Having grown up with no parents and no money, Violet had realized over the years that the only way to escape her situation was to leave Giltown—or at least, that was her hope.
The idea of becoming an adventurer had come gradually, almost as a natural consequence. She could have done what many other orphans did and worked as an apprentice in some shop. But the truth was that without connections or friends, her future would be the same as everyone else in the outskirts—stuck with the worst jobs, poorly paid, and often exploited without mercy.

Violet had sworn she would never let that be her fate.

Once Camelia arranged the parchment sheets, she spoke without even looking at her.

“Name?”

“Violet.”

The girl wrote the name on the parchment.

“…Surname?”

Camelia waited, perhaps expecting that Violet wouldn’t have an answer.

“Vandellione! Violet Vandellione!” Violet’s tone grew firmer.

Without lifting her gaze from the parchment, the girl simply wrote it down.

“Specialization?”

“Magic.”

Having recorded the information, Camelia slid the parchment toward Violet, handing her the pen so she could sign.

“Alright, Violet. As of today, you’re a member of the Giltown guild. Congratulations.”

After briefly crouching and pulling something out from under the counter, Camelia handed an object to Violet, who stared at it with bright, fascinated eyes.

“Here is your guild stone.”

It was a small, smooth, bluish stone— a magical stone given to every adventurer at the moment of registration.

“Place your thumb on the stone, please.”

Following the clerk’s instructions, Violet pressed the tip of her thumb against it. After a moment, the stone reacted by glowing and emitting a short chime.

“This stone now belongs to you, Violet. All your information is recorded inside it. With every mission, your progress and your class advancements will be registered through it.”

Violet already knew these details, but she let the girl continue speaking.

“As an inexperienced adventurer, you'll begin from the lowest rank, the Wood Rank. Above it, in order, are: Bronze, Iron, Steel, Silver, Gold, Platinum… and finally Diamond.”

Violet took the stone in her hands, examining it.

“Since you’re still inexperienced, you can only accept missions of your own rank. Also, it’s strongly recommended that you join a party. There are many, as you can see. Make sure to choose the one that suits you… best.”

Violet frowned and shot the guild clerk a dark glare, to which the girl responded with her usual forced and clearly hostile smile.

“Well then, we’re done, Violet! You can look for your first mission on the board over there at the back.”

The girl gave a brief bow.

“Thank you for choosing our guild, and good luck!”

That almost sounded like a threat…

Tucking the stone away into the folds of her robe, Violet gave Camelia a quick farewell.

“Yes… thanks!”

Then she gave the employee a short nod, turned around, and began walking.

Don’t mind her, Violet. What matters is that you managed to register, just like you wanted.

Crossing the hall, she made her way toward the mission board.

As she moved through the room, she perked her ears, trying to catch what the other adventurers were talking about—hoping to learn something interesting, or maybe hear whether any group was searching for new members.

Weapons, strategies, money. All the topics she overheard were very practical.
Violet listened with interest to a few short conversations, trying not to draw too much attention to herself.

There were many things she didn’t know about an adventurer’s life—full of journeys, tactics, and battles.
Violet had never fought before and had no experience whatsoever.
She also didn’t have any friends among adventurers, and in a world built on connections and tightly knit bonds, making her way through such well-established groups would be a daunting challenge.

Patience, Violet… these things take time…

Letting that thought go, she headed toward the opposite wall.

The mission board covered almost the entire surface, and the quests—written on parchment sheets pinned to it—were divided by rank.
Violet scanned them with her eyes, moving toward the far end where the simplest missions were posted, examining the sheets that had been tacked up with small nails.

WOOD RANK SECTION:

·         Gather five Spirulina Roots…

·         Deliver the message…

·         “I lost my dog, please help me.”

·         Gather the crystals…

There were many missions, and they all looked fairly simple.
Violet examined them with interest, glancing also at the higher-rank section posted right beside them.

Almost all of those require being part of a party…

She read a few. Hunting missions, extermination of monsters and magical creatures, searches for magical artifacts, or bounties for the capture of criminals and outlaws of all kinds.

They all looked extremely dangerous.

She turned her gaze back to the Wood Rank section, focusing on the requests waiting there.

Well… I have to start somewhere…

Reaching out her hand, Violet grabbed one of the sheets, pulling out the small nail that held it in place.

“Kill Five Sewer Rats:
Travel into the city sewers and eliminate at least five sewer rats.
You must present the tails of each defeated monster as proof.
Additional party members are not required to complete this mission.
Difficulty level: Low.”

Rats, huh? Well… why not…

The idea of going into the sewers disgusted her, but rats were familiar creatures—ones Violet knew well.

Disgusting and armed with sharp fangs, they often wandered through the slums in search of food.

Children would sometimes hunt them for fun, throwing stones or hitting them with sticks. For the kids it was just a way to pass the time, but it also helped keep the rats away from houses and warehouses, reducing their numbers.

But entering the sewers was a completely different matter. Violet had never been down there, but the stories told by the neighborhood children spoke of a gigantic being—a rat king—who punished the fools who ventured into its territory to kill its kin.
Just thinking about being touched by one of those monsters made her whole body itch.

I suppose it would be better not to go alone…

Violet turned, looking at the people in the hall.

Many had hard expressions and scarred faces, but with a bit of patience she might have found someone less experienced to team up with.

Asking doesn’t cost anything, Violet…

Bracing herself and squaring her shoulders, she stepped into the hall, heading toward the crowd of adventurers.

“Excuse me…” Violet tried to stop a tall, broad-shouldered man—he walked right past her without even glancing at her.

It’s fine, Violet. Try again!

She tried once more, this time approaching a stunning girl wearing a blouse and tight leather pants.

“Good morning…”

The girl turned her head slightly at the sound of Violet’s voice, looked her up and down with annoyance, and walked away.

Violet, embarrassed, straightened back up and remained silent.

I mean… I’m new. Maybe I could try again tomorrow…

Turning to re-pin the mission sheet to the board, Violet froze, feeling a strange sensation rise within her.

If I give up before even starting, I might as well go straight back home…

Violet looked down at the sheet clutched in her hands.

Violet looked at the sheet clenched in her hands.

I worked too hard to back out now. To hell with it! I’m doing this!

Leaving the guild, she set off at a quick pace.
She already knew where to go.

The entrance to the sewers was located directly beneath the bridge that separated the center of Giltown from the outskirts.

She walked the streets back and forth several times until she eventually reached the river and the bridge.

After crossing it, she followed the riverbank until she reached the staircase that led down to the stone walkway. And there, right in front of her, was the entrance to the sewers.

A small iron gate barred the entrance, but Violet saw no chain or padlock keeping it shut.

“Good! Here we go!”

Violet pushed the gate open; it groaned as it swung inward, and she stepped into the darkness.

Ahead of her was a descending staircase. In the distance she could hear rushing water and the faint echo of wind.

I can’t see anything…

Violet gripped her staff and tapped it against the ground with a dull sound, causing the small magic stone at its top to light up.

The path in front of her brightened, revealing the narrow staircase that seemed to descend endlessly.

Violet swallowed, staring into the darkness, thinking for a moment about turning back and leaving this place behind.

Don’t be afraid, Violet! It’s just a bunch of stupid rats…

Gathering her courage, she began to descend the steps slowly, careful with each movement and listening closely to the dark ahead.

Once she reached the bottom, she passed under a small archway and found herself facing a wide channel that stretched the length of the chamber, extending far beyond what she could see.

The dark water flowing through it gave off a sharp, biting smell, and Violet felt the dampness creeping into her bones.