As the last rays of the sun faded and sank beneath the horizon, the city of adventurers, Orario, slowly lit up.
Streetlights flickered on one by one, bathing the streets in a warm glow.
I made my way toward the Guild.
It was even busier than it had been in the morning. Groups of adventurers crowded around the counters, chatting loudly as they exchanged their magic stones for Valis. The atmosphere was lively, almost overwhelming.
My eyes scanned the counters for familiar pink hair, but I didn't see her. Instead, behind one of the desks near the side, I spotted a half-elf neatly organizing documents, the one Misha had spoken to before.
Her name was Eina, if I wasn't wrong. I walked up to her desk.
"Hello, Miss Eina. Good evening," I said politely. "May I know where Misha-san is?"
"Ah, good evening. Mr. Quinn… right?" she replied, looking up with a brief look of confusion before smiling as she recognized me.
I nodded.
"Misha's shift ended earlier today, she's already left. If there's anything you need, I can assist you." Eina explained gently.
"Oh, she's already gone for the day, huh," I muttered under my breath, and looked back at the half-elf.
"Eina-san, could you please help me register as an adventurer? I'd also like to register a new Familia."
"Yes, of course. Please follow me."
She led me away from the bustling hall toward one of the smaller doors lining the interior wall.
The Meeting Box.
'Again? Is every important conversation in this place held behind closed doors?'
I thought with faint amusement.
The door shut softly behind us, muting the noise of the Guild to a distant murmur.
Once inside, we sat on the sofas facing each other. The moment we settled in, Eina's expression changed. Her gentle smile faded, replaced by a serious, professional look.
"Misha may have already told you this," Eina began firmly, "but becoming an adventurer and entering the Dungeon is extremely dangerous. There is a very high chance of death. Knowing that, do you still wish to register as an adventurer?"
'…Misha, you airhead. You really skipped the important part.'
Still, it wasn't news to me.
The two books I had borrowed earlier made that painfully clear.
After taking a brief moment to gather my thoughts, I looked straight at Eina and replied calmly, "Yes. I understand that the Dungeon is dangerous and constantly changing, and that it challenges adventurers at every turn. Even knowing that, I've decided to become an adventurer."
"And thank you for your concern, not to brag, but I do have some combat experience."
I added with a small laugh. I did my best to reassure her that I wasn't acting on impulse.
"Very well." Eina studied me for a moment before nodding.
"If you've already made up your mind, then please fill out these two forms."
She opened a drawer in her desk, took out two sheets of paper, and handed them to me along with a quill.
"This form is for registering as a new adventurer, and this one is for registering a new Familia. For the adventurer registration, you'll also need to submit a copy of your status sheet. Let me know if you need any help."
I accepted the forms and carefully began reading, filling in only the most basic information.
Name: Quinn Nightshade.
Age: 19.
Residence: The Bran's Inn.
Familia God: Goddess Penia…
After completing the adventurer registration form, I quickly filled out the Familia registration form as well.
"Eina-san, here you go. Could you please check if everything is correct?" I asked, still not fully confident in this world's language.
She went through the papers and nodded.
"Yes, everything looks fine. Please inform Goddess Penia that a Guild employee will contact her within the next three days to confirm the registration of the new Familia."
"And here's a copy of my status sheet," I said, handing it to her.
The sheet showed no magic and no skills, a blank Level 1 status sheet, with all stats at I0 and the magic and skill sections empty.
Even though I'd been weak and plagued by negative thoughts after receiving the Falna, I hadn't forgotten to ask Penia to issue me a clean status sheet with my magic and skills removed.
Eina accepted it and filed everything away.
"One more thing, Would you like the Guild to assign you an adviser? Or do you already have someone in mind?" she added
Her question sparked my curiosity.
"Eina-san… what exactly does an adviser do?"
She adjusted her glasses and studied me for a moment.
Maybe trying to find I really not know about Guild advisers?
"Ahem. Guild advisers assist adventurers with matters related to the Dungeon," Eina started.
"They provide information about the dungeon, from details about monsters to suggesting to what depth an adventurer should go in the Dungeon in accordance to their level and skills, as well as warning them of any special dangers of certain floors and how to prepare against them. They can also help them select quests if asked by the adventurer."
She folded her hands.
"You can choose an adviser if you know one, or the Guild can assign one to you. The choice is yours."
"Then… can I choose Misha-san as my adviser?" I asked hopefully.
"I'm sorry," Eina replied, already sounding apologetic. "One Guild staff member can only advise up to a certain number of adventurers, and Misha already has her quota filled."
After thinking for a moment, I spoke again. "Then, Eina-san… could you be my adviser?"
