Leofric stood in front of the menacing door for a few more seconds, his heartbeat loud and heavy in his chest, almost like a pounding engine. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the heavy iron door open and stepped inside the Gravestone Guild. The moment he entered, he was astonished.
The inside of the guild was far louder and more chaotic than the quiet street outside. The large hall was filled with noise—laughter, shouting, clinking mugs, and the occasional sound of fists slamming on tables. Countless races mingled together: elegant Elves with sharp ears, rough-looking Goblins arguing over drinks, muscular Orcs boasting loudly, and many other races he had never seen before. Some were fighting playfully in the corner, some were peacefully drinking together, while others crowded around the large mission board, scanning the posted requests.
Leofric swallowed nervously and began making his way toward the counter.
As he walked through the hall, several heads turned in his direction. People stared at him with curious, surprised, or even suspicious eyes. He looked oddly out of place, his long blue-and-gold hair, delicate beautiful features, and almost noble-like appearance clashed sharply with his simple casual clothing. He looked more like a young noble who had wandered into the wrong place rather than a typical adventurer. Despite the stares, Leofric kept walking forward, his golden-jade eyes focused on the counter ahead.
Leofric handed the iron-silver guild card and the letter from Charlotte to the clerk. The man read them carefully for a few moments, then smiled softly and nodded. He reached below the counter and placed a sheet of paper in front of Leofric. Leofric looked at him in confusion, unsure what he was supposed to do.
"He wants you to sign it, kid," a deep voice suddenly spoke from behind him. "He's both deaf and mute, so you have to understand what he wants through gestures."
Leofric turned around and saw a tall, muscular man towering over him like a small child. He looked like a brute with a rugged appearance, yet there was a surprising gentleness in his eyes. Leofric nodded nervously. He picked up the charcoal pen lying next to the paper and tried to fill it out. However, his handwriting was still clumsy and uneven. Charlotte had only taught him how to write once or twice a week for the past month, so he still struggled with forming proper letters.
After Leofric finished writing, the clerk looked slightly uneasy as he tried to read the messy handwriting. After a moment, he gave up and gestured toward the gentle giant standing behind Leofric, asking him to write in his stead. "I'll write it for you," the tall man said kindly. "Tell me your name."
"Leo… Leofric," he replied softly.
The gentle giant looked at Leofric with visible surprise, then let out a warm chuckle. "Ah, so you must be the child Charlotte adopted."
He took the pen and began writing down everything as Leofric dictated the information to him. Once the form was properly filled, the clerk read through it carefully. Satisfied, he reached under the counter and pulled out a smooth, circular crystal orb. He placed it on the counter and gestured for Leofric to touch it.
Leofric slowly approached the counter and hesitantly touched the small crystal orb with his fingertips.
The moment he made contact, the orb began to glow with a faint light. Then, it suddenly burst into a beautiful spectrum of many colors, shifting and shimmering like a vibrant rainbow. A wave of murmurs spread through the guild hall as people in the background noticed the unusual reaction. The clerk's eyes widened in clear surprise. Even the gentle giant beside him raised his eyebrows, visibly taken aback by the orb's reaction.
The tall man let out a low whistle before smiling warmly. He extended one of his large hands toward Leofric and spoke in a deep but friendly voice. "Well, that was unexpected. Name's Alexander. Nice to meet you, Leofric."
Leofric looked up at the tall man, his hand still resting on the glowing orb. The clerk gently nudged him, signaling him to remove his hand. Leofric quickly pulled away and turned to Alexander. "How do you know Mom?" he asked curiously.
Alexander smiled. "I'm one of her old friends. I'm sure Charlotte talked to you about us, right?"
Leofric blinked, suddenly realizing the truth. He didn't know that this man, and the others were his mother's old teammates, the very people who were supposed to guide and teach him while she was away. If he had known earlier, he would have been far more respectful and spoken much more eagerly.
"Ah… sorry for my manners," Leofric said, quickly bowing his head. Alexander chuckled softly and waved his hand. "It's okay, kid. No need to be so formal."
The clerk then slid a brand-new guild card across the counter toward Leofric. Alexander glanced at it and explained:
"That card you're holding now has Charlotte's old points transferred into it. It was around a hundred points. The clerk used a mana transmitter to move them over. Consider it a little help from your mom to get you started."
