Rhode never planned to become an adventurer. But Hagart had told him: an assassin shouldn’t have just one identity.

Most carried a second cover—a baker-assassin, a carriage-driver assassin, even a chicken-farmer assassin.

Hagart had even pitched Rhode the idea of becoming an adventurer-assassin.

Naturally, Rhode rejected it.

Ironically, here he stood now at the Adventurers’ Guild, all for a commission.

“Hey, kid. Since when did the Adventurers’ Guild get so fancy?” Black Sword’s voice echoed in Rhode’s mind.

“How would I know? I’ve never been here,” Rhode muttered, genuinely clueless.

“Places like this used to be taverns.”

“Taverns?”

“Wooden walls, hanging lamps overhead, barrels stacked in the back,” Black Sword recalled carefully.

Rhode lifted his gaze and scanned the hall.

Elegantly finished walls. Polished redwood floors. Magic lamps embedded in the ceiling.

Though not spacious—with neatly posted commissions lining both sides—it never felt cramped.

Adventurers clustered around tables drinking, yet the space remained orderly, not chaotic.

But—

“This seems pretty ordinary…” Rhode murmured.

“What?! You call *this* ordinary?!”

“Come on, Uncle Black Sword. Anything from the last era is basically an antique now,” Rhode retorted, exasperated.

“Hmph… True enough.” The usually boisterous uncle stayed quiet—a rare moment of agreement.

After all, before Black Sword was shattered, he’d barely encountered anything new.

“Hello, sir!” A cheerful voice cut through their mental chat.

A bright-eyed girl around Rhode’s age greeted him warmly from the front desk.

She was rather plain-looking.

But since he was just a kid, he could only give a silent thumbs-up inwardly.

“Hi,” Rhode offered a small smile.

“You can call me Xiao Si. How may I assist you?” She gestured gracefully toward the board behind her.

Procedures for all services were clearly listed.

Still, Xiao Si always explained them aloud—to accommodate those who couldn’t read.

Adventurers came from all walks of life; illiteracy wasn’t rare.

“I’m here to find a commission,” Rhode said. “Do I need to register first?”

“Yes, sir.” Despite his obvious baby face, Xiao Si kept the respectful address.

*He might be an old monster pretending to be young.*

“Then let’s get started! Registration forms first.” With a *whoosh*, she slid a thick stack across the counter.

“Ahaha…” Rhode let out a stiff chuckle. “All of these?”

“Of course! But if you need help writing, I can assist.” She rolled up her sleeves with eager determination.

“There’s a small fee for the service, though.”

“No need. I can read and write.” Rhode shook his head. Nobles were literate, after all.

The forms demanded everything—even personal attributes.

Honestly, Rhode hated disclosing secrets.

He figured most people fudged details too.

His current stats had long been updated:

---

Rhode

Race: Human (Imperial)

System: Mana

Attributes:

"Speed" Level 3, "Strength" Level 2, "Skill" Level 6, "Will" Level 4, "Stamina" Level 2, "Magic" Level 1

Abilities:

"Re-Stealth D": After being exposed during stealth, reduces presence when attempting to re-stealth.

---

Rhode filled every attribute field—but left the ability blank.

"Re-Stealth D" wasn’t flashy, but better safe than sorry.

…Though honestly, after all these years, it still hadn’t improved.

Still hit-or-miss.

After a long while, he finally finished.

Just as he sighed in relief, Xiao Si extended her fair hand.

“Registration fee: 100G. Thank you!” She beamed, especially lingering on “100.”

Rhode pulled out his wallet and painstakingly scraped together the coins.

Once counted, Xiao Si smiled sweetly. “Here’s your rank badge.”

She handed him a pin—a “D” shaped like a bird.

“That’s it? I heard the Guild had high standards now.”

“Registration is simple. Promotion? Very hard.” Xiao Si explained.

“Many adventurers stay Rank D forever just to avoid the hassle—even when qualified.”

“I’ll probably feel the same,” Rhode said wryly, pocketing the badge.

“Oh, I’m looking for a specific commission.” He described Hagart’s request.

Xiao Si pulled out a tablet and swiped swiftly.

“Kid! Look at this high-tech thing!” Black Sword gasped again.

Rhode ignored the outdated uncle.

“Ah, found it.” She turned the screen toward him.

“The commission from the monster researcher?”

“Yes.”

“This might be tricky for you, sir,” Xiao Si said, propping her chin with concern.

“Why?”

“It recommends at least one Rank C adventurer in the party. Xun Niao is extremely dangerous for Rank D.”

“You look young… Xiao Si doesn’t recommend it.”

“No problem.” Hagart had given the order—Rhode had no choice.

“Please reconsider! It’s *really* dangerous.”

“Extremely.”

“I *must* take it,” Rhode said firmly to the kind girl.

“Alright…” Seeing his resolve, Xiao Si stopped persuading.

“But… it’s truly dangerous. You could die.” She added one last warning, helpless.

“…”