10. Guild

After we reached home, I decided to cook some soup with the fresh vegetables and eggs we'd bought from the market. As we sat down to eat, I noticed Evan looking at me as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Sis, it's really you?" He stared at me in awe, spooning more soup into his mouth.

I raised an eyebrow, pretending to be offended. "Why? Does it taste that bad?"

"No, it's too good! And you were never good at cooking… Haha." Evan dipped the bread into the soup and gulped it down, clearly enjoying every bite.

"What? Are you really pulling your big sister's leg?" I rolled my eyes and snatched the soup bowl away. "Then you won't get any more."

Evan's face fell as he pouted. "I'm sorry, sis. I won't tease you anymore, okay?"

I couldn't hold back my laughter. His puppy-dog eyes were too much. "Alright, alright, here you go." I handed the bowl back, still chuckling.

When he realized he'd been tricked, his cheeks puffed out in a huff, turning a cute shade of red. "Not fair, sis…"

We finished our dinner amidst more teasing and laughter, the warmth of the moment lingering even as the last of the soup was gone. After clearing up, we sat down facing each other, a more serious conversation brewing.

"Do you know which profession earns the most?" I asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Evan thought for a moment. "I think adventurers earn the most, especially since it helps them grow faster. But... it's risky."

I nodded. "Let's take the chance. I'll go to the guild and register first thing in the morning."

The next day, the sky looked bright and clear.

Standing before the Adventurer's Guild, I enjoyed the grand look of the guild tower. It was far more impressive than the other structures in Mandale, with a large mana board sign swinging above the entrance, displaying the guild's sign—a sword crossed with a staff.

The entrance seemed to hum with magic, giving off a faint glow that made the whole place feel alive.

Evan had insisted on coming with me, but I told him to stay home and rest. He needed to rest too, and I didn't want him worrying about me. This was something I needed to do on my own.

Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand on the designated place on the heavy doors. The door sounded a hum sound as it verified my identity and let me step inside.

The guild reception room was buzzing with activity. Adventurers of all shapes and sizes gathered around, chatting loudly, and examining the task board posted with various requests. The air was thick with the scent of sweat, leather, and a faint hint of magic that seemed to pulse through the room.

I walked up to the registration counter, where a burly man with a thick beard sat behind a glowing crystal ball, his eyes scanning over a magical book that floated in front of him. He didn't even glance up as I approached.

"Excuse me," I began, my voice steady. "I'm here to register as an adventurer."

The man finally looked up, his eyes narrowing as he took in my appearance. "You?" His voice dripped with disbelief. "Are you sure about that, girlie? We don't need more corpses out there, y'know."

A few adventurers nearby snickered, their eyes glowing faintly as they used 'Detect' skills on me. I could feel their disdain, the way their gazes pierced through me, judging me.

"Positive," I replied coolly. "I didn't come here to play."

The man shrugged, clearly unimpressed. "Suit yourself. Name?"

"Ariana Rain Hart," I said firmly.

He scribbled it down in his floating book, the ink glowing faintly as it settled on the page. Then, with a wave of his hand, a scroll materialized in the air before me, glowing with a soft light. "Fill this out," he said gruffly.

As I filled in the required information, the whispers from the nearby adventurers grew louder. They weren't even trying to hide.

"Look at her, thinking she's cut out for this. She'll probably run crying back to mommy after her first task."

"More like she'll end up in a ditch somewhere, eaten by a wild beast."

"Yeah, can't even imagine her lifting a sword, let alone using one."

I kept my focus on the scroll, my hands steady. I wasn't here to prove anything to them. I was here for my own reasons, and that was all that mattered.

Once I finished, the scroll rolled itself up and floated back to the man. He took it and placed it on the crystal ball, and a wave of light washed over it, forming a small, rectangular card that floated up from within. The card hovered in front of me, inscribed with my name and adventurer rank: F, the lowest rank possible.

"Take the card," he said, his tone flat. "It's your adventurer ID. Don't lose it, or the guild's guards won't recognize you."

I reached out and grasped the card, feeling a tingle of magic as it aligned with my mana. The card was simple, yet it radiated a faint aura, like it was more than just a piece of metal.

"Congratulations, girlie," the man added with a sneer. "You're officially an adventurer. Try not to die too quickly, yeah?"

The laughter from the nearby adventurers grew louder. I just smiled sweetly and responded, "Thanks for the concern, but I think I'll manage. Don't worry too much about me. Wouldn't want those wrinkles to get any deeper."

The man blinked, taken aback, and the room went quiet for a moment. Some of the snickers turned into surprised murmurs. Clearly, they weren't expecting me to bite back.

I turned toward the task board, ignoring the continued stares. The board was filled with tasks, each one glowing with a different hue corresponding to its rank.

The board was a large, enchanted piece of wood, glowing softly as tasks of various ranks floated in front of it. I focused on the F rank section, and the tasks there rearranged themselves, allowing me to choose with a wave of my hand.

I selected an herb-collecting task, the parchment glowing softly before detaching itself from the board and floating into my hand. The reward felt decent to me, 20 Etho Coin for each stalk of purple tear grass.

I took the task notice and brought it back to the counter. The man glanced at it, stamped it with approval, and muttered, "Happy hunting," before turning his attention to the next adventurer.

With my task approved, I left the guild, storing my new ID card and the task notice in my inventory. Despite the mocking, despite the doubt in everyone's eyes, I felt a strange sense of accomplishment. I had taken the first step.

As I walked back home, I glanced at my system profile, and a small notification blinked in the corner of my vision. When I opened it, I saw my updated status:

[[Guild Feature Added]]

[[Adventurer as a profession chosen. To get a definite profession, receive tasks from the guild physically or remotely.]]

[Adventurer Rank: F

Current Task: Purple Tears Grass Collection (0/10)

Reward: Trading feature unlocked]

Seeing it glowing out like that made it feel real. I wasn't just dreaming about being an adventurer—I was actually doing it.

When I reached home, Evan was waiting for me by the door, his eyes wide with excitement. "Sister! How did it go?"

I smiled and ruffled his hair. "It went fine. I'm officially an adventurer now."

Evan's face lit up with pride. "I knew you could do it! What's your first task?"

"Just some herb collecting," I said, showing him the task notice. "Nothing too dangerous."

He nodded like an old man. "That's a good start! I'm sure you'll do great."

As we headed inside, I felt strangely relaxed. The road ahead wouldn't be easy—there would be more mockery, more doubt, and more challenges. However, I would prove them all wrong. I would become stronger, better, and more capable than they could ever imagine. And it all started with this first, simple task.