Hah, pathetic.
I am so pathetic.
But self-pity won't change anything.
I should take a walk, clear my head. Or I could just stay here, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling like an idiot.
Minutes passed. Then hours. The sky outside my window darkened.
"You totally killed it, dude!"
"I was the one who did most of the work..."
I heard voices downstairs. They were back.
I sighed. I should at least try to act normal. Wouldn't want them to know I'm working with a demon. That'd be inconvenient.
A click. Footsteps. The door creaked open.
Renia. Obviously.
"Rin! Renia missed you so much!" she chirped, practically throwing herself at me. She landed on top of me, arms wrapped around my neck as she nuzzled closer.
She took a deep sniff and suddenly stiffened.
"Rin..." Her ocean-blue eyes narrowed as she looked up. "You smell different."
She frowned, her grip tightening slightly. "Rin wouldn't cheat on Renia, right…?"
"Of course not." Not that we're even dating.
Her eyes lingered on my face, and then she gasped. "Is that blood on your lips?! Why does Rin look so bad?"
Damn. I thought I cleaned up properly.
"Got into a little fight," I admitted. "Don't tell the others."
"Huh?! Who was it? Renia will beat them up!" She growled.
I couldn't help but smile.
"No need. I handled it," I said, sitting up. "Come on, let's go downstairs."
She didn't look convinced but nodded, her grip on my arm lingering as we left the room.
The others were already gathered, chatting over the day's events.
"Finally here, huh, princess?" Ruby smirked, patting the seat next to her. "You look like hell."
"Yeah, slept weird." I sat down, Renia immediately pressing against my side.
"So, how'd it go today?" I asked.
Mila sighed, rubbing her temples. "Fine, I guess. But dealing with these kids is exhausting." She shot a glance at Ruby.
"I killed seven monsters today," Nova chimed in, her eyes on me.
Lately, she'd been telling me her monster count after every fight. Still not sure if she's flexing or fishing for compliments.
"Good job."
"Renia killed nine!" she declared proudly, pouting as she clung tighter to my arm.
"Good job to you too."
She huffed, satisfied.
"Ugh, I'm starving! Come on, start cooking already!" Ruby groaned, playfully shoving June.
June giggled, shaking her head. "Fine, fine." She got up and headed to the kitchen.
A good meal might help me cope little.
And tommorow, I will grind.
---
Another quest. And another. I kept completing them one after the other.
A red-skinned orc lunged at me, its massive arms swinging down.
"Careful, dear!" June called out, and a shimmering shield materialized around me just in time. The orc's strike crashed against it but couldn't break through.
I striked back immediately, three ice spears shot forward, piercing into its flesh. Then, with a sharp slash of my staff, a wave of fire carved through its body.
[EXP gained: 600]
Behind me, Mini slumped to the ground, panting. "I-I can't keep up… sorry…"
"Rin is so strong!" Renia cooed.
June gave me a curious look. "You've been pushing yourself a lot lately. Did something happen?"
I hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "Checked the rankings earlier. We're twelfth among the fifth-generation guilds. Figured we might as well climb higher."
That was my secondary goal. The real reason? Couldn't tell her about the primary.
"Anyway, if you guys are tired, you can call it a day. I can keep going." The fewer people in the party, the more EXP for me.
"S-Sorry, I really can't go on…" Mini mumbled.
"It's not your fault. Sorry for pushing you too hard," I sighed, offering her a hand.
Her face turned pink as she took it, standing up.
"I'll stop here too," June said. "Renia?"
"Renia can go for a while." She latched onto my arm. "Renia wouldn't miss alone time with Rin."
June just smiled knowingly. "Take care, you two."
---
"Another quest? You guys are really putting in the work," the receptionist said as she handed over a pouch of coins.
"Thanks." That should be enough for today. The sun was almost down.
I hesitated for a moment before asking, "How do I get stronger quests? Or dungeon quests?"
Dungeon quests. The best way to get artifacts or ability books. I'd overheard adventurers talking about them.
"Harder quests? At your rate, you'll get access soon," she said. "As for dungeon quests… they're mostly given to stronger guilds. Even weak ones go to them most of the time. You can buy access, but it's expensive."
Capitalism am I right?
"And world expeditions? I saw Valor using a key to travel to another world." That seemed like the best way to gain massive EXP.
"You need to be at least level fifty," she said.
Level fifty, huh? A long way to go.
"Thanks."
Renia and I stepped out of the Adventurer's Guild.
"Rin…" Her grip on my arm tightened slightly. "You know you can trust Renia with anything, right?"
"I know."
"Then why won't Rin tell her?" she murmured, eyes searching mine.
I stayed silent.
She sighed. "Rin doesn't have to tell Renia. But just know, no matter what happens, Renia will never leave Rin."
