After following Klein Watermelon-rind through the forest for about ten minutes, a village appeared as soon as we stepped out.

Up close, a signpost stood to the left of the village entrance. Its crooked, horrifyingly ugly handwriting read: 'Village of Egramote—aka the新手 village. Welcome, newbies!'

"This handwriting is awful," I said, pointing at the sign.

"The village elder wrote it himself. He’s old, so us youngsters should cut him some slack, right?" Klein shrugged.

We entered the village. The moment I crossed the threshold, a faint blue light swept over my body. Instantly, lively hawking sounds reached my ears—sounds completely absent outside the village gates.

"Health potions for 50 copper! Mana potions for 50 copper!" Voices mixed with shouts for magic gems and trinkets.

"This is Merchant Street," Klein explained eagerly. "You can buy or sell almost anything here. But no weapons or gear—you’ll need Weapon Street for that, repairs, or upgrades."

We walked from one end of Merchant Street to the other, stopping before a grand building at the far end.

"This is the Adventurers’ Guild," Klein said dutifully. "Accept quests, exchange skills, and get your class certified here."

He turned to me. "Wait a sec, okay? I need to turn in a quest." Without waiting for my reply, he left me and strode inside.

Bored, I stood by the guild entrance, glancing around to take in this strange world. People of all kinds gathered here: fair-haired Westerners, delicate East Asians, sturdy Africans. Others wore bizarre outfits, faces hidden, muttering quietly.

Just as I turned back to wait for Klein, a girl appeared before me, hands on hips, glaring down her nose. "Hey! Weakling! Scram! Make way for me this instant!!" Her voice was haughty yet lovely.

She wore sleek silver armor, a longsword at her waist—far finer than Klein’s Knight Sword. Around sixteen or seventeen, she had a cute face under pale yellow hair coiled up… and a tiny nose with no visible nose hair.

I frowned. "Are you talking to me?"

"Who else would dare block my path? Get lost, weakling!" Her repeated insults grated on me.

"...Why not walk around? There’s plenty of space… and I’ve been standing here awhile." I swallowed my anger, trying to stay rational.

She wouldn’t back down. "I like walking here! What’s it to you? No one here can stop me! Challenge me to a duel if you disagree!"

"Duel?" The word drew an instant crowd, everyone curious.

"Scared? Pay me one silver coin and leave!" ...I really wanted to punch her.

I held back my fury, about to speak, when I spotted Klein exiting the guild. He glanced at me, then stared in shock at the blonde girl. Without a word, he stepped between us.

I almost thanked him for having my back against this unreasonable girl—until he placed a hand before her, slightly bowed his head in a perfect gentleman’s bow, and said, "Fair lady, I am Klein Watermelon-rind, known as the Astonishing Klein. Might I join you for dinner tonight?"

"Get lost, loser!" The knight girl didn’t even look at him. She kicked his knee hard. Klein yelped, clutching his leg and rolling on the ground beside her.

I facepalmed, watching utterly unreliable Klein. I decided then and there to ditch him later.

After easily disposing of Klein, the blonde girl fixed her gaze on me. "One silver coin or a duel. Choose."

"I have no money," I admitted honestly. Freshly spawned, I only had one copper coin from a slime. Here, 100 copper equaled one silver, 100 silver one gold, and 100 gold one violet coin. Even giving her my copper meant owing 99 more—equivalent to 99 slimes. Her gear looked lavish; I stood zero chance against her. Plus, I knew nothing about this world’s systems.

"So you choose a duel? Don’t blame me for what comes next." She drew her gleaming Knight Sword with a *shing*. The blade pressed against my neck. Icy dread flooded me—I could feel this was a real sword. One stab meant death or serious injury.

"Ready?! Go!" She shouted, lunging forward. I squeezed my eyes shut. "W-wait..."

"Rock Paper Scissors!"

"Huh?!" My hand shot out—rock.

"*Gasp!*" The crowd sucked in breath. "Scary!"

I slowly opened my eyes. First, the knight girl’s sour expression. Then my rock-fisted right hand and her left hand showing scissors. I... I won?

Crowd: "What an epic duel!"

Me: "..."

"You... you’re stronger than you look! I’ll spare you this time!" Her face flushed pink. She glared, snorted, sheathed her Knight Sword, and sidestepped around me.

The crowd lingered, savoring the moment, then dispersed. Soon, only Klein—still rolling on the ground—and I remained.

I pressed my forehead, dazed. What... what just happened? Who could explain this? Why draw a sword over nothing, then switch to Rock Paper Scissors? Where was the real duel?! Is this how duels work here? Rock Paper Scissors?! What kind of duel is that?! A million complaints boiled inside me.

Just then, Klein hopped up and bounced over, patting my shoulder. "Hey, buddy. Guess what I spotted while rolling on the ground?"

"What?" I eyed him suspiciously.

He beckoned me closer, whispering, "Sky blue~~~~"

"Huh? What?"

"Idiot! I ‘accidentally’ fell near the knight lady to peek at her panties. Pure sky blue~ Heh heh heh..."

"..." Shameless.

The farce ended. Klein took his quest earnings and led me to a tavern beside the guild. He treated me to a decent meal. Afterward, he said he had to leave. Before he went, I asked what I should do next.

"Hmm," he mused. "Get your class certified at the Adventurers’ Guild first. Certification brings guild recognition. Recognition lets you take quests for XP and cash. Cash makes you strong and rich. Strong and rich means you can—"

"Stop! I get it!" I cut him off. "Certify my class first, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I’m off then."

"Bye."

After Klein left, I turned toward the Adventurers’ Guild. It buzzed with activity, packed even as night fell. Quest-takers crowded the bulletin boards. Others chatted with receptionists at submission counters. I asked a passerby where class certification was and headed to the farthest counter.

"Hello! Adventurers’ Guild Class Certification Desk. How can I help you?" The receptionist smiled professionally—identical to the others, yet perfectly poised.