In a world where adventurers of various classes and rankings lie on four continents, each with distinct cultures and ruling nations. Besides the ever-rising political affairs of the nations over the world is the abundance of adventurers. With the world moving on from the wild era of wars and uncivilized lands, people began to desire to travel the world. For this reason, the ruling nations established Adventurer's Guilds, and each major settlement will have guilds for willing adventurers to partake in challenges to improve themselves. Along with the establishment of guilds are classes and ranks to identify the adventurers on their abilities and strengths. The establishment of guilds for adventurers proved to be a pivotal role in the world's development of peace, from solving troubles such as monster infestations to collaborations of guilds in different towns which ultimately correlates back to political affairs between the ruling nations.
In the south of the world is the peaceful continent of Karagi, a relatively new civilized land. After rigorous efforts from the four major nations, the majority of the monsters living on the continent had been reduced, and its human natives were introduced to modern civilization. Its land consists of wild fields of green, thick forests, and mountain ranges, the early development of the continent was evident by the vast nature surrounding the newly built settlements. The early stages of development in Karagi were rapid, the four nations put all their efforts into making Karagi a developed land to catch up with the rest of the other continents.
In the present, years after the first civilization in Karagi, the guild built in the big town of Saintsville was in rapid recruitment of adventurers to finally contribute to the world's development. Numerous young people from small villages across the continent were visiting Saintsville to officially start their adventures. There has yet to be a successful adventurer who got out of Karagi to different continents. All of the Karagi adventurers failed and remained on the continent or gave up on adventuring. To motivate the new adventurers, Cassery announced promising rewards for all of Karagi's adventurers for making it out of their homeland.
Far southwest of Saintsville, crossing a bridge over a river, one of the villages called Shigure had yet to have its official adventurer. It is a small village, a fairly hard-working community. Most of its male youth are assigned to work on labor instead of adventuring. However, among the villagers is a lady named Saki Nisshin. A lady born with a fire in her eyes, she plans to be Shigure's first adventurer. Many were against her wishes, mainly because she was a woman. Most women from villages in Karagi remain in their homes to grow into the proper age and marry into different villages' families to improve their relations with each other.
But Saki was different, she did not want to be a housewife, especially to be used as a token for relational improvement with the other villages. She yearns for adventure, to seek the entire world, and of course, to turn herself into the highest rank of adventurers, the SSSS-class rank. She insisted despite her fellow villagers' disapproval of her wishes and remained stubborn. Every day, she would rise early to practice her swordsmanship skills.
One morning, as usual, Saki was in their yard swinging the makeshift wooden sword at a dummy made by her neighbor and friend. "Haah...!!" She put all of her strength into her small arms to swing her sword and hit the dummy. "Hrm..!!" She continuously swings her sword from different angles, clearly lacking experience in actual combat. After a few swings, Saki began to sweat from her training, but she continued for a while.
"Saki! Breakfast is ready!" Her mother called out from their house. "Got it!" Saki looked over her shoulder to give a reply. Wiping off the sweat from her forehead, she opened her stats. 'Class: Civilian' 'Rank: Villager'. She stared intently at the text displayed under her name. "I will become an adventurer..." She muttered under her breath. "A swordsman.. no, a swordswoman, not a mage, not a healer, a swordswoman..." She added. Letting out a sigh, she turned around and returned to her home to join the breakfast.
Sitting with her at the table were her mother and father. They ate in silence for a few moments before her father broke the silence. "How's your training, sweetie?" His voice was low and gentle, and a small smile to give to his daughter. "I feel like I'm getting better" Saki said with confidence, but otherwise in a bored tone. "I've heard about the new Mage classes. They said young women adventurers fit perfectly with that class" Her father began to convince Saki again, and she knew it was one of his attempts again, so she sighed and let out a grunt.
"No, Father. I wanted to swing a sword, you know that..." She averted her eyes to the window. "But carrying and swinging swords isn't meant for women, that's why Healer and Mage classes were implemented into adventurer guilds" Her father kept his gentle smile. Saki knew her father fully supported her wishes but still convinced her from time to time.
"I know, Father. But swinging swords and slaying monsters that way is what I want. I don't want white magic and some other sorts of magic..." She replied in the same bored and now-defiant tone. Her mother smiles and begins to put her hand on her head, gently rubbing her hair down.
"You got your father's spirited nature" She spoke in a soft voice as she told Saki. "I met your father when he was traveling in Saintsville. I was the town's herbalist who created various herbal medicines from the wonders of Cassery. Your father came into my store and you can tell immediately that he had traveled a lot" She moved her hand away from Saki's head to rest it on her cheek as she recalls their memories.
"His armor was battered, his expression stiff and tireless. His eyes still burning with passion. He spoke to me with a muscular but gentle voice-" Her mother continued to reminisce and Saki just looked away. "You were supposed to tell me about my 'spirited nature'. Why are you telling me about your romance with father?" She muttered to herself.
"So I was saying, your father was an active adventurer when I met him, and you seem to inherit his adventurous spirit". She giggled and began to rub Saki's hair again. "And from the sound of it, dear Saki, there's no use telling you to step down from being an adventurer. If you don't wish to settle down as a housewife like the women here, then of course I would respect what you truly wanted" She assures her daughter.
"Thank you, Mother" Saki looked up to her and gave a sincere smile. "I will be Shigure's first successful adventurer!" She then gave a determined smile and gazed at both her mother and father. The two of them nodded in acceptance, but her father had something more to say.
"Saki" He called out, his voice firm and serious. "Out there, being an adventurer is, let's say, leans more toward being a man and having good capabilities, especially in the class where you wield a sword. You will face unfair treatment among the adventurers and people along the way" His expression was worried. "I know that... Aren't our neighbors already showing that?" Saki frowned as she replied.
Her father nods at her words. "I know, but it's a different world out there, Saki. There will be more than just words of disapproval that will come your way eventually". Saki remained quiet, unsure of what to say. "But.. I'm sure you already know how to deal with those, right?" Her father smiled at her and she smiled back. "Well.. yeah.." She shyly nods. She knew her father was just giving her a fair warning, and just now he tried to put her spirit back up again.
"When you were born, I thought I was going to raise a daughter to become a housewife. I'm glad I raised an adventurer" His voice was nothing but a proud one. Saki's heart melted at her father's words. In response, she could only mutter a few words. "Thank you, father" Her father nods at her in response.