As the stunningly beautiful woman with long, light blue hair and snow-white skin entered the capital, she was immediately approached by several men.
"Dear young lady, can I be of assistance?" a young man with a muscular physique offered.
"I'll take you wherever you need to go, Miss," said another man with luscious locks.
"What is your name, young lady?" inquired another man, cigarette still hanging from his lips.
The woman's expression turned serious and her gaze piercing. "Can you please get away from me," she replied, her irritation palpable.
The men raised their eyebrows in surprise. "Well, aren't you the arrogant one," one of them responded, his tone threatening.
Without hesitation, the woman unsheathed her sword, and in one swift motion, the men's hair was shaved off.
Their eyes widened in shock and they almost started crying. "This one is dangerous," they muttered before running away.
The elders quickly recognized her outfit as that of a samurai from the Altair clan in the Artempus region. "It's dangerous to approach her," the people around whispered.
They all looked at the woman. "But I heard there are no female samurai in that clan," some of them murmured.
Her intimidating aura caused everyone to move away, and one person was even frozen in fear.
She glared at him as she approached. "Tell me where the guild is located," she demanded in a forceful tone, her eyes rolling almost frighteningly.
The man struggled to answer. "It's in the middle of the city. Just go straight that way," he stammered.
The woman continued walking, her determined stride signaling that she was on a mission.
Yunya despises men because she believes they view women as weak, obedient servants. "I'm going to create a world where women reign supreme, where we don't need men to survive. I'll prove to you, Father, that strength isn't tied to gender," she vows through gritted teeth.
Upon reaching the guild, Yunya observes the men drinking and carousing. Entering the guild, Yunya was met with the sight of drunk men having a good time. However, they fell silent as she stood confidently among them. One man approached her, claiming, "hey, she's mine."
"I am not anyone's property," Yunya answered, giving him an intimidating look. "By the way, I am Kryge, the winner of the earlier contest. Care to have a good time, beautiful?" Kryge said with a grin.
"Leave in front of me this instant," Yunya demanded.
"I like it when they're playing hard to get," Kryge smirked. "But no matter how feisty you are, you're just going to fall for me." He then grabbed a nearby maid and kissed her, making it clear that she was uncomfortable.
This enraged Yunya, and she drew her sword without hesitation, ready to attack Kryge. He quickly blocked her attack with his flaming sword, and the force of their collision threw them together.
As they continued to battle, their skills seemed evenly matched, and the aura of magic they released indicated that they were both powerful. If this continued, the guild was going to bw destroyed and both of them would die. Kryge smiled, impressed with what he saw.
"Good, but based on the region's law, you don't have the right to challenge me to a duel right now. You still need to garner a lot of reputation for that opportunity," Kryge said, boasting about his higher-ranking privilege.
Yunya realized that she needed to build her reputation and gather resources before challenging Kryge, she then stood straight and garners the attension of everyone. "To the female adventurers here, I would like to form a party with you for the highest-ranked mission," she declared confidently, pointing to the mission at the top of the charts, one of the highest levels of difficulty.
Everyone in the guild was shocked, unable to believe what they had just heard. "Is she crazy? We know he's strong, but the mission he's taking is a leader level," the people in the guild whispered in disbelief.
Yunya repeated what she had said, her voice louder and more authoritative. "To the women here, aren't you tired of living in the shadow of barbaric men? This is our chance to prove that oour ability is not based on our gender," Yunya said, looking sharply and determinedly at the proud Kryge. "When I finish this mission, I will use my reputation to challenge you and bring you down!" she declared, pointing her sword at him.
All the female adventurers in the guild suddenly lined up one by one on Yunya's side. The proud Kryge just smiled, "No matter how strong you are, you still can't handle the leader level, and when that happens, you'll come back to me on your knees, begging to be included in my harem," he replied complacently and indifferently.
Ignoring him, Yunya handed her adventurer's card to the receptionist to sign up for the mission. "Let's see when I come back, you're dead," she said, giving Kryge one last sharp look before walking out of the guild with her new party.
