Northwest Street.
Near the central square, there stood a sacred pantheon housing statues of numerous gods and great adventurers. The entire building was enveloped in a divine atmosphere.
The Pantheon was the very building where the Guild Headquarters was located.
Morning was the time when adventurers began their activities. The bustling crowd of adventurers filled the guild hall, which could accommodate thousands. Some were there to prepare for their dungeon expeditions, but most were there to gather information.
The Guild recorded recent major events, especially new information about the dungeon, on parchment and posted them on the bulletin boards on the walls to warn adventurers.
For adventurers who made a living in the dungeon, information was as vital as life itself. Thus, many adventurers would come to the Guild in the morning before heading into the dungeon to check the latest updates.
"That outsider from the arena has apparently joined the Loki Familia."
"Really? A top-tier familia actually let him in?"
"Us locals have been completely overshadowed by him."
The biggest topic of discussion these past two days was undoubtedly that newcomer from the arena.
His feats were so outrageous that he stole the spotlight from all the adventurers in Orario. Anyone who heard about his achievements couldn't help but be impressed. His accomplishments, verified by tens of thousands of people, were undeniably real.
"I wonder if that young man has found a familia yet."
Misha sat by the window, propping her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
She was reminiscing about the beautiful young man she had seen two days ago. Although she knew deep down that such a handsome youth was out of her league, not seeing him for a few days had given her a serious case of lovesickness, making her lose all motivation for work.
"How long are you going to daydream? Hurry up and get back to work. If you have to work overtime again tonight, I won't help you, you know?"
The one urging her was her best friend, Eina Tulle.
Eina was a half-elf. Thanks to her elven heritage, she was exceptionally beautiful and highly competent at her job. She was in a league of her own within the Guild and was very popular among both staff and adventurers.
In contrast, Misha was less than 150 cm tall with a baby face. Though undeniably cute, she couldn't compare to Eina.
"Coming, coming."
Misha replied lazily and returned to the service window.
"Hello, I'm here to register as an adventurer."
Not long after she sat down, a very familiar voice came from outside the counter, causing her to look up in pleasant surprise.
Sure enough, it was the beautiful young man she had met two days ago. Just looking at him filled the emptiness in her heart, leaving no room for any other desires.
His arrival also drew surprised glances from many adventurers around. Indeed, everyone appreciates beauty.
"Are you listening?"
"Ah! Oh, yes! I understand. Adventurer registration, right?"
Misha snapped out of her daze and quickly began searching for the necessary documents.
She pulled out a piece of parchment from the drawer and handed it to him along with an ink pen.
"I didn't expect you to find a familia in just two days. That's a bit surprising."
She chatted with him familiarly while keeping an eye on the information he was filling out.
On the registration form, the Guild required adventurers to provide details such as their name, age, place of birth, and the familia they had joined. Later, they would also need to fill in details like the dungeon floors they had reached and their level. All this information would be carefully archived.
Of course, Misha's goal was to find out the young man's name from the registration form.
Name: Eiji Nangou, Age: 15... Wow, he was four or five years younger than her.
Place of birth: Unknown... Well, that wasn't important anyway. Most adventurers rarely left Orario after arriving and usually settled down there.
Joined Familia: Loki Familia... Huh???
"Wait, you joined the Loki Familia?!"
Misha jumped up in shock.
Her sudden, loud exclamation drew the attention of both Guild staff and adventurers nearby.
"Yeah."
Eiji looked at her strangely.
Her reaction was a bit over the top.
"What do you mean, 'yeah'? This is a huge deal!"
Misha quickly bowed to the staff who were giving her disapproving looks, then plopped back into her chair and began rambling nonstop.
In summary, she went on about how difficult it was to join the Loki Familia, but it was all stuff Eiji had heard before and wasn't interested in.
So what if he joined the Loki Familia?
Wasn't it as easy as lifting a hand?
"So, you're that outsider everyone's been talking about these past two days!"
It took Misha a while to connect the dots.
She hadn't linked Eiji to the legendary outsider at all, as legends always seemed distant from her reality. Only now did it finally click.
"I'm done filling this out."
Eiji handed the registration form back to Misha.
"Alright, I've received it."
Misha accepted the form with great solemnity, as if she had just received a gift from the gods.
"Alright then, Eiji. From now on, I'll be your adventurer advisor. If you encounter any problems while exploring the dungeon, feel free to consult me. I'll do my best to help you!"
Misha was brimming with motivation.
She felt that she could no longer procrastinate and let her work pile up until she had to work overtime at night. She needed to pull herself together and stop being such a slacker.
"Here, take this."
Misha pulled out a thin booklet from behind the counter and handed it to Eiji.
The small black booklet was titled "Illustrated Guide to Monsters in the Upper Floors of the Dungeon."
"This is a guide to all the monsters in the upper floors of the dungeon, specifically floors 1 to 12. It also includes maps of each floor and some essential tips for dungeon exploration. It's very useful for beginners."
"This guide is free. And here's this too!"
Misha then brought out a small box from behind the counter and took out a short sword and a breastplate.
"This is the beginner equipment provided by the Guild. The short sword costs 3,600 valis, and the lightweight breastplate is 5,000 valis, totalling 8,600 valis... Well, today is a special day, so I'll give you this set as a gift!"
Misha handed the two pieces of equipment to Eiji, smiling on the outside but bleeding on the inside.
Over 8,000 valis was equivalent to seven or eight days of her salary, and that was considering the relatively good pay for Guild staff. An ordinary person would need half a month to earn that much.
"No need, here."
Eiji took out some coins from his pouch and handed them to Misha.
Without waiting for her to give him change, he took the beginner's kit and left the Guild, heading straight for the dungeon. His eager silhouette made it clear he couldn't wait to get started.
***
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