The City of Apollo was alive with movement. A sprawling metropolis where dwarves, demi-humans, lizardfolk, beastkin, and humans all mingled together. Merchants shouted their wares in the busy marketplace, carriages rumbled down the cobbled streets, and adventurers of every race and class gathered in the heart of the city—the Proxy Guild.
Inside, the guild hall buzzed with energy. Adventurers in polished armor and flowing robes crowded the reception, chatting with the clerks or scanning the quests pinned to the towering board. The air smelled faintly of steel, parchment, and the sweat of warriors eager for their next hunt.
The heavy wooden doors creaked open.
A group of adventurers strode in with their heads held high, their armor gleaming, each piece emblazoned with a striking white phoenix crest. Conversations faltered. Eyes turned toward them, whispers spreading like fire.
“Isn’t that the White Phoenix Family?” one warrior muttered in awe.
“The third-ranked guild in the entire nation… they’ve got six S-Rank adventurers under their banner.”
“They’re basically celebrities here…” another added.
The atmosphere shifted, reverence and tension filling the guild. Then, from the center of the group, a man stepped forward—tall, sharp-eyed, and carrying himself with arrogant pride. His gaze swept the room, chin tilted upward as if the very air was beneath him.
“Hmph,” he sneered, voice loud enough for all to hear. “Trash. All of you. Not worth my time—let alone my blade.”
A ripple of anger stirred among the adventurers, fists clenching, but none dared speak. Then a warrior near the back paled, his voice trembling.
“T-That’s… White Fang. Fang Zulu. The eleventh-ranked S-Rank in the world…”
The guild froze, fear rooting many in place. Fang’s presence alone was suffocating. But then—
A calm, melodic voice drifted from the staircase above.
“Yes, he’s ranked eleventh,” it said smoothly. Footsteps echoed as the speaker descended. “But that only means he’s still beneath me. After all… I am ranked ninth.”
Heads whipped toward the staircase.
There, descending with elegant grace, was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, her long hair swaying with each step. A pair of ornate fans rested in her hands, and her aura pressed down like a storm. She stopped halfway down, eyes sharp as she looked directly at Fang.
“Seems this guild welcomes stray dogs now,” she said coldly.
Gasps swept through the hall. A man whispered in disbelief:
“That’s the Wind Amazons…! Their guild keeps the economy and trade routes of this country alive. They only have four S-Ranks, but they rival even the strongest. And that’s their heir… Ruby, herself an S-Rank.”
The tension crackled as Fang and Ruby’s auras collided, the air thick with pressure. Adventurers stepped back, sweat dripping down their temples. It felt like the guild itself might split apart under their rivalry.
But before anything could ignite—
BANG!
The guild doors slammed open with a deafening crack.
“Riki!” a girl’s voice shrieked. “Why did you wreck the door?! They’re going to make us pay for that!”
Heads swiveled toward the entrance. A boy strolled in casually, chewing on a snack as though he hadn’t just kicked the doors off their hinges.
“…So this is the guild where you register as an adventurer?” he mumbled through his mouthful.
Silence. Stares. The entire guild, still tense from the earlier clash, now focused on this newcomer.
Ruby dropped her aura and smiled faintly, intrigued. “Yes, boy. This is the place. But tell me—” her eyes glimmered dangerously—“are you truly prepared to be an adventurer?”
Unfazed, the boy—Riki—kept walking past her and the stunned crowd, heading straight for the receptionist’s desk.
Behind him, the girl with him, Aria, bowed quickly. “S-Sorry for the intrusion!”
For just a fleeting moment, as Riki passed, Fang Zulu’s eyes widened. A short but potent wave of mana had radiated from the boy, sharp enough to make his instincts scream. He clenched his fists, forcing himself back to composure.
Ruby, too, narrowed her eyes, her earlier arrogance faltering into curiosity.
Who is this boy…?
The air lingered with tension as Riki leaned against the counter, oblivious to the storm he had just walked into.
Fang’s gaze sharpened on the boy’s back, sweat trickling down his temple. “That aura…” he muttered under his breath. “It screams danger.”
Ruby, on the other hand, tilted her head, her lips curling into a sly smile. “Not only strong,” she whispered, eyes following Riki closely, “but not bad-looking either. Hmph… my type of man. How… intriguing.”
Their piercing stares bore down on Riki, but it was Aria who noticed first. She shifted uneasily, a cold shiver running down her spine as both S-Ranks fixated on him.
Why are they looking at him like that?
Riki, completely unaware, glanced at her with casual concern. “You okay, Aria?”
Her heart skipped. “Y-Yeah…” she answered nervously, forcing a smile while thoughts churned in her head.
No matter what happens… I have to protect Master.