You know that moment in every RPG where someone realizes they forgot something stupidly obvious. Like carrying health potions into a boss fight or saving before talking to that suspiciously helpful NPC. He had just experienced this. After all that leveling and nearly dying multiple times, thanks for nothing, gaming gods. He realized he had never actually joined the guild. That basic tutorial step that every game beats over someone's head.

What kind of protagonist forgets to join the guild? This kind, Zaro thought. Roll credits.

After saying goodbye to Ezra, Zaro headed back to his room for some quality meditation time. And by quality, he meant sitting cross legged like a wannabe kung fu master until his legs went numb. But hey, it had just hit level 2, so now he could recover two whole points and even do it standing up. He still needed to close his eyes, though.

Sleep should have been impossible with all the plot points bouncing around in his head, but apparently, his body decided to skip straight to morning. One second he was vertical; the next, it was dawn. Thank the gods for natural teleportation magic called sleep.

Now, let’s talk about the absolute madman at the inn who used geyser attacks to fill bathtubs. Picture a guy who definitely picked water bending as his starter class but ended up working customer service instead of becoming the Avatar. When the man told Zaro to wait for the water to cool down, Zaro did what any sane person would do. He jumped right in like it was a Dark Souls hot tub. Between his new vitality stat and meditation spam, he could heal faster than he took damage. The worker’s face screamed, “This isn’t normal,” but sometimes, Zaro figured, you had to break the meta.

The Everlight Adventurers Guild looked exactly as someone would expect. Some architect had clearly played too much castle builder simulator. There were peaks and spires that would make Hogwarts feel architecturally inadequate. The banners had a dragon wrapped around a sword and a spellbook because apparently, three cool things equal one super cool thing. Marketing 101.

A couple of veterans stumbled past looking like they had just rage-quit a raid boss. Their armor was still smoking, which either meant they fought a dragon or tried cooking with Gordon Ramsay. Behind them came Miss Perfect Knight, whose armor was so shiny it probably counted as a legal mirror in three kingdoms. Meanwhile, Zaro was rocking the starter gear look because somebody, system designers, thought it would be fun to make him spend all his gold on basic necessities.

The great hall was peak fantasy cliché, and Zaro meant that in the best way possible. There were muscle-bound warriors comparing sword sizes. Pause. A bearded squad of mages probably arguing about whether fireball magic was overrated. And some halfling at the counter showing off what they claimed was a basilisk fang. Spoiler alert—it was probably a really big tooth from fantasy Walmart.

Something caught Zaro’s eye near the entrance. A weathered old man with a cart full of scrolls and maps. His sign read, Maps for Sale Guaranteed Accurate or Your Money Back in 50 Years. The kind of vendor that usually had that one key item needed for a quest later. Zaro’s genre-savvy senses were tingling.

Hey there, friend, the vendor called out as Zaro approached. Looking for adventure? I got maps for every taste. Dungeons, treasure spots, ancient ruins. Even got one for the best taverns in the kingdom, though that one’s more popular with the bards.

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Zaro browsed through the collection until a detailed map of the region caught his eye. The moment he touched it, his system pinged.

Map Updated, 17 Points of Interest Added

New Locations Available for Teleportation Crystal Use

Hidden Locations Detected ???

Well, that was convenient. Zaro handed over the coins and made a mental note to check out some of those question marks later. Everyone knows those are where the good loot is hidden.

The Guildmaster’s office belonged to one Barrock Shieldheart, which sounded like someone mashed the random fantasy name generator button until something stuck. Zaro knocked on the door, half expecting to trigger a cutscene.

The voice that answered could have been the FUS RO DAH of door-opening commands. Inside, instead of the typical compensation throne room, Zaro found what looked like a warrior’s man cave. The walls had the usual trophies—an ancient sword looking mighty cursed, a dragon tooth radiating definitely cursed vibes, and a banner that had seen more battles than a Dark Souls player’s controller.

Barrock himself looked like someone had taken a dwarf, dunked him in badass sauce, and sprinkled him with I-have-seen-some-stuff seasoning. His silver-streaked beard could not hide scars that screamed epic quest rewards. He sat behind a desk that looked carved from an ancient tree trunk—the kind that had witnessed more adventures than most warriors.

So, he rumbled, his gaze could have turned a stone golem to gravel. What is it that brings you to my office? Zaro told him that he wanted to skip the bronze and silver rank and go straight to gold. You want to skip ranks? His laugh could have stunned a raid boss. Barrock had definitely maxed out his intimidation stat.

His expression shifted like someone spotting an interesting puzzle piece. Before we discuss trials, there is something we need to verify. He stood up from behind his desk, and watching a dwarf unfold to nearly six feet tall was somewhat disconcerting. Hit me.

Zaro blinked. Come again?

You heard me, lad. Show me what you’ve got. Right here. Barrock tapped his chest, covered in what looked like mithril-reinforced leather. Full strength. No fancy tricks. Just raw power.

Zaro hesitated. Was this a test? It had to be, but still… He settled into a stance that would make his old boxing coach proud. Right foot planted, weight balanced. Everything they teach about generating power from the ground up. He pivoted off his right foot, turning his hips into it like he was trying to punch through Barrock rather than at him.

The mechanics felt different with Zaro’s enhanced stats, like his body was a finely tuned engine instead of clunky machinery. His fist connected with a sound like a thunderclap. The impact sent a shock up his arm, but his enhanced body absorbed it better than expected.

Barrock just stood there, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Hmm, he mused. Decent form. Good power for a newcomer. His eyes narrowed slightly, and Zaro felt the telltale tingle of someone trying to analyze his stats. The frown that followed told Zaro his precautions had worked. Barrock’s magical probing revealed about as much as trying to read a book underwater. But you’ll need more than raw strength for what is coming.

Before we get to your trials, tell me something. The Whispering Caves. Word is the corruption there nearly pushed it to level 50. Nasty business. But suddenly, it’s clear as spring water. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?

Zaro tried not to look too suspicious. Oh, that place? Yeah, me and my team cleared it out. With four people, it wasn’t so bad.

Barrock’s eyebrows shot up so fast they might have escaped his face. Not so bad, he says. The corruption that had three Silver-ranked teams running scared, and you cleaned it up with four people. Well, then.

Barrock pulled out a hefty coin purse and a scroll from his desk. Eight hundred gold for services rendered to the guild and one Gold rank quest completion added to your record. The guild rewards those who get results, whether they’re members or not. Though I suspect you will be soon enough.

If you've already got 1 gold rank quest completion we can potentially bend the rules.

He unrolled the scroll, revealing an intricate dungeon map. Zaro’s system pinged again.

Dungeon Map Added. The Forgotten Archive

New Location Available for Teleportation Crystal Use.

Warning. Recommended Level 35. Notable Enemies, Wraiths.

Two trials, Barrock continued. First, there’s this magical book that is playing hard to get. Think of it as a fetch quest with attitude. Second, a dungeon run where you will need to keep some NPCs alive. And trust me, these NPCs make Skyrim followers look like tactical geniuses. I also would like 2 silver quests done. But when you have time. This is more just to help get rid of some beasts.

Before you go, Barrock added. Here take this temporary gold medallion. It will get you into the labyrinth. If you do well, might earn one of your own.

It was basically just a gold playing card on a chain.

Before Barrock handed it to Zaro void sense let him see the slight mana pressed into it by Barrock.

Good luck Zaro, Barrock said while giving a small wave.

As Zaro left the office, coin purse heavier and map updated, he couldn’t help but grin. Time to speedrun this guild quest line.

What’s the worst that could happen?