When Candy emerged from the cave, night had just begun to wane, and the sky gradually filled with hues of purple and gold. She glanced curiously at the rough stone walls around her.

  Looking at the system, she saw it had new information added.

  [System Update: Time Dilation

  Degree of Dilation: 5:1, 5 in game days will pass for every one real day.

  Warning: Do not go more than 5 in game days without leaving the pod. If detected by system, pod will forcefully shut down and reject the user for a period of time.]

  “So, it’s 5:1…5 months, that’s more than I ever dreamed of.”

  A giddy smile appeared on Candy’s face as she skipped down the path.

  [System Update: Map

  System map will fill as the player explores. Player can open the map any time.

  Quest markers will be placed down unless manually switched off by the player.]

  Ooh, a map. She looked around her and saw that she was in a shallow ravine. Given the marker on her map, which probably pointed to Silva, she’d need to make her way out before she could go anywhere.

  Humming a simple tune, she eventually found a set of ledges that led up to the surface.

  Reaching the surface, she was met by a swath of glowing white so stunning it took her breath away. Having only seen dead trees and blackened remains in the original game, the contrast of the vibrant and thriving forest she saw now brought tears to her eyes.

  “This is the real Pearl Wood Forest.”

  …

  After wandering around for an hour, the descending rays of sun finally remined Candy of what she was doing.

  “Ah! Silva! I forgot!”

  Looking at the map marker, she headed north along a river before arriving at a giant clearing. Towering above were the while walls and spires of her beloved city, gleaming in the morning sun.

  “Silva! It’s real. I can’t believe it.”

  She practically had stars in her eyes as she ran towards the southern gate.

  Nearing the gate’s entrance, she walked up to one of the guards and requested entry.

  “Hm? It’s rare to have people seeking to enter at such an early time.”

  “I just got back from completing a quest, can I go in?”

  The guard stared at her for a while before a look of recognition crossed his face.

  “Oh, you’re the girl from yesterday! We were worried about you, seeing as you left without anything on you. Glad to see you made it back in one piece. Haha!”

  The guard gave a friendly smile and gestured for her to enter.”

  Stepping into the city, she held her breath at what she saw. The winding streets were paved with pearl stone brick and smoothly wound their way through the buildings around her. She seemed to be in a commercial district since many of the surrounding buildings had shopkeepers tending to them and merchants had lined up stalls around every path.

  Looking at this in awe, Candy turned her head towards the center of the city, where a massive tower poked out from the city around it.

  The tower was made entirely of pearl stone and gleamed in the sunlight. Its shape was like that of a crystal, beautifully natural, yet geometric and simple. Four bridges extended from the top of the tower and connected to the city walls. Looking up, Candy could see the massive, but elegant bridge above her.

  Completely forgetting her goal, she walked through the city, looking at the soft white buildings and the pear trees scattered around. It wasn’t until she saw the sign for the Adventurers’ Guild that she remembered she hadn’t received her quest reward.

  Entering the massive three-story building, she was greeted by loud voices and the creaking of weapons and armor. Walking over to one of the open counters, she spoke to the clerk behind it.

  “Heya! I’m Candy and I’d like to register as a novice adventurer. I successfully closed the skeleton dungeon in the ravine nearby. Here’s my proof.”

  Candy handed the staff to the clerk, who inspected it closely.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  “This is indeed a weapon dropped by a level 1 dungeon. Your quest has been completed, and your license will be issued immediately.”

  “Thanks so much!”

  After returning the staff, the clerk took out a palm sized leather badge. She placed it in front of Candy and explained what it was.

  “This is your adventurer’s license. After registering it, it will bind to you, and you won’t need to worry about losing or damaging it. You will be unable to obtain another license after one is bound. These badges are displayed on armor or clothing, usually on the shoulder, and can be attached and detached whenever you want.”

  “This badge will change with your progression as an adventurer. Since you are a novice adventurer, you start as the lowest rank: Boar.”

  Candy looked at the unremarkable piece of leather. This was a new system to her. In the original game, you played as a party of each kingdom’s chosen hero, so there was no need to register at an adventurer’s guild.

  ‘What an interesting and tasteful system this is.’

  “Please place your hand over the badge and we can begin the registration properly.”

  Candy placed her hand over the badge and started curiously as a magic circle appeared on the counter below. The runes in the circle revolved briefly before the entire thing flickered out. After moving her hand away, an image of a boar was clearly imprinted onto the leather.

  “Hm? That’s odd. I’ve never seen it disappear like that. Well, the spell activated, and the symbol appeared, so you’re now officially an adventurer, congratulations.”

  Candy looked down at the intricate engraving on the badge.

