The city lay before a vast green plain. From Yuta's perspective, it was almost the size of London.
"Damn, this world is enormous," he muttered.
The city was surrounded by a massive wall, towering 40 meters high, with a huge gate guarded by dozens of people. On the walls, there were about nine hundred armed guards, most of them men, but some were clearly not human.
As Yuta approached, he noticed a group of young people sitting calmly on the walls. He felt a strange energy emanating from them.
"Magicians," he thought.
"Isn't it rude for guards to sit around like that?" Yuta remarked, hinting at the young people.
The orc and his daughter looked at him coldly.
"They hate being forced into boring tasks," the orc said sarcastically.
The city was surrounded by rocky terrain, making an invasion or even crossing the plain quite difficult. The ground was slippery, making it hard to transport goods like carts. Yuta noticed a large river cutting through the city, splitting it into two halves. The town itself was divided into four brightly colored sections.
"Is this segregation?" he wondered as he stood in the frustratingly long line.
"Ugh, what's taking so long?" Yuta groaned.
"Calm yourself, my lady," Sebastian said politely.
"My lady! I've become a lady in this cursed body? Ugh!" Yuta fumed inwardly.
Ahead of them were various creatures: humans, elves, orcs, dwarves, and even a lizardman. Some travelers eyed the lizardman with visible unease.
"Is there some sort of cold-blooded racism here?" Yuta wondered.
No, wait... they weren't staring at the lizardman. They were all staring at Sebastian.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on Sebastian, their admiration so overwhelming that it caused delays.
"Stop," the guard said as they reached the gate. "Papers?"
Yuta froze. A card? He didn't have one. He glanced at Angie, but she ignored him completely.
"Damn it," he cursed internally.
The sorceress, Hani, approached and presented her card.
"I'll be heading out tomorrow. Prepare the barrier; I'm going to hunt the wolf!" she said with a crazed laugh.
"The gate opens only at eight o'clock," the guard replied firmly.
The guard was an elderly man with muscles and a kind smile. He didn't seem that old—Yuta estimated him to be in his sixties—but who knew? He might actually be eight hundred. Beside him was a young guard, leaning lazily. He looked Chinese or something similar.
At that moment, Baron and Angie arrived.
"How's it going?" Baron asked with a laugh. "How's your mother?"
"She's fine. By the way, you're banned from entering the bar," the young guard replied coolly.
"What? Why? I didn't start a fight!" Baron protested.
"You caused the most damage," the young guard replied bluntly while stamping cards.
"How about your mission?" the old guard asked, glancing at Yuta.
"Successful," Angie replied calmly, though her father swallowed nervously.
Yuta quickly devised a clever trick. Before Angie could react, he stepped behind her and then returned to his spot.
"Yes, the mission was a success," Yuta declared loudly.
Everyone turned to him in shock. The guards stared in disbelief, while Angie looked flustered.
"There was a magical explosion recently. The village was damaged, but not significantly," Yuta continued.
"That never happened—" Angie started to protest, but a sudden feeling of weakness silenced her. She glanced sideways.
"Damn frog," she cursed internally. "He's behind me!"
"Who are you?" the old guard asked.
"A new adventurer," Yuta replied.
"Do you have a card?" the young guard asked.
"Sebastian," Yuta called softly from beneath his mask.
Sebastian appeared, his stunning beauty leaving the guards momentarily dazed.
"Ah… uh…"
Yuta pulled out some burned cards, directing a pointed look at Angie.
"She burned my card. Now I can't enter. Thanks. I didn't want to be here anyway," he said bitterly.
"Wait!" Baron exclaimed. "You can't stay outside. Monsters will appear. Besides, traveler cards can be reissued here."
Bingo!
And just like that, Yuta entered the city.
The city looked like something out of the medieval era, except it was incredibly clean. The streets were paved with yellow stones, and the buildings were old-fashioned. Merchants lined the streets, selling their goods, while countless magical creatures roamed the area: orcs, elves, dwarves, giants, wolfmen, and lizardmen.
"Amazing," Yuta thought, running around like a child in an amusement park.
