An Important Runaway Cat

I asked what was wrong, and when I noticed the people standing up and glowering at me, I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't do anything to her, relax."

That got her out of her daze, and she told them all to calm down in an abnormally high-pitched voice. "He didn't do anything to me, guys. His age was just way too surprising."

The adventurers all breathed, and most went back to their seats. One of them grumbled that he was glad they wouldn't have to spend the day washing blood out of the floor. 'What a nice place,' I thought to myself.

"Well, how old is he then? Come on, you can't just react like that and then not tell us." A short, stocky man with a battle axe with a blade wider than himself was still standing up. He must be one of the gossipy kind; it's not like I can get him to let it go now.

The girl behind the counter looked to me for permission to share it with big pleading eyes. With a sigh, I relented. 'Damn those puss in boots eyes.'

"On the form, HEran said he is only 16 years old."

The building fell silent again, only for a different reason. There wasn't a single person in the room who didn't have their jaw fall open in shock. The guy with the axe was so stunned that his grip slackened, and his giant axe began to fall to the floor.

Luckily for the guy, his axe head didn't embed itself into the floor, but the massive sound of its flat side impacting the ground startled everyone. Some jumped, some reached for their weapons, and a few good ones were able to draw them instinctively. Then they threw dirty looks towards the man.

There was a small lull before the attention turned back to me. I was bombarded with questions. "Where did you come from?" "who are you parents?" Did your father f*** a giant?" "Are you single?" "Is everything proportional?" "How strong are you?" "What did you eat to get so big?" "What class are you?" "Do you need a party to join?" "Is it true you are really 16?" "Are you really purely human?" "How big were you as a child?" "How did your family not go broke trying to feed you?" "How good are you at holding your liquor?" "Have you found lodging in the city yet?" "You like girls right?" "How much food can you eat in one sitting?" "what weapon do you use?" "Why is your sword so rusty?" "Does everyone in your village look like you?" "How long are you in the city for?"

The tsunami of questions was overwhelming, and I couldn't even hear all of them, though I'm pretty sure I did hear some odd ones. They were getting closer and closer, and I was beginning to feel like a tall person visiting Japan in the early 2020s. Thankfully, the lady saved me from making a fool out of myself.

"Guys, stop! He still has to finish his registration!" the voices started to quiet down, but a door slamming from the second floor made everyone go silent instantly. It happened even faster than when I entered the guild.

A tall, thin man resembling a skeleton appeared above the railing. "What the hell is all that noise about?! I can barely think up here!"

No one was initially willing to speak, so the receptionist eventually answered him. "We got a new applicant, an Outworlder brought by god. The guild members just got a little excited when they learned how old he was."

The man looked around and locked eyes with me. "Well, boy, how old are you?"

The pressure this old man's eyes gave off was greater than all the eyes in the room combined. I felt like if I were to lie, he could tell, and my life in the guild would be over; there was no way he didn't hold a position of authority. "16, sir."

His eyes widened imperceptibly. "Alisha, this kid doesn't start at wood. Give him a copper-grade plate to start. We must find that blasted cat again; the Young Giant gets to do it." With that, he turned around and walked back into his office.

I heard what he was saying, but a system message appeared before me, monopolizing my attention.

{{Congratulations on becoming the first player to reach Copper rank.}}

{{You've received 200 EXP & 1 small gold coin}}

{{Announce this achievement?}}

{{Yes, No}}

I selected yes. There wasn't an option to contact my friends, but this should let them know I am doing alright.

{{Avalon Announcement. Player HEran is the first one to reach a Copper rank Adventurer}}

I couldn't see other players' reactions, but I knew that my friends should at least be able to find me in the future if they also become adventurers.

With the announcement settled, my attention turned to what was happening around me. The crowd was gone, and the receptionist, Alisha, was waiting patiently. I approached the counter again to find out about this cat.

"What was the job the dude upstairs gave me? I think it was something about a cat."

Alisha made a grim face and explained. "This is practically a recurring quest for the city. The Lord has a grey cat who likes to run away. And the lord likes this cat, so we have to find it every week. We tried to get him to put a leash on it, but he refused because he likes its free spirit. At this point, the furry thing is a professional escape artist. It started as a wood-grade quest, but now it needs to be copper, or there is no hope of catching it."

A quest pop-up appeared.

{{Quest, Lords escaping Cat. Grassy Greens cat Fluffles has escaped yet again. Find it within the day for a great reward and within a week for a small reward.}}

{{Rewards: Large Gold coin, Lord's favour, 1,000 EXP.}}

{{Failure conditions: Missing cat for more than one week, death of the missing cat.}}

{{Punishments: Expulsion from Grassy Greens, Bounty placed upon your head}}

My face went grey as I read the punishment for failure. Wasn't that a little bit too extreme?