I spent most of the next morning doing math I didn't like. Like how big was a "bigger meal," exactly?
Tweety's idea of "big" might've meant something the size of a horse or a house.
I glanced at him where he perched on my shoulder, tiny wings flicking lazily in the morning sun.
"Be honest," I said. "When you say big, how big are we talking here? Like… a big cow-sized meal like Fel?"
Tweety tilted his golden head.
"Who is this Fel?"
"Uh, legendary wolf, eats monsters for snacks, that kind of thing."
He considered.
"Then yes. I require something of that scale."
I groaned.
"Great. The problem is, I'm not a hunter and butcher I can't even look a chicken in the eye without apologizing."
Tweety gave a non-concerned shrug, feathers glinting.
"Then you need not hunt. Merely cook. I will bring the meat."
"Wait, you'll hunt?"
"You are my cook. I am your flame. It is a simple partnership. And if you can't butcher, I suggest we hire one."
"That too. Yeah, simple," I muttered, thinking how broke I am. "You wouldn't want someone seeing a tiny glowing bird dropping a deer before me."
Tweety hummed.
"Then perhaps acquire permission. Mortals enjoy paperwork."
He wasn't wrong. I considered it.
"How about we check the Adventure guild?"
"As you wish, John."
The town of Doland was already bustling when we headed back in. Merchants shouted prices, guards patrolled, and I, armed with optimism and negative upper-body strength headed toward the Adventurers' Guild.
The guild building was exactly what you'd expect from every fantasy story ever: wooden walls, heavy doors, faint smell of sweat and ale, and a giant board covered in monster bounties.
Ah, so this was the first adventure guild Mudoka had been though. Like what I have remembered, adventurers here are kind of mean.
"So, are you just going to stand there and not going to enter?"
"No. We'll go," I replied before heaving a sigh. I held the knob, twisted it and decided to enter. The moment I stepped in, the noise dimmed.
Dozens of eyes turned my way, rough and muscled men and women, each built like they could bench-press my scooter. Their gazes were judgmental, probably thinking what a scrawny man with a small bird doing in there. Maybe some other thought I was suicidal.
Tweety puffed his chest, clearly enjoying the attention.
"A fine establishment," he said brightly. "Smells of sweat and pride."
"Smells like I should've showered first," I muttered.
I approached the counter where a bored-looking receptionist in armor-trimmed leather sat flipping through forms.
"Hi," I said. "Um, I'd like to… register? As an adventurer?"
She looked up, eyebrow arched.
"You?"
"Y-yeah. I heard you need a guild card to hunt legally. And, uh, I have a familiar."
I pointed at my head.
Tweety chirped politely to greet "Good morning."
The receptionist blinked. Behind me, someone snorted.
A large man with arms like tree trunks leaned back in his chair. "Kid, that's your familiar? What's it gonna do, chirp the goblins to death?"
Laughter rippled through the hall.
I chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of my neck.
"He's… uh, stronger than he looks."
Another adventurer smirked. "Sure, sure. Let me guess, its special attack is cuteness overload?"
Tweety's eyes flashed like candle-flames but before he could say anything, the receptionist asked me what kind of bird my familiar was.
"Uhm he's a phoenix."
The receptionist stopped writing and then looked at me and Tweety. The laughter died almost immediately.
"I-is he the one who lives in Tercota Forest?"
"Uh, if you were pertaining to that forest near the castle, yes he is."
"What with these scrawny adventurers having strong familiars? The last one has Fenrir and now a Phoenix?" One said, disappointment laced in his voice.
"That bird will burn us alive!" One screamed and everyone started to panic.
"Omg! Calm down! He will do that," I said, trying to calm them down.
Everyone looked at me, weapon's ready.
I coughed to reassure them as tweety just looked at them, bored and then looked away.
"I would rather sleep than burn them. They're not worth my time," Tweety said.
"See? Totally fine. He is a harmless bird. We were just registering!"
The receptionist hesitated, clearly weighing her survival instinct against guild protocol. Then she slid a parchment across the counter.
"Fill this out. Name, skill, familiar species. Try not to set anything on fire."
"Got it," I said quickly, scribbling away.
When I finished, she handed me a small metal plate with my name engraved: John Avery, Rank G adventurist.
"Uh, don't you want to explain what Rank G should do?" I asked her.
She looked at me annoyed and then looked at Tweety who was probably glaring at her. She immediately explained everything to me.
"Rank G is the lowest rank for an Adventurer. More like a beginner. You need to do at least a task twice every month to remain your rank active. And when you die during a quest, the adventurer guild has nothing to do with you."
"Okay got it," I said. If I die, the guild will not do anything about it.
Life is too short for an adventurer huh?
