Damn my feet are killing me. Took me months to get to here.

"Well , I better get moving if I want to get my mission done." I mutter to myself. Taking one last look at the statue at Amor Square, gleaming brightly under the hot afternoon sun, I pick up my rucksack and adjusted my coat.

It has been many centuries since the Order has properly established itself in the outside world. Why? To gather information on how everyone is doing, of course. It's been quite some time since the events of the Great Terror, and now that we have finally reorganised and regrouped, we can afford to send Watchers out to establish outposts and do some reconnaissance.

To my surprise, I was given the assignment to operate in Orario, the only city in the world that has a Dungeon, to my knowledge. Before the journey, I gathered as much information about Orario and its customs, but it is mostly about how the Gods came down to the mortal realm to live and mingle with humans.

The Gods, apparently bored with their near-perfect life up in heaven, decided to come down to Earth to live and work alongside the mortals, which is us. But to do so, they left most of their godly powers back in heaven, where it still resides to this day, or so I have heard.

Anyway, the Gods formed their own 'familias', which operate in a clan-like structure, with us mortals to have a closer relationship with them. In exchange for joining their familia, the Gods give their 'children' blessings, known as a God's Grace, which is some sort of power up to help them fight better and stuff like that. 

There are many occupations available to the local populace, the most famous of all is the Adventurer, people who venture into the Dungeon to hunt and kill monsters. Slain monsters drop magic stones. Magic stones are apparently crucial to the local economy, being used in a variety of roles such as catalysing magic spells, enhancing weapons, creating potions or even exchanged for the local currency known as valis, at an administrational building called the Guild.

That's all I know for now, and I got to find out more about this city of I want to establish a foothold.

I lean against a wall, ignoring the heavy foot traffic before me, and wonder what is my next move. To learn more about Orario, I got to go to the place where most information flows through, where knowledgeable people run Orario. A place easily accessible by anyone without garnering suspicion.

That's it, I will go to the Guild. The Guild controls the wealth adventurers receive, so I can start there. I could become an adventurer, that way I can learn the ins and outs of Orario and the Dungeon. Through monitoring where the cash flows the most, I can assess the situation of the city and its inhabitants. Who is important in the city, who should I be looking out for and etc. I could get to learn how people here make a living and what they face on a daily basis. Yeah, it could work, if I play my cards right.

Wiping the sweat of my brow, I pull on my hood down and made my way through the bustling crowd towards the Guild.

On my way to the Guild, I pass by a marketplace, people of all races were selling various items while haggling prices with potential customers. Food, clothing, charms and the sorts, it was all there. The smell of street food mixed with the sweat of the moving crowd filled the air, rendering me slightly nauseous. I quietly excuse myself from any approaching vendors as I was less interested in buying their products. I'm not here to shop, after all. 

I spy the Guild building ahead and quicken my pace when suddenly I heard the crowd behind me grew rowdy. I turn around to find people pointing and shouting at what appears to be a kid covered in... red liquid? He was pushing his way through the crowd, shouting at the top of his lungs while disregarding the strange looks people threw at him as he stained their clothes a bright red.

"Eina!" shouted the boy excitedly.

He was heading in the same direction as I was, towards the Guild building. He was nimble, like a hare through blades of grass, and in a split second he brushed past me, staining my dark grey robe with some sort crimson-red substance. I was startled by his appearance, and didn't managed to move out of the way. He's slightly younger than me, about 15 to 17 years of age. I'm only 19 and yet in a flash he has bypassed me. Bloody stars, am I that old? And why is he covered in that?!

I watched him as he reaches the front of the Guild building, talking to what seems to be a smartly-dressed elf in a set of black vest and pants. She seems to be scolding the young boy for being covered in the red substance.

In the blink of an eye, she dragged the young boy into the building, yelling: "Go take a shower!"

The onlookers chuckled and started to laugh and joke about him. Some started to call him names like "Tomato Boy" and such. I was not in the mood to laugh with the crowd however. Not only were the jokes as bad as a TikTok cringe compilation, the boy stained my favorite coat. In fact it was the only coat in my possession. Sigh...

