I, Wynstelle Castellen, was born into a low-ranking noble family—one that had always lived at the mercy of those above us. Our land was fertile, dedicated to agriculture, and we sold our crops across the nation. But when the servants of high-ranking nobles came to purchase from us, they either took what they wanted or paid next to nothing, only to resell it at outrageously high prices.
We got no credit. No recognition. Just loss after loss.
We had suffered in silence for too long.
That's why I chose to leave home and become an adventurer. If I could ease my family's burden even a little, then the road was worth it. I was also a top graduate of Aetherion Magic Academy—one of the finest institutions for magic on the continent, though it came at a steep cost.
Both of my younger brothers now attend the Knight Academy, following in our eldest sister's footsteps. Their tuition wasn't cheap. And since Aetherion was already expensive, I decided it would be best if I left—to free my parents from that weight.
My family agreed, surprisingly. My big sister… not so much.
Couldn't blame her. She had paid for 70 percent of my tuition.
I would find a way to repay her. When I got the chance, I would apologize properly. Maybe even bring flowers. Or… maybe a magical chimera pet? I dunno. Something nice. I hoped she wouldn't kill me.
CLAK-KLAK—CLATTERRrrrr…
As the wheels of the carriage clattered against the rocky road, nervousness appeared—it was her first time leaving home. She wondered if she could make it far and if she could bring honor to her family's name.
Lost in thought, she barely noticed when the carriage slowed to a stop. The old coachman called out to her, his voice pulling her back to reality.
"Hey, miss, we've arrived. This is Desinburth Town. Thank you for guarding the carriage."
"Ah, thank you very much, mister!" she replied as she stepped down from the carriage.
She turned and faced the large gate behind her. She had dreamed of this moment for years. Yet, as she stood amidst the crowd of merchants, travelers, and fellow adventurers, reality weighed down on her shoulders. She wasn't here as a noble's daughter nor a top graduate student—she was just another newbie adventurer.
As she walked in, the town was as alive as it could get, and she heard the sounds of rain footsteps, the appetizing smells from nearby stalls, and the population of people in the town.
But the only thing that locked her vision was the magicians who walked around with a large and beautiful staff. She took a look at the staff she was holding, a small stick with a red ruby-like gem at the tip of it. She felt defeated by just looking at it.
"Can't help... I guess... I can't even make my own money back at home.."
But her main objective was not to give up. She then stepped further inside the town, searching for one thing: the adventure guild.
She walked for a while, then saw it from afar. Behind the fountain at the center of the town was a large building with the sign "Adventure Guild" hanging on it. She then put a smile on her face and started running towards it.
The building was larger than any buildings around it. When she was about to open the double door in front of her, she stopped. She looked at her hands that were holding the door handle, hesitation weighing her down.
"Alright, Wynstelle Castelle, I can do this! This is nothing!"
She then took a deep breath and let out a big exhale, then she pushed the door open.
The place was crowded with various people. A guy twice her size with a large axe, a magician with a hoodie covering his face, a fully armored guy with a large sword on his back and more. Her shoulders tensed as she entered the guild while looking down and heading to the reception desk.
The receptionist was busy writing something on paper when Wynstelle interrupted her.
"E-excuse me..."
The receptionist looked up and smiled.
"First time here?" she asked.
"Eh? Uh... Yes!" Wynstelle replied nervously.
The receptionist chuckled as she stood up.
"How can I help you today?"
"I-I would like to join any available party. I'm a magician," Wynstelle said, her voice a little shaky.
"If you're already registered with an adventurer's guild, please hand me your identification. I can introduce you to any available party," the receptionist replied professionally.
"Ah... I haven't registered with any guild yet," Wynstelle admitted.
"In that case, you can sign up for free right here. But please be aware of the rules," the receptionist explained. "You must be at least fifteen years old to become an adventurer. You will not receive formal training—everything will be learned through experience. Your safety is your own responsibility, and we will not be held accountable if anything happens to you.
"The only benefit we provide is tracking your progress. Your adventurer's card will be updated as you complete tasks, allowing us to determine your rank. A higher rank grants access to personal quests across the continent and may even allow you entry into restricted areas. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Wynstelle replied nervously as she signed the paper and filled out the required information.
"I'm done," she said after a moment.
The receptionist nodded.
"Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable. I'll register your name and call you when it's ready."
Wynstelle stiffened.
"Make myself comfortable? Like hell I could sit in this place full of giants!" she thought, glancing around.
Instead of sitting, she stood awkwardly, staring at the floor, waiting for the receptionist to return, completely unaware of the growing line behind her.
Meanwhile, the backup receptionist, a twin-tailed girl at the next counter, watched her, assuming she was about to ask something. However, as the seconds passed and Wynstelle remained frozen in place, the backup receptionist started to realize—she was just standing there.
"Uh, am I supposed to help her?" the backup receptionist thought.
