"Bro? Are You Blind?!"

The burly figure, broad-shouldered and thick-browed, froze for a moment. Then she roared furiously, "Bro? Are you blind?!"

Knowing he was at her mercy, Ink Ash swallowed his slight anger. He changed his tone, "Well... handsome young man?"

"Bastard! Are you deliberately trying to piss me off? I'm a woman—look properly!"

Hearing that gratingly respectful address, the fierce woman nearly drew her knife to chop him down. Only the city's no-fighting rule held her back.

"I'm eighteen and in my prime! So what if I look a bit androgynous, have developed pecs, more muscles, a sturdy build... Where exactly do I look like a man?! Insult me like this, and I'll never get married!!"

After her roar, Ink Ash's tiny resentment vanished instantly.

Staring at those robust muscles, seeing arms thicker than his own thighs, his mouth twitched repeatedly. Finally snapping out of it, he struggled to speak, "Uh... I'm truly sorry. Beautiful lady, I'm new here. Could you tell me where the Adventurer's Guild is?"

"You? Want to be an adventurer?" Sally sneered, giving the twig before her a disdainful look.

"That's right—I need work to support my family—"

Before Ink Ash could finish, she cut him off, "Do you even know what adventurers do?"

"A job to earn money. Nothing more!" Great Demon King replied nonchalantly, a calm smile on his face.

Sally gave Ink Ash an approving glance. Her sharp tongue softened. "Not bad courage. If you're really set on dying... follow me!"

"Got it! Lily, hurry up!"

Spotting the cute girl jogging over, Sally asked curiously, "Who's she?"

"My apprentice." Ink Ash puffed out his chest proudly.

"With your build, you can't even hold a sword steady. How dare you teach? Aren't you afraid of ruining her?"

"Ahem! Don't judge a book by its cover... don't laugh—I'm serious!"

On the way to the guild, Ink Ash learned about Sally: bold, rugged, and fiercely hating being mistaken for a man.

Rumor said she was once young and beautiful. A toxin infection during an adventure changed her physique.

The Adventurer's Guild? Simply put—a den of dangerous folk. They take quests, hunt monsters, and get paid. Brutally simple, right?

No entry limits meant explosive growth. It spread across the continent.

But this mix of good and bad left it loosely structured, poorly regulated.

Note: the grassroots guild was looked down on by the nobility-born Magic Association. Yet many mages secretly joined for experience and side cash...

One key detail: adventurer ranks were strictly divided. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Starlight—six tiers, each with five levels.