The Monsters Outside

"So," Yren said after handing Ginny his license to her, "What do you think about coming into the dungeon with me tomorrow? We will only go in the first room, but that should be more than enough to help you rank up."

"Do you think that would be okay? I don't want to hold you back!" Ginny said, sounding a bit miserable, but Yren chuckled, looking down at his own hands.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't get past the second floor, but the monsters are far stronger than normal. I won't bore you with details until we get there, but I can keep you safe if you want to come," Yren explained, still not looking up.

That little speech took all the boy's nerve alone, so the best he could do was focus on his hands. Ginny blushed furiously and was thankful that Yren wasn't looking directly at her as she fumbled with his Dungeon License.

"I would like to come," Ginny said quietly, putting a hand to her burning cheek.

"Good, I will come and pick you up first thing in the morning. Now, if I turn in everything in my inventory, how much is that worth?" Yren asked after plans were set in place for tomorrow.

"Oh? Let's see what you… no, I am not going to react; this is normal! Ahhh! Why do you have so much orc hide? You would have to fight fifteen to twenty of them to get that much!" Ginny explained, and Yren grinned.

"That is actually from ten, and they dropped some claws. Does the guild have an average drop rate for certain creatures? I don't ever remember seeing something like that in my studies and never thought to ask," Yren pondered as he looked up at Ginny, who looked thoroughly confused.

"Orcs are monster spawns of high-level floor spawn, like floor seven or eight. How is there a level three monster on the first floor of a novice dungeon?!" Ginny asked as her brain started to overload.

"Don't think about it too much! Tomorrow, I will explain everything. I was up kind of late last night and kind of want to get some rest; I am feeling beat," Yren said, and that was true.

Even though he hadn't done much, Yren was feeling very tired.

"That is because you are ranking up so fast. Your body needs sleep to complete the Rank-Up, so going and getting some good rest is probably a good idea. Still, I can't say I'm not nervous about coming with you tomorrow, but I know you will keep me safe! Even though my mother is a barbarian, she only likes strong people, and she really likes you," Ginny said with a smile.

"Your mother terrifies me," Yren said with a shiver.

"Me too!" Ginny said, giving the same shiver, and then both of them started to laugh.

Ginny updated Yren's license and then took all the drops he had gotten from the dungeon.

"Alright, I will get these processed for you," Ginny explained as they left the sitting room.

"Thanks, I am going to go get some fresh air," Yren said, and Ginny nodded before heading up the stairs near the room the two had been in.

The whole incident with Rephilia still had Yren confused and a bit frustrated. He didn't understand why a mother would act that way, but arranged marriages weren't uncommon among Adventurers.

Yren sighed and walked out of the Guild Hall to the sun starting to make its way down. There was still some day left, but the days were getting shorter with fall coming.

The streets had gotten pretty quiet all of a sudden, and there was barely anyone but a few rough-looking Adventurers around. None of them seemed to be looking at Yren, but he had a feeling of someone watching him intently.

Being past midday, Yren found the streets so empty to be odd. The likelihood of being attacked during the day was greater since most Adventurers were out of town during that period.

"So, Piss-Myself-Yren is finally playing in the Dungeons, hey?" A rough voice Yren didn't know asked him, and suddenly he was surrounded by ten men and boys.

Immediately, the men forced Yren into an alley as he kept his distance from them. Little did they know that Yren was letting them force him into an ally.

It wasn't like Yren wanted to get in a fight, but these guys did. If it came to that, He wanted to do it in a place where no eyes could see him fight.

Tybrus had told Yren not to show off, but Yren had heard of these guys. Useless Adventurers that don't enter Dungeons and feed off newbies; a genuinely despicable act in Yren's eyes.

"Can't finish a whole day in the Dungeon?" a kid the same age as Yren asked, wearing torn clothing.

"Yeah! I bet he is just a failure like his old man!" Another jeered, but Yren ignored the jabs.

He was trying to figure out how to deal with this in the best way possible. Yren was far outnumbered, but that wasn't the problem.

Unlike monsters, humans could carry any weapon or have any ability. They weren't like the monsters that Yren could easily predict due to studies.

"So, Yren. Why don't we make a deal?"

Yren recognized the one that spoke and focused on him. This was the same one that had tried to trip him earlier.

"I don't really think you are in a position to be making me an offer. You see, you attempted to assault me once already, and now I can only assume you are here to make more threats, right?" Yren asked as his voice went cold as ice.

"Really? Do you think talking tough is gonna get you out of this?! Grab him, boys! We will teach him a lesson, and then we will tell you how this is gonna work from now on, Pissboy!" Casey shouted, and one of the bigger men grabbed Yren from behind.