The day began like any other in Caelfall. The hums of the city woke its residents just as the blacksmith's doors swung open. The ring of hammer on steel carried through the streets, joined by the calls of merchants raising their stalls and the laughter of children racing through the alleys. Rowan was a nobody, living a middle-class life in the capital. That was who he was, and he made sure to remind himself of it every day. His daily goal was simple: to get through today and see tomorrow. But Rowan had a dream—a dream to become the greatest adventurer the world had ever known, just like the ones his mother told him about. Long ago, there were legendary adventurers known as The Hollow. These heroes embarked on grand quests, slew ancient beasts, and earned their legendary titles. Even as a little child, Rowan's mother read him stories of these adventurers, planting in him the seed of purpose that shaped his life.
Today was an important day. He decided that he would attempt high-tier Adventurer's Guild jobs, hoping to carve out a place for himself in the world. Ever since his parents died, it had been clear that the only way to survive in this world without someone at your side was to take matters into your own hands. Four years ago, that was exactly what he did. He began with minor quests for the guild, delivering goods across the capital. One time, he got lost and failed to deliver on time, leaving the merchant without a customer. Mistakes like that were common for novices, but the city was unforgiving—and the guild even more so.
Time passed, and Rowan learned the roads and alleys, mastering the city's hidden paths. With experience came caution, and caution led to higher-level jobs. Missions posted by nobles were never forgiving. One misstep could ruin not only the guild's reputation but also his own. His first high-caution job was finding a noble's missing pet—a trivial task to outsiders, but a test of skill and reliability. He completed it swiftly, earning his keep and a measure of respect. He spent years learning magic this way, combining study with real-world experience, avoiding the constraints of an academy while surviving on his own.
But today was different. That day, he left the minor jobs behind. He joined the real Adventurer's Guild—the one that sent its members on high-stakes missions, full of danger. Or so the world would have had him believe.
It went more like this. Rowan strode confidently into the Adventurer's Guild hall, picturing high-stakes jobs and an S-rank title waiting for him. Reality hit him hard when the clerk handed him an F-rank Adventurer's badge and a waiver to sign.
Confused, he turned to the clerk, Marco.
-"Um, excuse me, Marco, you've known me for years. How could you mistake my rank? I wasn't an F-rank Adventurer, remember?"
Marco didn't even look up from his paperwork.
-"No, you were definitely Rowan. And you were definitely an F rank."
-"I've been delivering goods for four years! How could I still be an F rank with all my experience?" Rowan protested, baffled.
With an irritated sigh, Marco finally looked at him.
-"Well, you said it yourself. All you ever did were small errands. You were paid, sure—but only now, by signing that contract, were you officially part of the Adventurer's Guild. Do you see now?"
Reality struck again. For all that time, Rowan hadn't truly been part of the Guild. But instead of letting disappointment drag him down, he took it as a challenge.
With a grin, he thought to himself:
-"Fine, so I wasn't part of the Guild… but so what? From now on, I'll climb the ranks and become the best! Besides, it would've been boring if I were S-rank from the start."
With that, he set off toward the quest board. There, he found postings ranging from F-rank to S-rank, lowest to highest. The board stood in the middle of the guild hall, and he stepped closer, scanning it carefully. One quest called for eliminating bandits, another for exploring a dangerous dungeon, and a third for investigating a village struck by disease.
Intrigued, he mused to himself:
-"Oh, how about the dungeon one? Maybe I'd uncover some secret magic spell that could blow up anything within a one-kilometer radius. No, no, no. I should focus on smaller ones. If I got killed now, there'd be no point. Village with disease it was."
With that decision, he settled on the village plagued by illness.
But before he could set out, one problem remained—Rowan had never ventured beyond the walls of Caelfall. Inside his mind, it was all a matter of whether he could survive the outside world. However, he also knew that one could not know until they tried—so he tried.
The sun, a brilliant orb, warmed his face. The world before him was full of color. Rolling hills, a mix of green and gold, stretched on to the horizon. He remained expressionless—as if someone had stolen the air inside his lungs, leaving him immobile. He looked down. He saw a dirt path leading all the way into the horizon's end, different from the stone path at home. He took a deep breath, letting the air from outside fill his lungs all the way, and then he exhaled. Then he said to himself:
-"Our journey begins now! Even in the stillness of the world, the spark had appeared."