1 The Beginning

"Hmmm...what?! The sun has already risen that high!" I exclaimed in surprise.

This morning, I was taken aback by the sun's brightness as it shone into my bedroom window. As I wiped away a single tear that had fallen from my eye, memories of a beautiful dream flooded my mind, a dream I'd seen many times before. Unfortunately, that dream always led to terrible memories of the day my parents died three years ago.

"Lexy, why didn't you try to wake me up?" I asked, my voice full of concern.

"Al-niichan, you've been working so hard lately that I thought it best to let you rest. Besides, I don't want you to jeopardize your health by overworking yourself," replied Lexy in a soft voice.

"It's alright if it's for my siblings," I responded, my own voice softer.

As we walked towards the dining table, Lex called out from the kitchen, "Nii-chan, hurry up and eat your breakfast!"

"OK!" I shouted back, making my way to the table.

"Good morning, Al. How did you sleep?" asked Lex, putting a plate of eggs and toast in front of me.

"It was alright," I replied, taking a bite of my breakfast.

Hello, everyone. My name is Al, and I live in a poor, small village called Green Meadow Village. It is located in the west of the capital of Oak Kingdom. At the dining table, there are my 13-year-old twin siblings, Lex and Lexy, who are three years younger than me.

Whenever I see them, I am reminded of my mom's straight blonde hair, blue eyes, slim body, and white skin. Seeing them makes me feel inspired, like I am capable of anything. They are my source of strength.

"Today, I will be registering myself to the adventure guild. Please take care of the house while I am away. If anything suspicious happens, shout loudly, and someone will come to help you," I said to my siblings while having breakfast.

After I finished my meal, I left the house and said goodbye to my siblings. "See you later!" I shouted. Lex and Lexy replied, "Take care of yourself and have a good time, nii-chan!"

On my way to the adventure guild, I met my childhood friend, Zelta. She lived near my house and had the same fate as me; we had both lost our parents. Zelta had long, straight, silver hair, silver eyes, white skin, and a slim body. She was beautiful to me, and I wanted to protect her smile.

"Good morning, Zelta!" I said, touching her shoulder with a smile.

"Good morning, Al!" Zelta replied with a beautiful smile. Her smile had the power to make every corner of the world beautiful.

I turn to Zelta and ask her, "Did you sleep well last night? And how about Noa?"

"I slept well last night, Al. And Noa is as energetic as ever," Zelta replies, her gaze fixed on the path ahead.

"I hope we can register ourselves today in the adventure guild," I say with a hint of hope in my voice.

"I'm sure we can, Al," Zelta says, trying to reassure me.

I smile gratefully at Zelta for her support.

As we make our way to the adventure guild, we take in the sights of Green Meadow - a few buildings, farm fields, and greenery. Unfortunately, the tragedy that occurred three years ago has left the village almost deserted.

Before the tragedy, Green Meadow had a small population compared to other villages in Oak Kingdom. Now, most of the people here work as farmers, merchants, or adventurers.

Finally, we arrive at the Adventure Guild - a place for adventurers to gather, share, live, and work. However, it appears deserted due to the tragedy that occurred.

It is a two-story wooden building, and we walk up to the entrance with hopeful anticipation.

I say, and point to an adventurer who is standing in front of the guild, "Look, that's an adventurer. Let's ask him about registration for adventurers."

"OK," said Zelta, in agreement with me.

"Good morning, my name is Al and this is my friend Zelta. Today, we want to register ourselves in the adventure guild. Can you please tell us how to do it?" I said with a smile on my face.

"Morning Al, yes, you can register yourself inside the guild. Just look for the guild's receptionist," said the adventurer. I replied with a "thank you."

We entered the guild, and I had never been inside before. There were many wooden tables, chairs, and wooden racks filled with books, but as I had mentioned earlier, there were only a few adventurers in there due to a tragedy that had occurred three years ago.

"Ah, I guess that woman over there is the receptionist for the guild," I said, pointing to a woman in the guild.

Zelta agreed with me and said, "I think you're right, Al. Let's go to her."

When we were in front of the guild's receptionist, I said kindly, "Excuse me, good morning. My name is Al, and this is my friend Zelta. Today, we want to register ourselves with the adventure guild."

"Good morning, young man," said the receptionist at the guild. "As you know, to join the Adventure Guild, you must master a skill. Have you mastered a skill yet? And would you like me to explain more about the guild and being an adventurer?"

"I don't mind," I replied.

In my heart, I thought, "This is a chance to learn more about adventure and the guild."

"Firstly, there are rank systems in the Adventure Guild," the receptionist continued. "The lowest ranks are Chopper, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Onyx, and Ruby. You can only take quests that are suitable for your rank.

Additionally, you can form a party with two to eight members. A combined party can work together to take on higher quests than your current rank. For example, if you are a Bronze adventurer and want to take on a Silver or Gold quest, you must form a party with other adventurers who have a higher rank than you. Furthermore, being an adventurer means that you have agreed to be a soldier of this country," said the receptionist seriously.

I thanked the receptionist and asked, "Why does being an adventurer mean that you have agreed to be a soldier of this country?"

"Let's talk about the past," said the guild receptionist. "One day, the king of this kingdom realized that the soldiers of this kingdom were incompetent compared to the adventurers. The king had already spent a lot of gold training the soldiers, but the results disappointed him. So he held a meeting with the Grand Master of the Oak Adventure Guild. The result was that the kingdom's army was disbanded, and the adventurers became formal soldiers of the country. Normally, it would be impossible for the Adventure Guild to work for another country officially, but due to the agreement made during the meeting between the guild master and the king, it became possible."

I thanked her again for the information she gave me.

"You're welcome. How about the skills that you've already mastered?" asked the receptionist, looking at us.

"I have already mastered farming and cooking skills," I replied, looking at the receptionist. When Zelta replied, I looked at her.

"I have already mastered farming, cooking, and sword skills," said Zelta.

I was surprised and asked Zelta, "What?! Since when did you master sword skills, Zelta?!"

"Hehe… I have been practicing sword skills by myself for the last three years," said Zelta, giggling.

I was amazed and said, "Wow, Zelta, I didn't expect that from you."

"Do you have any certificates for your skills?" asked the receptionist.

Then I saw her face and replied, "Hmm… Sorry, but I don't have any certificates for my skills."

"Me too. I don't have any certificate of my skill," said Zelta, looking at the receptionist's guild.

The receptionist's guild offered us "Do you want to prove your skill in front of the trainer of this guild? Then we will make a certificate for you."

We replied optimistically, "SURE!"

"Please go to the training ground; the coach is already there," said the receptionist's guild, showing us the way.

We made our way to the training ground, which was surrounded by a wooden fence. There was a wooden weapon rack filled with swords, claymores, bows, and other weapons. There were also some wooden dolls that were three meters in height and some wooden benches.