Chapter 3: Guild and The Elf King

"I got a bonus?" Aizen stares at the screen in surprise. "What kind of bonus?"

He has managed to complete the task, satisfying Pi and earning the rewards. Currently, he's in bed with Pi, who is sleeping and hugging him while he remains wide awake, staring at the screen.

He clicks the bonus option, and a key and a ring appear. "I'm getting a lot of these keys..." he mutters, putting the key away. "I guess I have to fight and level up to reach a higher rank. I know now that those gems are money, while the green stones, gem-like, are mana... I can use those to increase my mana level. Pi is a potion mistress... She could teach me about potions, and I could join the guild to increase my levels."

Aizen lets out a yawn and checks his status one last time before turning it off. Something catches his eye—his charm level has increased to level five. "Huh, that's nice," he remarks, shutting off the status screen. "Mmh, what else should I do now? Maybe look through the map? I did get one."

Opening his inventory, he checks the map. It opens, revealing places he has never heard of or seen before. "It's just like that fantasy game. You loved games..." He feels a wave of sadness. "Ah, she definitely would have liked this place..."

Then, he glances at the sleepy Pi. "Except this." He shifts his gaze back to the screen. "Mmh, just near Pi's treehouse, there's a village. That must be the one she was talking about. There's also a guild, a pub, and some shops."

He still has a hard time believing he's actually in another world—one that feels like a fantasy game, complete with a system. A cheat system, to be exact. But in the end, it's all about survival.

Let's see what these keys are about. He clicks on one, revealing it as a C-rank dungeon key. "Ah, so these are for dungeons." Well, he won't be using them for a while—not until he reaches C-rank.

"It's gonna be a long day..."

After Pi woke up, flushed and giddy from what had happened, she gave him a morning kiss, got off the bed, showed off her curvy figure, and headed to the bathroom. If Aizen was turned on, he hid it well. He didn't want to look like a pervert—though in reality, Pi had already claimed that title, and she had ideas about their future interactions in bed.

After breakfast, Pi mentioned she would be going to the village and asked if he wanted to join her. He agreed.

After all, he had so much to learn about this world and needed to start his journey soon.

Changing into a different set of clothes Pi had prepared for him, he put on a gray shirt, baggy black pants, leather boots, and a pouch tied to his waist. Stepping into the living room, he found Pi wearing a black and green dress, her long hair no longer tied, cascading down to her hips, and a pair of leather boots completing her outfit.

She grabbed her robe and put it on. "Can you help me push the cart? I have my potions in it. It's outside."

"All right."

He and Pi headed outside. Just as she said, a wooden cart was there, filled with small and large bottles of potions.

"Hey, Pi, can you teach me about potions?" he asked, pushing the cart while following behind her.

"Oh?" Pi looked at him. "You want to learn about potions? Why not? But what will I get in return?"

"Uh… what do you want?"

"Mmh, anything?"

"Huh?"

"Can I ask you for anything?"

Aizen caught the teasing tone in her voice. "Well, as long as it's not something I'd be against."

Pi grinned, looking over her shoulder and winking at him. "Oh no, I'm sure you wouldn't mind. After all, we did that."

Aizen blinked, his face turning red. "Ah."

Wow, he really was a lucky bastard.

"As long as you don't back down from teaching me about potions."

"Done!"

This woman was crazy. Could it be that she never had anyone to mess with? Well, he wasn't complaining.

Aizen spotted the village gates as Pi walked ahead, approaching the guards and waving at them. The guards waved back, greeting her warmly while eyeing Aizen with confusion. Pi said something to them, and by the time Aizen reached the gates, they were already open. She gestured for him to follow her. He gave the guards a nod, receiving suspicious glances in return, but they allowed him to pass.

He continued pushing the cart while taking in his surroundings. The village looked lively. People filled the streets, children ran around playing, and shopkeepers stood by their stalls, waving at passersby to sell their goods.

Pi stopped in front of a shop, and Aizen realized it was a potion shop. He halted the cart and stood outside, waiting for her. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he let out a sigh—it had been heavier than he expected.

This place was so different from his world. Here, people interacted freely, talking to each other like a united community. Everyone seemed to know one another, and the atmosphere felt warm and welcoming.

