While they waited in line, everyone behaved like normal people — no over-the-top antics or loud chatter, just basic conversations to pass the time.
Twenty minutes later.
— Next. said the guild receptionist, with a near-robotic politeness.
Lily stepped forward, pouting in fake irritation.
— Damn, finally! she grumbled.
BAM!!!
She slammed her palm on the counter, the sharp crack echoing through the hall and silencing the room.
All eyes turned to her. She could even hear some poorly hidden whispers.
— Who the hell is this lunatic?
— So disrespectful…
— Women really don't know how to act in a serious game…
Lily ignored the comments like one swats away flies. She simply looked at the receptionist, showing not even a hint of regret.
— First-time registration? — asked the receptionist, voice flat, as if she hated every second of that job.
— Damn right — Lily replied, with just enough enthusiasm to keep things playful.
— Alright. First registration is free for all newbies. But if you lose or fail missions, your Adventurers' Guild member card will expi—
The mage raised her hand, cutting the explanation short.
— Girl, please... I want news, not a scratched CD. I got it: if I screw up, the card's gone. Blah, blah, blah.
She tossed a sarcastic "great" glance over her shoulder at her group, who replied with synchronized head shakes, clearly unimpressed by the show.
The receptionist sighed deeply but remained composed.
— I see you're well-versed in the guild rules. Let's proceed with the registration, then.
She ducked behind the counter for a moment and came back with a flat, opaque black stone — it looked so out of place in the brightly lit room, it almost seemed to suck the light around it.
— Place your hand in the center of this stone and hold for ten seconds. Then you may remove it — she instructed, voice still monotone.
Lily did as told, pressing her hand against the dark object. The surface was icy cold and vibrated faintly under her skin.
Seconds crawled by — one… two… three… — until they finally reached ten.
She removed her hand and waited. Immediately, a notification appeared in front of her eyes:
Tutorial on localized level system! Activate now? (Yes/No)
Any other player would probably tap "Yes" without hesitation. But Lily wasn't just any player.
— Obviously not. she murmured, tapping "No" with a sly smirk. Too much info just ruins the fun.
Tutorial declined!!!
— Here's your guild card. Good luck out there… hope you don't die too young. Or maybe do. said the receptionist, now smiling.
— What did you say? asked Lily, raising an eyebrow.
— Nothing. replied the clerk, reverting to a blank expression as if nothing had happened.
Lily tilted her head slightly, surprised. She didn't expect that kind of "welcome."
A few seconds of awkward silence passed before the receptionist extended the card.
— Here you go. Hope to see you again… or not.
Without a word, Lily took the card, turned, and walked away from the counter like someone already used to this kind of reception.
\[Guild Registration - Initiated Member]
¶ • Name: red Butterfly
¶ • Class: Mage
¶ • Level: 1
¶ • Rank: G
¶ • Missions completed: 0
— Hehehe. she chuckled softly, spinning the guild card between her fingers as she walked toward Med.
— Looks like you're not the only guild member on the team anymore, you mange-dog tamer.
— Mange-dog? Med muttered, confused at first.
Then the image of his magical beast popped into his head.
— Mange-dog is your...
TAP!!! TA!!! TAP!!!
Lily gave him three firm slaps on the shoulder. With a serious look, she said:
— We're in public. Act like a person. We already accepted your mangy freak on the team, so cooperate.
Med figured it was best not to argue. He just stayed quiet.
Time passed, and Robinson and Carlos also received their guild cards. Unlike Lily, they didn't cause a scene.
— Seriously, none of you watched the explanation about the classifications? You know most NPCs use ranks instead of numbers, right? Med asked, slightly incredulous.
— So you *did* watch it… How about giving us the TL;DR version? said Robinson with a grin.
— TL;DR? Med repeated, puzzled again.
But like before, he caught on.
— How the hell am I supposed to explain that quickly?
— Nobody cares how Wi-Fi was invented or works. We just use it. Do the same and make me happy. Lily shot back.
Med sighed and facepalmed.
— We should sit down first, don't you think?
— You're the boss, chief. said Carlos with an easy smile.
Now seated, the tamer began the explanation:
— First things first: the current level cap is 120… So yeah, levels go from 1 to 120. And each level bracket has its own classification. For example, right now we're level 1, so we're considered "regular humans."
