Conference room two was half-full with nervous F-ranks. Elias found a seat near the middle, setting his pack down. To his left, a halfling boy tapped his feet. To his right, a girl with dark skin and dozens of tiny braids studied a notebook.
"First briefing?" she asked without looking up.
"Yeah. You?"
"Third time. Keep chickening out." She glanced at him, wry. "Keya. Warrior, Level two."
"Elias. Scout, Level one."
"Fresh?"
"Five days."
"Six for me." She returned to her notes. "Did you know herb gathering has an eleven point seven percent chance of monster encounters?"
"I didn't know that was a statistic."
"Guild archives." She said it like a confession. "I really don't want to die on my first quest."
The halfling leaned over. "Eleven point seven? That's not so bad." He stuck out a hand. "Tom. Rogue. Level one."
"Tom the Rogue." Keya's tone was dry. "Very on-brand."
"My parents weren't creative."
The door opened. A scarred man in practical armor walked in and the room went silent without a word.
"I'm Sergeant Marks. I'm here to keep you idiots alive long enough to become competent adventurers." His voice carried easily. "Pay attention. If you die because you didn't listen, that's on you."
He paced. "First rule: know your limits. You're F-rank. Level one to ten. You're barely stronger than a civilian with a pointy stick. You don't pick fights with things that can eat you. Clear?"
Murmured agreement.
"F-rank quests are herb gathering, messenger work, pest control. I mean rats, not dragons. You won't fight anything more dangerous than an aggressive rabbit unless you do something stupid."
A hand went up. "What about dungeons?"
"No solo dungeons. Period. You want to delve, you need an E-rank or higher party leader. The Guild will not approve a dungeon quest for a solo F-rank. Try to sneak in anyway? You'll die, and we'll have paperwork. Don't give us paperwork."
Nervous laughter.
"Second rule: always report back. The Guild logs your quests. Complete it, report. Die? We'll figure it out. Late? Send a message. Unexplained disappearances get investigated."
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
He turned to the chalkboard.
```
F-RANK QUESTS:
- Gathering: herbs, materials, monster parts
- Delivery: messages, packages, local routes
- Pest Control: rats, small slimes, minor infestations
- Escort: merchants, travelers, low-risk routes
- Investigation: missing items, minor mysteries, safe areas
```
"Bottom three rows of the quest boards. Payment ten copper to two silver. You won't get rich. You won't get dead either."
Keya wrote furiously.
"Third rule: party composition. Scouts and Rogues? Fast, sneaky, durability of wet paper. Warriors and Fighters? Can take hits, run out of stamina. Mages? Firepower, fold like laundry in melee. Work together. Cover weaknesses."
He pointed. "The Guild encourages parties. Most quests can be solo if you're careful, but parties split risk. Split payment too, but staying alive is worth it."
Tom raised his hand. "How do we find parties?"
"Left side notice board. Party recruitment postings. Or talk to people. Network. Don't be an antisocial murder-hobo."
More laughs.
"Fourth rule: honesty in quest reports. Fail? Report it. Complications? Report it. Find something unusual? Report it. The Guild tracks this to keep quests properly ranked. Lie and someone gets hurt? You'll be banned, possibly charged. Clear?"
Dead silence.
"Fifth rule: equipment maintenance. Your sword is your life. Your armor is your skin. Guild discount list at desk seven. Use it."
Marks set down the chalk. "Look, you're excited. You want to slay dragons and save kingdoms. Good for you. But right now, you're Level one. You're as likely to die tripping over your own feet as fighting a monster. Be careful. Be smart. And for the love of the gods, don't be the idiot who picks a C-rank quest on your first day."
"Has that happened?" someone asked.
"Twice this month. Both times we sent E-ranks to rescue them. Both times they got fined for wasting Guild resources. Don't be that person."
He passed out slim booklets. "Survival guides. Dungeon safety, monster ID, wilderness survival, common mistakes. Reading is optional but recommended. Die because you didn't read? Also on you."
Tom raised his hand again. "When can we start?"
"Right now. You're briefed, you're registered. Go." Marks nodded toward the door. "Try not to die. Welcome to the Guild."
---
The quest board was a different kind of overwhelming.
Elias stood before the F-rank section, studying dozens of cards. Herb gathering. Delivery. Pest control. Escort.
Keya materialized at his elbow, notebook open. "Overwhelming, right?"
"A little."
"Herb gathering has the best payment-to-risk ratio for solo work." She flipped pages. "Delivery is safer but pays less. Escort pays well but needs coordination."
"You've really thought about this."
"I overthink." She glanced at him. "Scout, right? Herb gathering's perfect for you. Keen Eye finds herbs faster, movement skills cover ground. You could finish two or three in a day."
It made sense. "What about you?"
"Pest control." She grimaced. "I hate rats. But Warriors are good at it. High Strength, decent Endurance. Rats can't do much to leather armor. It's gross, but safe-ish."
"Want to team up?"
She looked at him, surprised. "For quests?"
"Why not? You said parties are safer. I gather herbs, you kill rats. Maybe we take easier quests together. Split payment, split risk."
"We'd need a third. Three is minimum for decent coverage."
"I'm in if you're recruiting."
They both turned. Tom stood behind them, grinning. "Heard 'party' and got interested. Tom Reed, Level one Rogue. Absolutely terrified of doing this alone."
"Elias. Scout."
"Keya. Warrior. You're serious?"
"Completely. I've got stealth, lockpicks, trap detection. Great utility, terrible combat. You need someone who can actually fight. I need people who can keep me alive. Win-win."
Elias and Keya exchanged a look.
"Three-way split?" Keya asked.
"Works for me," Tom said.
"Same," Elias agreed.
"Then I guess we're a party." Keya pulled out her notebook. "We should establish roles and communication protocols—"
"Or we could just take a quest and figure it out?" Tom suggested.
"That's how people die."
"That's how people learn!"
Elias laughed. "Compromise. We take a safe quest first. Herb gathering. Low risk, we see how we work together. Then if it goes well, we try something harder."
Keya considered. "Reasonable." She studied the board. "Silverleaf herbs, Whispering Woods. Low monster risk, straightforward. Ten bundles each, one fifty total, fifty each split."
"For our first quest?" Tom shook his head. "Not bad."
"When?" Elias asked.
"Tomorrow morning—" Keya started.
"Or right now." Tom pointed at the window. "It's mid-afternoon. Two miles out, back by dinner."
"That's reckless."
"That's efficient."
They both looked at Elias.
He thought about it. Five days of preparation. Equipment ready. Skills untested. Waiting would just mean a sleepless night.
"Now," he said. "But careful. Slow, alert. If anything feels wrong, we retreat. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Tom said immediately.
Keya sighed. "Fine. Proper protocols on the way. And if we die, I'm haunting both of you."
"Deal." Tom pulled the quest card and headed for the registration desk. "Come on, party! Let's become adventurers!"
---
Desk three's clerk processed them with bored efficiency. "Silverleaf herbs, thirty bundles, party of three. Forty-eight hours. Return here with herbs for payment. Next."
They stepped outside, quest card in hand, afternoon traffic flowing around them.
"We're really doing this," Keya said.
"We're really doing this," Elias confirmed.
Tom grinned. "North gate, two miles, find some herbs, don't die. How hard can it be?"
Elias thought of famous last words.
But he was grinning too.
His adventure had truly begun.
```