That was when I started to take notice of the stain on my coat. It does not look like tomato juice, as the crowd claimed it to be. It appears too dark-colored to be from tomatoes. I gently touched the stain with my fingers. It felt...sticky. I then pulled the stain closer to my nose and gave it a deep whiff.

Blood.

It was blood. A recognisable scent. A metallic tang, with a hint of sourness that hit you in the back of the throat, inducing watery eyes and slight gagging. It's a scent I'm too familiar with. After all, when you spent many years hunting and trapping animals, as well as the occasional criminal, blood is something you'll get to familiarise yourself with. But the question is, whose blood is it? The blood can't belong to that boy, cos if it were he should be knocking on Zeus' door by now. It doesn't have that usual 'human' smell to it either. How strange. But then again, I won't be finding any answers standing around doing nothing. Better continue on my objective: that is to become an adventurer.

Without wasting anymore time, I quickly brush the thought out of my mind. I'm here to do my job, time to get my head in the game. I breath in deeply and walked into the Guild.

The Guild is a large building with a wide space and multiple counters. There is a group of people operating those counters, all of them dressed similarly to the elf I saw earlier. It appears that they are the ones running this place, I thought.

Observing the area, I notice a continuous stream of adventurers entering and exiting the building, some all by themselves, others in large groups. They approached the counters in an orderly fashion and dropped a bag of magic stones into the drawers beneath it. A worker at the other side opens the drawer, inspecting the stones before depositing a bag of valis into the drawer for the adventurers.

Ah, this area must be some sort of bank, an exchange area for valis.

There are a couple of tables and chairs arranged neatly at the side of the building. A worker appears to be talking to a group of adventurers. Quietly tuning into their conversation I pick up something about Dungeon strategies and monster hunting tips. It seems that these workers are not only bankers, they are also dungeon advisers.

I was so focused on the scene unfolding before me that I did not notice a silhouette approach me. I only notice her from the corner of my eye about was an arm's length away. It was probably her flashy, pink hair that caught my attention.

"Hello there!" she said with a cheerful spirit. "I see that you are a bit confused, are you new here?"

I take a good look at her. She appears to be a worker here as well, based on her uniform. Her long, pink hair matches her vibrant, glistening pink eyes, and a cheerful personality to match.

"Hey, are you deaf? I said are you new here?!" She yelled at me with a playful tone.

It took me a while to react to her question, she startled me and caught me off guard. "Oh, yes erm..., I'm new here. I would like to register myself as a new adventurer."

"Excellent! My name is Misha Flott, a Guild employee for the city of Orario, but my friends just call me Misha. Come with me, I will help you get your adventurer's license in no time!" Without saying another word, she just grabbed my hand and yanks me towards one of the counters.

"Hey Rose, I got another one for you!" Misha yells at the receptionist as she continues to drag me towards the counters.

"Are you sure he is not another one of your boyfriends? You seem to like to change around a lot, especially during rookie season." The receptionist joked. The other workers snicker and chuckle at her remarks.

"Shut up Rose! I do not have a boyfriend! Being friendly is part of the Guild's expectations of its employee! Besides, he's an outsider, so of course I gotta show him around." Misha's face turns beet-red with embarrassment as she tries to explain to Rose, the receptionist.

Rose then looked at me from behind the counter. "So, an outsider, huh? Well then, come here and give me your details so that I can register you into the Guild records." she said to me in a serious voice, quite a change of tone from the joking attitude she put on just now.

I approached the counter carefully, careful not to reveal any of my features to them.

"So, starter pack, got any registration?" Rose asked.

"R-registration?"

"Yeah. A birth certificate, a passport, heck even a work permit. Adventuring's not for everyone, bud. We got some criteria for em. You got tell me where you're from. Let me guess, Agris? Maybe Edas village? You seem like the guy to work the fields and hunt for a living."

"Heheh... you got me there..." I chuckle nervously, hiding my pained eyes as to how royally screwed I am.

Ah, crap. Nobody told me I need documents to register. I mean, the point is anonymity. Why would I carry any self-identification with me? Quick, gotta think of a false history, quick.

"Oh, yeah. No. I come from a village far from here, outside the jurisdiction of any kingdoms. I heard of Orario from passing merchants so I came to take a look for myself. I- I didn't know that identification was a requirement."

