"Do you still recognize me? I'm surprised," boomed a deep voice. The sound reverberated off the walls as the towering figure entered the room. Standing well over seven feet tall, his tank-like build and fiery red hair nearly brushed the ceiling. A diagonal scar slashed across his face, adding a foreboding presence to the already intimidating man.
Memories overwhelmed Aryan's mind, he was the one and only person in his memories who he wanted to avoid. Karl Armstrong—one of the five elite members of the Royal Guard of City 7. Aryan's sworn brother and one of the most formidable men in the entire city.
Aryan's brows frowned; his mind raced, 'Calm down and behave normally. One mistake is all it will take for him to uncover my identity.' He composed himself, replacing his usual plain expression with a slight smile.
Karl glanced around, his nose wrinkled in disgust. "It's stifling in here. Open a window, for goodness' sake." He walked to the window and slid it open.
Bang!
With just a casual wave of his hand, the window and the adjacent wall crumbled to pieces. Leaving a wide gap in its place. Karl paused, staring at the crumbling wall in shock. "Huh, they don't make architecture like they used to, eh?"
Aryan's eyes widened; he had known about Karl's strength from his memories, but watching it live in action was a completely different feeling. "The structure's built for humans, not human-shaped monsters. What do you want?"
Karl chuckled awkwardly, his brutish appearance in stark contrast to his flustered tone. "I heard you registered as an adventurer."
"Yeah, I did," Aryan replied in a beat. He had no reason to hide details from Karl.
"Good. Makes things easier. We've got somewhere to be." Karl's voice suddenly took on an urgent, no-nonsense tone.
"Right now?" Aryan acted lazily, glancing at his pajamas and T-shirt. Red and yellow are perfect colors for clowns.
Karl turned, smirking mischievously as he eyed Aryan's outfit. "On second thought, you're perfectly dressed for the occasion. Let's go."
Before Aryan could protest, Karl scooped him up like a sack of flour, launching himself out of the building and into the air with a single bound. They soared fifty meters above the ground when a cloud of white smoke coalesced beneath them, forming a massive silver bird that carried them skyward.
"Holy f—!" Aryan barely stopped himself from swearing, caught between terror and exhilaration. The wind rushed by as the bird picked up speed.
"AT LEAST TELL ME WHERE WE'RE GOING!" Aryan yelled over the deafening wind.
"To the Royal Palace," Karl answered, just as the floating island appeared above them, bathed in radiant, colorful lights with a colossal golden castle shimmering at its center.
City 7 was approximately a 5km radius covered in an energy dome. Despite the simple appearance, the city was a masterpiece of technology. The city was divided into three factions, the third faction was: the ground floor.
Where normal adventurers and commoners lived, this was the part with the most traffic and market. A hundred meters above it was the second faction: The noble's palace. They could be seen from below, lots of black floating castles above the ground where most of the noblemans resided.
And atop of all, at 150 meters height, at the heart of the city was a magnificent golden castle shining in the sunlight. The royal palace was also home to the city lord and royal guards. The very core of the city was responsible for controlling the wind, rain, temperature, and even the sunlight inside the whole city.
"We're here!" Karl grinned as the bird dissolved into smoke beneath them. They plummeted onto the island with a thunderous crash, letting Aryan fall into the garden teeming with brilliant flowers and exotic birds and small waterfalls trickling down rocks. The golden castle towered in the distance, gleaming under the sun.
"Admire it later," Karl grunted. Patting on Aryan's back a little too hard. "There's somewhere you need to be."
"Huh?" Aryan frowned, annoyed at the lack of explanation. He stood up quickly and moved before Karl obstructing his path, quickly searching through his memories once again.
"If you don't start explaining what this is about, I'm posting that picture of you on social media," Aryan threatened with a smirk. He didn't know if such a picture existed, but the look on Karl's face suggested it was worth the bluff.
Karl froze, his expression shifting to one of panic. "You wouldn't…"
"Oh, I would."
Karl sighed, defeated. "Alright, alright. A few kids your age wanted to form a guild. They were missing a few members, so I recommended you."
"And you did this... without asking me first?" Aryan raised an eyebrow.
Karl clapped a heavy hand on Aryan's shoulder, almost knocking him over. "Look, you've always been into magic history and all that. And I support you with that. But brother, this world is ruled by strength and strength only."
Aryan stared at him, taken aback by the genuine concern in Karl's voice.
"I won't always be around to watch your back. It's time you start standing on your own." Karl continued. "I was happy when I heard you registered as an adventurer, so I figured a guild would help you grow even faster and make a few connections."
Aryan's expressions faded blank; he could sense genuine concern in Karl's voice. He rubbed his chin and asked, "And why me? When there are hundreds of better options."
Karl rubbed his forehead as he leaned closer, whispering in a conspiratorial tone. "Few of your guildmates are going to be bigshot families; they won't associate with just anyone. You, on the other hand, are a noble bloodline, and my brother... So who is going to say no?"
Aryan hesitated. He couldn't help but think, 'What if he knew I am not the person he thinks I am?'
"So, any problem?" Karl asked in his bold, cheerful voice.
Aryan shook his head. "Nah. I'll just go with the flow."
Karl grinned, striding toward the castle. Aryan followed, the grand doors swinging open as they approached. A long red carpet stretched to the center of a vast hall, the floor a polished gray and the walls gleaming white with intricate golden patterns.
Aryan's gaze drifted to the dining table in the middle of the hall, where four people sat, surrounded by dozens of servants.
"Here you go, pickles. The fifth member of your team!" Karl's voice boomed through the room, drawing the attention of the blond boy in green attire who stood up.
