Chapter 1 - heady encounter

-31 January 1139

-Continent of Nega Abig

Myland arrived at the kingdom of Stehun, having come to seek guild partners, as Stehun was the largest guild association in Nega Abig. She was quite exhausted, but fortunately, the clouds were overcast, and it looked like it was about to rain. The Continent of Nega Abig was currently experiencing the rainy season.

As soon as the first droplets started to fall, Myland hurriedly searched for shelter and found a restaurant. She decided to buy a meal since her supplies were running low after her two-week journey.

Upon entering the restaurant, Myland saw that there were no empty tables available. When she tried to leave, the rain had become torrential, leaving her unable to go anywhere. She then looked for a server and spoke to them, "Excuse me, is there any available seat for me?" The server smiled and replied, "Sorry, we're full, but if you don't mind sitting with the man over there, you can take that seat." Myland glanced at the man, who was drunk and seated at a table. With no other options, Myland walked over to the table and thanked the server.

Myland took a seat, facing a tall young man with disheveled brown hair, sharp green eyes, and dressed in simple clothes. She ordered food from the server who approached her table. Myland was slightly annoyed as the man kept staring at her, his face flushed from alcohol. Once the server left, the atmosphere was awkward, filled with the sounds of people chatting in the crowded restaurant, clattering dishes, and the aroma of delicious food.

Suddenly, the man began to speak, "Hey miss, do you have a guild yet?"

Myland was startled by the question. "Um… not yet."

"Do you..." The man hesitated, seemingly too drunk to continue.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked.

Myland was taken aback by the question and responded with a hint of irritation, "What are you asking!?"

The man then fell asleep, leaving Myland relieved. However, soon after, the sound of snoring from the young man became annoying.

A few minutes later, Myland had almost finished her meal. The man suddenly woke up, seemingly sober. He looked at Myland in surprise. "Who... are you!?" he asked, confused.

"I'm Myland. I had to sit with you because there were no empty seats." Myland said while chewing her food. "You were quite a nuisance while drunk," she whispered, though the man heard her.

The man stood up and bowed. "I apologize if I caused any trouble while I was drunk."

Myland sighed. "It's alright, just a minor inconvenience."

"By the way, what's your name? I forgot. I'm Saraya Tadakara," said the man.

Myland looked at Tadakara with an odd expression. "What's it to you?"

"Just curious... maybe we could help each other out," Tadakara replied.

Myland was slightly annoyed by Tadakara's approach. "Do you want me to help you out the door?"

Tadakara chuckled awkwardly. "No, no... What I mean is, I need a partner to form a guild. Besides, the world is harsh if you're alone."

Myland sighed heavily and looked at Tadakara skeptically. "You can't even handle yourself with a bottle of beer, let alone with monsters."

Tadakara, realizing his own foolishness, smiled weakly. "Well, I promise, I'm more useful when I'm not drunk."

Myland shook her head. "If you promise not to be a burden, maybe I'll consider it."

Tadakara flashed a hopeful smile. "Deal! But... could you cover my drink? I'm out of Lumine."

Myland grew annoyed again. "You're really a hassle."

With a hopeful smile, Tadakara asked, "So...?"

Myland sighed again, this time more lightly. "Alright, but only this time. Tomorrow, you find your own money."

"I promise. Now, let's find that guild... after a bit of sleep," Tadakara said.

Myland gave a small smile. "I'll be the one sleeping; you'll pay with hard work later."

Myland extended her hand. "I'm Myland Mestro."

Myland and Tadakara shook hands. "Remember, I'm your partner, not your friend," Myland said, and Tadakara nodded. Myland continued, "Now, follow me to find an inn."

When Myland saw that the rain had eased, she walked to the cashier to pay and then went outside to look for an inn. "Tadakara, do you know where the Guildhall is? We need to get adventure cards there so we can create our guild," Myland asked.

"Honestly, I don't know," Tadakara admitted.

Myland sighed. "Oh great, aren't you from around here?"

Tadakara replied, "I'm not from this kingdom, nor from this continent."

"Really!?" Myland asked, slightly surprised.

Tadakara nodded. "By the way, what's your zodiac sign? Mine is Cancer."

Myland responded with a slightly displeased expression. "I'm Virgo, but I can't even use my magic. I don't even understand how the concept works."

Tadakara was astonished. "You can't use your zodiac power!!?"

Myland nodded.

"So if you want a simple explanation, basically you need mana to access your zodiac power," Tadakara said.

Myland's expression was somewhat annoyed. "I don't even have mana."

