Ethan's eyes widened in shock—it was not because of the legendary adventurer or something.
But it was because of her.
Behind the front desk of the adventurer's guild, there was a stunning woman who looked like she belonged on the cover page of a fantasy game/novel.
Long, wavy hairs were framed perfectly, and a perfect face—soft lips, high cheekbones, and deep amber eyes that sparkled with a little bit of mischief.
Her figure was…unreal, it felt like it was majestic. Curvy in all right places, slim waist and long legs, she was wearing the tight uniform of the guild: a white blouse which was stretched across her chest, a black west? Short skirt and thigh-high stockings under brown boots.
She smiled politely at the current adventurer who was before her, she was signing the notes with the feather pen, and the guild emblem was pinned just above her cleavage. Ethan almost forgot to breathe. He was stunned because of her beauty.
"Holy fucking shit."
It came out of his mouth without thinking. Not because he wanted to be vulgar. But because no real-life girl he'd ever met looked like that. And the fantasy version which is standing in front of his eyes was thousands of times better.
He straightened his back, adjusted his collar, and started walking to her, he ignored the long line of confused, annoying rookie adventurers.
She glanced over at him as he approached her, her expression was cool and professional.
"Yes? The line is behind you, not here."
Ethan smiled a bit. "Sorry, but I just arrived in the Embar's Hollow. I'm new, real name is Ethan Graves."
She raised one of her eyebrows. "Congratulations. Now get in the line, the rules are rules."
He didn't flint even a bit. Instead, he slightly leaned in over the counter to make it look smooth, confident, almost teasing.
"I figured that someone as sharp and stunning as you would've known on the first look that I am not like those losers."
That made her pause for a bit.
Her quill stopped.
Her amber eyes flickered once and then she studied him more closely. The faintest twitch touched her lips. "Bold words for a rookie." She said.
"Maybe," Ethan said, resting his elbow on the table. "But you know I'll be the name which you will remember soon. So~ just figured that you want an early connection."
She let out a small chuckle. She closed the book and leaned a bit forward, enough for Ethan to try very hard to maintain eye contact.
"All right then, Mr. Graves. You want registration?"
"Yes, you got it right. I want my adventure to pass soon enough. I am planning to hit a dungeon soon, you know."
She took out a form and started filling it. "F-rank for newcomers. Don't go here and there because you will get yourself killed."
Ethan frowned slightly. "F-rank? Not even an E? You sure someone like me deserves to be that low?" He added just the right amount of smile, his tone was playful, confident, not desperate.
She blinked and then she smirked. "You sure are a troublemaker." She muttered, she tore the form and stamped it.
When she handed it over to Ethan, it said:
[Adventurer Rank: E]
Ethan blinked and thought 'Wait—seriously? This is that easy?'
She winked at him. "Don't make me regret it later, okay?"
He took the pass from her and gave her a flirty smile. "You won't. What's your name?"
She smiled and blushed a bit. "It's Lira."
"Lira," he repeated with a grin. "Nice to meet you. We will keep meeting each other from now on."
He winked once at her, then he turned around, ignoring the death threats of the 50 adventurers who were behind Ethan. He made his way to the Quest Board.
Most of the quests were the usual beginner stuff—gathering herbs, hunting rabbits, escorting a wagon.
But, his gaze fell on a unique quest.
It was nailed to the far-left corner of the board, its paper was black instead of brown.
It read:
[URGENT – Shadow Fang Den Discovered in Ember Forest]
[Difficulty: E-Rank]
[Reward: 2 Gold + Bonus Materials]
[Note: Suitable for parties of 2–4 adventurers. Beware of ambush tactics.]
Ethan lifted his hand and went for the slip. He tore it from the board and kept it in his pocket.
His journey had officially begun now.