I raised my hand and knocked twice.
Knock, knock.
"Yo, Furry. Are you alive in there?" I called out with a smug tone.
From the other side came a stuttering, half-frozen voice: "F...f...fuck...y...y...you..."
Kayda snickered. "Someone can't handle the cold."
"Let's see him in person then," I said, opening the door.
The moment it cracked open, the furry came charging out like a mad beast-but with trembling legs, numb fingers, and a completely lackluster aura.
"Still got some energy, huh?" I said-and then I kicked him.
Boom!
He slammed back into the room, crashing into the frozen wall with a muffled yelp.
Kayda peered inside. "How dumb. He still has the restraints on."
The poor bastard was stuck halfway in the ice, eyes wide with delirious pain.
"Hmph. I wonder how long you'd last in here, Kayda."
She paused, giving it real thought. "With this much cold mana draining the air? Three years. Then I'd start to feel it."
I gave her an impressed glance. "That's honestly a better answer than I expected."
She shrugged and stepped over to Brad's cell. "Has he even started talking? It's been a week already."
I leaned next to her, observing the sealed cell. "I don't know if I should feel amazed... or disappointed in my ice after that."
"You still don't have full control over your ice element," Kayda said casually.
"What?" I blinked. "I don't?"
She smiled and patted my head. "Nope. But once your mana control gets tighter, you'll understand."
"Oi. No petting," I grumbled, brushing her hand away.
We turned toward the exit, boots clinking softly on the icy floor.
"Let's go. I want to start hunting and level up. I think my base stats are close to maxing out."
"But your hair is so smooth!" She called, jogging after me. "We'll go to the Adventure Guild first to get you registered."
(Adventure Guild Secretary POV-Tracey)
Hi, I'm Tracy. Blue-haired monkey Demi. Northern-born, from near the Dead Forest. I'm a bit shorter than your average adventurer, but hey-I'm happily married with two adorable kids, so life's wonderful.
Today, I'm on secretary duty. I don't usually do this; my husband-the guild master-insists I don't do "grunt work." But we're short-staffed due to an incident in the Emerald Forest. A few folks had to go out there and investigate.
Anyway, if you want to work at a guild in the capital or countryside, you have to be at least a B-rank adventurer. The king states that this requirement is intended to ensure guild employees survive for more than two days. Fair enough.
I was B-rank once. Haven't gone on a mission in years, though. Some of the other employees still intimidate me-especially the combat veterans. Guess that's why my husband doesn't want me behind this desk.
"OI! Are you sleeping with your eyes open or ignoring me?"
The voice snapped me out of my daze. I blinked rapidly and looked up.
Standing there was a fox-woman with blazing red hair, crimson slit pupils, and a smirk sharp enough to cut glass.
"This is where we sign up, right?" she asked, tapping the desk.
I nodded rapidly. "U-Un! Yes, absolutely!"
"Cool. Can you sign me up?" she said, flashing her teeth in a grin that made my soul tremble.
I handed her the form with a trembling smile. "Y-Yes, of course..."
She leaned closer, watching me squirm. "You're stuttering a lot. Are you new? Or just unhappy with people?"
"I... I don't do this often," I whispered, wiping my eyes discreetly.
"So you're struggling with new faces?" she teased, snickering as her crimson eyes sparkled with mischief.
"You're scaring the poor thing, Kitsu," came a familiar voice behind me.
I turned and lit up. "Kayda!"
I jumped into her arms without a second thought.
"You're no fun, Kayda," the fox-woman-Kitsu-muttered, pouting dramatically.
avataravatar
Chapter 79:
"You're always spoiling my fun, Kayda," I said with a dramatic pout, planting my hands on my hips for emphasis. My tail twitched behind me, mirroring my mock disappointment.
Kayda didn't even blink. "Not always-just when you go too far." She casually nudged the blue-haired monkey demi away, who had been clinging to her sleeve like a nervous child.
"That's when it's the funniest, party pooper," I said, narrowing my eyes and flashing a sharp-toothed smirk at her.
From below, a small, meek voice chimed in. "Um, are you with Kayda here?" the monkey demi asked timidly, eyes wide as she looked between us.
"Yes, she's with me," Kayda replied, patting the girl gently on the head. "I asked her to wait so I could take her straight through, but it seems she didn't listen when I said wait."
I tilted my head, genuinely confused. "You told me to wait?"
Kayda raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear me?"
