Chapter 163: My Level is Too High to be Evaluated

Ryan walked toward the enormous stone gate slowly. As he advanced down the main street.

He raised both hands and began to tidy up his dark hair once again, flattening the rebellious strands that Beatrice had messed up days ago to maintain his fake identity.

His footsteps were firm, rhythmic, and completely lacked any haste. With the trench coat stored in his inventory, the enormous boomerang-shaped weapon rested attached to his back, drawing the attention of anyone who crossed his path.

Right at the exit inspection zone, three adventurers awaited their turn. They were two men and a woman who wore light leather armor and carried mid-rank weapons.

Apparently they were an established party, as they stayed very close to one another, joking around with excessive confidence.

"Hey kid, don’t you think that weapon is a bit exaggerated?" one of the adventurers commented with a mocking tone upon seeing Ryan approach.

The guards at the checkpoint looked at him with some strangeness due to the immense piece on his back, but they didn’t seem to recognize his face even though the wanted poster was plastered just a few meters away on the wall.

"Carrying such a large and heavy weapon will drain too much of your mobility in a real fight. You’re definitely a rookie." the other adventurer said, letting out a small laugh while crossing his arms.

Ryan didn’t stop his march. He didn’t even blink at the provocation. His cold, green eyes looked right past them, completely ignoring the existence of the two men, projecting pure indifference.

"Don’t just stand there getting in the way, next." the gate guard ordered, finishing his inspection of the three adventurers.

But the girl accompanying them didn’t move immediately. She stood there staring fixedly at Ryan’s back as he approached the guard.

"Hey... doesn’t it seem like we’ve seen that weapon he has somewhere else?" the girl said in a nervous whisper, taking a half step back.

"What are you saying? Where did you see it?" one of her companions asked, furrowing his brow.

The girl leaned close to the man’s ear, looking at Ryan out of the corner of her eye with evident fear.

"You know, the guild rumors. The incident in the city of Varvylom, don’t you remember?"

"What? Don’t talk nonsense." the man interrupted her with a hiss, waving his hand to dismiss the thought.

"There is no logical way that man is walking around here. Can’t you see how calm he is?"

"Yeah, I guess you’re right." she murmured, not entirely convinced.

Ryan planted himself in front of the checkpoint guard, stopping at the exact distance designated by protocol.

The three adventurers, despite already having permission to leave, stood frozen a few meters away, watching the scene with curiosity.

’It’s as if they hadn’t recognized me. Of course, it’s not like the wanted posters have a drawing with one hundred percent accuracy. A charcoal sketch isn’t a photograph.’

Even so, Ryan perfectly understood the true psychological reason why no one was sounding the alarm.

At least for the guards present there and the adventurers lingering around the gate, it was completely illogical and absurd to think that the most wanted criminal in the allied nations would stroll through the main gate in broad daylight.

Walking with his chest held high, without hiding his face and without showing the slightest sign of nervousness. As if he owned the place.

One would have to be completely suicidal to do something like that. At least, that was what Ryan knew they would deduce from such a particular situation.

After all, a criminal wasn’t the only warrior in the world who carried a giant boomerang.

Had it not been for the inspection protocol required to leave the city during times of high alert, Ryan knew he would have crossed that gate without anyone giving him a second glance.

Ryan let out a light sigh when the guard approached holding an inspection scroll.

"Alright, you know the protocol. We’re just going to inspect you for the record, then you’ll be able to leave without any issues." the guard said in a routine tone.

Ryan nodded his head in silence. The guard raised the scroll and pointed it toward Ryan’s chest.

The paper glowed for a second, but the light was suddenly cut off, emitting a faint sound of static. The guard blinked, looking at the letters that appeared on the parchment.

"Could not be evaluated." the guard read out loud, furrowing his brow.

When the soldier spoke those words, the three adventurers observing from the side whipped their heads around.

Another group of four mercenaries who had just arrived in the line stood completely astonished, stopping dead in their tracks at the revelation.

"It must be a mistake with the scroll, sometimes they fail. Let’s try again." the guard said with a bitter smile, apologizing for the delay.

The soldier shook the paper and channeled his mana once again. The scroll glowed once more and, again, the light died, crushed by the invisible density of Ryan’s aura.

"Cannot be evaluated." the guard repeated, his voice trembling slightly this time.

Murmurs began to break out in the line.

"There is only one known reason why a standard guard scroll wouldn’t be able to evaluate an individual..." a veteran mercenary whispered, swallowing hard.

"That man... that man must be S-rank, isn’t he?" another replied, instinctively backing away to distance himself from Ryan.

The adventurer girl looked at her companion, the very same one who had mocked Ryan’s weapon a minute ago, with her eyes wide open.

"Idiot." she hissed at him, trembling. "And you called him a rookie a moment ago because of his weapon. You’re lucky he didn’t split you in half."

The man who had mocked him was paralyzed. His face had lost all its color, and he didn’t dare breathe heavily for fear of drawing Ryan’s attention.

"I am incredibly sorry, sir." the guard said, shifting his tone to one of extreme respect and submission. Sweat drenched his forehead. "But you cannot pass through the gate without being identified first. It is a strict order from high command."

The guard quickly turned toward the interior of the checkpoint booth, where his partner was watching the scene with the same panicked expression.

"Hey, bring one of the special rank scrolls, quickly!" the guard shouted at him.

Ryan sighed with annoyance once again, crossing his arms while he waited.

’That will also be completely useless.’

"Yes, right away!" the man in the booth responded, running over to a lockbox and pulling out a gold-trimmed scroll, exclusively meant for measuring the elites.

The guard took the new scroll with trembling hands. He stood in front of Ryan, swallowed hard, and activated the inspection magic.

The golden light touched Ryan’s body, but instead of shining brightly, the magic distorted and faded out.

The guard lowered the scroll slowly. All the blood had drained from his face.

"He cannot... he cannot be inspected..."