Tadakara was shocked. "Really!? That's like a sword without a blade."

Myland nodded. "Thanks for explaining what was already obvious."

Suddenly, a group of men in black cloaks appeared ahead. Tadakara quickly pulled Myland away from them. "What's wrong?" Myland asked.

"They're some of the local thugs. Dealing with them will cost you a lot of Lumine," Tadakara explained.

Myland sighed. "Leave it to me."

Myland approached the thugs—five large men dressed entirely in black with black coats. "Hey sweetie, how dare you pass by us. Don't you know who we are?" one of the men said.

Myland's expression turned annoyed. "Who are you? I don't know you. Even if you're famous, I don't care."

One of the men smirked slightly. "If you want to pass, you'll have to hand over all your Lumine."

"Why should I give it to you?" Myland replied.

The man appeared increasingly irritated. "If you don't want to hand over your Lumine, then fight us."

Myland stepped forward, drawing her sword. "Who's afraid?"

The thugs unleashed their zodiac energy, but Myland, unfamiliar with zodiac auras, merely braced herself.

Standing firm, Myland faced the five large thugs encircling her, their Leo zodiac auras radiating menacingly. Each man emitted powerful energy, causing the air around them to tremble. They smiled maliciously, confident they could easily defeat Myland.

The man in front raised his hand, and a large fireball formed above it, burning with rage.

In one swift motion, the man hurled the fireball at Myland. The fireball sped towards her, but Myland, with sharp reflexes, leaped sideways and rolled on the ground, dodging the attack. The ground where the fireball landed exploded, leaving a small crater that still emitted hot smoke.

Myland wasted no time and darted forward, attacking the nearest man with her sword. The man tried to activate his zodiac aura for protection, but Myland was too fast. Her sword sliced through the man's shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground, crying out in pain.

The second and third men, also wielding Leo zodiac power, decided to attack together. They conjured two large fire lions that leaped towards Myland with their mouths wide open. Myland ran swiftly, weaving between the fire lions with agile jumps and rolls. Their movements were fast and wild, but Myland remained calm.

Myland maneuvered through their attacks. When one of the fire lions tried to bite her, she leaped into the air, avoiding the attack and landing behind one of the thugs controlling the fire lions. Without hesitation, she swung her sword swiftly, striking the man's neck and knocking him out instantly.

The fourth man, larger and stronger, became enraged upon seeing his comrades fall. He struck the ground with his hands, creating a shockwave that emitted a ring of fire around him, forcing Myland to retreat. However, Myland knew the thugs' power was heavily reliant on their magic. She had to keep moving and not give them a chance to aim their attacks.

Myland charged towards the man, ignoring the heat from the surrounding fire. Using her leg strength, she leaped high and, with a trained motion, brought her sword down with full force. The man attempted to protect himself with fiery hands, but Myland was faster. Her sword cut through the man's arm, causing him to scream in pain as the surrounding fire extinguished.

The remaining two thugs, seeing their comrades fall one by one, began to panic. They tried to launch a final fire attack, but Myland was already in front of them before they could complete their spell. With a series of quick strikes, she slashed her sword, hitting one man in the stomach and the other in the chest, causing them to stagger back and fall to the ground, unconscious Breathing heavily, Myland stood amidst the five fallen men, her sword still in hand and her gaze fierce.

She kicked one of the thugs who was trying to get up. "You may have zodiac powers, but they mean nothing if you don't know how to use them properly." Myland then took the pouch from the thug, which was filled with Lumine. "I'll be taking this."

She walked ahead, sheathing her sword. Tadakara, who had been watching from behind, was astonished as he had thought Myland might be killed. He quickly caught up with her. "Hey, wait up!"

A few minutes later, Myland found an inn and booked two rooms. Tadakara was puzzled why Myland had ordered two rooms. "Myland, isn't one room enough?"

"I don't want to share a room with you," Myland replied curtly before heading to her room and closing the door behind her. Tadakara could only watch as Myland entered her room, and then he entered his own. When Tadakara walked in, he noticed that the room was spacious, with four beds. Myland lay down on her bed, waiting for nightfall.

The next morning, Myland woke up to see that it was raining outside. He got up and walked to Tadakara's room, where Tadakara was still sleeping. "Hey, wake up," Myland said. Tadakara remained fast asleep, and Myland tried to wake him up gently for two hours. He shook him repeatedly, tapped his head, and finally, as a last resort, Myland took an empty bucket from the bathroom and poured it over Tadakara, waking him up.

Tadakara woke up startled. "Finally awake, huh?" Myland said with a grin, holding the bucket.

