The goblins had barely been a warm-up. Now, as we walked along the dirt path back toward the Adventurer's Guild, the conversation had already shifted to bigger prey.
Elias stretched his arms behind his head, his daggers swaying at his belt. "Honestly, that was barely worth the effort. At this rate, we should start hunting something more interesting. Maybe a wyvern?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Wyverns exist in this world?"
Nova didn't even look at him. "You'd die."
"Nah, I'd win."
"Then go alone."
"Aw, Nova, you'd miss me."
"I wouldn't. Trust me, I really wouldn't."
Ouch. That had to sting.
Before Elias could fire back, we turned a corner and stopped in our tracks.
Two girls stood atop a pile of dead wolves.
The first had short, messy brown hair, a spear resting on her shoulder. Blood streaked her clothes and skin, but she didn't seem to care. She stood like it was just another day, casual, at ease.
The second girl was different. Her vibrant blue hair cascaded down to her shoulders, spotless, without a single drop of blood. She wasn't holding a weapon. She wasn't even standing like a fighter, more like someone lost in thought.
And then she looked at me.
Her gaze didn't shift.
Her lips parted slightly.
"You…"
She stepped forward.
Then another step.
"Beautiful."
...
Elias blinked. "What."
Nova immediately stepped between us, arms crossed. "Weirdo."
June covered her mouth, giggling.
Wait. Was I getting hit on? That had never happened to me before. Excluding Renia. Which I did.
How was I supposed to respond? Reject her? Accept it? Just walk away?
The spear-wielding girl sighed, adjusting her grip. "Sera, at least introduce yourself properly."
The blue-haired girl didn't move. Her voice barely above a whisper.
"Sera."
She didn't elaborate.
Elias raised an eyebrow. "And your friend?"
The other girl huffed. "Lynx. We were hunting." She nudged one of the wolves with her boot.
Nova was still watching Sera, eyes narrowed. "What's your deal?"
Sera slowly turned her head, eyes blank.
"…Too loud."
Nova's eye twitched.
Elias grinned. "At least someone agrees with me."
Sera turned to him.
"Annoying."
Elias gasped as if stabbed in the heart. "Et tu, Sera?"
Sera's focus returned to me. Her head tilted slightly, studying me.
"Everyone loud… Noisy… But you," she murmured. "You… beautiful."
Right. I had no idea how to respond to that. But hey, my ego wasn't complaining.
"I am Rin, by the way."
June, ever the social one, stepped forward with a warm smile. "I'm June. Nice to meet you!" She held out a hand.
Sera just stared at it.
Lynx cleared her throat. "Yeah, uh… Sera's not big on physical contact. Hates it, actually."
Sera still hadn't moved.
"And she's, uh… not the best at socializing. If you couldn't tell."
Pretty sure everyone could tell. I was used to it, though. Mini, Gyro, Violet… anyone else?
"No, no, it's totally fine!" June withdrew her hand without offense, then shot a glance at Elias and Nova. "And you two. Introduce yourselves properly."
Elias straightened, then dramatically bowed. "Ahem. I am Elias, Guildmaster of The Empire. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Why the hell was he acting like that all of a sudden?
Nova rolled her eyes. "Nova. And you are going to make me throw up."
"Charmed," Elias smirked.
Nova sighed, turning back to Sera. "So, what exactly do you do? Besides being a weirdo?"
Lynx slung her spear over her shoulder. "She's a mage. Kind of."
Sera's gaze never left me. "Magic… unstable."
"Unstable how?"
Lynx waved a hand. "She has control issues. Big ones."
Yeah, she's been staring at me uncontrollably, I can see. Or rather she can see.
Sera turned to Lynx, voice barely a whisper. "…Mean."
Lynx snorted. "And you're creepy. We all have our flaws."
Sera didn't argue. Just kept looking at me.
Lynx groaned. "You good now, or are you gonna stare at the poor guy forever?"
No response.
Chill, girl. I know I'm beautiful, but you are not my type.
Lynx smirked. "If you're gonna keep staring at him, you might as well ask him out."
Sera blinked. "Out… where?"
Wow. She was really oblivious.
Lynx rolled her eyes before looking back at us. "Anyway, we were wrapping up here. You guys heading back to the guild?"
"If you mean the Adventurer's, then yeah," I replied.
Lynx nodded. "Cool. Mind if we tag along?"
I glanced at Sera. "…Only if your friend stops staring at me."
Lynx laughed. "No promises."
---
Walking back to the guild, the atmosphere felt… strange.
Lynx was easygoing, chatting with Elias and June like we'd known each other for years. But Sera? She hadn't stopped staring at me.
Not a glance, not a peek—just a full-on, unblinking stare. Like I was some rare animal in a zoo.
Nova, walking beside me, let out an exaggerated sigh. "You planning to eat him or something?"
Sera blinked slowly. "…No."
"Could've fooled me," Nova muttered.
Elias adjusted his glasses, smirking. "To be fair, if I had to stare at someone all day, Rin wouldn't be the worst choice."
"Don't say disgusting stuff," I said.
"Come on, I thought we were best buddies!" Elias nudged my elbow. "By the way, you're really getting popular, huh?"
"Not really."
"Oh, don't be so humble. First, you've got your obsessive girlfriend—"
"She's not my girlfriend."
Elias continued, unfazed. "Then Mini dies of embarrassment every time you breathe near her. And now you've got a creepy mage with control issues calling you beautiful every five minutes."
