As Ed stood up from behind his oversized desk, the sheer scale of the man finally struck me. Towering over us at nearly five meters tall, his shadow stretched across the entire room. The ceiling itself had been built to accommodate his massive frame, yet even then, he had to straighten carefully so his horns didn't graze the stone arch. His build was like that of a mountain given flesh—shoulders broad enough to support a house, arms thick with muscle that rippled beneath his tight uniform shirt, and a presence that demanded attention, even when he wasn't trying.
"Now," he said, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves with practiced ease, "with that out of the way, we'll need to see how your status looks."
I blinked, my expression turning cold as I stood up as well. My tail gave a slow flick of irritation behind me.
"No," I said flatly, shaking my head. "We can't do that."
Ed's brows lifted, surprised. "And why's that?"
"There are skills I don't want anyone else to see," I explained firmly, arms crossed. "If the wrong person finds out, they'll know exactly how to kill me."
The room quieted slightly. Kayda shifted beside me but didn't interrupt.
"You can trust us," Ed said, his voice softer now but still firm with that mountain-deep rumble. "You're among friends."
"I know how that sounds, and I appreciate it," I said, offering a small nod. "But I can't take that risk. I'll write it down instead—just enough for the guild records."
He stared at me for a moment, then sighed and gave a single nod.
"Fine. You trust Kayda with your status?"
"Of course," I said immediately.
"In that case, we'll allow only you two in the room where the procedure takes place," he said. "Kayda will be the one to write down the information for you."
My ears flicked. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously but relented with a sigh. "Alright. That works."
'I'll just tell Kayda my status directly,' I thought, walking toward the door. 'No need to risk the guild tablets remembering something they shouldn't.'
"Great," Ed said with a half-smile, sitting back down. "Tracy will show you the way. When you're done, come back here."
"Right this way," Tracy said, stepping past me and opening the door smoothly.
"Lead the way, then," I muttered, following behind her as Kayda silently fell in step at the rear.
As we walked down the hallway, I glanced behind me to see Kayda giving Ed a look. She leaned in, just before the door fully shut behind her, and whispered something low and sharp.
"Ed, you're playing the wrong game here."
'I guess she knows what he's planning,' I thought aloud, not realizing I'd spoken until I heard Tracy's voice ahead.
"Hmm? Did you say something?" she asked, glancing back with a curious smile.
"It's nothing," I said quickly, brushing her question off while shooting Kayda a sidelong glance. She gave a tiny shrug.
We turned the corner into the guild's main hall, the bright glow of magic lights washing over us in golden hues. Tables lined the walls, packed with adventurers talking, eating, or checking quest postings.
"Hey, Tracy, you're back?" A familiar female voice called out.
We looked over to see a tall blonde woman with slightly pointed ears sitting behind a desk—Tracy's desk, if I remembered right. Her piercing green eyes sparkled with amusement, but a faint tightness at the corners suggested stress.
'An elf? No… Her ears aren't long enough.' I thought, studying her profile. 'Maybe a half-elf.'
"Kana," Tracy greeted her, visibly guilty. "Sorry! The Guild Master asked me to handle this sign-up personally before going back to my post."
Kana arched an eyebrow, then sighed. "It's fine. The front desk is just slammed right now because of the incident earlier."
"Yes, I know," Tracy said apologetically, lowering her head slightly. "I'll be as quick as I can."
Kana waved her hand dismissively, then returned her focus to the papers in front of her.
Tracy led us past the counter and to a pair of pristine white double doors near the far wall. With a smooth push, she opened them to reveal a simple but sterile room. A single pedestal stood in the center, atop it a sleek black status tablet that pulsed softly with arcane runes.
"Here you go," Tracy said, gesturing inside. "I'm sure you know how the tablet works. Kayda, here's the form."
She handed a scroll of parchment and a pen to Kayda, then gave me a nod and stepped out, closing the door behind us with a soft click.
"Don't use the tablet," Kayda said immediately, voice firm.
"I wasn't going to," I replied, giving her a shrug as I stepped away from it. "I don't trust that thing to not keep records."
"Good." She unrolled the form and adjusted her grip on the pen. "Now, what do you want me to write?"