  ‘Something was definitely wrong there. Magic circles shouldn’t just disappear. And that one looked like it had been cancelled or something.’

  ‘Hah? Don’t tell me this body absorbed the magic just now.’

  Didn’t that mean that the spell failed? It didn’t actually bind to her, so why did the image show up. This won’t cause problems in the future, will it?

  She silently took the badge and placed it on her upper arm by her shoulder. Luckily, the badge stuck to her clothing, so she didn’t have to worry about anyone finding out that the magic had failed.

  “Whoa, who’s this?”

  A young man shouted as he walked in. The crowd turned to look at him as she continued speaking.

  “A new face appeared in the guild today. How fun.”

  One of his friends sniggered.

  “She might be tall, but her face screams youthful innocence”

  “She’s not wearing any armor. How can she call herself an adventurer?”

  “Hehe.”

  The man leaned against the wall as he spoke.

  “Little girl, aren’t you in the wrong place?”

  “The clerks here are all veterans; they won’t accept your play toys as monster parts.”

  Candy realized they were speaking to her. Turning around, she smiled warmly at the young man.

  “Are you talking about these dolls? They might not be as good as monsters, but they’re still fun to play with. I especially like trying to catch them. Want to try?”

  “Ha, this little girl seems to underestimate my strength. Alright, toss one over, just don’t make it too easy.”

  The man casually turned so everyone could see the gryphon, a symbol of an advanced adventurer, on his shoulder. A few people whistled. Although adventurers of this level weren’t hard to find, especially on the front lines, it still showed how skilled he was, especially at his young age. Compared to Candy, who held a novice license and looked thin and weak, it was obvious who appeared stronger in this scenario.

  Laughter like ringing bells echoed as she raised one of the dolls.

  “Alright then, I’ll throw and you catch. Ready? Here it comes!”

  ‘BANG’

  .

  .

  .

  ‘Huh. What was that?’ the man thought. ‘What’s going on?’ ‘Something just grazed past his face. A doll? No, a bomb?’

  ‘Why is it so quiet.’

  When they first saw the girl getting ready to throw the doll, many of the onlookers laughed and joked to themselves. But the moment that doll was in the air, they turned silent.

  They had no choice. The doll immediately turned into a blur when it left her hands.

  Many of these people were seasoned veterans. They took great pride in their skills and senses that were honed through many battles. They worked hard to prove their titles as adventurers.

  And yet this weak-looking girl, with her brand new license, had thrown something with such force that it sounded like an explosion.

  Falling debris finally everyone out of their stupor.

  No, it was an explosion.

  They dazedly looked at where the doll had landed.

  Centimeters away from the young man was a massive hole that punched straight through the stone building.

  Feeling the slight breeze coming through the window, the young man finally felt fear. If she had aimed just a bit to the left, it would have been his head instead of the wall.

  He felt his legs go soft and sweat streamed down neck. He looked at the girl smiling happily.

  Noticing everyone staring at her, the girl lightly tapped her head with her fist.

  “Oh, how silly of me. I missed. Don’t worry, I still have another doll. Should we play again? This time I guarantee you’ll catch it.”

  The man nearly collapsed as he trembled. The onlookers trembled at her words. Those dolls, although a bit creepy looking, were just ordinary dolls, right? No one sensed anything remarkable about the dolls she was holding, they were just lumps of fabric and cotton.

  Then the display of strength just now…must have been her own. Coming to this realization, the man shivered.

  In truth, the spectators were partially correct. The strange power within the dolls allowed them to speed through the air and cause more of an impact, but she did augment it…a bit.

  After completing her first quest, Candy leveled up 3 times and earned 15 skill points. Hearing the young man’s shouts at the beginning, her irritation took over and she directly put 7 skill points into strength…and then threw the doll with full force.

  “Older, older sister, no, great master. Please forgive. I was ignorant and didn’t recognize someone so powerful. Please, I-I’ll do anything, just please spare me.”

  The young man fell to his knees and begged with tears streaming down his face.

  Candy looked puzzled for a moment, nodding.

  “Then I ask that you please leave the Adventurers’ guild. We’ve caused too much trouble today and should quietly reflect on our actions elsewhere.”

  “O-okay, okay. I will leave the guild, I’ll stop being an adventurer, so please let me live.”

  Candy smiled brightly.

  “Who said anything about wanting you to die, silly? It’s just a game. If you don’t want to play then just say so.”

  The man immediately stood up and rushed out upon hearing those words.

  “Don’t, don’t want to. Don’t want to!”

  The onlookers stared at the retreating figure before them.

  Candy narrowed her eyes. Although she looked young and innocent, she’d lived longer than this young man. Candy may have a cheerful personality, but people who started fights with her would soon learn to regret it.