She gave me a sad smile and shook her head. She explained that she had recently taken on another adventurer, which filled her quota.
I let out a sigh. "Then please let the Guild assign one."
"You can come to the Guild tomorrow morning and ask me or another receptionist about your assigned adviser," she said, standing up from the sofa.
"That's everything for now. Please wait while I bring your adventurer card and the related documents. The Familia documents will be sent to your Goddess once the confirmation process is complete."
...
After a short while, Eina returned with a card and a small set of documents.
"This is your adventurer card and the related documents," she said, placing them gently on the table.
"Please keep it with you at all times. It can also serve as your official identification within Orario."
I accepted them with both hands.
"Thank you for all your help, Eina-san, could you also help me borrow some books from the Guild library about the monsters in the Dungeon? I want to learn what kind of monsters I might face."
The saying information is power surfaced in my mind again. Knowing my enemies in advance would help me plan more effectively.
Hearing my request, Eina smiled softly and nodded.
"That's a good mindset. It's always better to be prepared before entering the Dungeon. I'll get the books for you. You can read them here or rent them, whichever you prefer."
....
"Thank you for all your help, Eina-san. And I don't need a weapon or armor from the Guild. These books are more than enough."
Holding up the four heavy books that contained information about the first few floors of the Dungeon, I said my goodbyes to the half-elf, and declined her question whether I needed any equipment.
The cost of renting the books had taken away half of the Valis I'd received back from the goddess, leaving me with roughly a thousand Valis.
After exiting the guild and walking a short distance, I noticed a clothing shop and remembered I still needed proper clothes. I went inside and made a simple purchase.
The total came to two hundred Valis.
With the books and clothes in hand, I returned to the inn. I greeted Karen at the front desk, then climbed the stairs and entered my room.
I'd already decided that before stepping into the Dungeon the next day, I would read through all the books and memorize as much as I could. I took a short break for dinner, but aside from that, I stayed cooped up in my room, completely absorbed in reading.
....
I woke up to a dark room and stretched my stiff body.
Since I already knew how weak I felt under sunlight, I'd closed the only window and drawn the curtains before going to sleep.
After getting ready, I put on the gray T-shirt and gray track pants I'd bought the previous day. I strapped an X-shaped double belt around my waist and placed my dagger and gun into the pouches attached to it. Then I slipped my trusty gray jacket over the T-shirt.
Heading downstairs, I finished my breakfast and walked toward the door.
Bracing myself, I stepped outside into the sunlight and immediately felt my strength drop. It wasn't as bad as yesterday, I didn't feel like collapsing, but the drain was still sharp and unpleasant.
The walk to the Guild felt mostly the same, except that a few strong gusts of wind nearly made me feel like I might be blown away.
The moment I stepped inside the Guild, my strength returned. After pausing briefly to steady myself, I walked toward the reception desk and spotted Misha.
I joined the queue and waited.
"Ah, good morning, Quinn-san, were you able to join a Familia? Are you here to register as an adventurer?" Misha, the moment she saw me, started firing off her questions one after another.
"Good morning, Misha-san," I replied with a small smile.
"Thanks to you, I'm now a member of the Penia Familia. I came here yesterday evening, but since you weren't around, Eina-san helped me register as an adventurer and also register the new Familia."
"That's great news! Congratulations, you're an adventurer now," she said cheerfully.
"Make sure to be extra careful in the Dungeon. So, what can I help you with today?" She tilted her head cutely as she spoke.
"Eina-san told me about Guild advisers. She mentioned that you already have your hands full, so I chose to have the Guild assign one to me. Could you check if I've been assigned an adviser yet?"
"Hmm, sorry about that," Misha said apologetically. "It's true, I can't take another one. Let me check your details."
She flipped through some documents, then shook her head.
"You haven't been assigned one yet, Quinn-san. But it should be done by today. You can come back later in the day or check again tomorrow."
"Understood."
After that, I asked her a few more questions about the Dungeon. Once I was done, I left the Guild and headed toward the plaza in front of the white tower.
The massive white tower standing at the center of the city was known as the Tower of Babel. It was built by the same craftsman who designed Daedalus Street.
....
Sitting on a bench near a fountain in the plaza, I looked around at the groups of adventurers heading toward the tower. Even as I looked, more adventurers continued to flood into the plaza in large numbers.
Shaking my head, I recalled Misha's advice.
Since you don't have anyone to guide you on your first dive, it would be better to hire a supporter. They can show you the way and help if you're in danger. And please make sure to stick to the first two floors.
"Adventurer-san, do you need a supporter?" A voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
Standing before me was a Pallum, a backpack nearly twice her size slung over her shoulders.
She was looking at me expectantly, her eyes sparkling.