1 The Woman In Black Hooded Cloak

CHAPTER ONE – THE WOMAN IN BLACK HOODED CLOAK

**ADVENTURER'S GUILD**

A bustling noise spread around inside the guild where all adventurers have gathered around and there are several party groups from different areas as they keep their own business and chatted with their respective party members.

While chatting among each other, a black hooded woman stood alone in front of the mission board at the center of the guild as she looked through the mission leaflets that are posted.

She plans to find some job that would befit her taste or something she wants to do out of boredom.

Most of the adventurers inside had recognized the black hooded woman as they began to whispers and gossips have spread around the area.

'She is here again. I just saw her early in the morning that she took a mission and now she's back on the mission board once again?'

'This woman is a hard-working adventurer even though her rank is the highest among us here'

'Well what you can say, she might be the highest rank adventurer but still, she is still as humble as ever'

'She doesn't join or create her party as she wants to do solo by herself. Does she have a trust issue or something?'

'Well, I don't know. Why not asked her if you are curious?'

'Are you picking up a fight?! Why would I do that?!'

'Well it's your idea and also we want to know as well so…'

'Okay stop! Don't fight and besides, lower your voices or she might hear you all!'

The woman thought; 'Actually, I can hear all your whispers and gossips around, and no need to lower your voices because it's no use'

She just ignores the whispers and gossips around as she once again begins her search for a job.

This is the woman's everyday life. She is an adventurer and the adventurer's job is to take missions that are available on the request board that is approved by the guild.

Most missions are categorized from the lowest to the highest ranks and there is a rule that you can't take a mission that would exceed your rank.

Meaning, you can only take a job that is aligned with your rank and if you want to take a job that is much higher for the sake of higher reward, then that would be the time that you need to join or create a party on your own.

Because no matter how strong or high your ranks are, the guild would not allowed it.

Unless you signed an agreement that you would take responsibility for your actions in case something happens.

However, these rules are never applied to a certain someone because that person is a special case.

Whispers and gossips around the guild continued as the woman just ignored it and still looking for another job.

Because the job that she took early in the morning is just assisting a caravan of merchants to be on guard and since she is available at that time, she took the mission that morning and arrived at the guild this afternoon.

In the middle of the gossips and whispers around, there is a certain person on the other side of the mission board. 

That person happens to hear the gossips around as that person looked over at the center and saw the black hooded woman from the gossips.

The person thought; 'Hmmm…she looks pretty average for me but the way these adventurers talks about her, seems like she is pretty famous around'

That person is a curious fellow and that person went over at the black hooded woman's place and he cleared his throat to catch the attention of the woman.

"Hello, Lady. Looking for some job, are we?"

The person who speaks is a man, not much older and not much younger. His warm voice and bright personality attracted some audience around them and the guild suddenly became quiet because of this.

He didn't saw the other people's expressions as he had his eyes only on the woman he approached.

The woman felt someone's presence at her side and she heard that it's a man's voice and she took a glance at him.

After that, the woman went back to looked at the mission board once again as if she didn't hear that someone is talking to her.

The man didn't felt offended but only embarrassed because of the woman's action as if the woman is not interested in him.

As a man, his pride hurts that much but he didn't make it a big deal.

But what fascinated him is that, only that the woman took a glance at him, he saw those mismatched unique crimson-lilac eyes of hers.

He felt like he got hypnotized in one look as those eyes are sparkling like a shining jewel when you looked at it.

However, the man had thought something; 'Those unique eyes. Where did I hear about it?'

He thought as he once again looked at the woman and he inspects the woman at his side as he takes a closer looked at her whole appearance.

Aside from her mismatched crimson-lilac eyes that he saw earlier, the woman wears a black hooded cloak with crimson linings that reach above her knee. 

Even though she didn't pull off her hood, the man can see that the woman had long crimson hair and had a space dun with loose hair and there are curly hair strands at each side.

But what caught his attention is that the woman is wearing a veil that covers her lips so he couldn't imagine what the woman looks like.

"Done checking me out?"

He snapped back into reality when he heard the woman speak but she didn't look at him as the woman still looking at the mission board when she said those words.

That made the man nervously laugh as he speaks; "Ah! I didn't mean to be rude, Lady! It's just…I'm new in this Empire as I just arrived here yesterday and since there is an Adventurer's Guild in the Capital, I just paid a visit to look some jobs since I'm going to stay here for a meantime"

He explained immediately as he didn't want to be accused of harassment on his first day and it seems that this mysterious black hooded woman had some reputation.

He came from a different kingdom and he plans to stay in this place for the meantime.

Since there is an Adventurer's Guild in the Capital city, he can take some jobs when staying here for his living expenses can be covered during the duration of his stay.

Once again, the woman ignores him when the man explained himself and he couldn't help but to scratch his head because of this woman's enigma personality.

'Geez! This is the first time that happens to me that a woman is ignoring me. Is my face really bad for her not to look at me for that long?'

He thought dramatically as he looked at the woman with a frown on his face.

However, he didn't notice that everyone is looking at them with an expression as if waiting for something amusing or entertaining.

The man felt something is amiss as he looked away from the woman and look around them and that is the time that he noticed that everyone around them suddenly became quiet.

He had a clueless expression as he didn't know the reason why these adventurers are looking at them with the expression as if something else might happen.

'Okay? Did I miss something?'