The weather was beautiful today, making Vivian’s mood equally bright.
She hummed a nameless tune, her steps light as she walked toward the Adventurers Guild Headquarters.
Clutched tightly in her small palm was the magic crystal of an elite magical beast—the final proof she needed to complete her Bronze Rank advancement quest.
‘Once I turn this in, I’ll be an official Bronze Rank adventurer!’
Vivian calculated the benefits in her mind with a sweet smile.
‘Then I can take on quests with better pay, and I won’t have to gnaw on black bread every day…’
At the thought of sizzling, juicy roasted meat, she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva, her pace quickening.
Pushing through the heavy guild doors, Vivian navigated the crowd with practiced ease and headed straight for the front desk window to submit her quest.
Then, her gaze froze.
Standing by another counter not far away was a human youth. He had familiar black hair and a handsome profile…
Vivian’s heart skipped a beat, and the blood in her body felt like it was flowing backward!
A memory from deep within her mind—one where she was brutally pummeled by this person—became terrifyingly clear.
Is it him?
The black-haired monster of a human who had caught her like a little chick, beaten her senseless with pure, despair-inducing brute force, and refused to let her take her daughter?
She had traveled tens of thousands of miles away; how could she possibly run into this guy here?
While her brain was still a blank slate of shock, her physical instincts took over—run!
Without a second thought, Vivian spun around. Ignoring the surprised looks from those around her and the quest proof still in her hand, she bolted toward the exit as fast as her legs could carry her, like a startled rabbit!
Only one thought remained in her head: ‘Get as far away from that monster as possible!’
However, just as she burst through the doors and before she could even get her bearings or breathe a sigh of relief—a shadow silently enveloped her.
Vivian skidded to a stop, looking up in shock.
That familiar face, which had haunted her nightmares for an entire month, was looking down at her with a mix of helplessness and confusion. He was so close she could almost feel his breath.
“Waaaah!”
Vivian let out a short, terrified yelp, digging her heels in to perform an emergency brake! Her soles screeched against the stone ground.
She leaned forward dangerously, managing to stop just as the tip of her nose was about to touch his chest.
That was close! She almost crashed right into him!
Vivian patted her flat chest, her heart pounding wildly.
‘This guy… when did he get in front of me?’
‘I definitely started running first! And I was so fast!’
Meanwhile, Miss Emily, the receptionist who had just chased after them out of the guild, stood gasping for air.
She had witnessed the entire process of Yize appearing before Vivian like a ghost.
She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, muttering to herself, “Wait… doesn’t his file say he’s ‘not good at martial arts’?”
“He didn’t use Acceleration Magic either… what kind of speed was that?”
Her gaze toward Yize was suddenly filled with suspicion and shock.
Yize didn’t notice Emily’s shock behind him. His attention was entirely on the silver-haired, red-eyed “girl” in front of him, who was currently panicking like a cornered animal.
He tilted his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement and scrutiny. “Why are you running?”
Vivian lowered her head abruptly, not daring to look Yize in the eye. She stared at her toes, her voice weak and carrying a faint, undetectable tremor. “I… I just remembered I have… something very important to take care of!”
“Yes, something very important! I have to go right now!”
“Is that so?” Yize raised an eyebrow, his tone flat. “But from where I was standing, it looked like you only started running after you saw me.”
“Normally, shouldn’t you greet an acquaintance? Running away so fast only makes me want to chase you to find out what’s wrong.”
He paused, leaning down slightly to whisper in Vivian’s ear at a volume only the two of them could hear. “Are you so afraid of me… because of what happened last time?”
“Who… who’s afraid of you!”
Vivian reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She snapped her head up, her crimson eyes wide and round, her cheeks flushing red with agitation. “I am… I am…”
She instinctively wanted to announce her identity to bolster her courage, but her gaze caught the crowd of various races walking by and a few adventurers nearby who seemed to be eavesdropping for gossip. She forced herself to swallow the rest of her words.
“You’re what?” Yize asked with interest, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.
This little thing was clearly terrified, her eyes darting around as she avoided eye contact, yet she was still trying to be stubborn.
