New Day, New Confidence

Entering the Guild with his two companions following behind, he immediately noticed the sight of plentiful adventurers sitting at the tables on the left side of the lobby; they were already drinking first thing in the morning and chatting up the place.

"...A bit packed this early, isn't it?" He remarked.

"There are adventurers that choose to live in guilds. I believe it's usually to have first 'dibs' on quests," Edith told him.

Approaching the reception desk of the Guild Hall, he had to wait in line for a lengthy ten minutes, standing behind a rather tall man dressed in full, crimson armor with twin blades strapped to his back.

Finally, he reached the desk, greeted by a golden-haired receptionist wearing a black-and-white blouse with a bright smile that dazzled in tandem with her amethyst eyes:

"I haven't seen your face around here before. With that being said…Welcome to the Merdlum Guild! I am Julia, what may I do for you?" She asked.

He confidently responded, "I'd like to become an adventurer."

"Is that so? If that's the case, I'd suggest acquiring armor," Julia told him with a kind smile, though her words stung.

It was only then that Lucas realized how perplexing he looked standing in the guild full of equipped adventurers while he was still wearing the outfit he got transported in from Earth.

"Ah…I'll handle that later," he assured with an awkward laugh.

Juliua nodded, "Well, you'll just need to sign this application then I'll get you your Adventurer Amulet right away!"

"Alright," he agreed.

He was handed a paper before heading over to a sofa in the hall so that he could read it over and sign it; it required basic information like his name, age, family, birthplace, and some of his specialties.

'It's easy enough to sign, I guess. Is it really this easy to become an adventurer?' He thought.

Looking at Gunter and Edith, who were standing from the couch like guard dogs, a thought came to his mind, "Do you two need to sign up?"

"That is not necessary," Edith responded, "We're your familiars; we don't seek the fortune or trinkets from quests, but only to be at your side in your adventures."

"What she said! As long as I'm getting warm booze in my belly, I couldn't ask for anything else," Gunter assured, slapping his own abdomen with a laugh.

Lucas smiled before nodding, "I see. Thanks."

Finishing the application, he returned it to the Guild receptionist, who overlooked it before slamming down a stamp of approval on it and sliding a necklace with a bronze-tinted amulet hanging from it.

"I'd like to formally welcome you as an adventurer, Lucas Moreland. Be it hunting dragons in the sky or exploring that which is unknown to us, please be safe in your journeys," Julia welcomed him, "I pray that you may be the one to put an end to the Reverse King."

"Thanks, I plan on it," he smiled, taking his adventurer amulet before looking up again, "Wait, 'Reverse King'? Who's that?"

"You don't know?" Julia blinked at him, surprised at his lack of knowledge on the subject.

"Not a clue," he shook his head.

"The Reverse King is a plague on Fantasia…He's said to be somebody that arrived from an entirely different world and wields his own special ability unlike any magic. Before him, there were centuries of peace, but he's united demons, orcs, and even dragons under his 'Reverse Kingdom'--It's only inevitable he'll soon wage war on the world…" Juliua sold him.

It was shocking to hear, and certainly unsettling information provided to him that opened his eyes to the greater picture.

'From a different world?...Is he like me? A special ability…A system, too? This guy sounds like trouble either way–if he's the 'demon lord' or whatever of this world, I'll have to confront him at some point,' he thought.

For the time being though, he chose to keep his suspicions to himself, choosing not to indulge his own identity as an otherworlder since it likely would come with prejudice and fear with the existence of the so-called Reverse King.

–

The time came at last to find his very first quest in the world of Fantasia, though undoubtedly he was starting from rock bottom.

"Bronze-rank, huh? I guess I have to start somewhere," he said, looking at the necklace after slinging it around his neck.

"As long as you prove yourself, you'll jump up the ranks in no time! Don't sweat it," Gunter assured him.

"Yeah, well…I can only prove myself with a bronze-level quest anyway," he responded.

The quest board was full of available missions, surprisingly, though it was likely due to there not actually being too many bronze-rank adventurers showing up first thing in the morning. Most of the options weren't exactly intriguing to his excitable heart.

'Exterminating rats plaguing a local farm–pass…Finding a girl's lost cat–super pass…Now hold on, this seems more my speed,' he thought.

What caught his eye was one of the quest documents pinned to the board:

["VANQUISH GOBLINS IN NORTHBORROW CAVE | 50 COPPER REWARD"]

While he didn't exactly have the best first impression with handling a single goblin, in Lucas's mind, the past was the past, and the present was now–especially with the backup he had now and the new equipment at his disposal.

"Alright, how about this one?" He pulled the quest from the board, showing it to Edith and Gunter.

The scruffy-bearded warrior rubbed his chin for a moment, reading the paper before smirking, "Goblins? I'm always down to squash some green devils!"

Edith seemed open to it as well, "If that's your choice, then I will follow."

As always, the silver-haired girl was knight-like in her demeanor, always respectful and subservient, though Lucas wished she would be more expressive–yet, that would definitely be a trick path to walk in discussing.

"Then it's settled!"

–In the very next minute, he excitedly slammed the quest paper down on the receptionist's desk, surprising the golden-haired woman at the quick decision from the man who had just received his bronze-amulet.

"Goblin extermination?...Alright, then. Please be safe, adventurer," Julia said before approving it.

"I'll be back in a jiff–don't worry," he assured confidently.