The inside of the guild was louder than she expected.Voices bounced from wall to wall — laughter, shouting, the clinking of mugs, and the occasional argument that sounded like it could break into a brawl any second. The scent of ale, sweat, and roasted meat mixed in the air, creating that peculiar "adventurer" smell.
Lyune stepped in quietly.Instantly, the noise softened — just a little. Dozens of eyes turned toward her.
Men paused mid-sip.Women blinked curiously.Even a dwarf at the counter froze with a chunk of meat still hanging from his fork.
Her white hair and crimson eyes stood out like a flame in a snowfield.
"…Who's that kid?" someone whispered."She's kinda cute, ain't she?" another said."Cute? She looks like a lost ghost!""Hey, don't say that, you'll jinx it—!"
Lyune pretended not to hear any of them. Her small feet tapped gently across the wooden floor, her tattered robe brushing lightly against her legs as she made her way to the reception counter.
Behind the counter stood a woman with short chestnut hair tied with a ribbon. She wore the guild uniform — white blouse, navy vest, and a bright, welcoming smile.
"Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild of Lumindell!" she greeted cheerfully. "Are you here to take a quest?"
Lyune shook her head softly. "No. I'd like to… register."
"Eh?" The receptionist blinked, caught off guard. "Oh, register? You mean—ah, to become an adventurer?"
Lyune nodded.
For a second, the receptionist looked her up and down — small frame, soft face, pale skin, and eyes that looked too innocent to have ever seen battle."You… you want to be an adventurer?" she asked carefully.
"Yes."
"Um, well…" The receptionist smiled awkwardly, scratching her cheek. "You look quite young. How old are you, exactly?"
"Eighteen," Lyune said immediately.
"Ah—! S-sorry, I didn't mean to imply—wait, eighteen?" The receptionist blinked. "Really?"
"I guarantee it."Her tone was calm, serious — maybe too serious for such a simple question.
"Well, if you say so…" The receptionist chuckled nervously. "Then, may I see your identification card, please?"
Lyune blinked. "That again…"
"Sorry?"
"I don't have one," she said quietly. "Or even know what it is."
The receptionist froze. "…You don't know what an ID card is?"
Lyune tilted her head slightly. "Is that… another kind of orb?"
Before the receptionist could answer, a heavy voice rumbled from behind.
"Hey, runt. You sure you're in the right place?"
Lyune turned.Behind her stood a massive man — taller than anyone else in the hall, muscles bulging even under his armor. His shadow loomed over her like a mountain.
The receptionist stiffened. "Ah, Zen… please don't cause any trouble…"
"Just sayin' what everyone's thinkin'," Zen replied, folding his arms. His biceps alone looked like they could crush an apple — or a skull. "This ain't a playground. We don't need some tiny brat getting herself killed on the first goblin hunt."
Lyune blinked up at him. "…A lump of muscle that speaks."
The entire guild went silent for a heartbeat.Then a few stifled snickers broke out from nearby tables.
Zen's eye twitched. "What did you call me?"
The receptionist panicked. "W-wait, Lyune-san, please don't—! He's Zen, a B-ranked adventurer! He's dangerous! Way out of your league!"
"B-ranked?" Lyune murmured, glancing at him again. "So if I destroy him… that would qualify me as an adventurer, right?"
The receptionist's face turned pale. "D-Destroy—?! W-wait! That's not—!"
Before anyone could react, Lyune's feet left the floor.
She floated upward — slowly, gracefully, like a feather lifted by invisible wind. Her robe swayed lightly around her knees. The air shimmered faintly beneath her as she rose until she was face to face with Zen's startled expression.
"…Huh?" he muttered, taking a step back. "What the hell— you're floating?!"
Lyune tilted her head, her red eyes calm and unblinking. "Yes. It's convenient for looking down on people."
A nervous laugh rippled through the guild hall.
Then she reached out and placed her small hand on Zen's face.He froze. Her fingers were cold, unnaturally cold.
