INFO: ADVENTURE GUILD

A place where adventurers enter to receive quests and claim rewards for their missions with large sums of coins and sometimes even rare and valuable items.

Adventurers often join groups to increase their total strength and collect greater rewards for difficult tasks.

"WOOOAAA!" Saber exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement. "So many adventurers!"

"Yeah," Marco agreed. "And since it's this time of the year, it makes sense for the Guilds to be crowded."

"This time?" Saber asked, curious.

"Yeah," Chloe explained. "This is the time when every dungeon's loot increases."

"And that happens because the Legendary Gem Dragons migrate here to make nests in the caves and lay eggs," Marco added.

"And if you are really lucky, you can even find the Dragon’s egg itself," Chloe continued. "They have a huge market price. Not even wealthy people can get their hands on it easily."

"And it is said that if the presence of the Gem Dragon is in the house, then the people living there will never face poverty, no matter what," Marco said. "Wait here with her."

He walked towards the counter. "Excuse me?" he called out.

"Yeah? One second please," came the reply from the receptionist, who was under the desk.

THANG! She banged her head under the desk and came out. "Yes? Oh! It’s you. Wait a minute, let me search for your key card," she said.

Even though she looks like a kid, Marco thought.

Marco’s thoughts were interrupted as he caught sight of the receptionist. Though she looked like a kid, ''her breasts speaks otherwise.''

From afar, Saber nodded up and down, thinking, I can understand you, Marco, I completely understand, while Chloe stared at him in confusion.

A stranger walked towards them. "Hey Chloe," the stranger called out, catching their attention.

The receptionist reappeared, "Here’s your key card, the room is on the 2nd floor."

"Oh, understood, thank you," Marco replied. "Come on now, to the 2nd floor."

As they turned to leave, they found themselves surrounded by a group of people.

"Chloe, want to go drinking tonight?" asked the first stranger.

"Chloe, come with me today," said the second.

"Hey Chloe, want to join my party?" asked the third.

Saber stood there blankly, nervous and drawing a blank.

"Hey, who is this cutie?" asked one of the girls.

Girl members stood behind him, and Saber looked back in fear.

"Hey, are you new here?" asked another girl.

"You look so adorable," said a third.

"Are you looking to join a party?" asked a fourth.

"Come join mine," offered the fifth.

Without warning, Marco grabbed both Chloe and Saber by the collar and ran upstairs, leaving the crowd behind shouting, "Hey!"

Marco shook his head, exasperated. "I take my eyes off you for a minute and you guys just hugged trouble?"

They walked down the corridor and stopped in front of a door. "Remember Starter," Marco warned, "he is strict as..." He opened the door, revealing a grown and tall man facing the other side in a cool pose. "Welcome!" the man announced.

The door shut quickly. "Hey! I am sorry, I am sorry!" the man called out from behind the door.

Marco sighed, "Cannot believe I have to babysit another overgrown child."

"Hey! I am not THAT old, am I?" the man protested.

What a circus I must say, Saber thought. And HE is the strict one? What a joke.

Marco stood in front of the door, blocking it from opening. The man inside was crying and apologizing.

Saber turned to Chloe, "So who is this joker? I mean man?"

"A joker? Oh yeah, he is the lead of the party," Chloe responded.

You sure it’s him? Saber thought, doubtful.

The man inside straightened up. "Emm Hmm. So you must have heard from Chloe and Marco about my description, right? About how handsome I am?"

Actually, they gave a completely different type of description about you, Saber thought.

The man continued, "So let’s start with simple questions, fellow?"

"Ah, Saber," he introduced himself.

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"Yes, Saber. So tell me, Saber, why do you wish to join the adventure party?" the man asked.

Crap! I didn’t think of it. Alright, play it cool and reply with... Saber thought quickly.

"Because I always wanted to become one!" he said.

YOU FOOL! Now if he yells it’s all upon you, Saber berated himself internally.

The man stared at Saber for a moment. "Alright, next question."

He fell for it? Saber thought, surprised.

"Why do you want to join this specific party?" the man asked.

Damn it! Another heavy question! Saber thought, feeling the pressure.

"It’s not a very difficult task to search for another adventure party, right?" the lead asked, his gaze piercing into Saber.

Saber's face reflected his fear. "So why THIS specific party?" the lead pressed.

Saber glanced at Chloe, who looked equally worried about the situation. "Why don’t we relax a little, Lead? I will make some tea," Chloe suggested, trying to diffuse the tension.

She walked towards the table, but the lead's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Chloe," he called. She froze. "One black tea for me," he added.

Saber’s legs were shaking as he struggled to come up with an answer. The lead and the group sat down, observing him, while Marco put his hand on his face in exasperation.

"I think we both know the answer now, correct?" the lead said, his tone serious.

Saber, scared and with dull eyes, looked at him as he stood up. "Think again, Lead. Give him another chance," Chloe pleaded, but her teammate grabbed her shoulder with a 'give up' gesture.

"Chloe, you are allowed to be as silly as you want, but be reasonable for once. The boy doesn’t even know his purpose. He looks like a son from a pretty decent family background who never had any kind of difficulty in their entire life," the lead continued. "Adventurers are highly ‘life’ risking jobs! You cannot just wake up one day and decide to become one. You even have to make cold-hearted choices. Are you prepared for that? To leave a friend behind and see them being mercilessly torn and eaten alive? Begging to die as soon as possible, CAN you fulfil this wish of your friend?"

"HEY!" Chloe interjected.

"Shut your mouth, CHLOE!" the lead snapped.

