"Thank you."Li Xiuman carefully tucked away his adventurer's license.
"Um… would you like to take on a quest?"The receptionist asked tentatively.
"A quest?"Li Xiuman glanced at the rank on his new license—Apprentice Adventurer.
The ranks, as he recalled, were: Apprentice, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Elite, and Legendary.
He then turned to the task board, scanning the assignments available to apprentices.Weeding.
"You want me to pull weeds?"
"N-no, of course not!" the girl stammered. "Having a warrior of your caliber perform such chores would be a disgrace to the Guild!"
"According to Guild protocol, distinguished individuals of your reputation may undertake a promotion quest matching their proven strength."
"If you agree, I can arrange one for you right away."
Li Xiuman nodded. If there was a shortcut to advancement, he had no reason to waste time climbing the ladder from the bottom.
"Based on your record—venturing alone beyond the twentieth floor of the dungeon—I believe the Intermediate Adventurer test would suit you best."
She spread several documents before him."Here are the available tasks: Slay a Tier-2 Troll, Assist in the Raid of Dungeon Level 27, Hunt the Dungeon's Tier-2 Variant—The Lizardman King…"
"The Lizardman King?" Li Xiuman asked, pointing to the latter.
"Yes, Lord Skeleton," she confirmed."A special variant of the Lizardman King has appeared between the eleventh and twentieth floors of the second major dungeon stratum. It has inflicted heavy losses upon the Guild."
"The bounty stands at eighty gold coins. Proof of the kill—either its horn or magic core—must be returned. You may, of course, choose to keep or sell them back to the Guild. We will offer you a fair price."
The Lizardman King… Li Xiuman had encountered its kind before. Hunting it would not be impossible—and both its horn and core were rare, highly valuable materials.
"What's the time limit?"
"One month from acceptance. However, this is a public commission—other adventurers may take it as well."
"A competitive hunt, then.""I'll take it."
"Very well. I'll file your acceptance immediately. May fortune guide your blade, Lord Skeleton."
After pocketing his license, Li Xiuman left the Guild.
Dozens of eyes followed him in silence—and the moment he shut the door behind him, chatter exploded through the hall.
"The Skeleton took the Lizardman King quest!""I thought that was a party mission! He's going solo?""That's great news—because of that monster, our team hasn't dared enter the eleventh floor. Profits have tanked!""His presence alone sent chills down my spine… when he walked in, I thought a monster had breached the city!"
Li Xiuman, meanwhile, made his way toward the Ruby Trading Company.
By now, Tedaila should have processed the octagonal fire crystals for delivery.Since the crystals had been gathered by him, and his interests were involved, he decided to check on things personally—just in case.
When he arrived, he saw boxes upon boxes filled with neatly packaged fire crystals—far more than he expected.
He didn't quite understand why such a simple shipment needed that much packaging.Perhaps this was what humans called "excess presentation."
"How are things going?" he asked as he entered the president's office.
"So far, everything's proceeding smoothly," Tedaila replied. "By the terms of the contract, even that man shouldn't dare violate the kingdom's law."
"The kingdom's law, hmm…" Li Xiuman frowned.
At this time in history, laws were never meant to restrain the powerful—only to bind the weak, ensuring easier control and exploitation.
Almost as if to prove his thought correct, a frantic pounding echoed from the office door.
"Come in."
"President—something terrible's happened!" cried Lamantier, rushing in. "The guards have surrounded the company!"
"What?!"
Tedaila shot to her feet and ran to the window.
Outside, soldiers had encircled the entire building.Amidst their ranks stood that noble swine, watching with a smug, predatory grin—the kind of look one wears when toying with a mouse caught in a trap.
"How dare he! A mere low-ranking noble defying the kingdom's law so openly!"
Her face paled with fury.
"He wouldn't dare defy it openly," Li Xiuman said calmly, "but twisting the truth and hiding behind the law—that's child's play for his kind."
"At this point, we might as well see what excuse he offers."
Together, they descended to the hall.
Li Xiuman suspected this noble's real target wasn't Tedaila at all—but himself.It was far too coincidental that the guards arrived mere moments after he entered the company.
The hall was already filled with armed soldiers.When Li Xiuman and Tedaila appeared, they immediately stepped forward and surrounded the pair.
The captain of the guard advanced and began reading the charges.
"Adventurer 'Skeleton,' you are accused of murdering fellow adventurers in the dungeon and stealing their octagonal fire crystals.
By taking lives, you have violated not only the sanctity of life but also the laws of the Lantis United Kingdom and the Duchy of Mande.
By royal decree, your crimes are punishable by death.The stolen goods—the octagonal fire crystals—will be seized as evidence."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
Tedaila trembled with rage.The very men who trampled the law now brandished it as their weapon.
Li Xiuman, however, was unsurprised.The accusation of killing adventurers was, technically, not entirely false.
"How dare you spread such shameless lies! Have you no shred of conscience left as human beings?!" Tedaila shouted.
"We expected you to deny it," the guard captain replied smoothly. "But by the grace of the Goddess of Light, we do not slander the innocent. Bring forth the witness."
Two soldiers carried in a badly wounded adventurer—a pitiful sight, his body covered in bruises, barely clinging to life.
"This man was found deep within the dungeon, mutilated and near death," the captain announced. "He claims to have survived the attack. Speak—tell us what happened."
The adventurer raised a trembling hand and pointed directly at Li Xiuman.
"It was him!" he cried. "He slaughtered my entire party and stole the fire crystals we worked so hard to gather! Then he tortured me—threatened to kill me if I dared speak of it!"
"Captain, please… deliver justice for me!"