The guild hall buzzed louder than usual when Arthur stepped in. Whispers followed him like a shadow, and he didn't have to guess why. It was the Ash Wolf incident. His first mission. His first kill.
And already, his face was more recognized than he liked.
He pulled his cloak tighter, walking straight to the counter where Lisa offered him a faint smile.
"Ah, the Ash Wolf slayer," a loud voice boomed behind him, breath thick with alcohol.
Arthur didn't flinch. He barely looked over his shoulder as the drunken adventurer staggered toward him, tankard in hand.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to get drunk so early in the morning?" Arthur muttered, eyes still fixed ahead.
The man froze mid-step, stunned at the jab. The hall quieted instantly. The chatter dropped into hushed murmurs, tension settling thick in the air like fog.
"You little—" the man growled, stepping closer.
Arthur remained there with a clenched fists. 'If you're going to hit me, just do it already,' he thought, exhaling silently.
He wasn't in the mood for petty guild politics—or drunken idiots looking for a rise. So he figured taking a hit or two wouldn't be bad.
He was just about to go to the mission board which when something happened, and silence really fell this time.
Three people stepped in—no, four.
At the front, Gerald. Towering and confident, his mere presence shifted the air. Behind him walked a lithe woman in a dark cloak—Rachel—her eyes scanning the room lazily. Emilia followed with her soft smile, hands clasped behind her back. The last was Doran, looking as grim as ever, his massive frame blocking the morning light behind them.
They weren't the strongest in the city, not even close, but they were strong.
The kind of adventurers you didn't mess with unless you had a death wish.
The drunk man backed away instinctively, his bravado deflating with every step.
Gerald's gaze swept the room like a quiet storm before landing on Arthur, standing before the receptioist, still calm as ever.
He made his way over there,, his party slowly trailing behind him.
"Mind if we sit?" Gerald asked, pulling out a chair without waiting for an answer.
Arthur didn't object. They sat around him, a circle of calm amidst the awkward silence.
"You really don't like the attention, huh?" Gerald asked after a moment.
Arthur's eyes flicked to him. "It's unnecessary. Attention brings questions. Questions bring trouble."
Rachel smirked. "Smart... I like this kid. What do you think Cap?" She asked
Gerald smiled leaned forward. "You know kid I've been thinking about this since the other day. You wanna join our party...
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You mean your party."
Gerald nodded. "Exactly. You walk with us, and people assume the story's done. No mystery. No gossip. Just another rookie joining a veteran group."
Arthur leaned back in his seat, weighing the offer. The fame wasn't doing him any good. If anything, it was dangerous. The Kingdom's eyes were everywhere. And if they heard about a mysterious, white-haired kid making waves in a remote guild...
Just then, Lisa approached the table with a few sheets in hand. "I've got something for you guys. A D-rank request came in just this morning."
Arthur's brow lifted slightly. "D-rank?"
Lisa nodded. "Small pack of kobolds nesting in the Eastwood Caverns. It's been cleared for teams with a minimum rank of D."
Arthur's eyes narrowed on the parchment. That meant something more.
D-rank wasn't just a letter. To even apply for the advancement test from F to E rank, you had to complete ten F-rank quests. Then you had to fight an E-rank examiner. Pass or fail, that decision was left entirely to the examiner's judgment.
Once you made it to D-rank, things changed. You needed to be at least Level 25. A second awakening was mandatory. That was when adventurers became 2nd Tier classholders—real players in the field.
So Gerald and his party... they're second-tier already, Arthur thought. No wonder the guild treats them differently.
'If I can be able to get even stronger, then...'
Gerald looked over the quest, then glanced at Arthur. "You in?"
Arthur gave a small smile barely noticeable smile. "I'm in"
Gerald's lips curled slightly. "Good."
He didn't say what he was thinking, but it was pretty was simple: Bringing him in was the smartest move I've made in a while.
"Welcome to the party." He added.
"Sure... So why don't we move out now?"
"I think it's best if we familiarize ourselves first. Wouldn't you agree? I'll start. I'm the tanker. My specialty is in sword and shield combat" he replied in his harsh voice.
"My specialty is with the dagger." Rachel chimed in. "Assassin class."
"I'm an archer" added Emilia with a smile while pointing to her bow crossed over her chest.
"Dual swordsman." Doran added with a grin. "The sole frontman of this team. What was that?" He asked, gesturing as if trying to hear something. "Oh you're praising me kid? Ah I see you've fi-"
"I'm a swordsman. I usually fight alone, so I guess I can be the frontman." He replied to Gerald, completely ignoring Doran once again.
"Damn you! I'll-"
Before he could utter another word, Rachel shot him a small glance. As he instinctively recoiled from fright.
"In that case," Emilia spoke up, "since you're new, you can be on support for now.
'Support huh... Doesn't sound so bad'
"Got it."
"So that settled," Gerald stood up. "Let's be on our way."