even?"
The officer pointed toward the final section.
"Well Transcendent is beyond that. They're rumoured to be capable of Country-scale destruction, have absurd stamina to fight for months, and power that can't be measured reliably by normal standards. You know, it is said that only a Trancendent Realm expert can justify another to bet at the same Realm."
"I see. So nobody here has seen one either." He said.
"Nobody here has seen a Sky." The officer gave him a flat look. "Let alone a Heaven."
That put things into perspective.
Keane thought back to Elara and her crew. Mara was peak Intermediate, and Sylvi was early Mortal.
If the Guild's description was accurate, the difference between them was already significant, and he had been able to keep up with Sylvi…
While he had never pushed himself against her, he had watched her movements closely enough to know that he wasn't struggling… Then again, it never looked like she was trying either.
At the very least, his 99 Dexterity had to put him somewhere far above Intermediate Realm… Probably, maybe even Mortal… He still didn't know how the System converted attributes into actual power in this world.
Well, not that it mattered, all he needed to do was increase his attributes, and that would solve the problem.
Tapping the next section of the chart, the officer drew him out of his thoughts.
"These are Realms, don't confuse them with Guild ranks."
Keane looked over to where he was pointing.
"Guild ranks go from Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Orichalcum; from the lowest to the highest."
"Exactly."
The officer pointed toward the five symbols.
"While your Realm measures what you are capable of in terms of strength and capabilities, Guild Rank measures what the Guild trusts you to do."
Keane nodded, understanding what he meant.
"So a strong person can still be Iron."
"Well, depends on how strong we're talking, but of course, generally yes. If someone is strong enough to destroy a building but has no experience, no contract history, and no evidence that they can follow instructions, why would we give them a Gold contract?"
"Fair."
"Strength doesn't always prove reliability. A Gold-ranked adventurer is expected to return from difficult jobs, protect their party, handle contracts properly, and not get everyone killed."
"And Orichalcum?" Keane asked, noticing how the officer had been making so much reference to Gold as though it was the highest.
"Almost nobody reaches it."
"Really? Then how many have reached it so far?" He asked.
The officer thought for a moment before answering. "In the entire kingdom? A handful."
"Five?"
"Nah, around four or three, not quite sure. Officially, three, but there was a rumour of a fourth some time ago, though that rumour died down." He explained.
Keane nodded once again.
'So even the Guild's highest rank is practically mythical.' He thought to himself.
"Now," the officer said, "let's see where you belong, shall we?"
Beckoning Keane over, Keane walked toward a large crystal mounted on a metal frame.
"This measures your mana output and attempts to identify your Realm. Don't try to force anything. Just place your hand on the crystal and let it work its magic."
"Right." Keane looked at the crystal. With the words mana and output attatched to that sentence, he sort of knew what would come next, but he went ahead all the same.
He placed his hand against it as instructed, and then… Nothing happened.
The officer waited, but the crystal just remained completely clear.
"Again." He said, a bit confused.
Even though he knew the result will be the same, Keane pressed his hand against it again.
Still, nothing.
The officer frowned.
He walked around the device and checked the base.
"Hold on." He adjusted something, then, "Try again."
Keane did… Still nothing…
The officer frowned harder.
"That's strange."
Keane kept his face neutral. 'Yess, now my journey in a fantasy world is beginning.'
The officer called another staff member over, and for a minute, they spoke quietly, until the second man then looked at Keane.
"Is he Mana Baptized?" He asked.
"No." The officer responded.
"That explains it."
"Does it?"
The second man approached the crystal this time, "Try again."
Keane placed his hand against it, and this time, for a moment, nothing happened, then the crystal flickered and a faint glow appeared. The two men leaned in closer as if doing so will enable them inspect it better.
It was difficult to say what colour the light was, but it was something close to white. After a few seconds, it disappeared.
The officer stared at the device, puzzled.
"What was that?" He asked.
"I don't know." The second man answered. He second man checked the crystal. "At least there was a response…"
"But no reading." The officer said.
They reset it.
"One more time." He said.
Keane, acting all ignorant, placed his hand against it again.
The crystal suddenly produced several different colors at once… then… then nothing… the crystal went completely dark.
For a moment, nobody spoke as they all stared blankly at the phenomenon before them.
The officer looked at Keane, "Don't move."
Once again the officer examined the device.
"Have you ever had your mana measured?"
"No."
"Your affinity?"
"No."
"A-are you certain?"
"Well, I don't even know what that means… haha…"
The officer's expression became strange as he listened to this all. Keane almost felt bad for him.
After the mage tower, he already knew the answer to all this, he had no elemental affinity, or at least nothing the standard system of magic could categorize. The Guild's measuring device was apparently built around the same basic assumptions, so there was no way anything would pop out.
Finally the officer gave up and stepped away from the crystal.
"We're stopping the test."