The Adventure Guild was a skyscraper of over 10 floors, with the lettering "Adventure Guild" boldly displayed. The sun had just begun to rise, casting soft rays over the city.
Despite it being early morning, several adventurers were going in and coming out with quest parchments, while a few—drenched in blood and dirt—headed back inside to submit their completed quests.
Under the disgusted gazes of the people there, Gabriel slowly made his way toward the door.
"Ewww, what's that stench?"
"Did he come out from a sewage or something?"
The adventurers that passed couldn't help but scrunch up their faces as Gabriel walked by. Some even threw up their meals, and a few tried to chase him away, thinking he was mentally ill and had forgotten his home.
"Hey, shoo! Get out of here!"
"Go to the dumpsite or the sewage—just somewhere far from here before you kill us!"
Gabriel's steps, however, didn't falter. He continued to walk forward until he arrived at the double doors, then he pushed them open.
Before he could step in, a voice boomed from inside.
"What the heck!"
A moment later, the door opened completely, revealing an armored guard who was clenching his nose.
"You… you're not supposed to be here! Get lost!" the guard cried out, as his fist shot forward fiercely, aiming at Gabriel's face.
Seeing the blurry punch, Gabriel's eyes flashed, flickering slightly with a hint of electricity.
Naturally, the guard was far stronger than him. Even if they were to engage in combat now, Gabriel knew he'd be on the receiving end. But that didn't mean he was completely at a disadvantage.
Since he couldn't go toe-to-toe yet, he did something instead—he made a mental countdown.
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1!"
As if on cue, the powerful punch smashed toward his face like a sledgehammer—from the guard's perspective.
However, the punch barely grazed his opponent's chin. The guard's mouth hung open and his eyes widened in shock.
"I swear, I hit you! How are you still standing?!"
Meanwhile, Gabriel grimaced inwardly when he felt his neck ache slightly from how fast he had dodged to the left. The reason he had successfully dodged this strike was because he had channeled all his energy into the last two seconds before the attack landed.
It was the result of experimentation and perfect calculation.
Of course, his ten points in Agility were at play here too.
Anyone else would not only get hit but would probably break their neck.
The guard soon snapped out of his daze a moment later and shouted,
"You little rat! Are you deaf?! I said scram from here!"
He clenched his fist again, preparing for another swing, but before he could act, a sharp feminine voice interrupted him.
"Enough."
The atmosphere inside the guild froze instantly as soft footsteps echoed. Then, a moment later, a woman dressed formally like an office worker stepped forward. Her jet-black hair was packed into a ponytail, and her chocolate eyes—covered by thick, long lashes—held a serious gleam.
"What's going on here?" she demanded in a commanding tone.
The guard immediately straightened, though he still held a scowl. "Miss Lilly, this filthy beggar tried to enter the guild. I was just removing the trash!"
'This... first major NPC,' Nox mused as he saw the woman, recognizing her as one of the most famous Adventure Guild receptionists.
'She's known for her straightforward personality. Let's see how this plays out.'
Miss Lilly's chocolate gaze locked onto Gabriel. She took in the boy's ragged appearance, the lingering stench clinging to him, and most importantly—the alert, calculating eyes that held no fear.
'So fast.'
None of the above interested her. It was how fast Gabriel had moved. That kind of movement—only a high-level adventurer could pull it off.
This was what had intrigued her in the first place and made her decide to intervene.
She glanced at the guard a moment later and exhaled through her elegant nose.
"Did he attack you?"
The guard hesitated. "Well… no, but—"
"Did he break any guild rules?"
"No, h-he—"
She turned to Gabriel, ignoring the guard.
"What's your business here?"
"I came to register."
A beat of silence followed. Then, laughter erupted from a few nearby adventurers who had been watching the spectacle unfold.
"Did he just say register?!"
"Bahaha! Look at him! He wouldn't last a second in a goblin hunt!"
"Maybe he's trying to be a walking target dummy."
The guard tried to protest. "Miss, you can't be serious! This kid—"
But she silenced him with a look. "You think I don't know what I'm doing? If the boy wants to die, let him. The guild doesn't turn away applicants. He'll either survive… or he won't."
Gabriel smirked. 'Die?'
A dangerous gleam flickered in his now-calm eyes. 'Funny…'
The process was rather swift. They only had to take his name, level, and class. Gabriel registered as Gabriel Reyes, Class: None, Level 0.
After paying the necessary fee, he then went to the bulletin board, searching for available quests—most of which were situated outside the city.
Some time later, his gaze fell on an E-Rank quest with a bountiful reward.
In the Realm of Ascendancy, quests were ranked from E to S.
However, this quest required a party of three to go ahead.
---
[E-Rank Subjugation Quest]
Quest Type: Monster Subjugation
Location: Blackridge Mountains (12 miles west)
Target: Alpha Grizznaught – A massive grizzly spotted near the ruined fortress, moving toward the city.
Required Party Size: (3)
Objective:
Track and eliminate the Alpha Grizznaught before it reaches civilization.
Exercise caution—previous attempts to subjugate it have failed.
Gather any useful information about the creature's nature and report back.
Rewards:
$5,000 per adventurer
---
Just as he was contemplating…
"We need one more, don't we?"
A smooth yet slightly unsettling voice interrupted him.
Turning, he saw a man and a woman standing just a few feet away.
The man had an easygoing smirk, his sharp brown eyes glinting with amusement. He was tall, well-dressed in dark armor, and carried himself with a casual arrogance that set off alarm bells in Gabriel's head.
The woman beside him was the exact opposite—she was silent, distant, and her expression unreadable and cold.
Her sleek black bodysuit blended with the shadows, and her piercing silver eyes studied him with mild disgust.
'Them...' Gabriel's mind sharpened.
He recognized them immediately.
These two were one of the infamous low-key psychotic NPC couples that preyed on new Awakeners.
So many players had fallen victim to them in the past.
Their names were Martan and Ginna.
And they both possessed powerful talents.
Still, Gabriel wasn't scared.
Instead, a small smile appeared on his face. "It seems the first target for me to use my extraction talent just presented themselves."