Jhed approached the counter. A very pretty girl stood behind it — surrounded by a crowd of boys, all competing for her attention. They were blocking Jhed from getting through.
He squeezed his way into the crowd as best he could.
None of these boys were here for guild business. They were here for her.
"Look at them all crowded around her," one older adventurer said, watching from the side.
"Ha. Youth. That's just how it goes — people fall in love over the smallest things," another adventurer said.
Jhed looked at the girl.
She kept turning one way to smile, then another — the boys were throwing ridiculous questions at her.
"How old are you?"
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Where do you live?"
"What do you like?"
And she just smiled and nodded through all of it. Jhed watched.
"Why is she smiling so much? These guys are probably annoying her. Never mind — not my problem. She's pretty enough that some hero will come help her. I just need to do what I came here for." Jhed thought to himself.
The guild was packed on all sides — so many adventurers crammed into such a small space. Some were picking quests, some forming new teams, and some — clearly — had only become adventurers to pass the time, which described the boys at the counter perfectly.
No S-Class adventurers anywhere in this guild.
Shine and the others stood in a corner.
"I'm suffocating in here," Shine said.
The crowd kept pushing him sideways.
"This is just how it is every day," Maruls said. They'd all been scattered by the crowd.
Night was nearly here, but the guild showed no signs of clearing out.
The girl had black hair and black eyes, cut short to her neck. Her skin was very fair. Jhed couldn't seem to look away no matter how hard he tried. She wore the guild uniform — a chocolate-brown shirt and pants with yellow anchor-shaped buttons running down the front.
"Excuse me—" Jhed said quietly. Standing there any longer wasn't an option; the crowd kept bumping him around.
The girl didn't hear him.
"Excuse me—"
She looked around. This time she'd caught something.
She searched for whoever had spoken.
Jhed raised his hand.
"Yes — I'm the one calling."
The girl looked at him. He had his hand raised.
"Yes, how can I help you, sir?" She smiled.
"I need to register this card." Jhed slid it across the counter.
"Of course." She took it in her hands.
"Come on, tell us your name," someone called from the crowd.
"She smiled again," Jhed thought. He was still watching her.
She looked down at the card.
"Teleportation card—"
The entire room went silent. Every adventurer in the guild turned toward her.
"Did she say teleportation card?" A voice came from upstairs.
Everyone looked up. Someone came running down the stairs.
"Let me see that."
"Guild Master—" the girl said.
She handed it over.
"Who gave this?"
"I did — is something wrong?" Jhed asked, suddenly nervous.
"Come upstairs with me." The Guild Master took his hand and pulled him up. Shine followed right behind.
"Did you hear that — he has a teleportation card," an old man said.
"I can't believe it. They don't look like they're from this town either."
"They came from Mariana," Maruls said.
"That city that was just freed?"
"People sell everything they own just to get one of those cards."
What made it so special? Why had the Guild Master rushed Jhed upstairs so fast? Jhed was anxious — same as always. Nain was still missing. Shine had only days left. Jhed still wasn't fully trained.
He needed to start focusing on himself.