Just as the twin-tailed girl was about to tell Wynstelle to move elsewhere, the person behind her finally broke the silence.
"Oi! How long are ya gonna stand there?" a man in light armor scolded Wynstelle from behind.
She immediately turned around and realized—there was a long line stacked up behind her.
"Ah! I-I-I'm sorry!" she stammered, quickly stepping aside and bowing apologetically. Just as she was about to walk away,
the receptionist earlier called out, "Wynstelle Castellen."
She froze. Then, without thinking, she spun back around, cutting through the line she had just left. Avoiding the annoyed stares, she snatched her adventurer card from the receptionist.
Turning back once again, she met the same man's gaze and quickly bowed. "S-Sorry again!" she blurted out before scurrying away, her face burning red with embarrassment.
The receptionist watched her walk away in confusion.
Wynstelle took a moment to calm herself in a far corner of the guild.
"Uuuuh~ I wanna go back and sleep on my bed~" Wynstelle groaned, collapsing onto the desk like a dying cat. She smashed her face into her arm with theatrical despair.
Just then, the same receptionist approached her, accompanied by a small group of three adventurers. They looked like fresh rookies, around fifteen years old. Among them were a male swordsman, a female archer, and a male tanker.
"This party is looking for another member. Miss Wynstelle, are you interested in joining them?" the receptionist asked.
Wynstelle stood up from the chair and immediately said—"Ah! Yes!"
The rookies then took a look at her wand. It was a stick with a red ruby gem at the tip of it. A complete rookie's wand.
"Ah... W-well, let's team up for now," the young swordsman accepted her, though in doubt.
"We're about to go to the nearest place we could hunt a monster, are you okay with that? Uh... Wynstelle?" the tanker asked.
"Ah, yes! I'm fully ready!" Wynstelle replied.
"Alright then, don't try to drag us down!" the girl with the bow said immediately, underestimating her.
The party, now consisting of four people, then walked outside the building and continued until they reached the forest.
The receptionist glanced at Wynstelle, mistakenly assuming she was just the same age as the kids trying to become adventurers. She didn't bother checking the document Wynstelle had filled out or even glancing at her adventurer card.
In reality, Wynstelle was a top graduate of Aetherion Magic Academy—the best academy out there—and she was 20 years old despite her height.
As they stepped outside the town, the three adventurers chatted amongst themselves, leaving Wynstelle trailing behind in silence. She felt out of place but kept her mouth shut, simply following them.
"U-ugh... this is kinda awkward..." Wynstelle thought.
After a while, they reached their destination—the Unnamed Forest. It was known for having a fair number of weak monsters, making it a common training ground for new adventurers.
Their first battle came swiftly. From the shadows, four Mutants emerged—monsters that once brought devastation to the world, now reduced to mere playthings for rookie adventurers.
The kids felt a surge of adrenaline rush through them. They were hyped. The young swordsman charged at the first mutant, his sword raised high. He slashed at the monster's body, but the blade barely cut through its flesh. Meanwhile, the tank stepped in, shielding the swordsman from an incoming attack. The archer, with decent precision, loosed an arrow, but the single shot barely pierced the monster's flesh, doing little damage.
Wynstelle stood still at the back, her eyes closed in deep concentration. The air around her grew cold, and frost began to spread across the ground. The archer shivered from the sudden chill and turned around—her eyes widened as she saw multiple shards of ice spinning at extreme speed, ready to be unleashed.
Wynstelle opened her eyes, raising her wand. With a sharp motion, the spinning ice shot forward, striking every monster in its path. The Necromutants let out distorted cries as frost spread over their bodies—some were immobilized, others shattered into frozen fragments, and a few were completely encased in ice, motionless.
The kids were speechless. They knew good magic when they saw it. Wynstelle's spell was powerful—too powerful for a rookie. But she had done this many times before, back on her father's lands, where she fought monsters alongside her older siblings. At Aetherion Magic Academy, she trained relentlessly, preparing as if doomsday were near.
But instead of praise, a sword suddenly pointed at her.
"That was supposed to be my kill! Why did you steal it?!" the young swordsman shouted, his voice sharp with frustration.
"Eh?" Wynstelle blinked, stunned.
The others, who had been impressed at first, quickly followed his lead.
"Yeah! That was supposed to be our kill! Why did you take all of them?!"
Wynstelle had always been praised by her older siblings for her magic. But this time, it was different. There was no admiration, no encouragement. Just anger.
"Hah! Don't even have words to defend yourself?" the tanker scoffed.
"Then get the hell out of this team!" the swordsman snapped.
Clearly, they were immature. But Wynstelle just stood there, silent. She watched as they stormed off, disappearing deeper into the forest.
She let out a frustrated sigh. "I guess I'll go back for now..."
She returned to town; it was mid-afternoon. Sitting on a bench at the center of the plaza, she stared at the sky for a moment with a straight face. The sound of the fountain felt strangely loud in her head.
She let out a small sigh, ready to give up and call it a day.