"Hearing you is one thing," I said, lifting a finger like I was teaching a grand truth, "but listening is another."
Kayda stared at me. "So... you didn't listen."
I gave a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of my head. "I was probably busy looking around when you talked to me. So, where are you taking me?
"To the guild master. Tracy, come with us," Kayda said without missing a beat, turning and walking deeper into the building without waiting for my reply.
"For what reason are we going to the guild master?" I asked, hurrying after her with quick steps. The soft thud of my boots echoed through the stone hallway.
"Who knows, but I think she's going to use the favors we owe her," said Tracy, the monkey demi, trailing behind me.
"Plural?" I echoed, glancing back at her in confusion. "I guess she-huh?"
"You'll understand when we meet the big guy," Kayda interrupted as we stopped in front of a massive wooden door reinforced with iron.
It loomed like the entrance to a dungeon boss room. I squinted up at it, gauging its size. "The boss, I guess," I muttered.
"Just be respectful," Kayda warned, turning toward me with an uncharacteristically serious expression. "He leads the Adventurer Guild."
I gave a half-hearted shrug. "I'll try my best."
Kayda sighed, her tone exasperated but resigned. "That's the best I can ask for."
With a low creak, she pushed open the door, revealing a spacious office lit by warm golden light streaming through the high windows. At the far end of the room sat a giant-not metaphorically. A real, honest-to-the-gods giant, hunched over a desk groaning under the weight of paperwork. He looked like a massive, muscular human with silver-streaked hair, but easily four meters tall even while seated.
'Huh, so this is what a giant looks like,' I thought, stepping inside and taking in his features. 'They look just like normal humans... just much, much bigger. Four meters bigger, I think? Can't really tell while he's sitting.'
"Aah, you're finally back-with the fox in tow this time," the giant said, his voice deep and rich like rolling thunder. He paused, eyes flicking past me to Tracy. "And you brought my wife as well?"
'Wife!?' My head snapped toward Tracy in disbelief.
"It looked like she needed a break, so I called her to join us," Kayda explained, already taking a seat across from the giant's desk like the occasion was a normal family gathering.
"Thank you. You've been working hard, honey," the giant said warmly, watching Tracy walk around his desk.
"Of course! I'm no slacker," she said, puffing her chest with pride. Her fluffy tail waved like a content cat's, clearly pleased with the compliment.
"Of course, you aren't," he said with a knowing smile.
"Huh. I'm not even going to ask," I said as I sat beside Kayda, blank-faced.
"Where did all the playfulness go?" Kayda asked, smirking at my deadpan stare.
I said nothing, simply maintaining my bored look. That was enough to answer.
Kayda just sighed and turned back to the guild master. "Guild master, I want you to let Kitsuna join the guild as a member-and give her the same privileges as me."
There was a beat of silence. The giant's smile vanished.
"You know damn well I can't do that," the guild master-Ed, apparently-said, narrowing his eyes at Kayda before shifting his gaze to me.
I held up my hands. "Don't look at me like that. I have no idea what's going on here," I said honestly.
"Ed," Kayda said flatly, "do you think I care whether your little board of old fogeys will like it? Just do it. You'll see-she'll be useful to you in the future."
"Me? Useful to him?" I blinked. "Where the hell do you think I'd let him use me?"
"Not like that," Kayda said with a groan. "When a dangerous monster or being attacks, he'll call you to kill it-or be a bodyguard for guild members. I meant that kind of useful."
"I get paid, right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course. "Of course, I will do it very well," Kayda replied with a smirk.
Ed looked me up and down, unimpressed. "You say she'd be useful to me, but her aura screams brat."
"A little brat, huh?" I tilted my head. "Well, I guess I am still a brat in your eyes."
"Don't think that kind of smug face will scare me, fox," he growled.
I chuckled softly. "Wasn't trying to scare you. Anyway, you're way above my league in strength. Two hundred years old, level 999, exotic class sage, right? But I have to ask-why haven't you gone for godhood with stats like that?"
His eyes flashed with irritation. "You know it's against guild rules to use Analysis on someone without permission."
I blinked. "Oh. Didn't know that. Why didn't you tell me, Kayda?"
"When I said, 'Be respectful,' I also meant don't use skills on him," Kayda replied, shaking her head.
"But I am respecting him," I defended myself. "I haven't released any of my bloodlust."
"...You-how old are you really?" Ed asked, his expression difficult to read.
