Chapter 39: Izzy: Ahem, I have a friend...
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Izzy walked into the guild hall and, after squeezing out from the crowded area near the bulletin board, began scanning for any free guild staff nearby.
Whether it was information about the precautions needed for venturing into the middle levels or the news about the Strengthen pterosaur that had recently appeared on the fifteenth floor, Izzy needed to acquire it through the guild's channels.
The "middle floor" was an unfamiliar territory for Lv.1 adventurers because it was typically frequented by senior adventurers.
In the Adventurer's Handbook—a guide given to newcomers for free—there was no information provided about the middle levels. If adventurers wanted to know more about the area, they had only two options: ask experienced senior adventurers for advice or purchase the intelligence from guild staff using Vali.
After all, the Adventurer's Guild wasn't a charitable organization. It operated through a complex system of economic strategies and intelligence management. The Adventurer's Handbook served merely as a tool to help beginners through their initial struggles.
As Izzy scanned the room, his gaze accidentally met the eyes of two girls who were watching him from not far away.
Ah, there's a free guild staff member.
Without overthinking it, Izzy walked directly toward the familiar face he recognized.
"Long time no see, Miss Eina."
"You are… Mr. Izzy?"
It had been half a month since their last meeting. Even though Izzy stood right in front of her, Eina stared at him intently for several moments before finally remembering.
For people with a poor memory, half a month was more than enough time to forget the existence of a person—or even an event.
"Eina, you know him? When did this happen? Why didn't I know anything about it?"
At this moment, Misha, Eina's best friend and colleague, was utterly shocked to see Izzy walk up and greet her so casually.
Just a few moments ago, she had been teasing Eina, saying she would never find a boyfriend.
Now, in the blink of an eye, Misha felt as though she had been utterly slapped in the face.
So this is how it was. While everyone thought Eina was as calm and collected as ever, she was secretly hiding something?
Does that mean Misha had just made a complete fool of herself?
Misha's entire mindset shattered.
Hearing her best friend's exaggerated tone, Eina was left speechless.
"Let's not discuss why you even want to know this, but Misha, aren't you misunderstanding something here?"
"Hey, is that so? Isn't this boy your secret boyfriend, Eina?"
"How could that even be possible?! What nonsense are you talking about? If you keep this up, I'll seriously get mad!"
"Don't! I'm sorry! It's my fault! I shouldn't have misunderstood you. Please don't be angry!"
"…!"
After just a few exchanges, Misha quickly conceded, bowing her head and apologizing to Eina with her hands clasped together.
Meanwhile, Izzy stood silently in front of the counter, watching the scene unfold. He seemed hesitant to interrupt the conversation.
With her pretty face still slightly flushed with irritation from her friend's bold assumptions, Eina eventually regained her composure and noticed Izzy patiently waiting beside her.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Izzy. I hope you didn't find that exchange too ridiculous."
"It's fine. Honestly, I wouldn't mind having more of these amusing misunderstandings~"
After all, the more one gets misunderstood, the more likely it is for the misunderstanding to eventually come true, right?
Izzy had encountered situations like this before and wasn't the least bit bothered by it.
"No way! And it's not an amusing misunderstanding at all!" Eina pouted, puffing her cheeks slightly in an unusually cute manner.
"As for you, Mr. Izzy, it's been half a month since you became an adventurer, and there's been no word from you. I honestly thought you might have been killed."
"Hey, hey… Do you really need to curse me like that?"
In response to Izzy's words, Eina raised her chin slightly and gestured toward the bulletin board.
"This isn't a curse; it's a fact. Whether it's new adventurers or seasoned ones, people go missing almost every day. Look over there. That notice was updated just yesterday. There are over a dozen missing person requests on it. All of them are adventurers who've disappeared recently."
"Um… well, I can understand your feelings to some extent."
Izzy, reminded of the numerous missing person requests he had just seen, fell silent. Once again, he gained a clearer understanding of how perilous the adventurer's profession truly was.
In truth, Izzy had never let his guard down when it came to the dungeon.
He was… special.
Because of this, he had a deeper knowledge of the dungeon than most others, and he was naturally more cautious. Otherwise, he would have rushed into the middle levels long ago instead of staying in the upper levels for half a month to steadily increase his ability points.
"Now, back to the main topic, Mr. Izzy. What do you need from the guild this time? I'll do my best to assist you."
Ending the brief diversion, Eina straightened up and adopted a more serious tone, fully embracing her role as a guild clerk.
"Well, about that… I came here hoping to purchase information about the middle level and the adventure commission concerning the Strengthen species pterosaur."
"I understand. I'll assist you right away—wait, what did you just say? Middle level???"
Initially, Eina assumed Izzy was just conducting the usual inquiries made by newcomers or accepting some basic commissions involving goblins or earth spirits. She even had her prepared responses ready in her mind.
However, the moment she realized the nature of his request, her expression completely shifted.
Slamming her hands down on the countertop, she straightened up with a sharp, questioning gaze.
"Mr. Izzy, you're a Lv. 1 adventurer. Why are you inquiring about the middle level? Are you planning to explore it?"
Her emerald eyes fixed firmly on Izzy, as though she were trying to uncover every layer of his intent.
It wasn't just her professional responsibility that drove her reaction—it was her personality.
Eina couldn't stand idly by while adventurers, unaware of their limitations, recklessly pushed beyond their abilities, increasing the depth they explored until they inevitably perished in the dungeon.
If such a thing could be prevented, Eina would stop at nothing to do so.
In her eyes, Izzy appeared to be treading dangerously close to that path.
"Ahem. You're making a big deal out of this, Miss Eina. Do I look like someone who'd recklessly rush into the middle level alone to seek death?"
"You look very much like someone who would."
"..."
The corners of Izzy's mouth twitched awkwardly.
This conversation was heading straight for disaster.
Realizing there was no other way, Izzy prepared to resort to some… creative storytelling to defuse the situation.
"It's not what you think, Miss Eina. The truth is… I have a friend…"
Izzy cleared his throat, adopting a carefully measured tone as he began the classic excuse: I have a friend.
"She's very interested in the Strengthen species pterosaur on the fifteenth floor. She's strong enough to take on the subjugation commission, and as for me… she's simply taking me to the middle level to broaden my horizons. There's no danger involved, I assure you. Please believe me~"
Izzy concluded his explanation with a disarmingly sincere expression as he looked at Eina.
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