New Encounter

Domains, the hives of monsters. Adventurers were hired to purge these 'dungeons' of all inhabitants, each of them being ranked according to the power of the monsters inside.

However, the ranks on domains had to be taken much more seriously. An A-rank domain didn't mean an A-rank adventurer could clear it, meaning you needed an entire party of A-ranks or higher to even stand a chance.

Thankfully, S-ranked domains were extremely rare, and only one had appeared in recorded history. Apparently taking an entire party of S-ranks to clear, only half of them had made it out alive after fighting the boss.

'Boss' was the term given to the final monster of the domain. Residing the deepest within the domain, the boss was the alpha of the entire domain, commandeering all the other monsters and usually being the source of reproduction within the dungeon. This meant that, if not cleared, an endless stream of monsters would flood out of the domain, wreaking havoc on its surroundings.

This said, even if a domain was cleared, it wouldn't take long for monsters to reinhabit the area, and this meant that the supply of combat and materials gathered from creatures was endless.

I sighed, closing the little guide I had purchased at the main hall where adventurers gathered. It was a ridiculous amount of information to process, but thankfully the concepts weren't too different from the games and stories back on Earth.

I noticed that many adventurers around me were equally as new, occasionally identifying familiar faces from the examinations every so often. At least I hadn't crossed paths with Hugo Liech yet, or that would make for an awkward conversation.

The atmosphere was extremely lively as parties were formed to set out and clear domains, but something felt off. Why were new adventurers being recruited so easily? It didn't make sense, why would experienced parties recruit ignorant newbies?

I realized that their intentions probably weren't pure whatsoever. There was a minimum head-count of five to be able to tackle a domain. Were these experienced teams recruiting adventurers that they believed to be disposable?

I took my leave, deciding that it wasn't any of my business to be intervening. This system had been in place for a while, if nobody ever learned, then adventurers as a whole would go nowhere.

"Brother!" called out a voice. I turned around, removing my mask once I verified the coast was clear from faces that had previously identified me. I smiled at the small body running towards me.

"Hey, Alice," I responded as she ran into my arms, "you with Mom and Dad?"

"Well uh..." she started, not knowing how to respond.

"Did you run away again?" I sighed, realizing the situation. Alice knew I never got mad, so she didn't even try to hide it as she nodded shyly.

"Well since you're here, should we get something to eat?" I suggested, her expression instantly brightening up at the idea.

"Yea!"

I walked through the intertwining roads of Eloria, hand in hand with my little sister. I still couldn't believe that I had a sibling, but the sensation of wanting to protect something was relatively new to me.

I had felt it before with Asthia, but it had just been a while. I wonder how she was doing? By now she was nine, meaning she only had two more years until school started, even though I wasn't surprised if she stayed back a year just so we could be in the same year together.

I was also curious about her bind, wondering how powerful she had gotten. I knew firsthand her overwhelming aura, and if she got proper training from Selena, she was sure to become extremely strong.

I returned back to the present, Alice stuffing even more meat into her mouth. I sighed at the sight, smiling.

"E-excuse me," stuttered a voice just beside me.

A girl with dark brown hair tied back in a bun was standing before me, her eyes a lighter tone of brown than her hair. She seemed to be around thirteen, officially making her an adult, which had always been ridiculous to me.

"Do you happen to know where the adventurer's hall is?" she asked timidly, clearly not comfortable around strangers. Before I could give her a straightforward answer, the image of this girl becoming a disposable pawn for experienced parties overwhelmed my mind.

"Straight ahead," I directed, gesturing to just keep moving forward. "Want to go together? I'm also a new adventurer."

A small smile appeared on her face at the mention that I was also new. Singularity was the most effective way to develop trust with someone, allowing them to relate to you with their own situation.

By merely stating that I was also a new adventurer, the girl had instantly calmed down, realizing we were both in the same boat. I sighed, what would happen to such a naive girl if left alone?

I had no intention of becoming a guardian angel, but I already had enough trouble sleeping, I didn't need the life of an innocent girl on my conscience.

"Sure! I'm Katherine Hearth, you?"

"Darck," I responded casually, intentionally glossing over the fact that I didn't give a last name.

I looked over at Alice, but the little girl was way smarter than she looked. She smiled at me and nodded.

"I'll be going home now, bye-bye!" she waved as she left the scene, heading upwards towards our house.

I straightened up, almost standing at the same height as the thirteen-year-old in front of me.

"Let's get going then."