In his world, conversations were avoided like a plague. People were always glued to their phones, computers, or TVs as if they were lifelines. No one left their houses unless absolutely necessary—mostly just to grab food from stores. The internet had advanced so much that working from home had become the norm, eliminating the need to step outside at all.

He could count countless differences between his world and this one. This place felt like an ancient era, where people walked barefoot on dirt roads and lived simple lives—while in his world, people lived indoors, isolated, and touched nothing but their screens… and sometimes themselves.

"I'm back. Leave the cart here; the owner will come and take it inside," Pi said, stepping out of the shop and grabbing his hand. "Come on, let me show you around."

Aizen smiled and followed her. As they walked through the village, Pi greeted everyone, and the villagers responded with warmth and friendliness. It made Aizen feel… weird. Like that one situation where a super popular girl at school is best friends with the one plain guy who has no other friends. Yeah, that's exactly how it felt.

Pi introduced Aizen to every villager they came across. He wanted to run away and hide. He wasn't good at communication—hell, he could barely stand being in large groups. But he held his ground, nodding and greeting them back with a perfect poker face. He was good at that, at least.

Soon enough, they reached the final stop—the guild.

"Anyway, if you want to get things, you gotta work for them. I don't mind spoiling you, but for some reason, it feels like you wouldn't appreciate it," Pi said. "Here in the guild, you can register, take on missions, and even join a group." She pushed open the door and stepped inside. "I have a friend here who can explain all the rules. You can earn decent pay here too."

She waved at the girl behind the counter. "Hey, Shelly!"

Aizen's eyes flicked to a screen that appeared above Shelly's head. It read: Shelly Green, Age 23

Shelly had pink hair, light skin, and red eyes. She was about the same height as Pi and wore a long-sleeved dress with matching gloves. Raising an eyebrow at Pi's companion, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Finally decided to visit little old me?" she said dryly.

Pi gave a sheepish smile. "You know how busy I am as a potion mistress. Good ingredients are hard to come by, and gathering them takes time." Then, she gestured to Aizen and pulled him forward, letting go of his hand to place both hands on his shoulders. "Anyway, I brought you a new member! See? Isn't he a cutie? But don't be fooled—he's not weak. This handsome and humble man saved me from goblins!"

Shelly frowned. "You got ambushed by goblins? Damn, those bastards. Was there another dungeon?"

"It could be. There were a lot of them," Pi replied.

"I have to inform the chief about this." Shelly sighed before turning her attention back to Aizen. "Anyway, what's his name? And what's his rank?"

"He can tell you himself. Go on! Introduce yourself," Pi nudged him.

Aizen gave an awkward smile. This Shelly girl didn't seem like the type to get pissed easily, but he made a mental note not to annoy her. "My name is Aizen, and I'm E Rank."

Shelly nodded, then stepped away for a moment before returning with a crystal ball, placing it on the table. "Here, press your hand on it."

Aizen placed his hand on the crystal, which immediately glowed. A hologram appeared above it, displaying Level 6. Huh? Wasn't he level 5?

"A beginner, I see," Shelly noted. Then she glanced at Pi. "And you said he beat the goblins?"

"Yup!" Pi grinned.

"What an idiot," Shelly muttered under her breath. "Anyway, fill out these papers. I'll get your badge."

As Shelly walked away, Aizen turned to Pi, lowering his voice. "Is something wrong? Is that bad?"

"Oh no," Pi chuckled. "You're brave, that's all. No one at such a level can defeat goblins, but you're the exception. Many E Rankers defeat D Rankers. They're rare."

Ah, so he's a rare one. "I see." Bullshit. "I have to fill these out?"

"Yeah, just your name and whatever information you can answer on these questions."

"Got it."

By the time Aizen finished filling out the forms, Shelly returned and handed him a bronze badge. It had a kitten drawn on it. "Eh?"

"What? Never seen a kitten badge before?" Shelly smirked.

Pi laughed at Aizen's expression and patted his back. "Don't worry! Keep training, raid the dungeons, and you'll be a D Rank before you know it!"

"Thanks, Pi." Aizen pocketed the badge. "What are the missions for E ranks?"