"You should be honored. Some guys live their whole lives without a woman obsessing over them." He patted my shoulder. "Some guys is me, by the way."
"That's sad," Lynx laughed. "Wanna grab a drink sometime? You're paying, of course."
"Sorry, you're not my type."
H-he has standards?
Elias must have noticed my expression because he turned to me, scowling. "Oi, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing…" I said. I was just… surprised. Trully shocked.
Sera suddenly took a step closer. Now she was uncomfortably close.
"Magic," she murmured.
"Magic what?"
"Yours… pretty. It calls to me."
Elias snickered. "Damn, bro. She's already talking about fate. You sure you don't have some long-lost soulmate thing going on?"
"Doubt it."
"Man, you should really start charging for this kind of attention."
Honestly? Not a bad idea.
Nova clicked her tongue. "You're just gonna let her say weird shit like that?"
I had no idea how to respond, so I didn't. What was I supposed to do? Reason with her? She didn't seem like the type to listen. And it's not like I hated the attention.
Wait… does that make me an attention whore?
Sera tilted her head slightly, still watching me with those empty, glassy eyes. "Let me… touch?"
"Touch what, exactly?"
Sera didn't answer immediately. She just reached out a hand toward me.
I stared at it.
Nova grabbed my sleeve and pulled me back a step. "No thanks. He's allergic to weirdos."
If that were true, I'd be allergic to half my guild.
Sera paused. Then, very slowly, she withdrew her hand.
"Mm," she hummed.
"Damn, Nova, didn't know you were so jealous," Lynx teased. "What, worried he's gonna get stolen?"
Nova scoffed. "Stolen? By her?" She glanced at Sera and snorted. "Right. I'm shaking in my boots."
"And it's not jealousy." She let go of my sleeve, crossing her arms. "I'd just feel bad if he got harassed in front of me."
…Was she always like this?
"Sure, I believe you." Lynx smirked.
Nova clicked her tongue before walking ahead. I followed, with Sera's stare still boring into me.
I sighed. "Sera, could you stop?"
She did. But not the staring.
"I mean, staring at me. Not walking."
Sera kept walking, her voice flat. "Why?"
…Does she even understand the word uncomfortable? Wait. Maybe she does. She didn't like physical contact, right?
"Wouldn't you feel uncomfortable if I touched you?" I asked.
"I don't mind."
"Like, when others touch you," Lynx chimed in from the front.
Sera blinked. "Oh…" She nodded. Then, finally, her gaze drifted away from me. "Okay."
Nova scoffed. "Finally. You've been staring at him like a damn stalker."
Sera tilted her head. "Stalker?"
Lynx grinned. "That's when you follow someone around and obsess over them."
Sera considered this for a moment. Then nodded.
"Yes. I am stalker."
"Oh dear, you're not supposed to admit it," June giggled.
Elias leaned closer. "Hey, what's your policy on stalkers? Because I think you just got one."
"Not interested."
"Yeah, well, neither are they in your opinion." Elias smirked. "On the plus side, if you ever get lost, we won't need to search for you. Sera will just sniff you out like a hound."
Sera nodded. "Yes."
"Wait, I was joking!" Elias yelped.
---
By the time we reached the Adventurer's Guild, the place was packed, as always.
"Well, this is where we part ways." Lynx stretched. "You guys are a funny bunch. Hope we meet again."
"Wait," Elias adjusted his glasses. "You know, Sera, if you like Rin so much, why don't you join our guild?"
Nova shot him a glare. "Are you serious?"
"This is strictly business, Nova." He smiled. "We were hoping to expand anyway. Better someone we have a good read on than a total stranger."
Sera just nodded. "Okay."
"Not okay!" Lynx immediately protested. "You're not betraying your guild!"
"Sorry, guys, we're already in one," Lynx sighed. "Let's go, Sera."
Sera lingered for a moment, staring at me again before trailing behind Lynx.
"Well, worth a shot." Elias chuckled.
After that, we took on a few more quests. Harder ones this time. They pushed me to level 30.
Which made me wonder, if Tier 2 skills unlocked at level 10, why the hell was it taking so long now?
---
Nighttime. Renia on top of me. Forcing her lips on me.
This idiot just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Renia, you gotta lock in! A girl was all over Rin today!" Elias had blabbed.
And now here we were. I'd get you one day bastard.
Not that I hated the situation.
"How's that? Renia's going to replace her scent!" She purred, leaning in for another kiss.
Her soft lips pressed against mine, warm and eager.
Well. No reason to lose here.
I raised a hand to her cheek, caressing her cheek as I kissed back, pushing deeper. My tongue flicked out, grazing her lips before slipping inside.
She let out a muffled moan, pressing closer.
Messy. Awkward. Clumsy.
There's a first time for everything.
She pulled away, breathless, a thin string of saliva connecting our now wet lips. Then, she grabbed my hand and placed it on her chest.
I could feel the rapid thump of her heart.
"Does Rin want to go further~?"
I closed my eyes slowly.
There was nothing. No bulge. No shape. A man. A human wall. A chopping board. A runway. A table. Someone's forehead.
…
"Rin is thinking something disrespectful, isn't he?"
I heard the annoyance in her voice.
I shed a single tear. Not out of disappointment. Out of pity.
Poor girl.
"Rin! Renia's waiting for your answer!"
A decade and over with her, and I knew she wouldn't force anything.
Her voice faded.
"…Rin!"