Karan and Luke stepped into the bustling guild hall. The place was filled with adventurer, some chatting in groups, others standing in three separate lines at the counter. Karan glanced around, taking in the atmosphere.
Luke pointed towards one of the lines. "That one’s for registration."
Karan nodded, then asked, "And the other two?"
Luke explained, "One is for domestic quests, and the other is for international ones."
Karan raised an eyebrow. "Domestic and international? What do you mean?"
Luke leaned in slightly. "Domestic quests are within the Uthol Kingdom—jobs like hunting local beasts, delivering goods, or protecting traders. But international quests? Those take you beyond our borders, to places like the Kingdom of Etrea, Vaska, or Aglad. Sometimes, they involve capturing rare beasts or dealing with threats that aren't tied to Uthol’s territory."
Karan listened carefully. "So international quests sound more dangerous."
Luke nodded. "Yeah, and to take them, you need an international license. Those are expensive."
Karan smirked. "You sure think a lot about money."
Luke shrugged. "When you grow up in a place where every silver counts, you have to."
Karan glanced toward the registration line. "Looks like it's empty. Let’s go."
They stepped forward, where a young woman stood behind the counter. She had a warm smile and an air of professionalism.
"Welcome to the Mutespire City Guild," she greeted. "My name is Ella. How can I assist you?"
Luke spoke first. "My friend here, Nara, wants to register as an adventurer."
Ella turned to Karan. "Nice to meet you, Nara. May I have your age?"
"Eighteen," Karan replied casually.
Luke and Ella both stared at him.
"What?" Karan asked, confused.
Luke nearly choked. "You're... Eighteen?"
Karan frowned. "Yeah? So what?"
Luke shook his head in disbelief. “This can’t be true. You’re 18 and still haven’t gotten your Adventurer’s License? I got mine when I was 14.”
Karan raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback. “Wait, you got it at 14? You’re talking like you’re some ancient relic. Even your mom sounds way younger than you’re making her out to be.”
Luke quickly corrected him, “No, that’s not what I meant. And FYI, My mom is thirty-two!”
Karan blinked. "Wait... what? Your mother is thirty-two? (But she looked so young.) And how old are you?"
Luke crossed his arms. "I'm sixteen."
Karan sighed. "I need a minute to process this… Never mind, we’ll talk about this later. Let’s get back to the registration."
Ella chuckled and pulled out a form. "Alright, I’ll start filling this out—"
"Wait," Karan interrupted. "How much does this cost?"
Ella nodded. "Good question. There are two types of licenses: domestic, which costs 250 silver, and international, which costs 750 silver, plus taxes."
Karan and Luke exchanged uneasy glances.
Karan let out a small laugh. "Well, I guess that’s the end of this conversation. We don’t have that kind of money."
He was already thinking about how many more boars they’d have to hunt to afford it.
Ella continued, "And that’s just the registration fee. You’ll also need money for equipment—a weapon, armor, maybe a shield. You can’t register without those."
Luke added, "Yeah, the guild checks your gear to make sure you're not walking into danger unprepared."
Ella smiled. "But you two are in luck! There’s an ongoing event for our little princess’s tenth birthday. New adventurer who register this week can take a special quest. If they complete it, they get their license for free."
Karan’s eyes narrowed. "What’s the catch?"
Ella explained, "You'll draw a random quest from this box. If you complete it by Monday, you’ll get your license and a royal seal allowing you to hunt in the Huge Willow Forest and near Uthol’s borders without paying tax."
Karan nodded slowly. "And today is…?"
"Friday," Luke answered. "That means we only have two days to finish the quest."
Ella shrugged. "Rules are rules. But think about it—this is a rare chance. If you succeed, you’ll even get to visit the Royal Capital and receive your license from the princess herself."
Luke’s eyes widened. "The Royal Capital?"
Karan, however, was more skeptical. "Why would we need to go there?"
Ella smiled. "The princess herself will present the licenses to successful adventurer. It’s a big event."
Karan’s mind raced. This is exactly like a game event. Special quests, rewards, and an opportunity to skip tedious grinding? It almost felt scripted for him.
"Alright," he said. "I’ll do it."
He filled out the form easily—it was written in plain English. Then, taking a deep breath, he reached into the box and pulled out a slip.
He unfolded it and read the task aloud.
"Find a 'Sage Toad' and bring it back."
Luke and Karan exchanged nervous glances.
Karan sighed. "Yeah... this isn't going to be easy."
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