Saber silently listened, his mind racing. How even in the hell did the situation escalate this quickly? he wondered.

"I apologize, kid, but YOU specifically are not the one made up to be an adventurer," the lead declared.

Saber stood up, saying, "Sorry," and walked towards the door. The door shut behind him.

Chloe sat down, looking at the lead with frustration. "Why would you be so harsh on him?" she asked.

"It was your entire fault for randomly dragging him into this. You should have known better, Chloe, right? Or did you forget about your brother?" the lead responded sharply. Chloe's eyes widened at the mention.

Marco placed his arm on the lead's shoulder. "That is plenty for her, Lead," he said.

Chloe, overwhelmed, ran outside. She headed towards the top side of the town and saw Saber sitting there.

"Hey, I thought—" Chloe began.

"Ran out of the town? Nah, not at least without a try," Saber replied.

"Sorry about that. I thought you were in a clear position," Chloe apologized.

"I thought so too, but it looks like my struggles are not enough," Saber said, his voice heavy with frustration.

"What do you mean? You can share it with me," Chloe offered.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I didn’t go through that kind of loss, but I did understand his pain. Being the only one alive and all alone... I understand why he rejected me," Saber explained, recalling the image of his bleeding mother. "When you stand all alone in front of a dead body, it makes you question your own life."

"So did you?" Chloe asked, her voice trembling.

"Yeah, after all, I grew up with no parental supervision," Saber said, his face reflecting his inner turmoil.

Chloe's face went dull with sadness. She looked scared. "I understand," she said softly.

"Have you experienced something like that?" Saber asked. "He did mention someone you held dear."

"Yes," Chloe replied.

"You can tell me if you want... I’m not forcing you," Saber said gently. "It’s fine, really."

Chloe took a deep breath. "It’s alright. After all, the incident happened because of me. The incident happened around six months ago. I had a brother in that party, Saber. He was the one who helped me enter the party without any difficulty since we did not have anyone to take care of. But things were going so smoothly because of him that I cannot even remember when was the last time I felt sadness.

"But happiness did not last long. As we were about to complete the dungeon, something jumped out of nowhere and attacked all of us. However, we were only able to safely make it out because he remained behind and the cave collapsed.

"After three hours, we immediately went to look for him with better upgrades, but..." Tears started to fall from her eyes. "We found him torn in half, and goblins were eating..."

Saber was shocked, his eyes widening as he saw her crying. So the example back then was... her brother?! he thought.

"I am sorry, Saber," Chloe said, wiping her tears. "Hey, it’s getting pretty dark. Have you thought about any inn?"

"Not yet," Saber admitted.

"Well, I can show you a cheaper and decent quality inn. Now follow me, rookie!" Chloe said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey! Don’t call me that," Saber protested with a small smile.

"But you ARE one, aren't you?" Chloe teased.

At least her mood is fixed for now, Saber thought. "Thanks for showing me the inn, Chloe. I’m really thankful."

"Come on, let’s do the registration," Chloe said.

"Oh yeah," Saber nodded.

"Just show your screen card," Chloe instructed.

"Screen?" Saber asked, puzzled. So they also can see screens, huh? So that means she also sees MY screen?

"Um, Chloe?" Saber began.

"Hmm?" she responded.

"Can you see my screen?" he asked.

"Of course not, it is our privacy. At least unless you show me," Chloe explained.

I see now, Saber thought. He showed his ID card and received key access. Chloe did a beep too.

"Hmm? You did something, didn’t you?" Saber asked suspiciously.

"What do you mean? Come on, let’s see the room," Chloe deflected.

"Hey, answer the question," Saber insisted.

"Cannot hear you," Chloe teased, running ahead.

"HEY! Get back here," Saber called out, following her.

They entered the room. It was decent and very normal.

"See! I told you," Chloe said proudly.

So the room looks way too normal, but the key difference is it doesn’t have a TV, but somehow I have complete access to the net, Saber thought.

Chloe jumped on the bed. "So?" she asked.

Saber saw her breasts and blushed. "You like the room?" she teased.

Her melons! In perfect view! And for some reason, she looks way too cute to ignore. I think I’m falling for her, Saber thought, flustered.

"Do not tell me that you fear being alone, do you?" Chloe asked suddenly.

Shock! Saber stared at her with a dead expression. Yeah, I can never fall for her, not at least by the way she acts.

"Alright then," Chloe stood up. "I shall go. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." She walked towards the door.

"Chloe?" Saber called out.

"Hmm?" she responded.

"Are you really going to enter the caves tomorrow too?" he asked.

"You bet I AM," she replied with determination. "Alright then, be safe out there. HEY, I KNOW! I should come and wake you UP!"

"You really don’t have to do that," Saber protested.

"It’s alright, I wake up early, so a little stroll can’t bother me," Chloe said cheerfully.

"If you insist," Saber relented.

"Good night then, sleep well because morning is not going to be well for you, hehe..." Chloe said with a mischievous smile.

Was that a threat? Saber thought. "Now I regret accepting your offer."

The door slammed shut. Hmm, what a weird girl, he thought, laying on the bed.

Chloe smilingly walked off, her voice trailing behind her, "Tomorrow’s gonna be fun!"

Saber turned off the lamp, sinking into the quiet comfort of his room. "My OWN room, huh? Not bad for a change of pace," he murmured to himself.

Chloe walked down the road, humming happily, her steps light and carefree. Meanwhile, Saber lay on the bed, staring at the screen with satisfaction.

The task on the screen showed completed, and the next task appeared: to go shopping with the 'Friend.'

Chapter 4- Friend