On the first floor of the Adventurers' Guild, Ye Su was giving the clerk his information.

Well, it was more like making things up as he went along while telling the ladies at the counter about himself. He was undocumented here, so he had no choice but to improvise.

The branch chief had practically begged him to register here, promising that he’d get a set of Novice gear that suited him if he signed up. That was what finally gave Ye Su the idea to register.

Apparently, registering a Novice also earned the branch chief some kind of performance bonus. After all, every new Novice class meant at least one promising adventurer was guaranteed to emerge eventually. That was how Ye Su managed to snag a Novice starter pack.

It was just like finishing the tutorial in a game and getting starter gear right away. It was awesome!

“Here you go, little guy. Take good care of this, and be sure to become a powerful adventurer!” After finishing the registration, the young woman at the counter handed him a bronze-colored card.

The card was probably made of copper. It had his name and registration location engraved on it—and, most importantly, his rank! In other words, his level!

Ye Su had only just become an adventurer, so he was the weakest rank of all: F. An F was engraved in the rank field. Adventurers at this level were actually the most common in the world. After all, not everyone could become a powerful adventurer.

He gave the young woman at the counter a polite nod. His youthful, childlike face had a hint of unusual handsomeness beneath its unseasoned look, and for some reason, the sight made her cheeks turn red.

She thought, This kid might grow up to be a heartbreaker...

Ye Su put his card away. He’d finally become an adventurer, and he had to admit, it was pretty interesting.

Only then did he walk over to the seats where Fiona and the branch chief were sitting. The burly, musclebound branch chief had just registered a Novice, and he was so excited you’d think he’d won five million. He was waving around something long and thick in his hand.

“Come on, kid. This is the gear I used when I was young. It’s pretty impressive, even by Novice standards!” The middle-aged man set a set of leather armor and a stick that looked like a piece of deadwood on the table. They landed with a heavy thud.

The Withered Wood Staff was about half a meter long—a one-handed staff.

It sounded like it had some serious heft to it.

Wait... This was a staff?

Ye Su looked at the deadwood staff. It really was a staff... Then he glanced at the muscular, middle-aged man...

Ye Su: “...”

Aren’t you an axe warrior? Why’d you use a staff back then? And your stats don’t show any impressive magic power at all...

“Well... Everyone has dreams when they’re young. I was so fixated on becoming a mage that I didn’t recognize my talent as an axe warrior soon enough. At my age, it’s hard to get any stronger.” The branch chief understood Ye Su’s look and explained, then began reminiscing about the past.

“It’s true. Once he realized what he was good at, it only took him five years to become the way he is now. Back then, he was a prodigy who caused quite a stir.” Fiona remembered it well, too. The middle-aged man had wasted all those years before that; he’d only spent five years actually training.

Not bad. Ye Su had thought he was just a slightly stronger-than-average musclebound uncle, but it turned out he had some real skill.

Maybe he should try the staff. He was a Novice, after all. Maybe he could switch classes and become a mage.

Every game has a saying: “The meta’s favorite changes with every patch, but the mage stays on top.” Mages were never too weak in any game. They were powerful classes that stayed valuable.

Ye Su reached for the Withered Wood Staff. His small hand closed around it, and he tried to lift it.

???

Hup! Hng! Huh?!

He tried with both hands!

And yet he couldn’t even lift the staff... What was this supposed to be?!

Was this game one of those where you had to be in the right class to wield a weapon? Like how only Thor could lift Mjolnir? Or how only mages could pick up staffs?

“Ah... Little guy, you’re too frail. This staff weighs over fifty kilos, and I didn’t think you’d be unable to lift it.” The middle-aged man looked deeply disappointed, as if Ye Su had failed to live up to his expectations.

Ye Su: “...”

No... Hold on. Are mage staffs in your world in the same weight class as the Green Dragon Crescent Blade? And... this is a one-handed staff. That’s way too heavy!

A thought suddenly struck Ye Su. He thought he finally understood why the middle-aged branch chief was so talented as an axe warrior. Maybe it was from wielding that staff—the thing must’ve built up his arm strength.

“It is a little heavy. When I was your age, I probably could’ve only used it as a club with both hands,” Fiona estimated, casually bouncing it in one hand.

Ye Su: “...” Are you all demons or something?

“Don’t you have any normal gear? Like the best sword in the village or something?” Ye Su just couldn’t handle this staff. Maybe he could use it freely only while in his GM Class.

“Nope. I gave you the best Novice gear there is. If you want something else later, you’ll have to work for it.” The middle-aged man gave him a hearty smile, then got up and left. He had other things to take care of, and it seemed the Guild’s quest board needed a new batch of jobs.

Fiona sat to Ye Su’s left. Watching him struggle over the staff he couldn’t lift, she thought he was just too adorable.

“Little Ye Su, why don’t you stick with me from now on? Maybe you’ll become a powerful adventurer just like your big sister. Come on, let’s head back to the inn first~” Fiona easily picked up the staff Ye Su couldn’t manage and beckoned him to follow.

After the Philosopher’s Stone appraised him, Ye Su’s apology to Fiona had backfired. It hadn’t cleared things up at all—instead, it had made her misunderstand him even more.

Well... Maybe this arrangement was better for now. Ye Su decided to go along with Fiona’s assumptions. After all, being alone and without anyone to rely on in an unfamiliar world would be pretty miserable.

Besides, her strength was incredibly reassuring. She was a level 65 Blood Knight—and, most importantly, a beautiful girl! That was the most important part!

A twenty-year-old could still be a beautiful girl! At least, you’d never guess Fiona was actually twenty just by looking at her face. At most, she looked a few years older than Ye Su’s own youthful face.

Before long, Fiona had brought Ye Su to an inn.

It was nothing like the game’s models. The inn wasn’t cartoony at all—it looked run-down, and the lighting was so dim that its faint yellow glow was almost as weak as the moonlight outside.

“The best room you’ve got, please.” The big sister spoke to the old woman at the counter in a perfectly casual tone.

“Certainly. It’s ten copper coins a night. Breakfast for both of you will cost four more copper coins.”