"I cannot express my gratitude, sir Karl, for your help. Although I would be more grateful if you stopped calling us pickles." He gestured with a formal smile on his face.
The boy looked almost the same age as Aryan, except for his super expensive dress, leaner body, and a little short height. Yet something about him felt unusual.
'Lean body, decent magic. Probably long-range weapon or agility-based,' Aryan scanned Sen thoroughly.
"Hahahahaha" Karl laughed out loud, walking in another direction, waving his hand back, "Sure, sure. My job is done here. Take care, pups!"
The blonde man smiled bitterly, his gaze flicking towards Aryan. "Greetings. I'm Sen Voltarik. Welcome to our little gathering."
"Aryan," he responded with a nod, mirroring the formality. "Pleasure's mine."
Sean motioned to the others. They rose one by one. "Erith Silverwing," said the first, a girl with a darker complexion and curly black hair.
'More defined muscles, little magic. A fighter with heavy weapons.' Aryan smiled back. She was a seasoned fighter, no doubt, though her looks were modest compared to the next.
The second figure stood up gracefully, her long, dark purple hair flowing past her waist. She wore loose, baggy clothes that barely concealed her striking figure. "Ahana Bluefin, second of the Bluefin bloodline, and leader of the guild we're about to form." Her voice was smooth, mature, almost musical.
Aryan stared, impressed. She was more stunning than any model he had seen, though her appearance was deceiving—there was something else. The sheer amount of magic radiating from her was staggering. 'That's... monstrous,' he thought. Aryan's magic felt like a candle flame compared to the roaring bonfire that surrounded Ahana.
"It's a pleasure," Aryan forced a smile, trying not to show his unease. Ahana smiled playfully, covering her mouth with her hand. "Interesting attire," she teased. "Quite the fashion statement."
Aryan awkwardly avoided his gaze. "Yeah, well, I was pretty much abducted while I was asleep." He turned to the final member, a short man with gray hair and a lean build. The man, noticing Aryan's stare, adjusted his rectangular glasses and stepped forward.
He bowed slightly, placing a hand on his chest. "Greetings, sire. You may address this humble soul as Ruyk. I hail from a modest bloodline and hold no title of distinction."
'No magical presence at all.' Aryan thought in surprise, 'His body doesn't look strong either... Is he even a fighter?'
"Drop the formalities," Aryan said, faking a smile. He stepped forward, offering a handshake. "Just Aryan's fine."
Ryuk straightened, shaking Aryan's hand with a weak but rough grip. "Then I shall abide by your words. It would be a true pleasure to work alongside you."
'A fighter no doubt... but which category?' Aryan's interest peaked at his mysterious presence. But he didn't show it on his face.
With introductions complete, Sen stepped up next to Ahana and Erith. "Why don't we all sit down? We've got a lot to discuss." He gestured for Aryan to join them.
To Aryan's surprise, Sen, Ahana, and Erith sat on one side of the table, while Ryuk positioned himself on the far opposite end. Aryan casually took a seat next to Ryuk, noting the brief flash of irritation on Sen's face before it melted into a forced smile.
"I'm a little in the dark," Aryan admitted. "Could you start from the beginning?"
Ahana nodded. "It's simple. I wish to live as an adventurer and create my guild. Now that you're here, we have enough members to meet the minimum requirements."
Aryan listened while munching on a golden apple from the table. "So, what's next?"
"Now we need to register as adventurers and file the paperwork for the guild," Ahana explained, glancing around at the group.
Ryuk raised his hand, his expression unchanging. "I will have to skip on that. Since I am already registered as an adventurer, I can't attempt the exam again."
"Wait?" Sen looked surprised.
"Same here," Aryan chimed in, glancing at Ryuk. "Already registered."
Ryuk offered a faint smile as silence settled over the table. Erith crossed her arms. "Then that leaves the three of us for registration."
Ryuk gave a nod. "Though I cannot assist with the trials, let me know if you need equipment or potions from the guild. I have good connections for a discount."
Sen burst out laughing. "Discounts? What am I supposed to do with a few coins saved?" Erith elbowed him, cutting off his laughter. "We appreciate the help," she added with a smirk.
Aryan cut in, "Looks like you're coming shopping with me, Ryuk."
Without missing a beat, Ryuk adjusted his glasses. "My pleasure."
Ahana stood, her eyes meeting Aryan's. "That settles then. I'll send details about the guild later. We'll meet again after our first mission." She smiled warmly, though Aryan remained neutral as ever.
"Yeah, sure," Aryan said, rising from his seat. "Let's meet again."
After the meeting, Aryan caught up with Ryuk to discuss buying supplies from the Adventurer Guild. Unfortunately, Ryuk was tied up for the next two days, so they agreed to meet later.
As for the guild registration, it would take over a week before they were called in for the formal test. This left Aryan with plenty of free time, which he had no real plans for, especially since this world was still unfamiliar to him.
To cover the basics, Aryan made his way to the Adventurer Guild to collect his reward. He received 200 silver for completing the quest and another 500 as compensation. With his remaining pocket money, his total came to 900 silver coins—a meager sum, barely enough to last him.
Since his room had been destroyed, Aryan decided to rent a new apartment. Being a noble, no one questioned the state of his previous lodgings or how they had ended up in ruins, though he wasn't exactly thrilled by the situation. Still, it was better than drawing attention to himself.
By evening, after purchasing some essentials, Aryan had just 500 silver left. But at least he now had a cozy room and a comfortable bed to settle into. Finally, with the weight of the day lifting off his shoulders, he stretched out, ready for the long-awaited, uninterrupted sleep he desperately needed.