"Gaahh, I'm stuffed!" Rowan groaned, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his stomach with a satisfied but bloated expression on his face. The plates before him were stacked high, remnants of a feast that could have fed three grown warriors. His eyes were half-lidded, his movements sluggish.
[Hok: Finally! I don't wanna see that again.]
[Doin: Go to the Adventurer's Guild broo!]
[Forest: I've been looking forward to the Adventurer's Guild.]
"The Adventurer's Guild... I'm excited as hell too," Rowan thought, a flicker of energy returning to his limbs.
Slowly rising from his chair, Rowan stretched and began walking toward the exit, trying not to trip over the mess of chairs and the remnants of his gluttony. Just as he reached out to push the door open, it was flung from the other side, and a large, muscular man stepped through. The man had long braids and the sides of his head were shaved, leaving only the thick strands flowing down like ropes. Rowan barely had time to react and stumbled back in surprise, nearly landing flat on his back.
[Owie: Ouch, embarrassing.]
The man didn't even spare Rowan a glance, brushing past him as if he were nothing more than a fly. Rowan blinked in surprise and quickly scrambled to his feet, brushing the dust from his pants and bolting out of the door, his heart pounding for no real reason.
[Foiol: For someone who always talks to random people online you're quite the introvert.]
[Gola: Yeah lol, I thought he'd be the most overconfident IRL.]
"I'm not that type of guy. I only act tough online," Rowan mumbled, trying to justify himself, knowing full well his chat would never let this go.
[Koal: We can see that.]
"Ugh," he sighed with a low grumble, his steps now quickening as he walked down the dirt path lined with tall buildings of wood and stone. The village seemed to expand further than he first thought, and after a few minutes, he reached a building taller than most, easily identifiable by the emblem etched into the sign above the door: two crossed swords surrounded by an ornamental frame. It screamed classic fantasy, and Rowan's heart fluttered with anticipation. His years of playing MMORPGs had led to this exact moment.
"This has to be it..." he whispered, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He began shadowboxing, lightly punching the air to psych himself up, pretending it made him look composed. As he jabbed forward one last time, the door swung open and a girl walked out.
She had short brown hair tied in a messy ponytail, wore olive green shorts and a matching crop top, and had an expression of sheer annoyance. The girl paused as her eyes met Rowan, still frozen in a bizarre punching pose. There was a long second of silence, then she scoffed and let out a laugh, covering her mouth as she walked away.
[Ghoal: LMAO THAT WAS EMBARRASSING.]
[POLAO: Pls never do that again.]
[Laop: It gave me secondhand embarrassment.]
Rowan's face turned red, his arms quickly lowering as he covered his face with one hand. Though he could usually laugh at himself when he was behind a screen, having that kind of moment in real life was a different beast entirely.
"You all didn't see anything," he grumbled.
[Hoi: I was blind this whole time don't worry.]
Determined not to let that moment define his day, Rowan pushed open the heavy doors of the Adventurer's Guild. The interior contrasted sharply with Hue's Eatery. While the eatery was filled with vibrant energy and casual chaos, the guild's atmosphere was dense with purpose. People moved quickly, shouting instructions, trading paperwork, or laughing heartily in groups. The walls were lined with quest boards and giant maps, and there were rows of counters staffed by guild personnel in sharp uniforms.
He stepped forward slowly, intimidated by the bustling professionalism, until he reached one of the reception counters. Behind it stood a cat-eared woman with auburn hair tied in twin buns. Her ears twitched as she looked up at Rowan, offering him a bright, almost mechanical smile.
"Hello there, sir! What can I help you with today?" she asked in a voice that was both overly cheery and surprisingly rehearsed.
Rowan froze. The words refused to come out, and his anxiety began creeping up his spine like a cold wind. Talking to people was one thing—talking to a pretty woman was an entirely different war.
[Holak: Ask her if you want to join the guild!!!]
The chat window floated before his vision. Taking a deep breath, Rowan forced his tongue to move.
"I–" he stammered.
