—
“So cool!”
The mont Eir stepped into the office, her tail wagged enthusiastically.
“Hmm… This office is so cool. Turns out it’s using semi-automatic cooling magic, the sa thing that the neighboring research group spent years developing before dungeon tech overtook it.”
Leah, now cooled off, regained her ability to think clearly.
“Gulp gulp gulp… finally not thirsty anymore…”
Treya chugged water like her life depended on it.
Seeing his teammates revived, Will felt a wave of relief.
“I’m terribly sorry. We were inford by Carver that you’d be coming soon, but… well, as you can see, it’s been so busy that we completely forgot.”
The Adventurer’s Guild branch manager in front of them looked like he was barely in his twenties—if that. He kept bowing and apologizing profusely, even wiping sweat from his brow despite the comfortably cool office.
His overly cautious, almost newbie-like deanor made Will feel a bit embarrassed.
“It’s fine. We were just too eager and didn’t expect such a crowd. We should’ve rested a day before lining up… Besides, I… um… didn’t really want to rely on my father’s connections.”
“Ah, I see. As expected, Young Master Will is just as capable and independent as the rumors say.”
“When did I get such a good reputation?”
The branch manager leaned in slightly, eyeing the three girls standing behind Will. He lowered his voice to a near whisper, making it hard for even Will to hear:
“Especially for recruiting three incredible teammates who seem to reflect… particular tastes.”
Will felt a pang of guilt. Sure, he’d unintentionally created situations that could be misunderstood, but this level of rumor-mongering? That was definitely fate’s fault!
“R-right…” Will forced a laugh. “Since you’re so busy today, let’s get straight to the process.”
“Of course, of course.”
“This is our proof of clearing the tenth floor of the Green Wild Maze.”
Will placed the unopened flower bud from the green lion’s tail on the desk. According to the Adventurer’s Guild’s requirents, this item served as proof of clearing the tenth floor.
It wasn’t particularly valuable—just a decorative trinket.
“Wow, in my six months as branch manager, this is the first ti I’ve seen the tail in its bud form. You managed to kill it before it blood?”
The branch manager sounded as inexperienced as the rookie adventurers outside.
“Uh… its attacks were so weak that even Leah-sensei could break through my basic Elental Ice Array.”
“What do you an, ‘even’? Hmph, you’re underestimating a witch’s power. Sothing like that dies with a single blast.”
“Didn’t even feel like I used much effort to slice it…”
—See! Even my teammates agree.
Will puffed out his chest proudly.
“It’s no big deal.”
Though, in hindsight, he had just stood there watching the whole ti.
“That’s incredible! Most people have to endure the green lion’s second phase, waiting for it to naturally wither and weaken before they can kill it—that’s the experience the guild wants rookies to have. Survive, and you’ll eventually deal damage!”
“So… we kind of took a shortcut?”
“Let’s not dwell on that. First, you need to decide on a team na. After that, we’ll handle affiliation and mber registration details. The team na is the most important part.”
The branch manager pulled out a stack of forms.
“One more thing—the team na must be unique.”
He placed a thick registry of already-registered team nas on the desk—a book that seed to be updated monthly.
Three years ago, when dungeons weren’t as developed, this thod of synchronizing records across branches worked. But with the rapid expansion of dungeons, this old-fashioned system was starting to show its limits.
“If you can’t think of a unique na, you can always add a number, like ‘Will’s Team 1234.’ Hehe, of course, if you want an exclusive na, we can negotiate with the other team to change theirs.”
—That’s just an!
Clearly, naming a team was an art.
But…
Will already had a plan!
No, rather than a plan, it was a way to play along with fate.
“Morning Star—”
In the original story, the team na was “Morning Star.”
But it wasn’t a na Will had co up with himself.
It belonged to an adventurer team that had ceased activity about a year prior. The day Will ford his team in the original story coincided with the one-year anniversary of that team having no dungeon records.
“A four-character na like that is pretty common… Let check…”
“No need. That team should’ve been dissolved today, so the na should be available.”
Will crossed his arms confidently.
According to the Adventurer’s Guild rules, inactive teams were dissolved, their achievents erased, and their nas freed up for use.
In the original story, Will had gone through countless na ideas, all of which were taken. He refused to add numbers or rely on his father.
In the end…
The branch manager had suggested looking at recently dissolved team nas. Newly freed nas were unlikely to be reused imdiately, so many people used this thod.
Thus, the original team was nad “Morning Star”—a na far too poetic for the original Will to have co up with.
It was also because of this na that Hugh chose to join a team where both the leader and mbers were completely dysfunctional.
Because…
It was the na of the team he had ford with his friends two years prior.
Hugh, soone with imnse talent, tolerated the original team’s relentless oppression and inability to function for one simple reason…
The team na was “Morning Star.” That was it.
So—
No matter where you’re hiding, no matter how deep you’ve buried yourself, even if the royal family can’t find you…
As long as the team is called “Morning Star,” it’s the perfect bait. Even if you’re hiding in a trench five kiloters deep, you’ll take the hook!
Hehe, Will’s plan was flawless!
But…
Just as Will was brimming with confidence…
The branch manager dropped a bombshell—
“There’s no team with that na being dissolved today…”
The small office fell silent.
The only sound was the cooling magic system humming softly.
“…What?”
Will couldn’t believe his ears.
What… what was this?
A deviation from the original story?
Impossible. Such a critical plot point couldn’t have changed.
“But there’s no team with that na currently registered either! If you like it, you can use it. I’ll let Carver know it’s settled…”
The branch manager’s cheerful tone suggested he was eager to wrap things up and report back. He quickly filled out the form with the na.
“Alright, no problem…”
Will stared blankly at the form bearing the na “Morning Star,” lost in thought.
Was it a timing issue? No, the timing was correct. The original story had a clear tiline, and he had double-checked it.
Was it a location issue? Impossible… The original story also took place in Novice Town.
What else could it be? Surely it wasn’t his pronunciation—he considered himself fluent in Entark’s English-like language.
Then… where had “Morning Star” gone?
Reviews
All reviews (0)