Adventurer's guild

The scenery gradually shifted from verdant greens to the familiar urban city he first saw. 

Roads, houses, and shops all featured the same white bricks as Heaven's Tower, creating a cohesive and striking aesthetic.

The presence of flowers and climbing ivy added a nice touch to the otherwise very monochromatic environment.

Lost in thought, Levi stared at the sprawling cityscape. 

Sungrove, kilometers wide, wrapped around Heaven's Tower like a protective ring. 

"It is quite spectacular," Aya said, noticing Levi's deep contemplation.

Levi barely moved, his gaze still fixed on the city. "Sure is..."

"We're almost there," said Grant whose eyes were closed as if sensing the journey's progress.

They encountered more and more people in the streets as they progressed.

Carriages, people walking, parents with their kids or even merchants setting up stalls for the day: Sungrove was bustling.

"So many stalls," Levi remarked.

"Sungrove used to be gloomy. The previous king's legacy is this vibrant city, hopefully it stays this way."

Doubtful undertones painted her words, while she also turned to look outside as people were going about their day.

Navigating the main street became a challenge, the driver frequently shouting at pedestrians to clear the 'damn road'.

"We're almost there," said Aya with a sigh of relief.

Grant slightly opened his eyes, looking down at Levi as his head tilted slightly backward.

"Ahh. Don't use your Goddess. Ever," said Grant.

Levi's eyes diverted from the window, his attention on Grant.

"Thunder told me, if I keep using her I might never wake up."

"Yeah. You can become strong without her. People use the power of their Gods when they reach S+ tier, you're lucky you can use it at your F tier."

"I wonder how much luck is involved if I have a power I can't use."

"I'm SS tier, yet don't have that option. I'll never have it. Stop complaining, just become stronger."

"Ehh," Levi sighed, as the carriage came to a full stop.

"You'll be fine!" exclaimed Aya.

She opened the door and grabbed Levi's hand, pulling him out.

As they exited, she tightly held onto his arm, holding it against her chest. 

Levi's face flushed. "What are you doing?!"

"It's fine, don't worry," she said, brightly smiling.

Levi's posture straightened as he tried to avoid any unnecessary movement. 

He looked around and bystanders who had stopped to look who would get out of the royal carriage had already started whispering amongst themselves.

Levi nodded at the bystanders with a conceited smile, waving his hand, trying to mitigate the situation.

As he did, Aya held onto his arm tighter, also waving her hand, prompting the bystanders to whisper even harder.

Grant who was behind them slapped Levi's back, pushing him forward. 

"Go," said Grant.

"You're not coming?" asked Levi.

"Nah, I'm banned. Every time I step in there, it turns into a massive brawl."

Levi turned toward Aya, who just smiled while standing next to Grant.

Might as well handle this myself.

Levi noted that the adventurer's guild was surprisingly large.

The building resembled a quaint house with a triangular roof made of pale wood.

 Unlike its brick-paved neighbors, this rustic tavern stood out, exuding an inviting old-world charm.

Despite the sun still being up, Levi could see some people day-drinking on the outside tables, while some servers were attending the tables.

Levi walked forward, looking behind as Aya and Grant stayed next to the carriage, realizing people paid more attention to them than him. 

"Is that Grant?" "The towering Grant? Really?" 

Whispers reached Levi as he walked forward, none of them about him.

He pushed open the doors, the warm atmosphere of the guild welcoming him as he did.

The inside was two stories tall, with stairs on the far left leading to the second floor. Some tables were next to the wooden railing that was directly above the tavern's main counter. 

As he stepped inside, the people on the second floor looked at him quickly but returned to their activities. 

The first floor had a packed crowd, with most tables sitting groups of adventurers. 

It was quite the ruckus, as some tables laughed loudly and were having a good time while others were fighting among themselves.

The tables were crowded, but the windows were too as some people stared outside, loudly talking about Grant who stood in the street with a bored look.

"Ya bet your ass if he comes in I'm swinging at him. I ain't scared of no Grant The Tower!"

"Hah! You'd get your ass handed to you!"

"Just watch me, as soon as he comes in he won't know what's coming!"

Levi sighed, as he headed to the counter.

Levi did his best to get through the people standing in the main alley, mostly people amid conversations with little situational awareness.

"Sorry — excuse me — pardon me," he repeated a few times as he bumped into people who had twice his muscle mass.

As he reached the counter nobody was on the other side ready to serve him. 

There was a bell lying on the counter. He stared at it debating if ringing it would be annoying to the staff, until someone came up behind him and slapped it with all their might.

"TAMA! CUSTOMER YOU BITCH!"

Levi's eyebrows arched while his jaw dropped, unable to say anything. He quickly turned his head, a girl he hadn't seen before was standing beside him.

"If you act all shy you'll never get anything around here," she said as she slapped Levi's shoulder with a big smile.

She was as tall as him, wearing a slim jumpsuit that molded her muscular body, with unattached leather straps.

She must've been a little older than him, but her body scars showed a lot more experience.

She followed his eyes, laughing loudly. "Hah! Ya brat looking me up? Should see when I got my armor on, if ya can take it off I'll let ya take me on a date."

"NOBODY WANTS TO DATE YOU, YA HAG! HAH!" yelled someone from a table further, as everyone started laughing.

"I WOULD BEND YA OVER BEFORE YA BENT ME! AND YOU'D THANK ME FOR IT!" she yelled back, as Levi held onto his ears that were about to burst.

"huh, so you weak-looking thing called me a bitch? You even wet your first bed?" asked a voice behind the counter.

"Huh? No, huh that was..." started Levi, looking around to find the woman who disappeared into the crowd.

"I'm just grinding your gears, I know it's that bitch Kathy... I'm Tama."

"Sorry about that, I'm Levi."

Tama arched an eyebrow. 

"Ya'll need to toughen up, you acting like a worse bitch than that Kathy"

Levi's perplexed expression brought a smile to Tama's lips, as she leaned on the counter, making Levi divert his gaze.

"So, Levi, what can I do for ya?"

"I'm looking to become an adventurer, actually..." 

"HAH! FRESH BLOOD BOYS!"

As Tama screamed, the adventurer's guild became rowdy, as a server on the far side of the counter started ringing a loud bell mounted on the wall, changing the number on a board that counted in the tens of thousands by adding one.

"I'll drink to that!" exclaimed someone in the crowd, as everyone raised their glasses, going back about their business.

"Alright, follow me," said Tama signaled Levi to go around the counter, as she crossed the doorway behind her.

Quickly following her instructions, Levi got behind the counter and followed her in the back.

They passed multiple rooms, most of them closed, but those opened had people lying on the ground in them, groaning in pain, covered in bandages.

As they approached the furthest room, the crowd was a muted murmur in the background.

"Go in," she simply said as she opened the door.

A modest room with a few paintings, and two couches facing each other. There was a small table between them, that had some papers and various objects he couldn't recognize.

As he entered, he sat on the furthest couch, watching as she closed the door behind her.

"So, you're the one the church tried to trade me for," she said, as she sat on the opposing couch, staring into Levi's eyes.