The receptionist giggled, her ears flicking again. "What a cutie!" she said, her smile now seeming a little more genuine.
"W-what...?" he whispered, completely thrown off.
"I haven't seen you around before. Are you here to sign up for the guild, I assume?"
"Uh... Yeah! Yeah, I am," he finally managed.
"Okay then! What's your name?" she asked, resting her hands over a softly glowing crystal orb on the counter.
"Ro–" he began, but then noticed a message flash across the chat.
[Frit: Rowan is such a lame name, make it something medieval or fantasy!]
He hesitated. 'Rowan' did feel out of place here.
"I am... Lancelot" he said with a breath of dramatic flair. It was the name he had used in his very first game when he was just ten years old.
[Gphal: Lancelot? You are not white haired nonchalant king gng😂✌️]
"Lancelot... Very interesting name!" the cat-girl receptionist said with a light chuckle. "Congratulations, you are now part of the guild. You're currently ranked E."
Just then, a semi-transparent rectangle popped up before his eyes—visible only to him. It read:
[F RANK — RANK EXP: 0 / 500]
His eyes widened. The system UI looked straight out of a game. But the girl didn't react to it, clearly unable to see the same window.
The receptionist continued, "Before you can take on any quests, you'll need some proper armor. Those clothes look very... foreign."
Rowan glanced down. His blue shirt was wrinkled and stained, and his black baggy pants looked more like pajamas than armor.
"If you go to the second floor, you'll find the outfitting department. Just ask anyone in uniform there and they'll help you out," she instructed with a polite bow.
"Ah... yes, thank you."
"You're welcome!" she said, waving at him with a soft flick of her tail.
Rowan walked toward the stairs, still feeling the awkward warmth of embarrassment clinging to him. The staircase was wide and lined with brass lanterns that gave the wooden walls a warm glow. As he reached the second floor, he spotted several individuals wearing uniforms similar to the receptionist's.
He approached the nearest one, a human man with short black hair and a bright expression.
"H-Hello?" Rowan asked.
"Oh? Hi there!" the man replied with a broad smile, clearly enthusiastic.
"The lady at the front said I could get some free armor here," Rowan explained.
"Reception... counter? I don't know what that is, but you're definitely in the right place!" the man said with a laugh.
"Oh tha–" Rowan started to say, but the man suddenly cut him off.
"Wait, wait! What class are you? Are you a swordsman? A spy? A summoner? What? What?" His eyes gleamed with childlike curiosity.
[Kaol: This man thinks the world is rainbow and shi smh.]
[Rowan: I'd like to kiss that man.]
"I'm... a magician," Rowan answered.
The man's demeanor shifted dramatically. His posture stiffened, his expression faltered, and beads of sweat started forming on his forehead. He looked as if he had accidentally insulted royalty.
[Holak: Speak gang...]
"Is something wrong?" Rowan asked.
"I-I-I'm sorry for acting that way, sir," the man stammered, suddenly using honorifics.
"Why are you being so formal now?" Rowan asked, utterly confused.
"Well, since you said you're a magician, I thought you might be of noble descent. Most magicians are of royalty or come from prestigious bloodlines, you see," he explained with a sheepish chuckle.
"I'm just a guy who happened to know magic," Rowan clarified.
[Bolained: I remember in the lore, most magicians are status-powerful, most magicians are royalty.]
[Jokal: That's why he was sweating when Rowan said that he was a magician.]
'Oh... that's why,' Rowan thought.
"Well, sir, we actually don't have any magical gear in stock at the moment," the man admitted, scratching the back of his head. "But we'll definitely contact you once we do. For now, you can take a standard robe and some traveler's gear."
"Oh man..." Rowan sighed, clearly disappointed.
[Tjak: Too bad, wah wah.]
Despite the setback, Rowan accepted the basic gear handed to him. The robe wasn't flashy, but at least it fit. As he walked away, he couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. He had officially entered the Adventurer's Guild. He was 'Lancelot' now. And even if he started from the bottom, the journey had only just begun.