Chapter 28: Ryota's Confusion, and a Certain Commission!

Ryota had no idea about the secret discussion currently happening between Loki and her Familia's top three on the second floor.

He had just finished breakfast and was heading toward the main gate of Twilight Manor to meet Lefiya.

Today's objective was crystal clear:

Complete the side quest as soon as possible to unlock Chakra and the Teleportation Jutsu.

However, a thought suddenly occurred to Ryota.

"It feels like... I haven't triggered any new main quests for quite a while?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, quickly reviewing recent events.

Since officially joining the Loki Familia, he'd been busy grinding monsters and earning Valis. 

He'd already triggered two side quests, but the main questline from his 'All-Encompassing Divine Eye' hadn't shown any new signs of activity.

"Strange," he murmured.

Main quests usually signaled significant turning points, and their rewards had always been ridiculously generous.

For instance, after completing his initial main quest of officially joining a Familia, he'd immediately unlocked powerful abilities such as the Sharingan's "Genjutsu" and the "Demonic Illusions: Shackle Stakes."

"Perhaps the conditions haven't been met yet? Or maybe the system is preparing something even bigger?"

Ryota rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, no point worrying too much. I'll just wait for the system to pop up the notification."

Shaking off his thoughts, he quickened his pace toward Twilight Manor's main entrance.

Not long after, Lefiya appeared within his line of sight, dressed in her practical adventuring gear with her golden hair tied neatly in a high ponytail.

The elf girl carried a small backpack, visibly relaxing when she spotted Ryota.

Approaching him, Lefiya curiously examined Ryota and couldn't help but ask:

"Ryota… aren't you planning on buying anything today? Like armor, or perhaps… a weapon?"

Her gaze was filled with obvious confusion.

After all, even the most basic adventurers usually brought at least a short sword into the Dungeon, right?

Not to mention Ryota had just exchanged seventy thousand Valis yesterday, practically making him a wealthy adventurer overnight.

Yet here he was, dressed as lightly as humanly possible—

No armor, not even a single dagger. Was he seriously planning to head into the Dungeon empty-handed?

Ryota merely chuckled lightly at her concern:

"No need. Rather, it's you who'll have to work hard today."

Hearing this, Lefiya's elf ears twitched slightly, and she nodded earnestly.

Soon, the two made their way through the bustling streets, following the familiar route until they reached the Adventurer's Guild, its white stone building already busy with activity.

At nine in the morning, adventurers crowded the Guild, bustling about to survive, to chase their dreams, or simply to earn some shining Valis.

In the world of DanMachi, commissions generally fell into two categories.

The first were public commissions, tasks openly available for any adventurer. 

These were typically posted on the Guild's bulletin board—requests such as defeating a certain number of goblins, collecting specific materials, or escorting merchant caravans. 

Any adventurer who met the requirements could freely accept these tasks, typically awarded on a first-come-first-served basis.

The second type were designated commissions.

These commissions specifically targeted particular adventurers or Familias.

For instance, in the original story, Zeus had privately requested Hermes to investigate Bell Cranel. But that was a matter between gods, naturally bypassing the Guild.

Still, this kind of designated commission wasn't uncommon in Orario.

Thinking of this, Ryota smiled slightly.

Come to think of it, wasn't this technically the first real designated commission he'd ever received?

Only this time, it wasn't from a god, but from that red-haired youth named Lain.

After entering the Guild's main hall, Ryota and Lefiya headed towards the reception counter.

Today's Guild Hall was especially crowded. Adventurers lined up continuously to register, report, or accept quests, forcing the two to patiently queue up at the back.

After about ten minutes, it was finally their turn.

"Good morning. How may I help you today?"

Misha looked up with a professional smile, offering the standard greeting. But when she recognized the young man standing before her, she momentarily froze.

"Oh! Mr. Ryota."

Misha blinked, quickly recovering with a friendly, professional smile. She then politely inclined her head toward Lefiya.

As one of the Guild's frontline receptionists, memorizing the key members of major Familias was practically mandatory.

Especially Loki Familia, one of Orario's strongest factions—the Guild had long since memorized every member's face and details.

In response to Misha's polite greeting, Lefiya nodded gently in return.

"Miss Misha, could you please check my designated commission?" Ryota requested.

Misha instinctively nodded and prepared to dig through the mountain of paperwork piled behind her.

But barely two seconds later, she suddenly paused.

Then her head snapped up, round pink eyes widening in disbelief:

"Wait—?! Didn't you just register as an adventurer yesterday?"

"How could you possibly have a commission already? And a designated commission at that?"

"Are you sure… there's no mistake?"

Normally, it was practically impossible for a rookie adventurer to receive a designated commission.

After all, such requests implied a certain level of fame or strength.

Who would specifically seek out an unknown rookie?

Besides, Misha had personally accompanied Ryota yesterday when he'd exchanged his Magic Stones at the Guild. He'd clearly just been a brand-new adventurer!

Ryota simply smiled and nodded without further explanation.

Misha sighed inwardly, thinking it was probably some favor from a well-connected friend.

Not to mention the elf girl standing next to Ryota was Lefiya—a genuine Level 3 adventurer.

'Annoying rich kids…'

Mentally adding another layer to Ryota's "wealthy second-generation" label, Misha lowered her head and began searching through the commission records.

However, after just a brief glance, her eyes widened dramatically, her voice rising involuntarily:

"I found it!"

"It's actually real!!"