"Shizu, stop it!"

I rushed over and snatched the knife from her hand, then turned to the adventurers who had stepped back, their faces expressing shock and fear. I tried to explain, "S-she doesn't mean to threaten you. She's just very uncomfortable around crowds, that's all...!"

The adventurers gave me doubtful looks until a solitary figure, dressed in a traveling cloak that concealed their face, spoke up from a table in the back of the guild. "Leave the poor girl alone, you morons," the lone adventurer said.

"Hah, who are you to talk?" One of the adventurers from the crowd scoffed at the lone adventurer.

Silently, the lone adventurer rose from his table and strode towards the one who had spoken. The guild fell into a hush as all eyes followed the lone adventurer approaching, his heavy footsteps echoing through the room.

As he drew near, the lone adventurer towered over the other adventurer, one eye obscured by a dark eyepatch. The disparity in stature between the two was striking, with the lone adventurer easily overshadowing the others. His stoic face bore faded scars, remnants from a life devoted to battle.

The adventurer from the crowd gulped in the face of the confrontation. "D-damn loner..." he muttered, before hastily making his retreat.

"What the hell are the rest of you still standing around for?" The lone adventurer barked at the remaining crowd. "Quit squawking!"

At the command of his booming voice, the crowd hesitantly started to disperse until it was just the three of us remaining.

I was amazed by his ability to control the crowd and turned to thank him. "Thank you for your help...uh...?"

"Leo," the lone adventurer grunted. "But that doesn't matter. If you want to survive as an adventurer, you need to do a better job taking care of your girlfriend, kid."

Before I could explain that Shizu wasn't actually my girlfriend, she stepped forward and lashed out at Leo. "What did you say?" her voice laced with anger. "How dare you talk to Ryuji like th--"

"Stop it!" I grabbed Shizu's arm and pulled her back before she could start another fight. "He's just trying to give us advice. He doesn't mean any harm."

"But I don't like the way he's talking about you..." Shizu muttered.

I turned back to Leo, "My name is Ryuji, and this here is my companion, Shizu. We're new adventurers to the guild at the Iron-rank."

Leo's gaze shifted down to the Iron-ranked badge on my belt, then to Shizu's. "So it's true..." he muttered.

"What is?"

Leo shook his head. "Nevermind. Just be more careful next time. Drawing unnecessary attention to yourself, especially in a city like Lunaris, will never lead to anything good. Learn to blend in."

I was surprised by Leo's concern for us, despite not knowing us. Something told me that Leo was a good person inside despite his rough outward appearance. He waved at us then made a move to go back to his table, but I called out to him to stop him.

"Hey, wait!"

"What is it?" Leo glanced back at me.

"What rank are you?" I asked, eyeing his black heavy armor and the giant mace slung over his back. However, I couldn't see his guild badge anywhere on him.

"Rank?" Leo turned back to face me.

"Yeah, you're an adventurer too, right?" I said. "But I don't see your guild badge."

Leo scoffed, "Only fools advertise their guild membership. I suggest you keep yours hidden too."

"Harsh," I chuckled. "We're only following the guild's advice."

"First, it's not a requirement. Only a suggestion by the guild. And a dangerously stupid one at that."

"Thanks for the advice," I nodded. "We will keep that in mind."

As I expected, Leo seemed to be a seasoned adventurer who knew the ins and outs of being an adventurer.

"Brass."

Hearing Leo's reply, I glanced over to the side at the wall where an official rank chart was hung up.

Official Adventurer Ranks

1. Palladium: Highest rank for mythical-status heroes of epic and legendary proportions.

2. Titanium: Second-highest rank for fabled adventurers, respected leaders.

3. Gold: Prestigious rank for powerful adventurers.

4. Silver: Highly respected rank for elite adventurers.

5. Bronze: Well respected rank for skilled adventurers.

6. Brass: Intermediate rank for dependable and versatile adventurers.

7. Steel: Low rank for amateur adventurers that have proven themselves capable.

8. Iron: Lowest rank for new and inexperienced adventurers driven by a sense of adventure.

Brass, huh? So Leo was only one rank below the Bronze Titan whom Shizu had defeated fairly effortlessly.

Still, I wanted someone like him on our side that was more knowledgeable about the way things worked in this world and could help guide us out of trouble. Especially since Innis was no longer a viable option.

"Hey Leo," I said. "What do you think about joining our party?"

"Ryuji..." Shizu said uncertainly.

~x~

We were heading towards the outskirts of the walled city, where the roads were dusty and cracked, and the houses were built haphazardly in a disordered architectural mess. Despite the impoverished living conditions, the locals still went about their daily lives, showing a resilience that was admirable.

Walking in Leo's wake, Shizu whispered to me, "Are you sure about this, Ryuji? I don't trust him..."

"Relax," I reassured her. "Leo is just leading us to the quest we selected back at the guild. If we can prove to him that we're serious, he said he will consider joining our party."

"But I don't want him in our party," Shizu pouted. "I just want it to be you and me."

"Listen, Shizu," I replied, exasperated. "We can't survive in this world alone. We need to form alliances and learn to work with other people if we want to succeed."