"Not much," Shelly said, pointing to the board. "The requests for E rankers aren't many. My advice? Try looking for herbs for potion ingredients or hunting for meat. If you want to level up, stay away from dungeons. At this level, you can't handle them."

What is she talking about? I cleared an E-rank dungeon yesterday! Aizen thought, confused. Wait... Is it my system? That must have prepared the dungeon as a beginner challenge. Argh, my brain.

"All right, thanks for helping me."

"Whatever. Pi, did you get that potion?" Shelly asked, turning her attention to Pi.

"Yup."

Pi pulled out a small red potion bottle and handed it to Aizen. "Here, I hope it works for you."

Shelly took the bottle and slipped it into her pocket. "We'll see. Good day."

"See you later, Shelly!" Pi grinned, grabbing Aizen's hand and dragging him away. "Do try smiling! You might get a boyfriend!"

"Get lost."

"Haha!"

Aizen didn't have time to say goodbye to Shelly as Pi dragged him out of the guild and onto the streets. Pi hummed a tune as she walked beside him, giggling.

"It's great to see Shelly looking better than before."

"You two are best friends?" Aizen asked.

"Yeah, best friends!"

"I see. Where are we going now?"

"Well, I need to grab some food for tonight's dinner. After that, I need to go to the potion shop for the list, and then I'm going home." She glanced at him. "Right, you wanted to visit the library."

She stopped and pointed to a building. "That's the library. Don't bother getting books from there—they aren't allowed to be checked out. There is a bookstore, but it's shut down since the owners aren't in the village." She pulled out a card and handed it to him. "Here, take this. They'll let you in without charge. Read whatever you want from there. I'll come and get you once my work is done."

"Oh, thanks." He took the card. "See you later, then."

Pi smiled, leaned in, and kissed him on the cheek before letting go of his hand. "See you later, cutie!" With that, she walked away, still giggling.

Aizen could feel his cheeks burning. Ah, that's how it feels to have a woman by your side.

What were they, though? It wasn't exactly a girlfriend situation, that was for sure. Mmh, Pi wasn't bad, though.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he made his way toward the library, hoping to find some answers about this strange new world he was now a part of.

Meanwhile, in the Elf kingdom, inside the throne room, a handsome elf sat on his throne. His long blonde hair cascaded down his back, his light blue eyes sharp and clear, and a golden crown rested atop his head.

His name was Arlen.

Arlen glanced at the guards in front of him before turning his attention to the priest standing behind him.

"What is it? You don't usually leave the church," Arlen remarked.

"My apologies for asking for an audience in such a hurry, Your Highness," the priest said, his voice tinged with urgency. The priest was an elderly human mage, bald with a short grey beard, and dressed in white robes. "The prophecy has been revealed by our seer."

Arlen's brow furrowed. Prophecies were never to be taken lightly.

"What do you mean, Priest? What is the prophecy?"

The priest took a deep breath before speaking, his voice grave. "Dark clouds will come, shadows will rise, greed has arrived, the end is near. The hero has arrived. He shall rid the world of darkness, but he is neither of the Light nor Dark. He is the one who will decide the fate of our world."

The priest's words hung heavy in the air. "It appears a war is on the horizon, Your Highness."

Arlen closed his eyes, letting the weight of the situation settle in. The monsters were multiplying, dungeons were springing up in dangerous places, and all of them were proving to be a challenge to control. He had also heard whispers of a Dark Mage, though it could just be a rumor. Dark Mages hadn't been seen in centuries.

This was supposed to be a time of peace, yet he wouldn't be surprised if humans got greedy and selfish again. It was a miracle that the war wasn't between Elves and Dwarfs once more. He couldn't stand them—he hated them, in fact.

But still, they wouldn't start a war. That much he was sure of. Then who was starting it? Another political battle? Mmh, he needed to speak with the council.

"Thank you for informing me, Priest." Arlen opened his eyes, his voice cold. "You may go."

The priest bowed and was led out of the room by the guards.

Arlen pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, feeling the tension rise. "For heaven's sake… A war? Why can't people just enjoy parties, scandals with ladies and lords, a mistress running away with her butler, a lord killing his wife for his lover, or whatever drama... No, let's start a war. Unbelievable!" Why can' they take a damn break?