"Oh, I should probably introduce myself. Name's Kitsuna Draig. I'm fourteen. Oh, and I'm a demon fox," I said with a proud smile.
"Draig?" he muttered, frowning. "When did they get another daughter? Oh wait-King mentioned a troublesome redhead demon fox recently." His expression tightened. "You're not that one, right?"
"That'd be me," I said cheerfully. "However, I would prefer not to be called 'troublesome.'"
"So you're the primordial youngling he warned me about," he said, leaning back in his chair to get a better look.
"How did you know?" Kayda asked, visibly surprised.
"The king gave me a heads-up a few days ago-said you might show up at the guild soon. He didn't say much, only that you were... rare. Only Tracy and I know the details."
"Good to hear," Kayda said with a sigh. "So, will you give her the same privileges?"
"Yes. And from now on, Tracy will be her personal secretary," Ed replied before turning his attention back to me. "I hope we can work together-and that you'll answer my call when something needs killing."
"I see no problem in that," I said with a nod.
"Good. To answer your earlier question-giants can't become gods. And while only exotic and legendary classes can ascend, exotic class users have weaker bodies. It's ten times harder for us to achieve godhood."
"Interesting. I'll have to ask Stacy more about that later," I mused, crossing my legs and resting my chin on my palm.
"Your turn to answer some questions," Tracy said, pulling out a form. "It's for your sign-up."
"Shoot."
"What class do you currently have?"
"None yet."
"Fighting type?"
"Speed."
"Class goal?"
"Weapon Master."
"...That legendary class is a myth," Tracy muttered, tilting her head. "Many people aim for it, but I've never seen anyone get it."
"Okay then-something close to it," I said with a shrug.
"Preferred weapon?"
"None."
"Dominant arm?"
"Don't have one."
"... Dominant eye?"
"Neither."
"Leg?"
"Nope. Is this really necessary?"
Ed looked up, confused. "Is it even possible to not have a dominant side?"
"What? Stacy trained me from the beginning to use everything equally. I was dual-wielding as soon as I could hold two sticks," I explained.
"Sigh... okay. How many weapons have you mastered?"
"..."
Kayda chuckled softly behind me, clearly anticipating the flood.
"Katana. Odachi. Chakram. Daggers. Short swords. Greatsword. Bow. Crossbow. Warhammer. Spear. Halberd. Scythe..." I paused, ticking them off on my fingers. "Most of them I can dual-wield. Then there's also-"
"Okay, that's enough," Ed interrupted, raising a hand. "I get it. You're just like Stacy. Just younger."
"What'd you expect from Stacy's disciple?" Kayda grinned.
"I expected her to be half-dead most of the time," Ed said, completely serious.
"I agree," I nodded sagely. "Any normal person would be."
avataravatar
Chapter 80:
As Ed stood up from behind his oversized desk, the sheer scale of the man finally struck me. Towering over us at nearly five meters tall, his shadow stretched across the entire room. The ceiling itself had been built to accommodate his massive frame, yet even then, he had to straighten carefully so his horns didn't graze the stone arch. His build was like that of a mountain given flesh-shoulders broad enough to support a house, arms thick with muscle that rippled beneath his tight uniform shirt, and a presence that demanded attention, even when he wasn't trying.
"Now," he said, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves with practiced ease, "with that out of the way, we'll need to see how your status looks."
I blinked, my expression turning cold as I stood up as well. My tail gave a slow flick of irritation behind me.
"No," I said flatly, shaking my head. "We can't do that."
Ed's brows lifted, surprised. "And why's that?"
"There are skills I don't want anyone else to see," I explained firmly, arms crossed. "If the wrong person finds out, they'll know exactly how to kill me."
The room quieted slightly. Kayda shifted beside me but didn't interrupt.
"You can trust us," Ed said, his voice softer now but still firm with that mountain-deep rumble. "You're among friends."
"I know how that sounds, and I appreciate it," I said, offering a small nod. "But I can't take that risk. I'll write it down instead-just enough for the guild records."
He stared at me for a moment, then sighed and gave a single nod.
"Fine. You trust Kayda with your status?"
"Of course," I said immediately.
"In that case, we'll allow only you two in the room where the procedure takes place," he said. "Kayda will be the one to write down the information for you."
My ears flicked. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously but relented with a sigh. "Alright. That works."
'I'll just tell Kayda my status directly,' I thought, walking toward the door. 'No need to risk the guild tablets remembering something they shouldn't.'
