"Miss Soya, please help me. I really need money right now. If I can only take E-rank gathering quests, I might not even have enough to stay at an inn tonight."
Having been rejected earlier, Yecheng now resorted to playing the pity card, hoping the kind receptionist would take sympathy on him.
What he didn't expect was that her way of helping wasn't to bend the rules for him—but instead, she warmly invited him to stay at her house!
"Miss Soya, that might not be appropriate… I mean, sure, we had a nice chat, but we only just met today, and you're already inviting me to your place…"
Yecheng was genuinely surprised at how bold the women in this world were. Sure, his face probably earned him a few bonus points, but this level of enthusiasm on day one? It made him wonder if this really wasn't some wholesome fantasy world.
Anyone who watches anime knows there's a difference between seinen and hentai. In a clean fantasy setting, things are either action-packed or comedic.
But in an adult fantasy world… Well, if he went home with her, the next scenes might end up behind a paywall.
Honestly, with the sheer number of beautiful people in this world, it wasn't impossible.
After wrestling with his thoughts for a while, Yecheng eventually declined her offer.
If it had been before, he wouldn't have minded "getting to know" her a bit better. But now that he was officially an adventurer, he had no idea how long he'd be staying in this town.
He wouldn't say no to a casual hookup—but a relationship with strings attached? That was a whole different story.
"Jeez, what are you thinking! I'm a guild employee, so I usually stay here at the guild.
But I do own a vacant house in town. I meant you could stay there for now.
As for the rent, don't worry about it. Just pay me back when you have the means."
"Oh… Right! That's totally what I meant. We just met today, and you're already lending me a place to stay—are you sure that's okay?"
Ever the gentleman, Yecheng refused to admit his mind had wandered earlier. With a completely straight face, he spun the narrative so well that Soya ended up blushing from embarrassment.
"No, it's really no problem. The place is pretty big, and besides you, there's already another tenant living there.
She's gorgeous, but also really strong. Whatever you do—don't mess with her."
Handing him a magical key and giving directions to the house, Soya added, "If you really want to take on higher-level quests and rank up faster, there's actually another way to do it.
You can team up with high-ranking adventurers. That way, you'll get better rewards, be safer, and learn a lot from them too.
Normally, experienced adventurers don't want to bring along newbies, but I've worked here a while and still have a few connections."
Even Soya didn't really understand why she was going this far to help a rookie she'd just met. But besides his looks, she also saw potential in him.
As a receptionist, she interacted with all kinds of adventurers daily. Yet this was the first time a newbie had given her this kind of feeling.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Miss Soya. When I've got some money, I'll pay back the rent—double."
She was giving him a free place to stay and helping him connect with powerful adventurers—Yecheng wasn't the type to take that lightly.
Although he preferred working solo, this was a kind gesture, and he didn't have any better options at the moment. So he accepted.
"Miss Soya, we're here! What do you need our help with?
Also, if we really help you out this time, will you go to dinner with me like you promised?"
He didn't have to wait long. The high-ranking adventurers Soya mentioned soon arrived at the guild—three of them, led by a handsome blond man.
He seemed to be totally obsessed with Soya, and it was only thanks to her offering a dinner date that he agreed to help.
"Rex, this is my younger brother from the countryside. He just registered today. He wants to experience what it's like to work with high-ranking adventurers, but I'm worried about him. That's why I asked you guys to come."
Hearing this, the blond man—Rex—pounded his chest confidently. He had been pursuing Soya for a while now, and this was the perfect chance to impress her.
If this guy was Soya's little brother, and Rex could win him over, maybe he'd help smooth things over between Rex and his "goddess."
"A country bumpkin like him probably hasn't seen much. If I really show off today, maybe he'll put in a good word for me!"
"Don't worry, Miss Soya. I'll take great care of your brother and show him what a real high-ranking adventurer can do. By the way, where is he?"
Following Soya's gaze, Rex turned to look at Yecheng—and at the same time, Yecheng looked back at him and his companions.
"Miss Soya… this is the guy you said is from the countryside… your brother?"
When they saw Yecheng, the three of them were completely stunned. Out of everyone in this town, they had to run into him again—and now he turned out to be the brother of the woman Rex was in love with?
That's right—these so-called high-ranking adventurers, led by Rex, weren't strangers to Yecheng.
In fact, they had only just parted ways not too long ago.
These three were the same adventurers who had tried to sell Yousuke as a rare half-beastman in the forest earlier.
After getting thoroughly beaten by Yecheng, they'd led the pair to this town—where Yecheng had eventually let them go.
"What's wrong? Do you know each other?" Soya asked curiously, seeing the stunned looks on all their faces.
"You could say that," Yecheng replied casually. "I got lost in the forest earlier, and they helped guide me here.
Oh, and they gave me a big sack of copper coins—said it was all the money they had left…"