And just like that, I was officially part of the Adventurers' Guild.
Somewhere in the back, someone muttered, "Another weak joined the guild. What's next? This is ridiculous."
"Yeah probably but he has a powerful familiar. Touch him and you will be burnt to a crisp."
I smiled nervously, slipping the plate into my pocket.
"Okay, step one done. Now we can hunt legally."
Tweety fluttered from my head to my shoulder, his tone smooth and smug.
"Excellent. Step two: find me something large, juicy, and deserving of flame."
I sighed, glancing around the room full of monster-hunters.
"Yeah," I whispered, "because that doesn't sound ominous at all."
We walked down Doland's main street after leaving the Adventurer Guild, the late afternoon sun spilling golden light over everything. My new guild plate clinked lightly at my belt, which made me feel both proud and wildly unqualified for whatever I'd just signed up for.
Tweety perched comfortably on my head, looking as smug as ever.
"The mortals in that hall had fine muscles but very small minds," he said. "None could sense my true flame."
"Yeah, well, you didn't help," I said. "You looked like an ornament on my head. I think one guy thought I was a jester."
Tweety chuckled softly. "Perhaps that is your strength, no one fears the fool until he sets them on fire."
"That's… comforting," I muttered.
We walked in silence for a bit, passing stalls of fruit and steaming skewers. Then Tweety suddenly said,
"You spoke earlier of the name Fel. Where did you hear it?"
I blinked. "Oh, that. Yeah, I mentioned him when we were talking about how much you eat."
"You compared my appetite to his," Tweety said, tilting his tiny head. "You called him the legendary Fenrir."
I glanced at him curiously.
"You… know him?"
Tweety's eyes glowed faintly, a small flicker of flame burning behind them.
"Know him? Once upon an age, I fought him more times than I could remember."
I nearly tripped over a loose stone.
"Wait, you fought Fenrir!?"
"Indeed. Fenrir of the North Winds, the beast mortals now call Fel." Tweety spread his wings slightly, feathers trailing light. "He commanded storms and could tear the sky with a roar. I, the Phoenix of Flame, rose to meet him again and again to prove whose element ruled creation."
"Who won?" I asked, already grinning like a kid hearing a secret from his favorite show.
"Neither," Tweety said, his tone half amused, half nostalgic. "Each battle ended in a draw. Wind smothered flame; flame devoured wind. In the end, we tired of victory and settled for rivalry."
"So you were… rivals? Like, friendly rivals?"
"Friendly, yes. We shared a respect born from combat. He was an arrogant, prideful beast," Tweety said with something like fondness, "but not without honor."
He ruffled his feathers, warmth flickering through his tone.
"We were opposites: he of wind, I of fire. Both divine beasts, both wielding all elements in part. But our hearts belonged to our own storms."
I smiled, imagining it.
"Wow. So basically, you two were the original 'who's stronger' duo before anime made it cool."
Tweety tilted his head.
"Anime?"
Oh no.
"Well," I said, rubbing my neck awkwardly, "that's… kind of a story. And you're probably gonna think I'm crazy."
"Go on."
I exhaled.
"Back in my world, there are things called shows, moving pictures that tell stories. One of them was your world. Like, exactly this place. The summoning, the magic, the people, even Fenrir…uh, Fel- was in it."
Tweety's feathers shimmered faintly.
"You watched our world?"
"Yeah. It was my favorite series. There was this guy, Mukōda-san, he was just a regular office worker who got summoned here. He cooked, traveled with Fel, and basically fed divine beasts instead of fighting them. I used to binge-watch it every night after work."
Tweety fell silent for a moment, the air around us softening with the smell of faint ash.
"So your arrival was no accident," he murmured. "You already knew this world's tale before stepping into it."
"Pretty much," I said. "Except now I'm… in it."
"And you believe this 'anime' was fate's reflection of reality?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "But it's kind of wild, right? That I ended up in the same world I used to watch for fun."
Tweety landed lightly on my shoulder, golden eyes studying me with quiet curiosity.
"Then tell me, John, did that story ever speak of me?"
I shook my head. "No. But it should have. You're way too cool not to have an episode or two."
The Phoenix puffed his chest, clearly pleased.
"Naturally. Fire deserves the spotlight."
I grinned.
"Don't worry, Tweety. If this is the same world, then you and I? We're the spin-off."
Tweety gave a short, approving hum.
"Then let us ensure our tale burns brighter than the original."
We walked on as the sun dipped lower behind Doland's rooftops, its warm orange light mingling with the soft glow of the little Phoenix perched on my shoulder.
And somewhere out there, in this same world, Fel was probably eating dinner with Mukōda while I, apparently, was living the bonus episode no one had ever written.