Prologue 0.1 Aria Village

“This village should be perfect! If someone knows who I am  in such a remote place, I won’t have a quiet place to rest in the whole world” A lone man, dressed in travellers clothes, was looking at the far away Aria Village.

Aria Village is a small village, that takes its name from the small D Rank dungeon in its vicinity. It’s supposedly the most remote village in the empire, being the last human settlement before the Great Northern Mountain Range.

Slowly he makes his way  toward the village, defeating on the way the few unlucky monsters that thought they had found an easy prey.

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Helix P.V. 

“Stop, Who are you? Why are you coming inside Aria Village armed?”

A man, clearly, a farmer that is trying to pass as a guard, stopped me. While showing him a fake  adventurer badge I introduce myself

“ I’m Helix a C Rank Adventurer, sent by the guild in the capital to check the Dungeon.”

If I ever meet him again I must remember to thank the old man guild master for this fake badge.

“C…C… Rank! I am so sorry Sir! I didn’t want to be rude, please spare me.”

The guard is shaking. Is C rank rare here? The old man assured me that it was quite common.

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“Calm down, I am just a C Rank, and even if I was some bigshot, you were just doing your job.” I tried reassuring the man.

“Just a C Rank?”

Does he think that C Rank is something amazing?

“I don’t know here, but in any big city being a C Rank is nothing to be proud of. I am a commoner just like you, don’t worry”

He is staring at me, but it seems that I succeeded in reassuring him.

“Anyway could you please tell where the Adventurer Guild is?”

“Please Sir, follow me I will show you the way”

Didn’t I say that I’m just a Commoner?

The guard/farmer, takes me to the square at the middle of the village. On the way I get the chance to observe the village a little, It’s incredibly poor. All the houses are made of wood and  most of them look like they have been abandoned . Perfect! Only a few improvements and this will be the perfect place to be left alone, none of those annoying nobles would survive in such a place.

The Adventurer Guild is a two-story  building that looks like it’s  about to collapse.

Inside there is only a bald old man, he should be the receptionist.

“A new face? Are you the adventurer sent by the main Guild?”

“Yes, I am Helix, C rank, could I meet the Guild Master ?”

The bald old man looked at me for a moment and then started laughing loudly.

“Ahaha, Guild Master? Lad I’m Brutus, the Guild Master, receptionist, or whatever you wish to call me. I’m the only one working in this guild.”

It turns out that in this village there are  only seven adventurers: 4 F Rank , and 3 E Rank, plus the receptionist/guild master, that is a former D Rank.

“There were many more before, when the Dungeon was still Active. But two years ago after a big earthquake it all of sudden stopped spawning monsters. At first we waited but after a month, in a slow but constant way all adventurers started leaving this place, and after them many villagers too. The Dungeon was the only source of income for this place. It’s only a matter of time before this become a ghost village. I too would have already left, I’m only waiting for a relocation from the main Guild.”

So that’s the explanation for all these abandoned houses. This could be a problem, I want a quiet place but I don’t want to be left completely alone.

“Well, I’ll check the dungeon in the afternoon I hope to be able to do something”

“Don’t get your hopes too high lad”