Leo stopped in front of us, and we stopped too. "This is the place," he announced.

I nodded. The quest we had taken from the guild board was a thief catching job. Apparently there was a thief hiding out in this part of the city that had been stealing from the marketplace and bringing it back here.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Leo stood there, watching us without doing anything. True to his words, he wanted to assess whether Shizu and I were actually serious about being adventurers or just clowning around.

This was an Iron-ranked job. There was no way we were failing this.

"Shizu, hide your adventurer badge and talk to some of the locals here to see if you can gather any information about the thief," I instructed her. "I will search the area for clues."

"Why do I have to talk to the locals?" Shizu said. "Can't I just stay with you?"

"Because they will trust a lone girl more than if the two of us were together," I replied. "Just do as I say."

"Okay, Ryuji."

Obediently, Shizu went over to some locals walking past the road, striking conversations with them in a contrastingly natural and friendly demeanour. It was almost as if a different person had taken over Shizu's body. That was another reason why I had assigned Shizu to talk to the locals; I knew her acting and social manipulation skills were frighteningly good when she wanted it to be.

Satisfied that Shizu was following my orders properly, I pulled out the job notice from my bag and re-read through it:

> Job Title: Iron-ranked Adventurers for Thief Huntin'

>

> Job Description:

> A wealthy merchant in the city's got his goods stolen, and we suspect the thief's hiding in the outer skirts of Lunaris. We need a party of Iron-ranked Adventurers to track down and catch the thief, and get the goods back. You gotta be good at finding and bringing in troublemakers, and you gotta know how to handle yourself out in the slums.

>

> Job Requirements:

> Adventurer Rank: Iron

> Recommended to have some successful prior job experiences

> Good at tracking people down and fighting, should it be needed

> Should be good at talking to people and figuring out what's going on

>

> Pay:

> Our client's willing to cough up 2 silver coins if you can catch the thief and bring back the stolen goods. Report back to the guild once completed.

There was also a very shrewdly sketched portrait on the pamphlet of what the supposed thief looks like. Long black hair, much of it covering his face.

Not really much information to go on. Whatever.

I closed my eyes, tapped into my mana source, and re-opened them again.

"[ Magical sight ]," I muttered, and the mana coursing through my body diverted itself to my eyes. Instantly, a strange, warm sensation fell over my eyes and I stared down at the road, seeing glowing spears of light with varying intensity and colour streaking across my vision. They resembled signs left behind on the road by the movement of passersby and animals.

It was a chaotic stream of information as I expected. There were way too many people and carriages that had gone past this road recently, and I wasn't used to the [ Magical sight ] ability so that made making sense of things even worse.

Continuing to walk down the path of the road, I looked left and right, searching for signs of anything unusual.

~x~

"Excuse me, sir, are you looking for something?"

I heard a child's voice calling out to me, and when I turned around, I saw a group of curious children staring at me. They wore tattered clothing similar to those living in the outskirts of Lunaris.

"Did you lose something?" the small boy who had called to me said.

I shook my head and replied, "I'm... looking for someone," then I reached into my cloak and pulled out the job posting. "Have you seen anyone who looks like this?" I asked, showing them the portrait of the supposed thief.

As I showed them the sketch on the pamphlet, the small boy moved closer to get a better look. His two friends, a girl and a boy of the same age, remained cautiously behind him.

"Hey Takeshi, we're not supposed to talk to strangers," the other boy said nervously. "That's what our mum told us!"

Takeshi waved off his friend's concerns. "Mum also said to help others whenever we can. Don't be such a scaredy-cat."

"I-I'm not a scaredy-cat!" the other boy protested.

After scrutinizing the sketch for a few seconds, Takeshi looked up at me and asked, "That's a drawing of Kaito, right?"

"Kaito?" I asked. "Who's that?"

The girl who had been hiding behind Takeshi and the other boy stepped forward, looking at me with apprehension. "Are you going to hurt Kaito? Did he do something bad?"

"I..." I glanced over my shoulder at Leo, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. No use relying on him. "My name is Ryuji, and I'm an adventurer with the Adventurers' Guild. I just want to have a chat with this 'Kaito' person, that's all."

"You're an adventurer?" Takeshi's eyes shone with admiration. "That's so cool!"

"I want to be an adventurer too when I grow up!" the other boy exclaimed.

I chuckled nervously. "It's a dangerous job, guys. I'm not sure if I can recommend it."

"Promise us you won't hurt Kaito?" the small girl pleaded.

"I can't make any promises," I replied truthfully to the girl's plea. "Who is this 'Kaito' to you three?"

"Kaito is our big brother," the other boy chimed in. "Well... not really. We're not actually related to him by blood, but we call him our big brother anyways."

"He's a really kind person," the girl added with a smile. "Kaito always helps out everyone in our neighborhood. He gives us food, snacks, and even clothes whenever we need them. That's why we call him big brother!"

Takeshi asked me hesitantly, "You're an adventurer... so does that mean you're here to catch Kaito?"