Behind him, Sebastian followed. Yuta marveled at the city's beauty until he noticed a group of female orcs.
"Oh no," he thought.
They were stunningly beautiful, making him want to bury himself among them. They even winked at him—
Wait.
They weren't looking at him. They were looking at Sebastian.
Everyone was. Faces flushed red wherever Sebastian went.
Irritated, Yuta ordered Sebastian to follow him.
"Come along, Sebastian!" he declared loudly, making it clear that Sebastian was with him.
Red, angry glares followed Yuta, along with disdainful looks.
"Wait, my dear," a bald, muscular man said. "Would you sell your slave to me? You don't seem to need him."
The man reached for her cloak, but Yuta's fist shattered his jaw, sending him flying.
The sheer force of his strength was terrifying.
Baron laughed hysterically. "Haha! Isn't this just perfect?"
Meanwhile, his daughter Angie clung to Sebastian as if trying to stake her claim.
Baron's expression shifted in shock before a dark aura surrounded him.
"Daddy's girl belongs to me alone!" he growled, chasing after them.
Linda, the receptionist at the Hunters' Guild, was constantly in pain from the forced smile.
How she hated her job.
"Heh, this is a dangerous mission for your rank," she said, addressing a young man.
"Don't worry, I'm strong. It's just a plant," he replied confidently.
That plant spits liquid at fifty meters per second and can roast you in seconds, she thought to herself, but she knew if she insisted, he'd get annoyed. She would just mark it and crush his skull with a chair before moving on.
"Young man, you need more than an adventurer to deal with this plant. It's very strong and dangerous, and it's located in a very remote area. Do you have money for a guide?" she asked with a smile.
The young man looked uneasy, probably trying to get a high-paying job, but didn't expect to pay.
"Heh, no. Can you give me directions?"
"No," she replied with a smile. "But there are many scrolls available, starting at five hundred."
"Heh..."
"Yes, I recommend starting with simpler work, like hunting wild monsters. It'll give you experience and resources."
She handed him a set of urgent tasks, like hunting small monsters and clearing creatures from a farm.
She smiled charmingly. "Good luck." She was a simple-looking blonde with beautiful, flowing hair and blue eyes.
The young man thanked her and left.
Here, Linda wanted to collapse, but she couldn't. She had to keep going. Her day was far from relaxing.
Her colleagues, the monkey-like young man, Sabeerin, and the huge cat, approached her.
Sabeerin was an incredibly beautiful human girl with white skin, blonde hair, and an alluring body, her massive chest swaying with every movement.
"Are you okay?"
"Shut up," Linda said indifferently.
The monkey-like young man, Han, laughed excessively.
"Relax, we'll do the job. You're about to explode, and I'm afraid it'll end like the last time—words, curses, and a man thrown into a fire."
"Do you want to see that?" Linda moved closer to his face with a smile, making him retreat nervously.
"I just want everything in its place. No fighting," he said.
Suddenly, a scream echoed from outside, and a massive man rushed in, crashing into Linda, who remained smiling.
In front of everyone stood a heavily masked girl, accompanied by a young man like no other. A young man who silenced everyone in the tavern, a young man who made her life shine.
The girl approached and cleared the space.
"I want to be an adventurer," she said, and then the sound of laughter from others filled the air. But a kick from Yuta made everything spin into chaos.
"I don't have time. I want to be an adventurer. Any training or tests?"
"Your name?" Linda asked.
"Siren," Yuta said, remembering his new name, which he had taken from a star, though he couldn't remember which one. Ah, it was Serina Swan, a great actress.
"I am Sebastian, the servant of my lady, Siren," Sebastian said, drawing attention to himself.
"Heh, really?" Linda said.
Yuta could feel the jealousy and anger boiling in her heart.
Everyone was like that.
How could a masked girl captivate such a handsome young man? It wasn't fair.
Compared to Yuta's true beauty, Sebastian didn't even come close to one percent of his looks.
Damn.
They must not see him.
"You need to get a bird-type monster from the Six-Armed Mountains to get proof, and you can hire adventurers to go with you in exchange for a share of the monster," Linda said, still smiling.
"Alright," Yuta said. "Who's joining my team?"