Leofric stared at the card in his hands, feeling a mix of warmth and nervousness.
"The others should get here any moment now. The Captain was waiting for you too—"
The moment Alexander said that, a loud banging noise blasted through the guild's door. Leofric flinched slightly, but he was right — it was them.
"Alexander, is the kid here yet?!" Leofric's eyes widened as he quickly analyzed the newcomers.
He must be the Captain… Leofric thought. That carefree yet veteran look, the messy red hair, and that long scar running across the bridge of his nose and right eye… He definitely gives off the aura of a leader. But I think I've seen him somewhere. Beside the red-haired man stood a woman with long black hair. She had a gloomy, almost creepy appearance, her eyes half-hidden behind her bangs. A mage… Leofric noted silently. To the left of the Captain was a quiet-looking man with shining golden-yellow hair. He carried a bow on his back and gave off a calm, composed presence. An archer…
Leofric concluded, Alexander, on the other hand, looked slightly rigid and embarrassed by the loud entrance. He let out a deep sigh and pointed an open palm toward Leofric.
"Yes… he's right here," he said, laughing it off awkwardly.
"Sorry, sorry. I got a little too excited," the red-haired man said as he walked over to Leofric with a huge, plastered smile on his face. "The name's Flynn. I'm the Captain of the Scarecrow Party."
He gestured to his right. "This gloomy-looking beauty is Merlin, our mage." Then to his left. "And this quiet guy is Robin, our archer."
Flynn grinned widely. "We're your mother's old friends. Nice to finally meet you, Leofric."
"…Nice to meet you… too," Leofric said awkwardly.
Flynn let out a hearty laugh and reached out to gently pat the boy's head. "Haha, no need to be so stiff, kid!"
Then, with a relaxed grin, he asked, "Kid, have you met the guild master yet? I'm sure he's waiting for you."
"No… I just finished signing up, and the clerk really hasn't said anything—"
Leofric turned back toward the counter. The clerk was frantically gesturing with hand signs, clearly in a panic. He kept pointing upstairs repeatedly, signaling that the guild master was already waiting and that he hated waiting.
Flynn glanced at the clerk's desperate gestures and burst into another laugh. "Ah, you're already in trouble on your first day?" He grinned widely, his tone playful and teasing. "Truly like Charlotte. Come on, I'll show you the way to his office."
Flynn turned and started walking up the wooden stairs with his usual carefree stride. Leofric quickly followed behind him, feeling a bit nervous. As they climbed the stairs, loud shouting could already be heard coming from the office at the end of the hallway.
"—That damn kid is making me wait?! Does he have no respect for his elders?! I'm a busy man, you know! If he takes any longer, I'm not going to accept him in my guild!"
The guild master's voice boomed through the closed door, full of irritation and exaggerated annoyance. Flynn simply chuckled and shook his head, unfazed by the loud complaints. He stopped in front of the door and glanced back at Leofric with an amused grin.
"Sounds like the old man's in a good mood today," he said lightly before knocking on the door. "Hey old man, you got a visitor."
Flynn opened the door wide with a casual push.
Inside the office, the old guild master was frozen mid-sentence, his mouth still open. The moment he saw them, his eyes widened in panic. He quickly tried to fix his crooked tie with clumsy hands, his face turning slightly red.
"Learn how to knock!" He mumbles the next sentence. "You guys didn't hear anything, did you—?"
"We did," Flynn replied instantly, his devilish grin widening. "Enough!" The old man cleared his throat loudly and attempted to compose himself, shooting a sharp glare at Flynn. "Ahem… you must be Leofric, correct?"
Leofric quietly nodded. The guild master let out a deep sigh and straightened his posture. "I am the guild master of the Spade Guild, Zild Salonga. Nice to meet you, boy."
He paused for a moment, then added with a gruff tone, "You've got the same attitude as your mother. Making people wait without a care in the world… Truly like Charlotte."
"That's what I said."
"Shut up, Flynn! You're a bad influence to the kid." Flynn simply grinned widely, his eyes half-closed in amusement. He raised his hand and playfully rolled his finger near the side of his head in a teasing crazy gesture, clearly not taking the scolding seriously at all.