Tadakara looked at Myland with annoyance. "What was that for?"

"You're hard to wake up, so I had no other choice," Myland replied with a small smirk.

"It's still morning," Tadakara said, looking towards the window at the continuing rain.

"Morning, my eye," Myland retorted.

"Why did you wake me up when it's still raining outside?" Tadakara asked, irritated.

Myland flicked Tadakara's forehead. "So you don't turn into a lazy kid."

Tadakara made a disgruntled face. Myland then asked, "By the way, how old are you?"

"15 years old," Tadakara replied.

"Hm… you're one year younger than me, it seems," Myland said.

Myland looked out the window and noticed the rain had lightened. "Let's find the Guildhall."

Myland left the room, followed by Tadakara. Despite the drizzle, it didn't stop Myland from heading to the Guildhall. During their search, Tadakara continued their previous conversation, which had been cut off. "By the way, you didn't get to hear the complete explanation yesterday. So, with mana, you can directly use it for magic."

Myland nodded. "So that's it?"

"Yes, that's all I know," Tadakara said.

"By the way, where are you from?" Myland asked.

Tadakara answered, "I'm from Zenon and I also attended the Zenon North Academy."

Myland looked at Tadakara strangely. "But you don't seem very educated."

Tadakara frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing," Myland replied.

Feeling like they couldn't find the Guildhall, Myland asked a few locals until they finally located it. "Finally…"

They entered and saw the room filled with adventurers from various places. They quickly grabbed breakfast. Myland ordered the food from the waiter while Tadakara looked for a seat. Myland returned with breakfast, bringing two servings of fried chicken.

"We need to register the guild before we can start on a mission," Myland said.

Tadakara nodded, eating his meal eagerly.

"You must be really hungry," Myland observed, clearly displeased.

"Do you have an adventurer card?" Myland asked.

Tadakara shook his head while still eating.

"Once you're done, we'll get your card," Myland said.

Tadakara nodded again. After a while, Myland and Tadakara finished their breakfast. "Let's go, Myland."

Myland stood up and walked to the registration desk. He paid for two cards. After his wrist was inscribed with a spell, Myland received his card and looked at it.

Name: Myland Maestro

ID Number: 238127

Race: Human

Job: Warrior

Level: 1

Zodiac: Virgo

Status:

HP=70

MP=0

Strength=82

Defense=78

Speed=68

Magic=0

Luck=56

Clearly, his stats were focused on physical abilities, and his magic was nonexistent.

Tadakara looked at his card after receiving it.

Name: Saraya Tadakara

ID Number: 182126

Race: Human

Job: Mage

Level: 1

Zodiac: Cancer

Status:

HP=50

MP=29

Strength=37

Defense=45

Speed=24

Magic=26

Luck=98

The first thing he noticed was his low mana and surprisingly high luck.

"You seem more suited to being a merchant than an adventurer," Myland commented.

"Shut up," Tadakara said, slightly frowning.

Myland then walked back to the table with Tadakara. "How do you think we can recruit people to join our guild?" Tadakara asked.

"We'll start with just the two of us. I need to break even," Myland said.

Myland walked back to the registration desk to register himself and Tadakara under the guild name. He randomly chose the name Astro. After officially forming the guild, Myland returned to Tadakara.

"Now we need to find a mission," Myland said.

"This one looks suitable," Tadakara said, handing a paper to Myland. Tadakara had already picked up a mission request.

The mission read: Defeat six slimes in the meadow within three days.

Myland nodded. "This looks good." He suddenly grinned mischievously at Tadakara.

The next afternoon, cries were heard in the meadow, and Tadakara was seen running while shouting, "MYLAND, HELP!!" He was being chased by a group of large slimes.

"This is to increase your stamina, so keep at it," Myland said with a satisfied smile.

Tadakara eventually used his magic and unleashed a dragon of light from his hands, which attacked two slimes at once. Although the slimes in front of him were destroyed, he was ambushed from behind. Myland ran to help, attacking the slime that was overwhelming Tadakara.

Myland carried Tadakara back to their inn. "Why didn't you help me sooner?" Tadakara asked.

"That was to help you improve your magic and mana," Myland replied with a smug smile.

"Ah, I smell like slime," Tadakara said, covering his nose.

"By the way, is that dragon magic?" Myland asked.

Tadakara nodded. "Yes, it's a hereditary magic."

"But the dragon is so small," Myland commented.

"Shut up," Tadakara said, annoyed.

