Back To The GUILD

As the group dusted themselves off and prepared to head back into town, Tobias suddenly turned to Zayn and muttered a single word.

"Clean."

Before Zayn could even react, a translucent, shimmering bubble of magic enveloped him.

It felt like standing in the middle of a warm breeze — except instead of drying sweat, it scrubbed him clean.

The blood that had soaked into his clothes, the grime smeared across his face, even the uncomfortable dampness in his boots — it all vanished in seconds.

When the bubble popped, he stared down at himself.

His torn clothes still looked like he had wrestled a werewolf (which, technically, he had), but other than that, he felt fresh.

Zayn blinked. "Huh?"

Kara smirked. "First dungeon, first time getting hit with Clean. Big day for you, huh?"

Of course, most of the people in the castle were already adventurers then there were some like him who hadn't had any experience.

Zayn narrowed his eyes. "I don't like how casually you say that, as if this is normal."

"It is normal," Tobias said, adjusting his glasses. "You'd rather walk back to town covered in blood?"

"Okay, fair point."

Still, the whole thing was weirdly convenient.

He shook his head, deciding not to think too hard about it. Instead, he turned his attention to Tobias, who had already moved on to his next task — gathering the loot.

"Alright," Tobias said, holding out his hand. "Everyone, hand over what you picked up."

Bran, Kara, and Elisse all complied, dropping their collected rubies and minor monster drops into his waiting palm.

One by one, Tobias placed the items into his inventory, a soft glow signaling their disappearance.

Zayn hesitated for a second before handing over his share. "Are we really just trusting you with all this?"

Tobias shot him a dry look. "No, Zayn. I'm going to take these worthless E-rank dungeon drops and disappear into the night, never to be seen again."

Zayn sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Just checking."

With that, they set off toward the guild.

The journey back to town was surprisingly uneventful. Unlike their tense march to the dungeon, this time, there was no anxious silence, no lingering doubts.

The group walked at a steady pace, the fading light of the afternoon casting long shadows over the dirt path.

Zayn rolled his shoulders, still feeling the soreness from getting thrown into a wall. "So, we just show up, drop this monster core on the counter, and suddenly we're officially adventurers?"

"Not just adventurers," Bran said, smirking. "D-rank adventurers."

Zayn raised an eyebrow. "That fast?"

"It's standard," Tobias explained. "Clearing a dungeon proves we're capable. The guild ranks us based on performance."

Zayn let that sink in. It still felt strange to think about — he had only just arrived in this world, and already, he was moving up the ranks of a dangerous profession.

By the time they reached the adventurer's guild, the sky had darkened into a deep purple, stars beginning to flicker to life.

The warm glow from the guild's windows spilled onto the street, a stark contrast to the cool night air.

Pushing open the heavy wooden doors, they stepped inside.

The guild hall was livelier than before.

Adventurers filled the space, drinking, laughing, and boasting about their missions. The scent of ale and roasted meat filled the air, making Zayn's stomach growl.

"Alright," Tobias said, leading them toward the front desk. "Let's get this over with."

The receptionist on duty was a half-elf woman with pale blonde hair and tired eyes. She barely glanced up as they approached.

"Back already?" she asked, flipping through some papers.

Tobias reached into his inventory and, with a flick of his wrist, pulled out the glowing red monster core, dropping it onto the counter with a soft thud.

The half-elf looked at it.

Then she froze.

Her tired eyes widened as all color drained from her face. She stared at the core as if Tobias had just casually placed a severed head in front of her.

"Y-You already completed that?"

Tobias nodded. "Yes."

There was a long pause. The half-elf blinked, then swallowed hard. Without another word, she carefully picked up the core and placed it into a secure box behind the counter.

Then, with quick, practiced movements, she retrieved a stack of papers.

A faint magical glow surrounded the documents as she scanned through them.

With a flick of her wrist, a familiar parchment appeared — the one they had signed when they first registered as adventurers.

Without hesitation, she picked up a quill and, in one smooth motion, wrote something on the paper.

The moment she finished, a pulse of energy spread through the room.

Zayn stiffened. He felt it — something subtle, like a shift in the air. It wasn't dramatic, but it was real.

Bran flexed his fingers, frowning slightly. "Huh. That's the first time I've actually noticed it."

The half-elf set down her quill and looked at them. "Congratulations. You've officially been promoted from E-rank to D-rank."

Zayn blinked. "That's it?"

She nodded. "That's it. The ranking system works through the guild's magic contracts. The moment I write your promotion, the magic adjusts itself."

Zayn was still trying to wrap his head around that when Tobias spoke up again.

"We also have some loot to sell."

The half-elf gestured for them to place it on the counter. Tobias, as usual, handled it efficiently, emptying their collected rubies. The receptionist gave them a quick look, then sighed.

"Since this was an E-rank dungeon, these aren't worth much." She quickly tallied the value and slid over a pouch of copper coins.

Zayn peered inside. "Huh. This is... not a lot."

Kara rolled her eyes. "What did you expect? We're still low-rank."

"I don't know, more than pocket change?"

Bran chuckled. "Relax. Once we hit C-rank, the real money starts coming in."

Zayn sighed, reluctantly stuffing his share into his pocket.

With that, the transaction was done. The receptionist dismissed them, and Tobias turned to the group.

"Now that that's over, we should get something to eat."

Bran clapped Zayn on the back. "I agree. First successful dungeon run calls for a celebration!"

Zayn groaned. "If celebrating means more bruises, count me out."

Kara smirked. "Come on, newbie. You survived a dungeon. That's worth at least one drink."

Zayn opened his mouth to argue — then his stomach growled. Loudly.

Bran grinned. "I'll take that as a yes."

As they walked toward the nearest tavern, Zayn found himself smiling, just a little.