On a street near the market, Evan and Reyna, who had just left the adventurers that had bumped into them, walked in silence.
Evan was now in a bad mood—after all, he had to apologize for someone else's mistake toward him. Even though he had a more mature mentality than other young men his age, that didn't mean he had a generous heart.
At this moment, Evan's mind was filled with the desire for strength. Back when he was little, he had also dreamed of becoming a great adventurer and giving his mother and younger sister a better life. But thanks to the recent incident, that desire had grown a hundredfold… no, a thousandfold.
Thinking about this, Evan said to Reyna, who was sulking beside him, "Reyna, let's go back to the inn!"
Reyna only gave a small nod and said nothing.
Seeing this, Evan didn't say much to comfort her and simply walked back toward the inn.
...
After escorting Reyna back to the inn, Evan went out again, heading in one direction. He was going to the guild to register as an adventurer. Although he was a little hasty, his mind was clear. Only by becoming an adventurer could he gain the strength and wealth he desired.
Not long after, Evan arrived in front of a large building with a wooden sign bearing a sword and shield—the branch building of the Adventurers' Guild. From the outside alone, the place looked lively; laughter, shouting, and the clinking of glasses mixed together, spilling out from the wide-open doors.
Evan took a deep breath, feeling the swirl of nervousness and anticipation in his chest. Without further hesitation, he stepped inside.
Contrary to what he had imagined, the interior was spacious but not filled with the stench of alcohol and sweat. The room was divided into two sections by a wall.
The left side was packed with adventurers—some laughing loudly while showing off their wounds, some counting coins at their tables, and others silently sharpening their swords.
The right side was clean and tidy, with a large mission board covering the wall, packed with scrolls of paper. A few adventurers were scrambling to pull down the missions they wanted. There were ten counters here, each staffed by young or mature women—all of them beautiful. In front of each counter stood a small line of people, most of them adventurers, though a few looked like wealthy townsfolk.
Evan's gaze drifted toward a long desk at the end of the room, where a customer had just finished being served.
There stood a mature woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, smiling warmly at the departing client. She wore the guild uniform—a white blouse, black vest, and a silver brooch shaped like a sword. Her face was beautiful, and when she smiled, a charming dimple appeared on her right cheek.
But what captivated Evan the most was not only her face—her figure was generously curved, with her blouse straining slightly over her chest.
Evan quickly averted his eyes, worried that his gaze might be noticed. He tried to keep his expression calm, though a hint of nervousness stirred in his heart.
As he approached, he saw a nameplate on the desk that read "Helena." So that was her name.
"Hello, I'm Helena. Are you here to register?" the woman asked, her voice melodious and pleasant to the ear.
Evan nodded. "Yes, I want to become an adventurer."
Helena took a registration form and placed it on the desk. "Fill this out—name, age, and if you know it, your estimated power level and abilities. After that, you'll need to go through a basic ability test. It's not difficult, just to determine your starting level."
Evan nodded, but then asked about something that puzzled him. "What is this power level and ability?" he asked curiously.
Helena seemed used to this question, so she said, "Alright, let me explain. There's actually no exact unit to measure a person's strength or a monster's. But to make it easier to gauge, a standard ranking system was created."
"The standard is simple—it compares a person's strength to that of monsters. Monsters of the same type usually don't differ too much in power. The lowest is level 1, and the highest is level 10. You can see the monster catalog on the second floor of the guild."
Evan understood her explanation, though not completely—after all, he didn't know how strong a monster truly was. He had heard villagers' stories about adventurers' strength, but those were never clear.
However, right now Evan was more curious about how adventurers became stronger. So he asked Helena, "Helena, can you tell me how to get stronger?" he whispered, making her almost laugh.
Helena quickly composed herself and patiently explained, "You must be from a remote village, not knowing this. Monsters contain natural energy that the body can absorb, strengthening muscles, bones, and even regeneration speed. To get stronger, a person usually consumes edible parts of a monster's body—often its meat—and then trains hard on a regular basis. This energy helps humans enhance their bodies and vitality. And the stronger the monster, the more energy it contains."
She leaned forward slightly, looking Evan in the eyes with seriousness.
"However, not all monsters are safe to eat. Some have meat that will poison you. Also, you must never overconsume monster meat, especially from strong ones—it can overload your body with energy, cause internal bleeding, or even kill you. Of course, the stronger you are, the more your body can tolerate."
Helena then raised a finger, as if reminding him.
"Also, training is important. The energy from monsters won't strengthen your body without training—it'll just go to waste."
A faint smile returned to her face.
"If you're serious about becoming an adventurer, be ready to divide your time between hunting, training, and recovery. That's the only way to survive… and grow stronger."