"Make my first name, Nova, for this," I began. "And for skills, just put Flash Step, basic elemental magic, Sword Domain… and Dimension Storage. That's enough."
Kayda nodded, already jotting them down with clean strokes. "I'll lower your stats a bit to make things easier for you in the future. But I'll put your real level."
"Thanks," I said, watching her work. "Honestly, I still don't understand how this guild thing works."
"It's not too complicated," she said, glancing up. "There are just a few important rules. First—no fighting in the guild hall. You can challenge someone to a duel, but killing is never allowed. Ranks go from E to S, with XR being the special rank for god-tier beings. There are only three XR-ranked adventurers in the guild, and two of them work as royal bodyguards."
My ears perked up in interest. "Ah, that explains why the royals didn't have a large escort at the banquet. I thought it was weird at the time."
"Yep. But even those god-level bodyguards can't win against your mother," Kayda said, smirking.
I blinked, stunned. "Wait… What? She can beat god-level adventurers?"
"In a duel? Absolutely. In a fight to the death, it might be closer. But skill-wise? She's unmatched—especially when she uses Berserk."
My tail twitched with pride. "Damn… Mom really is a badass."
Kayda laughed. "That's putting it lightly. And the worst part?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"You'll be even stronger than her one day."
I couldn't help but grin. "You got that right."
Kayda smirked and tapped the paper once more. "Alright. Quests work like this: you can accept any quest if you meet the requirements—enough party members or if your level far exceeds the recommended one. But since you have my privileges, you can accept anything. No restrictions."
"Hmm. But I won't get an S-rank badge, right?" I asked, cautiously hopeful.
"Nope," she said with a smile, "but you also won't start at the bottom. You're technically part of the guild's employee network now, so they'll give you a B-rank to start."
"Ahh, right. Only B-rank and above can work for the guild directly," I murmured to myself, connecting the dots.
"Exactly. Anyway, we're done here," Kayda said, rolling up the form. "Let's head back to Tracy so she can make your guild card."
I followed as she opened the door.
"Oh! You're finished already?" Tracy asked brightly.
"Here," Kayda said, handing over the form. "Can you make her guild card?"
"Sure thing. Let's see—what the… Kayda, did you add an extra zero to her stats?" Tracy blinked at the paper. "These numbers are insane for a 14-year-old. She doesn't even have a class yet!"
Kana peeked over her shoulder. "Whoa!"
"That's her real status," Kayda said casually, waving Tracy off. "Now get her card done."
"Right, right," Tracy mumbled, still staring at the form as she walked off toward the enchanted printer behind the counter.
"Come on," Kayda said to me, gesturing to the quest board. "Let's get you your first mission."
I nodded, tail flicking as we made our way to the towering wall covered in quest slips. The wall opposite the guild's dining and drinking area was bustling with adventurers of every shape and size—humans, demi-humans, and even a couple beastkin.
"I assume you want an elimination quest?" Kayda asked, scanning the board beside me.
"Of course," I replied, scanning the papers. "What else is there?"
"Well, there's dungeon raids, but you're not ready for those yet. Collection quests, escort missions, delivery work…"
"Boring."
She smirked. "Thought so."
"There. That one—orc elimination," I said, pointing near the top of the board.
Kayda reached up easily and yanked the slip off the wall.
As we turned, a voice spoke behind us. "Hey, are you two taking that orc quest?"
We turned to see a tall man with silver hair and a bulky build standing behind us. His armor gleamed with polish, and a heavy tower shield rested on his back.
"Do you already have the recommended number of people?" he asked. "Or can my party join you? We're all C-rank or higher."
Kayda was already shaking her head. "No, we're good—"
"Wait," I whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let them join. I've never seen how this world handles combat firsthand."
Kayda blinked, then smiled. "Ahh, right. Good point."
Turning back to the man, she nodded. "You're in. How many are you?"
"Five," he said quickly. "Two mages, two swordsmen, and I'm the tank."
"Perfect."
"Nova, your card is ready!" Tracy called from the counter, waving it above her head.
"That's me," I said cheerfully, snagging the quest slip from Kayda. "Be right back."