She murmured to herself, almost dreamily, "If I break a B-rank adventurer, does that make me S-rank? Or would that be bad for the building?"
"STOP!" the receptionist screamed, nearly leaping over the counter. "Please, please don't fight inside the guild!"
Zen tried to speak, but his voice came out muffled through her palm. "W-wait—! What are you—!"
Before Lyune could answer, a firm hand grabbed her wrist.
"That's enough," a man's voice said gently. "You don't need to do that."
Lyune blinked and turned. A young man stood beside her — lean build, light armor, short brown hair, a sword strapped to his side. His expression was calm, kind even.
Behind him stood three others — a female mage holding her staff nervously, a female archer with short hair and sharp eyes, and a burly man in heavy armor who looked like their tank.
"We'll vouch for her," the swordsman said. "That's an option too, right? Registering with a referral?"
The receptionist hesitated, still half-panicking. "Y-yes, technically, but—!"
"Then she doesn't need to prove herself by fighting anyone." The swordsman smiled. "She's just new. Let's not start a war in the lobby, alright?"
Lyune studied him quietly.A swordsman, a mage, an archer, and a tank… average mana, decent posture. A balanced team. Functional, but not exceptional.Still… they seem nice.
With a soft sigh, she released Zen's face and floated back down to the floor.
Zen stumbled back, gasping and rubbing his jaw. "What the hell was that…?"
"Air," Lyune said calmly. "You were just breathing it wrong."
He blinked, completely lost. "Huh?"
"Lyune-san!" The receptionist rushed over, almost collapsing in relief. "Thank goodness… you could've been banned before even registering!"
"…Banned?" Lyune tilted her head. "That sounds inconvenient."
"It is!" the receptionist said, still sweating. "Alright… let's just continue your registration before anything else explodes, okay?"
The registration process went surprisingly smoothly after that — though half the guild was still watching from a "safe" distance.
Lyune gave her name, age, and… well, nothing else. She had no ID, no records, no address, and no belongings besides her robe.The receptionist sighed but filled in the form anyway.
"Alright, Lyune-san," she said finally, handing over a small bronze card. "You're officially a registered adventurer — Rank F."
"F," Lyune repeated. "Is that good?"
"It's… the starting rank," the receptionist said kindly. "Everyone begins there."
Lyune nodded thoughtfully. "Then I'll climb up."
"That's the spirit!" the receptionist said, smiling again. "Oh, and one more thing — please get some proper clothes. You're… drawing attention."
Lyune looked down at herself, then back at the woman. "Yes. That was my plan after this."
"Good." The receptionist exhaled in relief. "Welcome to the guild, Lyune-san."
As Lyune turned to leave, the swordsman who had helped her stepped forward.
"Hey," he said. "Glad that worked out."
Lyune nodded slightly. "You helped. Thank you."
"No problem." He smiled. "Name's Ryn. That's Mira," he pointed to the mage, "Lena's our archer, and the big guy there's Brok. We're a small party, but we've got room if you ever want to join up."
Lyune blinked. "Join… your party?"
"Yeah. You seem strong — and interesting," Ryn said. "Just… maybe go easy on touching people's faces next time."
Lyune tilted her head. "But it was effective."
Mira giggled softly. "You're funny."
"I wasn't trying to be," Lyune said honestly, which only made them laugh more.
"Well," Ryn said, adjusting his sword belt, "maybe we'll see you around, rookie."
"Maybe," Lyune replied. Her voice was quiet, but a faint, rare smile touched her lips.
Stepping outside, the bright afternoon sun greeted her again. She looked around the lively street, watching people moving from stall to stall.
"Clothes first," she murmured to herself. "Then food."
She started walking toward the nearest shop she could find — only to stop halfway, her expression going blank.
"…Ah."
Her hand patted the folds of her robe. Nothing.
"…I don't have any money."
A bird chirped somewhere above her, as if mocking her realization.
Lyune stared at the sky for a long, quiet moment, then sighed softly.
"So… what do adventurers do again?"
Her stomach growled in reply.
"…I suppose I'll find out."