The request board was packed. Parchment sheets cluttered the massive wooden wall, some tidily pinned, others dangling loosely as though the guild had long since stopped trying to keep them in order. Eoghan Rise stood quietly in front of it. Behind the helmet, his eyes scanned the requests with intense focus.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“Why are all these quests terribly boring?”
Selena stood quietly beside him.
“They are F-rank quests.”
“One of them is just collecting mushrooms.”
“Yes.”
“There is another asking for someone to walk an old lady’s dog.”
“Yes.”
He stared at the paper in disbelief.
“Why is this even in an adventurer guild?”
“Because someone accepted it before.”
“That brings up even more questions.”
Nearby adventurers occasionally cast curious glances at the odd pair, mostly because Eo had been standing perfectly still in front of the board for nearly five full minutes.
“I thought adventurers fought dragons.”
“They do. It's just because you are F-rank.”
“Tsk.”
His gaze shifted lower down the board.
[Goblin Subjugation – Western Forest Perimeter]
Reward: 10 silvers.
Recommended party size: 4–6 adventurers.
He immediately reached toward it.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“We are taking this one.”
“It is the most dangerous choice available at F-rank.”
“Exactly.”
“You never kill anything before much less real fighting experiences”
“Then it is the right time to experience it and get used to it.”
Selena quietly looked toward another request.
[Herb Gathering – Moon leaf Plants]
Reward: 2 silvers.
Her eyes lingered there briefly.
Eo tore down the goblin quest.
“Adventure awaits us.”
“You should consider it.”
“I have decided.”
“You should rethink.”
“Nope.”
“Understood.”
A nearby adventurer barked out a laugh.
“Hah! Going for goblins already?”
Several others turned toward the armored rookie.
“With only two people?”
Eo turned toward them calmly.
“We are sufficient to handle it.”
One of the adventurers snorted.
“That confidence disappears after the first goblin knife in your ribs.”
“Noted.”
The adventurer frowned, unsettled. The armored man’s voice was calm—too calm—and that made it all the more him more mysterious.
Selena gently tugged Eo’s sleeve once.
“Eo.”
“Yes?”
“The herb gathering quest has a better risk-to-payment ratio.”
Silence.
Eo slowly looked toward her.
Then toward the herb quest.
Then back toward her.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Someone has to.”
“Where is your spirit of adventure?”
“We are here to create our new life.”
“We are also spread our name around.”
“Stability is more reliable.”
Nearby adventurers listened quietly, drawn in by the oddly entertaining duo—a fully armored, knightly-looking man arguing with a beautiful, deadpan girl about mushrooms. Eo glanced back at the goblin request once more. Then at the herb gathering one.
“Fine.”
Selena blinked once.
“You agree?”
“We shall do both.”
“Haa.”
He crossed his arms beneath the cloak.
“We’ll gather herbs first.”
Then—
He gestured toward the goblin request.
“And after that, we’ll take down some goblins.”
Several adventurers nearby stared.
One muttered quietly:
“Is it logic of the westerners?”
Selena lowered her gaze slightly.
“Understood.”
The nearby adventurers immediately decided they liked this strange duo a little more than expected.
...
Eo placed the herb gathering request and goblin subjugation request onto the counter.
Lina accepted them with the weary professionalism of someone already anticipating paperwork-related suffering in her future.
“Two requests at once?” she asked.
“We are capable of handling it.”
“You are F-rank.”
“For now.”
Lina glanced at him.
“Right.”
She stamped both requests.
“Moon leaf herbs grow near the eastern hills. The goblin sightings were reported around the western forest perimeter. Try not to die.”
“We shall do our best to survive.”
“Yes,” Selena answered helpfully.
Lina blinked.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Eo replied immediately.
As she handed back the request papers, Eo suddenly spoke again.
“A question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Who is the current highest-ranked active adventurer team within the empire?”
Lina blinked.
“That’s random.”
“I am curious.”
Nearby adventurers immediately started listening.
Because this was adventurer culture.
