The next morning, the guild hall buzzed like always — the clatter of dishes, the bark of bickering adventurers, and the steady scratching of quills on parchment filling the air.
Rei sat with his back pressed against the wall, he had a simple breakfast before him — bread, stew, and a small cup of dark tea. His cloak remained pulled low over his head, just enough to keep others from seeing too much.
The rumors hadn't stopped.
Another guild whisper — this time about a city overseas where a building had simply collapsed inward, crushed by something unseen. The report was dismissed as a structural failure.
Rei knew better.
He was almost done eating when a shadow crossed his table.
A young girl that was maybe twelve or thirteen — with auburn hair and striking golden eyes looked down at him, smiling like they were old friends.
"You look bored."
Rei blinked. "...Excuse me?"
Without waiting for permission, she sat across from him, placing her tray of food down with an unceremonious thump. "I've been watching you… you've got the face of someone pretending not to be powerful."
He stiffened.
"Relax," she said, grinning. "I just meant you don't act like the usual bronze-rank meathead."
She offered a hand. "Myra. First-year Healer. Rank Bronze, for now."
Rei didn't shake. He just nodded. "Kael. Solo."
Myra tilted her head. "Mysterious. I like it."
Rei meant to ignore her after that, but she didn't go away.
She talked. A lot.
About the guild, the town, her failed attempt at brewing fire-resistance potions, and her theory that half the Silver-ranked adventurers were secretly cowards with good PR.
"You don't talk much, do you?" she asked between bites of egg.
"Talking invites questions," he said simply.
"Then I'll ask one."
"How old are you?"
"12"
Her golden eyes narrowed. "Are you strong?"
Rei paused.
"Enough."
She smiled again — not mockingly, but approvingly, like she'd just confirmed a theory.
After breakfast, Rei made his way toward the quest board, pretending not to notice Myra trailing behind him with her hands folded behind her back.
The usual green- and blue-sealed quests were posted — pest clearings, herb collections, escort work. Nothing special.
But off to the side, a pinned request caught his eye. It wasn't on standard guild parchment — just a folded letter, barely held together by a bronze wax seal.
He plucked it off and opened it.
[ UNUSUAL REQUEST — PRIVATE CONTRACT ]
Posted by: Irwin Talrow, Artisan Inventor
Request: Retrieve a fallen artifact from the Southern Marshlight Cavern
Danger Level: Unknown
Rank: Bronze
Reason: Guild standard fee too high. Need low-rank adventurer willing to take risk.
Reward: 60 silver, bonus for recovery of intact item.
Contact: Talrow's Workshop, East District near Tannery Road.
Rei read it twice.
It wasn't listed as dangerous... but unknown was always a gamble.
Still, the payment was higher than most Bronze quests. Too high for most crafters to offer, unless…
He's desperate.
He turned to the clerk.
"This one. The workshop contract."
She raised an eyebrow. "We don't usually let low-tier adventurers take unknowns alone."
Rei said nothing.
After a long pause, she sighed. "It's unsanctioned, technically. But it was approved since he filled out the private waiver. You take it, you're responsible."
"Understood."
As he turned to go, Myra leaned over his shoulder and read the request from his hand.
"Ooh, mysterious caves and desperate inventors. You've got a taste for weird jobs don't you?"
"It pays."
"Mind if I tag along?"
He stared at her. "Why?"
"Curiosity," she said with a shrug. "And... maybe I like quiet guys who are clearly hiding something."
Rei's expression didn't shift, but something in his core pulsed dangerously.
Careful.
He turned away without answering.
She grinned. "That's not a no."
Later That Day — Talrow's Workshop
The building was crooked and scorched in places, its front windows blackened as if from past fires. A thin man with soot-stained gloves and magnification goggles perched on his forehead greeted Rei at the door.
"You the one from the guild?"
Rei nodded.
The man wiped his hands nervously. "Good. You're not what I expected, definitely a lot younger, but I won't complain. Listen, I dropped an artifact — old, rare, not explosive — down a cavern out past the marsh line. My probe said it's lodged on a natural ledge. Getting to it isn't hard… but I can't afford a full party."
Rei listened carefully.
"What's the catch?"
"Rumors of monsters nesting deeper down," the man said quickly. "But they don't come up top. I swear. All I need is that artifact. Looks like a metal flower with three crystal petals. Bring it back and I'll double the fee."
"I thought the pay was less?" Rei asked.
"I just needed someone who wasn't in it for the money not to mention it's still a lot cheaper than paying for a party."
"Fine, triple if it's intact," Rei said flatly.
The man hesitated, then nodded.
That night, Rei sat in his room above the inn, sharpening his dagger with deliberate strokes.
Something about this was off.
He felt it in the way the man twitched. In the vague mention of "rumors." In the fact that a single flower-shaped relic was worth more than most goblin quests combined.
But he also felt something else — something tugging at his instincts.
A chance to learn.
A chance to test.
A chance to see what this world feared down in the dark.