Back at the inn, they cleaned themselves from the slime. During dinner at the Guildhall, they talked a little. "One slime gives 6,000 Lumine, which is decent, but we still have three slimes left to defeat," Myland said.

"Please don't let me be chased by slimes again," Tadakara pleaded.

Myland thought for a moment. "We need to find more people to prepare; I'm not sure we can handle enemies alone."

"How could you not consider me?!" Tadakara exclaimed.

The next day, Myland posted a flyer he made on the guild board. After a few minutes of waiting, they still hadn't found any new members. Tadakara looked at Myland's drawing, which was more fitting for a child's drawing. "Are you serious? Did you make this yourself?"

"What if I did?" Myland said, slightly sour.

"It's nothing," Tadakara said, clearly disappointed.

Suddenly, a girl with brown hair and red eyes, wearing black mage attire, approached. "Excuse me, is this the Astro guild?" She smiled as she asked.

"Yes, are you interested in joining?" Myland asked.

"Yes, I want to join. You must really need me with my above-average magic skills," the girl said confidently.

"What's your name?" Myland asked.

"I'm Karuna Liandre Ikatri, a healing mage from the Demon Village," the girl introduced herself.

Tadakara looked shocked. "Demon Village!!?"

Myland sighed. "It's not as you think. She's from the Dragon Demon Village, but she's just a regular human with no demon lineage. And yes, with a peculiar name like that, you're definitely from there."

"Hey, don't ruin the mood," Karuna said, slightly frowning.

"Show us your adventurer card," Myland said.

Karuna handed over her card.

Name: Karuna Liandre Ikatri

ID Number: 261946

Race: Human

Job: Healer

Level: 2

Zodiac: Aquarius

Status:

HP=49

MP=88

Strength=45

Defense=23

Speed=34

Magic=78

Luck=57

"Such magic just for healing?" Myland asked.

Karuna nodded with a naive smile.

In the afternoon, screams were heard from Tadakara being chased by three slimes. "AAAAAH… HELP MEEEEE." From a distance, Myland and Karuna watched as Karuna laughed heartily at Tadakara being chased by slimes.

Tadakara managed to cast his dragon magic but only hit one slime while another slime overwhelmed him. Panicked, Karuna ran to Tadakara, shouting, "Tadakara!" She cast her spell, "I won't let you eat my guildmate, whom I just met. Hadaoi iniiiii!" but her healing magic had no effect on the slime.

Karuna then smiled at the slime. "Hehe, I'm sorry, beautiful slime…" Soon, Karuna was swallowed by the slime. Myland finally stepped in to rescue the two, realizing that both would become burdens during their journey.

That night, after their guild had successfully completed the mission, the three of them had dinner together. "Karuna, it seems you have a low level of intelligence. I don't think I'll..."

Karuna immediately bowed down to Myland. "Myland, please don't throw me away. No one else will accept me. I will do anything, even work for free, just to stay in this guild. Please, don't abandon me. No one wants me, so please."

Seeing how desperate Karuna was, Myland decided to accept her. "Alright, alright."

Karuna's face lit up with a wide, joyful smile. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." They then continued their dinner together.

The next morning, Myland was choosing a mission for the guild. "This mission is too dangerous for my guild."

While Karuna and Tadakara were waiting, a girl with silver clothing, short black hair, and brown eyes suddenly appeared. "Is this the Astro guild?"

Myland approached the girl, unsure about the two people already at the table. "Yes, this is the place. Do you want to join?"

"Yes, I'm Ravenna Dulcinea, but you can call me Revanna." Her demeanor was firm and serious.

Myland felt relieved to have a normal person in the guild. "Can you show me your adventurer card?"

Revanna handed her card to Myland.

Name: Ravenna Dulcinea

ID Number: 304220

Race: Human

Job: Warrior

Level: 3

Zodiac: Taurus

Status:

HP=87

MP=56

Strength=12

Defense=89

Speed=45

Magic=34

Luck=55

Myland was surprised by the low Strength but high Defense, especially since her job was Warrior. "You're a warrior?"

Revanna nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Shouldn't you be more suited to being a tank?" Myland asked.

"I'm a frontline warrior, meant for fighting, not just defending," Revanna replied.

Myland nodded. "Alright, you're accepted."

Myland sighed in relief, at least she was normal. However, his hopes were dashed when he saw Revanna reading a mission involving a three-headed dragon. Her face turned red, as if something was affecting her. Her heart raced, and her eyes were fixated on the image of the three-headed dragon.

Myland was shocked to realize that Revanna seemed to have an unusual and abnormal fascination with monsters.