Sai stepped into the bustling guild hall, his gaze sweeping over the adventurers scattered throughout the room. The scent of ink and parchment mixed with the lingering traces of sweat and ale, creating a familiar atmosphere of mercenaries and wanderers preparing for their next quest. He made his way to the reception desk, where a clerk—a woman with sharp eyes and a knowing smirk—glanced up from a pile of requests.

  She raised an eyebrow. "You here to take a Quest?"

  Before Sai could respond, a new voice cut in. "Sai. The Guild Master wants to see you. Now."

  Sai turned to see a guild assistant standing nearby, their expression unreadable. Around them, the chatter in the hall dimmed just a little as curious gazes flickered in his direction. Being summoned by the Guild Master was no ordinary occurrence.

  He gave a small nod and followed the assistant, moving past the common areas and deeper into the guild. The shift in atmosphere was palpable. The stone halls grew quieter, the torchlight flickering off rough-hewn walls as they approached a heavy double door reinforced with iron.

  The assistant knocked once. "He’s here."

  A deep voice from within answered. "Let him in."

  The doors creaked open, revealing a room lined with bookshelves and walls adorned with weapons. At the center sat a massive wooden desk, behind which the Guild Master loomed—a man past his prime but still built like a warrior. Scars lined his arms, testaments to a lifetime of battle. His sharp eyes locked onto Sai the moment he stepped in.

  A heavy silence settled before the Guild Master leaned back in his chair. "I heard about last night."

  Sai didn’t flinch. His mind was already racing through the events of the encounter. "Then you know I wasn’t the only target."

  The Guild Master’s expression darkened. "Go on."

  Sai exhaled, recalling the fight in vivid detail. "The thrall wasn’t just some rogue vampire servant. She had a master—someone powerful. The way she moved, it wasn’t just instinct. She followed orders, acted with precision. More than that, she was protecting something."

  "Protecting what?"

  "The building. Or more specifically, something inside it." Sai’s voice was firm. "When I entered, I saw symbols—hidden glyphs, old runes. At first, I thought they were remnants of past rituals, but they weren’t dormant. They pulsed with mana. Someone set them up."

  The Guild Master’s fingers tapped against the desk. "And the building itself?"

  "Mostly abandoned, but the air felt... off. Like something was suppressing the natural mana flow. The thrall wasn’t there by coincidence. She was guarding those runes or something connected to them. More than that, she wasn’t trying to kill me outright. She was stalling."

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  "Which means whoever orchestrated this didn’t care whether you lived or died. They only needed to delay you."

  Sai nodded. "And that means I wasn’t the only one at risk. There were other candidates."

  The weight of those words settled between them. The Guild Master’s jaw tightened as he muttered a curse under his breath. "We need to confirm this. If they’re selecting targets, something much larger is at play. Do you have any idea who else might be on their list?"

  Sai thought back to the unease that had lingered even after the fight, the sensation of unseen eyes watching. "No names, but I do know this—the moment I stepped into that building, I wasn’t just fighting the thrall. I was being observed. Someone else was waiting."

  The Guild Master’s gaze turned cold. "Then we have a bigger problem. Vampires don’t act without purpose. If they’re choosing people, there’s a reason behind it. And if you were one of the candidates... then it’s only a matter of time before they move again."

  Sai clenched his fists. "Then we find them first."

  The Guild Master gave a grim nod. "Agreed. But first, we need to figure out exactly what they were doing in that building—and who else is on their list. I’ll put my best people on it. In the meantime, watch your back, Sai. If they tested you once, they’ll test you again."

  Sai met his gaze, determination burning in his eyes. "Let them try."

  Leaving the chamber, Sai stepped back into the main hall. The lively atmosphere of the guild now felt distant, like an illusion he could no longer partake in. He passed by groups of adventurers, their laughter and chatter blending into an indistinct hum. He realized how different he was from them. They were living in the present, thinking about their next job, their next drink. He, on the other hand, was caught in a web of something much larger.

  As he left the guild and walked through the dimly lit streets, his thoughts drifted. This wasn’t the first time he had felt out of place. Back on Earth, he had always been detached from society, a mere observer. A NEET who buried himself in novels and games, avoiding the pressures of reality. And now, in this new world, where he should have had a fresh start, he found himself in the same position—on the outside looking in.

  His feet carried him to the inn almost on instinct. The warmth of the tavern should have been comforting, but it wasn’t. Sitting at his usual table, he let out a slow breath after sometime he went to his room.

  A whisper slithered through his mind. A devil’s whisper.

  Since the moment he learned how to access mana, he had unknowingly been suppressing himself. Fear had bound him. Fear of losing his current self. Yes, he was afraid. Anyone in his place would be.

  A normal man in his twenties being transported to another world might seem like a dream to some, but the reality was far from fantasy. For some, it was an opportunity. For Sai, it was a nightmare.

  Dancing in the palm of the unknown was terrifying. He had tried to push those thoughts away, to bury them beneath routine, but they refused to fade.

  And now, in the face of real danger, he was one of the potential targets.

  And he didn’t care.

  For so long, he had been trapped in a dilemma. He could have lived a normal life, but fate had other plans. His dreams of an easy existence had shattered.

  Sai took a slow breath, his fingers tightening into fists. He had been clinging to his past self—the lazy NEET who never had to take responsibility for anything. But that life was gone.

  Now, he had to make a choice.

  A choice to let go of his self-imposed restrictions. A choice to rise above his past.

  A choice to fly higher.

  And for the first time, he embraced it.