"Typical." Rose grunts. "Fine, we'll list you as a Drifter then. Now then, what's your name?"

That's when I hit a blunt. Err, what should I call myself? Obviously using my own name is stupid. But what would be a good fake name? My mind was racing a thousand miles. What if the fake name I used turned out to be someone in real life? Shit, this is bad, should have thought this through before arriving. I guess that's why I'm still still a Junior rank instead of Senior. But for now, maybe I can mix a little truth with a little lie...

"Marcus."

"Marcus..." Rose mumbles as she swiftly joys down my name on a registration form. "And your last name?"

"Marcus... er...  Braeker." I replied nervously. "Marcus Braeker. That'll do for now."

Rose looks at me suspiciously. "For now?"

"F-forget that last part. The name's Braeker. Marcus Braeker." I quickly rebuke, my face flustering from having basically spent a day's worth of brainpower thinking of a damn name.

"Aw, no need to be shy. We don't judge you by your name, only by the amount of magic stones you bring in." Misha chimed in. "Also, why are you covering up your face with your hood?"

These questions are coming at me faster than a hail of throwing knives. I had to come up with a good reason, fast.

"Well I traveled from many regions away to reach Orario, you see. And well, raining becomes a problem." I reply.

"It does not rain indoors, dummy." Misha questions.

"Well, it was sunny outside."

"Misha, stop pestering the boy." Rose grunts. "You'll end up chasing them away if you keep clinging on like that.

"I'm just being friendly..."

"Since you're a traveler I'd assume you haven't registered into a familia yet?" Rose asks.

"No. What for?"

"You have a better chance of surviving the Dungeons if you are."

"Is it a requirement?" I ask, worried that my plans will be impeded yet again.

"No. But let's just say that there's a reason very few venture down there without a familia, and even less return to the surface in one piece."

"I-I'll do fine." I answer, trying to hurry up the process of getting my adventurer's license.

Rose raises an eyebrow, as if questioning my legitimacy that I wasn't being honest. She was right. I am not a traveler. Clever girl. But still, I pull my best poker face and look her dead in the eyes. Eventually she shrugs and continues with her paperwork.

"Whatever, I'm not paid enough to bother anyway." Rose mutters as she buries her head into some paperwork.

To alleviate myself of further suspicion, I show them the red blood stain on my coat and ask about a "Tomato Boy".

"Oh, you mean that boy covered in Minotaur blood? He's Bell. Eina must be taking care of him!" Misha chirped. "As a matter of fact, there he is!"

Minotaur blood? What?

I turn around to see a young boy with white hair talking to the elf lady, Eina at one of those tables. He looks much better without all that nasty blood all over him. He must have taken a shower, due to the fact he there is a towel draped around his neck. Hmm, now that I got a good look at him, he looked like a rabbit, honestly speaking.

"Please tell me about Miss Ais Wallenstein, Eina!" yells the young boy. You could practically hear his voice echo throughout the Guild Building.

"Well, she is a level 5 adventurer, she is known as 'Sword Princess'. She is also part of the Loki Familia." Eina replied.

"No, I mean about her..." Bell continued.

I was trying to eavesdrop on their interesting conversation when I felt a slight tap on my back. It was Rose.

"Here is your adventurer's license, Mr Braeker," She says as she hands me a document with my name and stats on it. Apparently, all my stats are at zero. How weird.

"You will be appointed a dungeon adviser in a few hours. So, I expect you to drop by in the evening to find out who is your adviser," she said.

I thank them and accept my Dungeon license gratefully. As I turned around to look for the white hair kid, he was no longer there. He must have left the building.

As I sighed and walked out, Misha called me. "Hey Marcus, be careful out there, and happy hunting!" I smile sheepishly and walked out.

Back in the daylight, I contemplate on my next action. Now that I'm a registered adventurer, albeit a few mishaps, step one is complete. Now, my next step should be...finding a lodging space. I've got to find a home, whether temporary or permanent if I want to continue my stay at Orario.

I look up towards the blue sky. This could be the start of an amazing adventure.

"Give me strength, Gods."

My journey's only beginning.

(CHAPTER ONE: END)