Right as I turned away from Grom, the blue system panel suddenly popped up again like a fucking Windows update that refuses to wait for anything.
Name: Kai Ashford
I smirked. There we go. Official as fuck now.
I swiped it away, closed the panel, and started walking toward the guild.
Full Sung Jin-Woo mode: shoulders relaxed, hands slipped casually into my pockets, calm, smooth, confident stride like the shadow monarch himself. Quiet dominance radiating off every step.
And fuck yeah… I nailed it perfectly.
The village looked even better up close. Prosperous, harmonious, warm sunlight pouring over cute wooden houses with flower boxes, the smell of fresh bread and roasting meat in the air, happy kids laughing everywhere. For the first time in forever, something warm bloomed inside my chest.
I was kinda… happy.
Then a group of absolute MILFs near a fruit stall locked onto me hard.
A curvaceous human beauty with massive tits barely contained by her low-cut blouse, a graceful silver-haired high-elf MILF with long legs and elegant curves that made my cock twitch, and a sultry fox-eared beastkin lady with fluffy tail, swaying hips, and deep cleavage on full display — all three eyeing me like I was dessert.
"Hey there, cutie~ New face around here?" the human one purred, voice dripping honey.
I didn't break stride. Just gave them my coolest, most effortless wave and a small smirk — pure "coolest kid in high school" energy.
They instantly melted into full fangirl mode, giggling and clutching each other.
"Kyaa~ He's so cool!" "Handsome little brother! If you have any free time, make sure to come visit big sisters for tea, okay? We'll take really good care of you~"
Their flirty voices and excited whispers chased after me as I kept walking into the bustling main street. Laughter, bright sunlight, delicious smells, and pure joy filled the air everywhere.
Hmm… Yeah. This is good. Real fucking good.
I finally arrived at the guild.
Oh boy… it was pretty fucking big. A massive two-story wooden beast with thick beams, swinging lanterns, and a giant sword-and-shield sign that creaked in the breeze. The place was packed — adventurers of every race spilling in and out like it was happy hour at a strip club.
Humans in scarred plate armor, elegant high elves with enchanted bows, stocky dwarves hauling warhammers, sneaky halflings counting coin pouches, fox-tailed beastkin in skin-tight leather that hugged every curve, even a couple of lizardfolk with scales glinting under the sun. And above almost every head? Big glowing question marks.
Ohhh, I get it. These guys are all way higher level than me. I can only see names and levels on people equal to or below mine. Hmm… pretty interesting, don't you think?
I stepped inside, the warm air thick with ale, sweat, grilled meat, and steel. My special little gift — the one I'd had back on Earth and somehow kept through all that endless void bullshit — kicked in instantly. I could feel auras like colors: warm and golden for good people, cold and slimy for the ones who'd shank you for a copper. I locked onto a friendly-looking orc adventurer leaning by the wall, big friendly grin, zero murder vibes.
"Excuse me, sir — where's the receptionist area?"
The orc didn't mind at all. He jerked a thick green thumb. "Straight through, past the quest board, left at the big fireplace. Long counter, can't miss the pretty ladies."
"Thanks, sir. Appreciate it."
"No problem, kid. Try not to die on day one."
I weaved through the crowd and planted myself at the receptionist desk.
Damn… the woman behind it was beautiful. Long silky raven hair, sharp high-elf features, full pouty lips, and a body that made the standard guild uniform look illegal — big perky tits straining every button, tiny waist, hips that screamed "ride me," and long legs crossed under the desk. Only one problem: her expression was pure deadpan, like she'd already judged the entire universe and found it lacking.
Well, everyone's got their own problems, right?
"Madam, I want to register as a mercenary adventurer."
She lifted those emotionless emerald eyes, reached under the counter, and placed a sleek black crystal tablet etched with glowing blue runes right in front of me.
"Fingerprint here. Eye scan. One strand of hair for DNA."
I blinked. "Hmm? Why?"
"It's for criminal investigation. If you're wanted anywhere, rejected. If you're clean, accepted."
"I understand."
I pressed my thumb to the cool crystal, stared into the scanning light, and yanked out a single hair. The tablet pulsed, runes spinning like crazy for a few seconds.
"Clear," she said, voice flat.
"Give me your information."
"Name: Kai Ashford. Age: 20. Occupation: Mage. Level: 0."
She scribbled it all down with a self-writing quill.
"If you want to update your level later, come back to me."
"Why?" I asked, curious.
"Well… if you want to join a noble faction, the royal guard, or stay officially tied to our guild, you update your level. We forward it to the Information Guild — they act as brokers. Factions recruit from there. If you want to stay a free bird, don't update. You know what I mean."
"What about adventurer ranking?"
She let out a tiny snort. "Ha. There's no such thing. You can take whatever task you want — including slaying a dragon. We don't care about your rank. We only care if the task gets completed."
I tilted my head. "Wait, I have a doubt. If two people want the same task, how do we resolve it?"
She looked at me seriously, then a little sad. "It's like this: if you're stronger, you get the task. If you're weak…" She released a tiny pulse of killing intent that slammed into me like ice water down the spine — pure murderous pressure that made my balls try to retreat.
Even though my insides went full 😨 holy fuck she could end me, outwardly I just gave her my coolest little smirk and kept my voice steady.
"Cool, cool. Yeah… about that. Goodbye for now."
I turned away from the deadpan receptionist, brand-new guild card tucked into my pocket, and scanned the loud, crowded hall like I owned the place.
What the hell was I even here for?
To join party members, obviously. I wasn't some Sung Jin-Woo shadow-monarch badass who could solo the entire world and aura-farm my way to OP status on day one.
My inner self — that tiny, hyper version of me floating in my head — immediately started yapping like a strategist on crack: Okay, listen up. We need a plan. Plan A: cool and confident approach. If that fails, Plan B: offer to buy them drinks. Plan C: casually flex the Fireball skill. And no matter what, we ALWAYS have a clean escape route ready in case they tell us to fuck off.
Right, right, you're right. Why the hell are you acting like such an idiot? Stop wasting time—
Alright, alright, jeez!
I looked around carefully. Very carefully.
Then I spotted them.
Two girls chilling in the corner booth like they already owned the entire guild — even though they clearly fucking didn't.
One was a breathtaking high-elf beauty with long flowing silver hair, sharp pointed ears, and a tight leather corset that pushed up her perfect perky tits while cinching that tiny waist. The other was a smoking-hot catgirl beastkin — fluffy black ears twitching, long tail swishing lazily, crop top barely containing her bouncy underboob, and shorts so short they made my cock twitch on sight.
And floating above both their heads in big glowing letters?
Level 0
Exactly like me.
Maybe I should try my luck…
My inner voice instantly switched to full smug Aizen mode — glasses flashing, arms crossed, that signature smirk: Idiot. What do you mean "try"? I already have five backup plans ready if they even think about rejecting us.
Alright then… let's fucking go.