"Anyways, kid, welcome to the Gravestone Guild. I'll take care of you while Charlotte is away, but I won't help you in getting points. You see, points here are earned, the same goes for the other guilds around the globe. You earn points by completing missions from the board. You either hunt, protect, or gather stuff. The points are used as money inside the guild as well as outside. There's still a ton of process to get a card that holds points, but for you we made an exception since it was Charlotte asking for this favor. Be glad you have a good and great mother."
"Yes sir… I'll be in your care."
Zild coughed awkwardly, clearly trying to hide his embarrassment as he muttered the next sentence, "Call me Gramps or Grandpa…"
Flynn's eyes widened in shock at the old man's words.
Leofric simply nodded and replied softly, "Yes, Gramps…"
"Idiot, drop the formality! It makes it weird," Zild grumbled, his face slightly flushed.
"…Okay, Gramps," Leofric answered calmly.
"Flynn, get your face out of here and take care of Leofric."
"Flynn, get your face out of here and take care of Leofric."
"Right, right. Old man, you've gotten soft, eh?" Flynn teased with a grin as he suddenly grabbed Leofric by the wrist and made a run for it, chuckling loudly.
"You—!"
Downstairs, the three members of the Scarecrow Party were already waiting for them. Merlin and Robin stood near the mission board, quietly scanning the posted requests for something suitable to help Leofric start his adventure.
Flynn descended the stairs with Leofric in tow, still chuckling from the earlier exchange. He walked over and regrouped with his teammates, casually slinging an arm around Leofric's shoulders.
"Alright, team," Flynn said with a relaxed grin. "Let's find something good for the kid."
The four of them gathered around the mission board and discussed the options. After a short discussion, they decided on a suitable first mission.
"We'll take this one," Robin announced, tapping the paper calmly on the board. "Elimination of Goblins. A nest of them has been causing trouble near the eastern forest road. Perfect for a beginner."
Leofric looked at the mission notice, a mix of nervousness and quiet excitement in his golden-jade eyes. But suddenly, Leofric's gaze shifted toward the group of Goblins sitting just across from them. He couldn't help but wonder if they would react upon hearing about the slaughter of their own kind.
"What'cha lookin' at, kid?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry, Gobo," Flynn said quickly, waving his hand. "The kid's new. He doesn't know the difference yet."
"Better teach him some manners," the Goblin named Gobo grunted as he took another sip of his beer. "Kids like you die easily."
Flynn turned back to Leofric with a soft, reassuring smile and gently kept him within the circle of the party.
"There's still a lot more for you to learn about the world, but don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know."
After taking the mission paper from the board, they submitted it to the clerk and officially accepted the request. With everything settled, the Scarecrow Party headed out toward the mission site.
They made their way through the dense eastern forest, the tall trees casting long shadows over the narrow path. The air grew cooler and heavier as they ventured deeper into the woods. After walking for some time, the group finally arrived at their destination.
A dark, ominous cave entrance loomed before them, its mouth partially hidden by overgrown vines and jagged rocks. The faint sound of dripping water and distant goblin chatter echoed from within.
"We're here," Flynn said, stopping at the entrance. "This is the goblin nest," Flynn said. "Now, there will be 7 lessons about combat. The first thing we should know before approaching the first lesson is—what do you wish to wield?"
Leofric's golden-jade eyes glimmered with starry excitement as he answered without hesitation.
"I want to wield a sword."
Flynn smiled warmly, clearly pleased by the boy's enthusiasm.
"This will be your first lesson," he said. "Look closely!"
They all entered the dark cave with Flynn leading at the front. He took a relaxed yet confident stance, raising his sword as a wild, excited smile spread across his face.
"Alright, you stupid goblins," he called out cheerfully, "be good lesson buddies for the kid, okay?"
What followed was a slow, deliberate massacre.
Flynn moved through the goblin nest with terrifying precision. He didn't rush. Every swing of his sword was clean, controlled, and perfectly timed. Allowing Leofric to clearly see each stance, footwork, and technique. One by one, the goblins fell without any unnecessary movement or wasted effort. Flynn danced through the chaos like it was a training session, his blade flashing in the dim light of the cave as he dismantled the entire group with calm, almost playful efficiency. Leofric watched in awe, his eyes wide as he absorbed every single motion.
Flynn shouted as he kept facing the goblins, his voice clearly directed toward Leofric, who was standing in awe.
"This is lesson one: Sword Path!"