While keeping up his pace, Lightcast couldn't contain his excitement. "Judging from the excited but not surprised expressions of the people around, these kinds of skills are quite normal, which means there's some sort of supernatural power system in place. And that means there's a lot of potential for me to become a monster."
As he walked, he kept replaying the match in his mind, analyzing it from the perspectives of the redheaded woman, the muscular guy, and himself, trying to gain a deeper understanding. When he came closer to the Adventurers Guild, he started to see the area in front of the building and how busy it was. He also noticed that most people seemed to be in groups of three to five, sometimes more but rarely less. Still, there were a few pairs.
"They probably haven't teamed up just because they like to socialize. Obviously, these areas they go to are mostly too dangerous for a single person. Before assuming more things, let's just ask all the questions in the guild!" Lightcast thought, as he reached to open the large wooden gate—only to have it push back against him instead.
Out came a group of four wild-looking individuals who rushed by him. They had fur around their ears, short fangs in their mouths, light leather armor, and looked quite trained and determined. As they rushed out, only the leader in front glanced at Lightcast in surprise for half a second before continuing; the rest of the group were in high spirits, too focused on their conversation.
"Are they even human? A different race, maybe, or is that just an effect of their powers? Whatever the case, they are full of energy, that's for sure! But now I have even more questions than before..." Before he could think of anything more, Lightcast found himself standing in a big hall filled with hundreds of people.
Some were at tables further to the right of the hall, eating, while others engaged in loud discussions or small fights—explaining why the furniture here was mostly made of wood, easily replaceable if needed. Some people simply held quiet meetings. On the far right, there was a kitchen area that looked like a cafeteria. On the left side, right next to the entrance, was a big board with hundreds of papers attached to it. Most had pictures and descriptions of jobs on them. Just at that moment, a worker in a green uniform stood in front of it, adding more papers while also taking a few off.
Beyond the giant mission board, which was over 10 meters long, there was an even longer counter with wooden separators about every 2 meters. There were about 20 of these small sections, and behind each section was a guild employee dressed in a light blue uniform. They looked very professional as they handled one adventurer after another, processing mission objectives and proofs. It seemed like they were also handing out payment immediately since some of the people turned away in excitement.
Opposite the entrance was a big wooden stairway that led to an upper level. Next to the stairwell was a wide open hallway with many doors that stretched so deep into the building that you couldn't see where it ended...
As Lightcast was taking in his first impression of the guild, a girl in a green uniform approached him and said, "Hello, my name is Lilly. Am I right to assume this is your first time here at the guild?" Lightcast wasn't too surprised since he saw her approaching and replied, "Hello, Lilly, nice to meet you. Yes, that's correct." Lilly seemed more excited and happy than she should have been about guessing right before she responded, "Well, in that case, follow me. I'll lead you to a private counseling room, so you can get all the needed information and register with our guild if you'd like."
For a second, Lightcast felt like he was being tricked into joining the military, but then he relaxed, realizing that Lilly was just a nice guild employee tasked with guiding newcomers in the right direction.
As he started to follow Lilly, Lightcast felt a few eyes on him...