Before I could respond, a sudden shout rang out.
"HEY!! WATCH OUT, BRO!!"
A massive shadow loomed over me. A giant bird.
Renia reacted instantly, pulling out her dagger, ready to strike, but I stopped her.
It looked like someone's tame. Maybe we shouldn't kill it.
"Grassy Bind."
Thick green vines erupted from the ground, tangling around the bird and stopping its movement. It struggled, breaking through a few vines before finally stopping.
A girl came running over, bent over, hands on her knees as she panted.
"Huff… Thanks for stopping him, dude…" She exhaled and straightened up, brushing her messy hair back.
She looked at us and grinned. "He's my tame. Little troublemaker. No idea what would've happened if you hadn't stepped in."
She patted the bird's neck and turned back to me. "Thanks again. I'm Nero, by the way. And you're Rin, I assume?"
I blinked. "Yeah. How do you know that?"
She laughed. "Who doesn't? You're one of the strongest from the fifth generation. Level twenty-six, right? Every guild leader is keeping an eye on you, bro."
Twenty-eight after today's quests, but whatever.
"I didn't know that." I never really paid attention to this kind of thing. Maybe Elias did.
"What? No way! You gotta keep up, dude. You're a vice guildmaster!" She tried to pat my back, but Renia's glare made her hesitate.
"Sheesh," Nero chuckled, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Anyway, I'm from the Wildstorm Guild. Feel free to join, we could use someone like you and I might just get a bonus if you do."
I hadn't thought much about other guilds. Do they work the same as us? Or we are the abnormal ones?
"Well, I'll head out now. Take care!" She waved before dragging her massive bird along with her, struggling the whole way.
It looked ridiculous, out of a comic almost.
Renia, still clinging to my arm, looked up at me.
"Rin… Don't join them."
"I wasn't planning to."
She hummed in satisfaction, leaning into me as we walked home.
---
The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows along the cobbled streets. The whole area was quieter now, with only a few adventurers lingering around, talking in hushed voices or counting their earnings from the day's quests.
Renia held onto my arm, her grip firm but comfortable. She hadn't let go since Nero left.
"Rin, let's take a longer way home," she suggested, glancing up at me with expectant eyes.
I sighed. "Why?"
"Because Renia wants to," she said simply, leaning closer.
That wasn't an answer. But arguing with Renia was pointless, so I just let her lead.
We walked through the dimly lit streets, passing small shops closing for the night. A few vendors were still out, selling skewered meat and warm bread. The scent lingered in the cool air.
"You're working too hard," Renia muttered after a moment.
I glanced at her. "I can handle it."
"Rin always says that," she huffed. "But Rin hasn't been sleeping much, right? Renia notices these things."
I didn't respond.
She exhaled and squeezed my arm. "You're trying to get stronger. That's fine. But if Rin breaks, what's the point?"
I still didn't say anything. Not because she was wrong, but because I didn't have an answer.
"Renia doesn't like it," she added softly.
The conversation stalled after that. She didn't push me for an answer, and I didn't offer one.
---
We took the long way home.
By the time we got back, our guild was lively as always. The others had already finished eating, and a few of them were gathered around the table playing some kind of card game.
Elias looked up first. "Oh, hey, Rin! You're back just in time. You wanna play?"
I shook my head. "I'll pass."
"You sure? It's an easy game," June chimed in. "Even Mini's playing."
I glanced over. Mini was indeed holding a hand of cards, her eyes darting nervously between them. At my gaze, she flinched slightly, cheeks turning red.
"I-it's... fun," she mumbled.
I waved them off. "I'm tired."
Elias pouted. "You're no fun, man."
"Rin is fun," Renia argued, dragging me toward the couch. "Just not for you."
Elias rolled his eyes.
I sank into the cushions, stretching my legs out. Renia immediately curled up next to me, resting her head on my shoulder like she belonged there.
"June made extra food if you're hungry," Mila offered.
"I'll eat later."
"You say that, but you'll forget," she sighed.
I probably would.
"I killed 9 monsters alone today," Nova spoke from the side.
What's up with you flexing on me everytime?
"Good job."
She nodded and went back to whatever she was doing.
The room drifted into quiet conversation again.
"Elias, I am apparantly pretty famous among the newer guilds. Know anything about that?" I asked. I was curious as to if he was as clueless as me.
"Of course you are." Elias adjusted his glasses, not even looking up from the cards. "Your level's pretty high for someone just starting. Everyone's curious."
"You knew?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Obviously. Information is power, Rin. You should keep up more." He finally glanced up, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Wow, I guess he isn't the leader for nothing.
"You sound like a merchant."
Elias smiled. "Thank you."
I wasn't sure that was a compliment.