"Welcome to the Rambosa Guild, how may I help you today?"
The woman standing behind the polished wooden counter uttered the words, looking up at the people standing in front of her with a rather nervous look on her face.
The interior of the guild was vast, filled with the echoing murmurs of other adventurers who were busy going about their daily business.
The sound of heavy boots on stone floors and the clinking of armor created a constant, low-level hum of activity.
Adventurers moved in droves, each making their way to the bright, glowing hologram situated at the far end of the room. It was a massive magical display where a lot of their vital information was being displayed in real-time.
It cycled through various important metrics, such as the current Adventurer Rankings, the list of Trending Quests that were offering high rewards, and even the competitive Party Rankings for the month.
Of course, Kai ignored them all.
In that moment, his main concern, and his only priority, was to register as an adventurer in that very guild. He walked with a singular purpose, cutting through the noise of the crowd.
Despite the fact that people seemed to be looking at him and Lyra for some reason, casting curious and lingering glances their way, he kept his cool and focused on the receptionist.
"I would like to register as an adventurer, if you don't mind."
The receptionist seemed to stare at him longer than was considered normal. Her eyes lingered on his features, and her cheeks flushed a bit red before she regained her composure to reply.
"O-okay, I can do that immediately. Is it just you?" she asked, her eyes darting briefly to hint at Lyra, who was standing stoically behind him like a shadow.
"That would be correct," he replied calmly.
"Alright, please fill out this form and come with me once you're done."
She slid a piece of parchment across the counter. As soon as he was handed the paper, he began to fill in the required information.
The quill scratched against the surface as he wrote down his name, his chosen class, and also the number of guild houses he had registered under prior to this one.
In this world, every city had its own Guild House with its own roster of registered adventurers.
It was quite normal for adventurers to transfer to other guilds, be it temporarily for a specific quest or permanently for a change of scenery.
Some of the time, a guild might even sell off their top adventurers to another guild for a massive profit, trading them like valuable commodities.
At the end of the day, most of the movement in this industry was always due to money and fame.
However, in this specific case, depending on the number of guilds an adventurer had been with, the current guild would be able to accurately tell their worth.
Those who had been transferred to multiple guilds with high funding and prestige were usually considered the best of their kind, veterans sought after by everyone.
Once he was done filling out the paper, the woman took it from him with delicate hands and read it line by line, her eyes scanning the ink.
"A Summoner? T-that's a rather rare class."
She uttered the words out loud, clearly impressed by what she was reading.
The fact that he had not been registered or transferred to any other guild made it even more perfect. It meant he was a fresh talent, a hidden gem.
If he turned out to be strong, the Rambosa Guild would be the first to lay claim to him, boosting their own reputation.
She was so excited about the prospect that a professional smile immediately grazed the corner of her lips.
After all, if she played her cards right, she would most likely be assigned as his Guild Advisor if he liked her enough.
That meant commissions and status for her as well.
"Please, come with me."
The receptionist moved away from her counter, signaling for him to follow.
She strode towards the corner of the room, heading towards an area where a giant, ornate mirror hung on the wall.
The frame was decorated with unique, magical designs at the very front, pulsing with a faint light.
From where Kai stood, he could see some adventurers, probably newly registered rookies like himself, seated on the long wooden bench opposite the giant mirror.
Some of them had a look of utter disappointment etched on their faces as they held their new Adventurer Cards in their hands, a green, glowing rectangular plastic card that defined their worth in this world.
While for others, the scene was different. They seemed rather happy, some already getting approached and reacquired by established parties and private guilds, also known as Clans, right on the spot.
'I see. It is quite different from what I remembered in the beta. Let's see how it goes.'
Before he could take a step forward to join the queue, Lyra suddenly reached out and held him by the hand, stopping his advance.
"My Lord, pardon my rudeness, but are you sure about this? If you are to stand in the midst of humans so far away... their disgusting gazes will be fixed on you. What if they decide to attack?"
She whispered the warning, her eyes looking up at him with a mixture of devotion and intense paranoia. She glared at a passing adventurer who dared to look their way.
'Oh Lyra, just how much do you hate humans? Then again, considering your past and how you're a manifestation of said memories, I really shouldn't be that surprised.'
Kai moved his hand away from her grasp gently, breaking the contact, and instead placed his hand softly on top of her head.
"You don't have to worry about that. Humans may be barbaric creatures, but even they know when and where to be barbaric. They won't try anything here."
Just from the simple fact that Kai touched her head, Lyra melted instantly. Her face turned soft, the hostility vanishing from her eyes, and she looked like a child being offered a lollipop.
Her desire to protect him was instantly replaced by the joy of his touch.
Once Kai noticed she was now calm and obedient, he turned away and began to walk towards the mirror.
Upon reaching there, the atmosphere shifted slightly. Just like when he first walked into the building, everyone seemed to have their eyes locked on him.
Whispers went from ear to ear, people speculating on who the newcomer with the beautiful companion was.
And just like always, he ignored them completely.
"Please place your hand on the mirror so it can scan your information."
The receptionist gestured to the glass surface.
Kai stretched his hand forward, and pressed his palm directly onto the cold, humming magic glass.
'From what I remember, this glass is supposed to be able to register a player's brain waves from their real body to synchronize the data. Depending on how strong you are mentally and physically, your mana will follow, and in this world, mana is everything. But I am worried about two other things…'
He watched the light flash over his palm, analyzing the process with a critical mind.
'I am a Boss—at least in this game—not a player. Whether the mirror works on me is another thing entirely. But crucially...'
A dark, intrusive thought gripped him, one he had been suppressing.
'I tried to avoid asking myself this, but what if there is no brain for it to scan? Am I even still alive? I live alone in the real world... I doubt my body could have survived this long without food or water.'
The more he thought about it, the more nervous he got. The implications were terrifying.
If it was the latter, if his body was dead, then there was simply no two ways about it: he was a ghost in the machine. He was dead.
However, if he was still alive, then it just had to be because of her.
She—
Ding!
The mirror suddenly made a sharp sound that forced him to move his attention away from his existential dread and towards the glowing surface.
There, he could boldly see his stats materializing.
Golden letters moved idly on the glass with their own magical animation, forming words.
Even before Kai got the chance to read what was written there, he first noticed the expression written on the faces of those who were also staring at the mirror.
The crowd had gone silent.
...
[A/N]
Sorry about the late updates; I've been taking care of one or two. If things go well, I am going to mass release.
If you like the story so far, please don't forget to drop a power stone.