“Anyway… there’s no way I’d be afraid of you!” Vivian stiffened her neck and forced the words out, but her voice grew smaller and smaller, clearly lacking conviction.
Yize stopped teasing her, his gaze falling on the adventurer’s identification plate she was clutching in her nervous hands.
“By the way…” Yize changed the subject, a genuine hint of confusion in his voice. “Why is a… well, why is an existence of your level working as an adventurer?”
He almost let the word “Boss” slip out but changed it at the last second.
In his mind, someone of Vivian’s status should be the kind of target adventurers were sent to subjugate.
Having a target register as an adventurer herself? It was surreal.
“What’s it to you!” Vivian huffed, trying to regain some of her momentum. ‘Why is this human so annoying? So many questions!’
“What’s it to me?” Yize smiled, a look Vivian interpreted as malicious. Before she could react, she felt her body go light as her feet left the ground.
Just like last time, he had reached out and grabbed her by the back of her collar, lifting her up effortlessly!
“Waaaah! Let me go!!!”
Thinking she was about to get another spanking, Vivian flailed in the air with embarrassment, her limbs waving wildly. “Despicable! Shameless! Another sneak attack!”
Ignoring her protests, Yize gave her a little shake and said to himself, “I think I saw a quest on the guild board earlier to capture a Lord Class Magical Beast. The reward was quite generous.”
He paused purposefully, looking Vivian up and down. “You’re more than just Lord Class, aren’t you? If I bring you in to complete the quest, would that count as an over-performance? Would the reward be even bigger?”
He adopted a thoughtful expression. “Since I’m in a hurry to rank up to a Silver Rank adventurer, maybe using you would allow for an exception?”
Upon hearing this, Vivian struggled even harder, her face turning beet red with rage. “You despicable man! You actually want to turn me in as a quest item?! I’ll fight you! Gurg—“
A clear, loud grumble erupted from Vivian’s stomach, sounding particularly prominent in the relatively quiet entrance.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Vivian’s struggling stiffened. Her entire face turned red at a visible speed, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.
She buried her head low, wishing she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Yize was also stunned for a moment before he burst out laughing. He stopped messing with her and loosened his grip, gently setting her back on the ground.
“Hungry?” he asked, his tone much softer.
Vivian kept her head down, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes. Her crimson eyes stared at the ground while she remained silent, though her bright red ears betrayed her intense embarrassment.
Looking at her like this, Yize suddenly found it a bit funny and… something else he couldn’t quite name. He pointed to a tavern across the street that looked reasonably clean and tidy.
“Come on,” he said. “I have some things I want to ask you anyway. In exchange, I’ll buy you a full meal.”
Hearing this, Vivian cautiously lifted her eyelids a sliver to peek at Yize. A hint of suspicion flashed in her red eyes, but it was quickly overtaken by longing.
“…Really?” Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. “You… you aren’t going to turn me in for the quest?”
Yize shrugged helplessly. “I’d like to. But the Adventurers Guild rules are strict. The minimum rank to accept that Lord Class capture quest is Platinum.”
“I’m just an Iron Rank newbie right now. I don’t even have the clearance to see the quest details, let alone submit it.”
He had indeed just been teasing her.
Vivian blinked, realizing the truth a moment later. Her little mouth immediately pouted in annoyance. “You… you were just scaring me earlier!”
She was both angry and flustered, feeling like a fool for being played.
Yize smiled and didn’t explain. If turning Vivian in could truly jump him to Silver Rank or higher, he might have seriously considered it… after all, the Betty Territory couldn’t afford to wait. However, it seemed that path was closed.
The two of them walked one after the other into the Oak Cup tavern. T
here weren’t many customers inside, making it much quieter than the guild hall. The air was filled with the aroma of ale and stewed meat.
Finding a corner seat by the window, Yize pushed a simple menu toward Vivian. “Order whatever you want to eat.”
Vivian didn’t look at the menu immediately. Instead, she suspiciously eyed Yize’s clothes, which didn’t look particularly expensive.