As Yunya walked out of the guild, she passed a man who seemed lost in his own thoughts, almost oblivious to the world around him. She was surprised that this was the first man in the city who didn't give her a second glance. She examined his face and noticed a peculiar watch on his wrist.
However, he almost collided with Yunya due to his carelessness. But he didn't seem to care and continued walking as if nothing had happened.
Yunya's comrades were quick to speak up. "Hey, you've got some nerve bumping into us like that!" they exclaimed. But the man seemed oblivious and continued on his way, unfazed by their anger.
Meanwhile, inside the guild, Kryge had lost his composure. He was fuming with anger and threw away the wine he was holding. "That stupid woman!" he shouted, seething with anger. He cursed Yunya for her audacity and thought about how he could have won that duel if he had not used up all his magic earlier. In his rage, he destroyed some equipment in the guild.
As Kryge remembered his past, he thought about how his father, Hoshi, had been the former Capital Emperor of the city who believed in equality. But Kryge knew that it was a lie as his father's beliefs had led to his death, abandonment by his friends, and even his mother traded them to the person who had killed his Father, Kryge believed that strength was the only thing that mattered in the world.
Suddenly, they noticed a ragged-looking man enter the guild who appeared lost and confused. His clothes were dirty, and he looked like he didn't know what he was doing.
As KC entered the guild, a wave of familiarity washed over him seeing the men lookind down on him, reminding him of his first day at school when he was bullied. It was tough to adapt to a new environment, but he knew he couldn't dwell on things that had happened in the past. He had to focus on finding a way home.
Looking around, he spotted the man who had won the arena earlier named Kryge. The man glared at him, clearly annoyed. KC ignored him and made his way to the receptionist, feeling a bit nervous as he approached her.
"Excuse me, can I get some information about this place?" he stuttered. Kristel, a consummate professional, replied, "Okay, I'm Kristel, and I'm ready to assist you. May I see your adventurer's card?"
KC panicked and shook his head. He had no idea what an adventurer's card was.
KC's heart sank. "What adventurer's card?"
Kristel's face fell with disappointment. "I'm sorry, but you need an adventurer's card to access that information."
KC scratched his head, clearly confused. "What's an adventurer's card for?"
"The adventurer's card is a license and proof that you are an adventurer. It's necessary to access information and missions, travel legally, and increase your rank and reputation," Kristel explained patiently.
KC still struggled to understand the importance of the card. "But what's the point of that?"
Kristel took a deep breath before responding. "Your reputation and rank increase as you complete more missions, and that gives you more rights and resources. With a higher rank, you can access all the information you need and even own a territory, a house, and have members under your command."
KC's curiosity was piqued. "How do I increase my rank and reputation?"
Kristel replied matter-of-factly, "Before I can tell you that, you need to have an adventurer's card."
KC was sweating now. "How can I get one?"
"You need 3,000 silver coins to purchase one," Kristel answered.
KC sighed. "I guess that means I need to earn money. If working is the only way, then so be it."
As KC stumbled to his feet, he was suddenly pushed with great force. As KC stumbled down, he was bewildered by the sudden attack. The person who had pushed him was Kryge, the man from earlier, who was now looking down at him with contempt. "Why did you do that?" KC asked, rubbing his sore shoulder.
"Did I hear that right, you want to be an adventurer?" Kryge sneered. "Are you delusional? I can see from your aura that you don't have any magic."
The drunken adventurers in the guild joined in with laughter, mocking KC's desire to become an adventurer. "Another magicless fool dares to be an adventurer!" Kryge shouted.
"Teach him a lesson!" the drunks yelled.
Kryge's smile turned even more contemptuous and condescending as he informed KC of a guild tradition. "You know, here in the guild, we have a rule to not allow any magicless to be an adventure so there's no burden on a mission, but we have a wager here that even if you're magicless, if you manage to scratch me in a fight, you'll be allowed to become an adventurer."
KC looked at his watch, still recharging. "Sorry guys, but maybe next time. I have something to do," he said, backing away nervously.
But Kryge wasn't having it. "I won't let you leave," he growled, lunging forward for an attack.