She leaned forward, her expression becoming professional. "Now, let's talk about how we do things here in the Guild."
...
Lykee reached beneath the counter and produced a slim metal box, no more than four inches long and barely half an inch thick. Beside it, she placed a wooden stamp—its base matched the box perfectly, but it was topped with a sturdy wooden handle. Finally, she pulled out a small glass vial filled with a swirling, viscous silver liquid.
She set the items in a neat row, then took the parchment application Lucian had just finished. With a practiced motion, she laid the paper on the counter and pressed the stamp firmly onto the center of the box.
Lykee hovered her hand over the assembly and closed her eyes. "Enchant," she whispered, her voice calm and melodic.
Immediately, her palm began to glow with a sharp crimson light. The air around the counter hummed with static as the spell took hold. After a few moments, the light faded, and the parchment application had vanished entirely, seemingly absorbed into the wooden stamp, which now pulsed with a faint red heartbeat.
Lykee lifted the stamp and pressed it into the silver liquid. The liquid reacted instantly, igniting with a soft inner light as the crimson glow from the stamp bled into the silver. When she finally pulled the stamp away, she reached into the box and handed a shimmering object to Lucian.
"This is your adventurer card," Lykee said, her smile professional yet warm. "It serves as your universal identity. With this, you can visit any Adventurers' Guild across the continent to accept quests."
Lucian took the card. It was a cool, heavy steel-silver, engraved with his name and his registration location. In the top right corner, a sharp letter "E" was carved into the metal.
"In our world, there are six ranks," Lykee explained. "Rank E is the starting point, followed by D, C, B, A, and finally, Rank S. Since you are newly registered, you begin at E."
She gestured toward the far wall. "There are six quest boards, one for each rank. As a Rank E, you can only accept E-rank requests unless you are hired privately. Each quest is assigned points by the Guild Master based on difficulty. Once you provide proof of completion and it's verified, those points are awarded to your account."
Lucian listened intently as she continued.
"You can also earn points by selling monster remains. The Magic Towers rank monsters similarly to our guild system. For monsters ranked B to S, only parties of the equivalent rank are permitted to hunt them. Selling remains gives you half of the minimum points of that monster's rank, along with a fair sum of money."
"I see," Lucian nodded. "And how do I know when I've ranked up?"
Lykee let out a soft, embarrassed laugh, her cheeks tinting pink. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I forgot to mention that. When you complete a quest, you'll hand over your card to the receptionist. Once you hit the required point threshold, the card will actually change color. Right now it's steel for Rank E, but it will shift to bronze for Rank D, and so on."
"Does the card ever expire?"
"No," Lykee replied. "It is yours for life. It only deactivates if you officially resign—or if you pass away."
"Understood. No more questions."
"Excellent! Welcome, Adventurer Lucian! I wish you the best of luck on your journey."
Lucian gave a short nod and turned to head toward the quest boards. Viera, the priest who had accompanied him, stepped up to his side. "Congratulations! I didn't realize you were only sixteen. You're quite tall for your age."
Lucian gave her a smug sideways glance. "Heh. I didn't know you were still here."
Viera huffed, crossing her arms. "Of course I am! You still haven't paid me for my help."
"Right. I almost forgot." Lucian turned back to the counter. "Actually, Lykee, where can I sell monster remains?"
"If they need dismantling, go through the door on the left," Lykee said. "But if they're already processed, I can handle that right here."
"Perfect." Lucian pulled a small leather pouch from his belt and set it on the wood.
Lykee opened the drawstring and peered inside. Her eyes went wide, and her breath hitched. "Oh my... are these... Red Ruby Eyes? And silver nails? Where on earth did you find these?"
The guild went silent. Every adventurer in the room turned their head, their eyes burning with envy at the mention of such rare materials. Even Viera looked stunned.
"You never told me you had those!" she hissed. "You could have just paid me with one of those eyes!"
"You didn't ask," Lucian said with a shrug. "Besides, I wasn't sure what they were worth."
Lykee was already scrambling. "Please, wait right here! I need to call the appraiser!" She disappeared through the back door before Lucian could even agree.
He sighed, feeling the weight of a dozen hungry stares on his back. He checked the time, pulling a hanging artifact from his waist and holding it up for everyone to see. "Activate," he commanded.
A crystalline display flickered to life above the device: May 23, 1072: 4:50 PM.
As the light of the high-grade artifact filled the room, the murmurs among the other adventurers grew louder. Lucian didn't look back, but he couldn't help a grim thought: Look at all these hungry people...