Nothing attracted attention faster than someone talking about famous high rankers.
Lina leaned back slightly.
“You mean currently active?”
“Yes.”
“Hm…”
She thought briefly.
“Probably either the Dreamreach or Blue Wolfs.”
Several adventurers nearby nodded immediately.
“Definitely Dreamreach.”
“No way. Blue Wolfs is stronger.”
“They managed to conquer the A rank dungeon!”
“Blue Wolfs fought a wyvern!”
The argument instantly started.
Eo listened attentively.
“Dreamreach?”
“S-rank adventurer team,” Lina explained. “A team of five people: a warrior, a mage, a thief, a ranger, and a cleric.”
“And the Blue Wolfs?”
“Also, S-rank. An all-female team of six adventurers: a paladin, cleric, barbarian, ranger, mage, and summoner.”
Selena spoke quietly beside him.
“How many S-rank teams are out there?”
“In the empire?”
She held up three fingers.
“Officially active? Three.”
The guild hall quieted slightly at that.
Even seasoned adventurers instinctively lowered their voices when talking about S-ranks. Those people weren’t ordinary anymore—they were monsters disguised in human skin. Eo tilted his helmet slightly.
“How long did it take them?”
Lina stared at him.
“To become S-rank?”
“Yes.”
The receptionist leaned against the counter.
“Well,”
She pointed toward the quest board.
“Most adventurers will never leave F-rank.”
Several adventurers nearby immediately protested.
“That’s rude!”
“It’s true,” Lina replied mercilessly.
Then she looked back toward Eo.
Lina continued.
“Most A-ranks take decades.”
“And S-rank?”
“Some never reach it no matter how talented they are.”
“If you reached B-rank within ten years, people would call you talented.”
“I see.”
“A-rank before thirty makes you exceptional.”
“And S-rank?”
She laughed once.
“If someone became S-rank in under ten years, the entire continent would lose its mind.”
Silence.
“We shall become S-ranks.”
Nearby adventurers burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
“Kid, you haven’t even finished your first quest!”
“Dream smaller!”
One older adventurer grinned.
“I like the confidence though.”
Eo ignored them completely.
Instead, he looked toward Selena.
Lina stared at the pair.
Then at their F-rank cards.
Lina stared at the pair for a long moment.
Then—
“…Right.”
She handed them back their cards.
“Well, if you somehow reach S-rank in under ten years, try not to destroy the guild hall during your celebration.”
The duo stepped away from the counter toward the guild exit.
Around them, conversations gradually picked up again, though many curious eyes still lingered. The stark contrast between the two was hard to ignore: the armored man spoke with the tone of a wandering knight, while the black-haired girl resembled a noble lady reluctantly tasked with babysitting him.
“Oi.”
Eo stopped.
This time, an older adventurer stepped forward. A longsword rested at his waist, and unlike the others, his eyes were keen rather than mocking.
“You two.”
“Yes?” Eo replied.
The man crossed his arms.
“You know why goblin quests are dangerous for rookies?”
“Because goblins carry sharp objects and have a tendency toward violence?”
The adventurer exhaled.
“Most rookies panic during their first real fight.”
Silence settled briefly.
“Monsters aren’t training dummies.”
His gaze hardened slightly.
“When you stab something for real, feel bones breaking, hear screaming—most people freeze.”
The guild hall grew quiet once more. This time, unlike the earlier teasing, it was genuine advice being given. Even Selena shifted slightly to face the man as the adventurer went on.
“And goblins are worse than beasts. They think. They ambush. They target the weak first.”
His eyes lingered briefly on Selena.
“Protect your partner properly.”
Silence.
Eo nodded once beneath the helmet.
“Understood.”
The older adventurer blinked.
“Good,” he muttered.
Then he turned away.
“Try not to die, rookies.”
“We shall try.”
The man waved dismissively without turning back.
Selena watched him leave.
“What a kind person.”
“Yes.”
“You should learn from him.”
“I am already extremely kind.”
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