— That lasts until level 30. From there, it changes to "enhanced human." Then at level 60, we become "superior human."
Everyone nodded, seemingly understanding.
"My god… I'm teaching a bunch of kids," Med thought.
— Anyway, you can display your level as just a number, or with those classifications I mentioned.
— But there's also the guild system, which is simpler and more straightforward.
— Right now, we're ranked G, which covers levels 1 through 10. Then comes F, E, D... and so on, all the way to SSSS, which is level 120.
When Med finished, Lily raised her hand to her mouth and faked an exaggerated yawn.
— That's it? Almost fell asleep here. she said with a teasing smirk.
— W-What?! Med stammered, his eyebrow twitching with frustration.
But before he could react, Victor arrived, bringing the moment to an end.
Without further delay, they all stood up and headed into the forest.
∆∆∆∆
In the forest, everyone was gathered in a circle. A few important matters had already been discussed, and now they were ironing out the last details.
— According to Red Butterfly, the primitive-class goblins use wooden spears — said Med calmly.
— We can start with them and get a quick level boost.
— We already fought a level 4 Treant, and it was easy… if not for Shaolin. Robinson added, throwing a sideways glance.
— Let's keep the standard attack formation. With Med on our side, this should be easier.
— I'm fast, but I don't hit that hard. His beast, though, is quick and packs a punch. We can use that. he continued.
— The idea is to set up a trap like we did before, just on a bigger scale.
Med was visibly excited about the plan. But Lily, Carlos, and Victor didn't seem fully convinced.
— Look, I loved seeing the action earlier. said Lily, arms crossed.
— But some folks here wanna be top 1. I'm not getting left behind. My plan's simple: wipe out just the primitive goblins, level up fast, and climb the ranks.
— At most, their leader is probably "wild" class. Nothing more than that. she concluded with confidence.
— So basically, a frontal attack on the weakest goblins while we get surrounded on all sides? Carlos replied, frowning.
— We don't have an archer or anything ranged... and our mage is basically useless.
He looked at the rat-man, who just scratched his head and said:
— I completely forgot what I was going to suggest… Anyway, let's focus, right?
— That's settled then! said Lily with a confident grin.
— Let's go in head-on and screw the rest. Our formation's perfect for an almost-surprise attack.
And so, they charged toward the goblin camp — now in ruins and visibly weakened.
Carlos held his shield firm at the front. Behind him came Victor, followed by Lily, then Robinson, and finally Med with his imposing magical beast.
It didn't take long for the first enemy to emerge from the shadows.
— Our first opponent. Carlos announced firmly.
— Stay alert, many more will follow.
Driven purely by instinct, the goblin charged at the human tank.
Carlos let out a short laugh and rushed forward to meet him. The ten-meter distance vanished in a blink — and the impact was brutal.
The goblin's spear tip slammed against the shield, splinters of wood flying off to the sides.
But before the creature could retreat, three figures flanked him: Robinson, Victor, and Med's fierce beast.
The goblin lancer stumbled back, but Carlos lunged forward with a longer stride, pressing with his raised shield.
Victor came in from the left with two quick slashes. From the right, Robinson and the werewolf lunged at the same time, striking in sync.
BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!
Monster HP: 70/100
The goblin was thrown to the ground, still clutching his spear in desperate defense. Even wounded, he tried to stand. His eyes burned with rage — he roared, baring bloodstained, jagged teeth.
Consumed by fury, he prepared to charge again. But just as he moved...
SNAP!!!
Med's whip cracked through the air, wrapping cleanly around the goblin's neck. With a firm tug, the tamer held him in place, choking him with relentless force.
— Now! he shouted.
The goblin's vision blurred. With wide eyes, he saw four shadows rushing toward him.
Shadows that looked like death from every angle. Immobilized and unable to react, his fate was sealed.
In an instant, it was over.
Level: 1 (14.25/100) Victor, Robinson, and Lily
Level: 1 (43/100) Carlos
Level: 1 (93/100) Med
¶• Goblin Ear x1
— Don't stray from me. I can't chase after everyone at once… And apparently, our mage is completely useless. said Carlos.
— Alright. 3x
— HEY, *you're* the useless one. Lily snapped back, though deep down, she knew he was right.
They continued pressing into the goblin camp, ready to claim whatever they could find.