Kaito had been walking through the bustling streets of the town when he came across a commotion in a nearby alley. A group of rough-looking men had cornered two girls, their expressions a mix of arrogance and amusement. The girls, however, seemed less frightened and more irritated.
Sighing, Kaito stepped in. "Is there something wrong here?" he asked, his tone calm but firm.
One of the men, a bulky figure with a shaved head, turned to glare at Kaito. "Mind your own business, kid!" he snarled before swinging a fist at him.
To Kaito, the punch was laughably slow. It was as if time itself had slowed down, allowing him to analyze every movement. Without effort, he caught the man's arm and, with a simple flick of his wrist, sent him flying several meters away. The man crashed into a pile of wooden crates, groaning in pain.
The other two thugs hesitated for a moment before charging at Kaito together. He sidestepped one attack, grabbed the attacker's arm, and flipped him over his shoulder. The second man attempted a clumsy swing, but Kaito countered with a swift kick to his chest, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
Kaito turned back to check on the girls, only to find that one of them had already taken down four opponents by herself. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. He then noticed the gauntlets on her hands—metallic, glowing faintly with runic engravings.
The girl removed her gauntlets, shaking her hands slightly. "Hah! That was easy," she said, looking down at the unconscious men.
Her companion sighed. "You always go overboard, Amelia."
Kaito chuckled. "Looks like you didn't really need my help after all."
Amelia smirked. "Maybe not, but it was nice to have some backup. Thanks."
Her companion, a girl with long, dark hair, nodded. "Yes, thank you. I'm Lilia, and this musclehead is Amelia."
Kaito gave a small nod. "I'm Kaito."
Before he could say more, the two girls started arguing.
"We should really consider adding another member," Lilia said.
"Tch. We don't need anyone else!" Amelia huffed.
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Are you two forming a party or something?"
Lilia turned to him. "Actually, yes. We're adventurers. We were just talking about adding another member to take on a quest from the Adventurer's Guild."
Kaito thought for a moment. "I could help with that, but I'd need to register as an adventurer first."
Amelia crossed her arms. "You? Well... you did handle those guys pretty easily."
Lilia nodded. "Alright then. If you're serious, meet us at the Adventurer's Guild tomorrow morning. We'll help you get started."
Kaito agreed and parted ways with the girls. As the sun began to set, he made his way to the Adventurer's Guild.
---
Inside the guild, the atmosphere was lively. Various adventurers—some seasoned warriors, others fresh recruits—chatted, laughed, and studied the quest boards. Kaito approached the reception desk, where a young receptionist greeted him with a professional smile.
"Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. Are you here to register?"
Kaito nodded. "Yes."
The receptionist pulled out a small crystal vial. "I'll need a drop of your blood to link your status to the guild system."
Kaito pricked his finger, letting a drop of blood fall into the vial. The crystal glowed briefly before fading. The receptionist then handed him a white card.
"This is your Adventurer's Card. White rank is the lowest, and Platinum is the highest. You'll need to complete quests to raise your rank." She gestured to a large board filled with papers. "For now, you can take quests from the White Rank board."
Kaito scanned the board, his eyes landing on a simple herb collection quest. "I'll take this one."
The receptionist recorded his choice and handed him a small satchel. "Good luck!"
---
The next morning, Kaito arrived at a lush, green forest where the herb was said to grow. As he wandered through the area, he frowned. Searching for herbs one by one would be time-consuming.
Then, an idea struck him.
"Why not make my own skills?"
He started imagining a program for some skill, focusing on a skill that could analyze his surroundings and identify useful items. A moment later, a system notification appeared before him.
**New Skill Created: Appraisal**
- Allows the user to analyze objects and identify their properties.
Excited, he pushed further. He needed a way to locate the herbs more efficiently. Closing his eyes, he visualized an ability that could highlight specific objects in his vicinity.
**New Skill Created: Search**
- Allows the user to detect specific targets within a set radius.
Testing his new skills, Kaito activated Search and immediately, several glowing spots appeared in his vision, indicating the locations of the required herb. Using Appraisal, he confirmed the correct plant before carefully harvesting it.
Within an hour, he had collected more than enough.
"That was faster than I expected."
Satisfied with his progress, Kaito returned to the guild, where the receptionist inspected his collection and nodded approvingly. "Well done. That was quick. Here's your reward."
She handed him a small pouch of coins. Though the amount was modest, Kaito was more interested in testing his skills further.
he would meet Lilia and Amelia.
His adventure was just beginning.