But just before she made that decision, the thought of her family's situation flashed through her mind. Her eyes widened. She stood up again, slapping both hands against her cheeks. "You can do this!" she told herself with renewed determination.
She walked around, asking adventurers if she could join their party. No one accepted.
She kept walking.
Through every alley, she chatted with stray cats. Along the city walls, she wandered aimlessly. Outside the gates, she kept asking.
No one accepted.
All because of her small wand—everyone assumed she was a complete beginner.
As evening fell, her stomach growled. She was hungry.
"Let's call it a day for now..." Wynstelle murmured in frustration.
Wynstelle walked along the town's main road, where countless stalls lined the streets. As she strolled, an exceptionally appetizing aroma drifted toward her from a nearby bakery stall. It was just bread, but somehow, it smelled different from the ordinary.
Curious, she bought a few pieces.
As the shopkeeper handed over the bread, she suddenly grinned and said, "Miss, you look completely hopeless!"
"Eh?" Wynstelle snapped out of her daze.
"Like I said, you look like you're going to die tomorrow!" the shopkeeper teased. "Here, take an extra piece. As for payment? Just cheer up!"
"Eh?! No, no, no, no! I can pay!" Wynstelle insisted.
The shopkeeper chuckled. "How about this—tell me what happened, and then you take that extra piece?"
"That sounds more like a favor to me than a gift," Wynstelle mumbled.
"Then take the bread as payment for the favor!" The shopkeeper winked.
"Ah-... Fine..." Wynstelle sighed, admitting defeat.
Wynstelle sat on the provided chair in front of the stall and began to express everything.
After listening to her struggles, the shopkeeper nodded and said, "Well, in this town, you might be out of luck. This is a place where adventurers come and go constantly."
"I see familiar faces and newcomers every day, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone adventuring alo—" The shopkeeper paused mid-sentence as a thought crossed her mind.
"What's wrong?" Wynstelle asked.
"Oh, nah. It's just... I think I saw someone who looked like a lone adventurer earlier. But what she was holding didn't seem like something an adventurer would carry."
"She was carrying a large stick, I wonder if she was planning to smash a monster's head with that."
"Huh?" Wynstelle tilted her head.
The shopkeeper smirked. "She was drooling in front of my stall before walking away. I bet she didn't have any money on her, so she'll probably end up at the Adventurer's Guild. Miss, that might be your chance, no?"
Wynstelle immediately stood up, bowed deeply, and thanked the shopkeeper before heading straight to the Adventurer's Guild. She started running but quickly ran out of breath. Slowing to a normal walk, she took out the bread and bit into it. To her surprise, it was exceptionally delicious—far better than the bread back at her house. Wasting no time, she finished the entire piece and picked up her pace again.
When she finally reached the guild, she pushed open the door, only to find the place unusually silent. The only sound came from the faint rustling of paper at the reception desk. The receptionist was focused on paperwork, unaware of Wynstelle's presence.
Approaching the desk, Wynstelle asked, "Have you seen anyone come in here with a large stick?"
The receptionist looked up, slightly puzzled. "A large stick...? I believe I haven't seen anyone like that today."
"Ah... I see..." Wynstelle murmured, her shoulders slumping.
She walked to the corner of the room, set her belongings on the table, and sat down. Resting her head against the surface, she let out a small sigh. Within seconds, her vision blurred, and then, complete darkness.
She was fast asleep.
Succumbing to her fatigue, Wynstelle drifted into sleep. But after only a few minutes, the faint murmurs of people talking reached her ears. The voices didn't wake her until something soft dropped onto her head.
Startled, she groggily looked around, searching for the culprit. Her gaze landed on a single piece of bread she had bought today resting on the table. Confused, she checked her own stuff, but the bag itself did not move from where she had put it earlier.
How did one drop on her head? Did someone throw it? But how?
As she turned around, she saw someone far away at the reception desk.
Standing there was a tall girl with messy white hair, holding a large stick. Wynstelle's thoughts quickly shifted to her objective.
She had found her. The drooling woman!
Wynstelle immediately stood up and approached her.
Meanwhile, behind the counter, the receptionist watched the interaction with quiet hope. Maybe she'd finally take that odd girl away...
Sighing, she glanced down at the document in her hand—the very one Wynstelle had filled out earlier that morning.
Then she froze.
She read in her thoughts—"Wynstelle Castellen, Age... 20?! Graduate from... Aetherion Magic Academy?!"
A wave of panic washed over her. "Did I seriously put her in a party full of kids?! ...Shit."
She maintained her polite receptionist smile, but it nearly faltered when she heard the same phrases she used to warn that very same person.
"We don't know what will happen at night."
She was silently pissed off, barely keeping her smile.
As Wynstelle and the white-haired girl left the guild together, the receptionist finally sank into her chair with relief, both because Wynstelle didn't return to complain and because that strange girl was finally gone.
"Thank God...."