My heart sank as I began to understand the situation. I had taken this job thinking we were tracking down a thief. Instead, it appeared that we were trying to catch the neighborhood's Robin Hood. "Crap..." I muttered under my breath.

Still, I should speak with Kaito to confirm the truth.

"I'm not here to harm Kaito," I assured the kids. "But I really need to speak with him. It's for his own safety as well. Can you lead me to Kaito?"

The children exchanged glances with one another, then stepped back to whisper something amongst themselves. After a brief moment, they came back to me, "Okay, we trust you, Ryuji. We'll take you to big brother Kaito."

"Great," I replied, following them. "Lead the way."

"Wait, one condition," the girl added.

"Huh?"

"We're only bringing you," she said, looking at me and then at Leo who was standing behind me. "Not the creepy quiet guy with you."

Leo looked surprised and stood away from the wall, "Creepy quiet guy...?" he repeated, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"He's a friend of mine," I explained to the children. "Trust me, he won't hurt Kaito either."

Takeshi shook his head, "No, we're only taking you, Ryuji. That's final."

"..."

I glanced back at Leo and met his gaze. He shrugged. "Don't worry about me," Leo said. "I'll wait outside around the area, just let me know once you're finished with the job."

"Okay," I nodded, then turned back to the kids. "Just me then, let's go."

~x~

The children led me through the long winding streets of the neighbourhood, taking me through narrow alleyways and passages that I didn't even know existed. It was no wonder why I didn't have any luck trying to track down the thief on my own. The alleys and streets were like a maze, making it easy to get lost, but the children knew their way around like the back of their hand.

Eventually, we arrived at a small house with a vegetable garden in front of it. The house was run-down, and the garden seemed to be the only thing thriving in the area. Takeshi knocked on the door and a moment later, it creaked open to reveal a tall, lean man with shaggy black hair and kind eyes.

"Kaito," the children cried out in unison, running to embrace him.

He smiled down at them and tousled their hair before turning his attention to me. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"I'm Ryuji, an adventurer from the Adventurers' Guild," I said, holding up the job posting. "Is now a good time to talk about some recent thefts at the Lunaris' marketplace?"

Kaito's smile faded slightly as he looked at the job posting. He glanced back at the children, who were still huddled around him, before turning his gaze back to me.

"I see," Kaito said, his voice low and guarded. "And why do you think I know anything about these thefts?"

"Well, this witness sketch," I held up the job posting again, "shows a person who looks quite like you. I know it's not the best drawing, but it's enough to raise some suspicions. I just want to ask you a few questions."

Kaito's eyes narrowed, and he took a step back from the door. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about these thefts. I suggest you leave now before you cause any trouble."

The children looked up at Kaito, then at me, confusion etched on their faces. It was clear they had brought me here under the impression that Kaito was in trouble and needed help.

"I understand why you're being cautious," I said, trying to diffuse the situation. "But I'm just here to talk. I don't have any intention of causing any trouble."

Kaito rounded the children behind him inside the house, then tried to close the door, "Goodby--"

I stuck a foot out, blocking it before he could shut the door, "Look, I've talked to the kids and from the sound of things, it looks like you're only stealing to help out the people around here. But I'm telling you, man, for your own good, you need to stop."

Kaito's face grew dark, "Who are you to tell me what to do? I'm doing what I need to do to survive and help those around me. You have no right to judge me."

"I'm just a messenger. But the next adventurers that come along aren't going to be so understanding. Think about it. It's only a matter of time before you're caught, and then what?"

"You think I have a choice? The people around here are struggling to survive, and the Empire doesn't care a rat's ass about us. Up there, all they care about is their 'glorious military power'. Down here in reality, we have to fend for ourselves!"

"How long do you think you can keep this up?" I asked Kaito, my tone incredulous. "Do you think stealing is the only way out for you? What about the people you're trying to help? What about the kids who look up to you?"

I shoved the door wide open, pushing Kaito back into his house. He stumbled and fell on his rear, his eyes wide with shock. The children huddled around him, and Takeshi cried out, "R-Ryuji! You promised not to hurt him! You said you wouldn't!"

"I just need to talk some sense into him," I said, holding my open hands up in the air. "See, I got nothing on me."

Kaito slowly rose to his feet, eyeing me warily. "Y-you adventurers, you think you know everything. You have no idea what it's like down here, what the rest of us have to do to survive."

"I'm trying to save your life here," I said. "If you keep going down this path, it's only going to lead to your death."

"Tch," Kaito glanced past me, then suddenly shouted, "Juro!"

At that moment, something came flying at me from behind and I ducked swiftly, narrowly avoiding the sabre that had been thrown at my head. I saw a man rushing at me, holding another sabre in his hand and instantly reacted before he could attack.

A small bolt of lightning shot out from my hand towards the man, shocking him with just enough voltage to knock him out.

"Shit," I grimaced, stepping out of the house to glance around and see a group of ten or so men running towards me, each barring a weapon in their hands and their eyes filled with lethal intent.

----------------------------------------

AI generated image : Leo

[https://i.imgur.com/ITuGBGz.png]