"You can call me Saxa. Let's start with the mission board," the girl said, turning toward a massive holographic display that dominated the hall.
Denwen's words caught in his throat as he stared at the ever-shifting display, its golden-blue interface flickering with the rapid exchange of missions. The sheer scale of the board left him momentarily stunned—hundreds of tasks appeared and vanished as they were accepted in real-time, categorized by difficulty, rewards, and urgency.
Lines of text flickered across the board:
[★ ★ ★] Rank 2 Dungeon Purge – Cleansing of Infested Cavern (Urgent) [★ ★ ★ ★] Essence Core Procurement – Rank 4 Core Needed (Negotiable Payment) [★ ★] Field Clearing Mission – Eliminate Mutated Beasts in Verring Dale [★ ★ ★ ★ ★] Assassination Contract – Identify & Eliminate Emberfall Operative (Restricted to Rank 5 & Above) [★] Escort Mission – Protect Caravan En Route to Ebonrock
Every line shifted as hunters in the guild claimed jobs, causing completed tasks to disappear and new ones to take their place. The entire process was automated, the holographic board syncing directly with the hunters' wrist devices, ensuring efficiency in mission allocation.
"As you can see," Saxa continued, "this board contains all available missions—some assigned by the guild, others requested by individuals or factions. Once you reach a certain credit score, you can even post your own missions for other hunters to accept."
Denwen glanced around, noticing several hunters tapping their wrist devices, syncing their mission selections with their personal interfaces.
"Well, since you already have a device, you can download the board directly onto it. The list will automatically update when you step into the building," Saxa added, walking toward a nearby registration counter.
—-
"This is Linda," Saxa gestured toward a young woman sitting behind a counter, her auburn hair tied neatly behind her ears. "She'll handle your registration and get everything installed for you."
Linda offered a professional smile. "The registration fee is one silver coin, or you can pay with an essence core—we'll return the difference as credit score."
Denwen nodded and handed over a silver coin. In return, Linda gestured toward a small scanning panel embedded in the counter.
"Place your hand here," she instructed.
Denwen complied, pressing his palm against the cool surface. Almost instantly, the scanner hummed to life, tendrils of faint blue essence wrapping around his skin as it analyzed his body's mana signature, rank, and essence composition.
The scan concluded with a soft chime. Linda nodded, inputting the data into the system.
"Your registration is complete," she said. "Your name, age, and essence type have been linked to your guild profile. If you check your device, you'll notice an empty mission log—since you haven't taken or completed any missions yet."
Denwen glanced at his wrist device, seeing the new interface overlay with his name, rank, and available credits.
"Now, let's assign your class," Saxa chimed in. A new dropdown menu appeared on Denwen's device, listing an array of classes under two major categories:
— Warriors → Swordmasters, Spearmen, Assassins, Shieldbearers, Brawlers, and more.
— Mages → Fire Masters, Water Manipulators, Enslavement Specialists, Rune Crafters, and countless others.
"You can change your class at any time depending on your fighting style," Saxa explained. "So, what do you think fits you best?"
Denwen hesitated for a moment. Weapons were never his forte.
During sparring sessions at the academy, he had never excelled at using swords, spears, or bows—his body simply refused to channel essence into external weapons. However, there was one thing he had always been good at using.
His fists.
"I'd go with the warrior class," Denwen said firmly. "More specifically, I'd like to be a brawler."
Saxa grinned. "That's a solid choice. Brawlers are known for raw strength and resilience—definitely a game-changer on the battlefield." She gave him a thumbs-up before motioning back to the mission board.
—-
"As you can see," Saxa continued, "the mission board is split into two major categories—individual missions and team missions. Some jobs are best handled alone, but higher-ranked tasks almost always require a party."
Denwen nodded, but his attention had drifted elsewhere.
He had spotted a particular section of the mission board—a page entirely dedicated to a single faction.
A blood-red emblem flashed on the screen, overlaid with hundreds of names and bounties. The page title read:
Emberfall – Most Wanted Criminals & Open Bounties
Denwen's brow furrowed as he skimmed the details.
[★ ★ ★ ★ ★] Ravnor the Crimson Executioner – Known for massacring three entire towns. Bounty: 100,000 gold. [★ ★ ★ ★ ★] Myrael the Void Weaver – A mage capable of manipulating dark essence. Responsible for multiple high-profile assassinations. Bounty: 75,000 gold. [★ ★ ★ ★ ★] Helga the Bone Harvester – A ruthless Scion, known for collecting essence-infused bones of her victims. Bounty: 90,000 gold. [★ ★ ★ ★ ★] Valix the Sunbreaker – Infamous for the destruction of a major city in the Eastern Kingdoms. Bounty: 200,000 gold.
Each profile came with graphic details—images of entire towns reduced to ashes, bodies impaled upon crystalline spikes, and warriors frozen mid-battle, their souls extracted.
"You mean to tell me…" Denwen murmured, his voice laced with disbelief, "that several towns and even continents have been destroyed by these guys?"
Saxa sighed. "Yep. They aren't just some random bandits or rebels—they are an extinction-level threat. Wherever Emberfall moves, trillions die."
Denwen clenched his fists. So many lives… wiped out like nothing.
"But don't worry," Saxa continued, sensing his unease. "This town isn't as weak as you think. We have Crimson Academy, the Fang Guild, and powerhouse families like the Ignisclades and Emberbanes. If Emberfall ever dares to come here, they won't have an easy fight."
Denwen exhaled, his gaze lingering on the most-wanted list.
—
Denwen sighed, rubbing the back of his head. There was nothing he could do about Emberfall for now. Thinking about such massive threats wouldn't help him—not when he was still at the bottom of the ladder. Right now, the most pressing issue was earning money and getting stronger.
If he didn't close the gap, Roy and the rest would leave him behind permanently.
He turned back to Saxa. "Are there any missions I can take with a good reward? I'd prefer solo missions, but I wouldn't mind joining a team if necessary."
Saxa smirked. "Oh? So eager already? Let's take a look." She swiped her fingers across her wrist device, scrolling through the mission board before stopping at one. "Ah, this seems just right."
A new holographic notification hovered in front of him:
[★ ★] Goblin Gate Mission
Objective: Eliminate the goblins within the Ferrigton Dungeon.
Location: Ferrigton, outskirts of the town.
Reward: 10 gold coins or it's equivalent in cores from rank 1 to 3.
Denwen's brows lifted slightly. Goblins weren't particularly difficult to deal with, but an entire dungeon meant numbers could become a problem.
"This would've been perfect for you," Saxa continued, "but there's one issue—you need to be at least Rank 2 to apply to form a team."
Denwen frowned. "And solo?"
She shook her head. "Same requirement. Rank 1s aren't allowed to take dungeon missions alone, especially since goblin nests can be unpredictable."
Denwen exhaled sharply, frustrated. He wasn't weak by any means for his rank, but guild rules were guild rules.
"Don't be too downcast, though." Saxa smiled reassuringly. "If you look around, you'll find a team or two that might be willing to bring you along—even if you're just Rank 1. Some squads are always looking for extra hands."
Before Denwen could respond, a soft beep sounded from Saxa's monocle, flashing red. She sighed.
"Oops. Looks like our time is up—I need to attend to another newbie." She straightened her uniform before giving him a friendly nod. "I wish you all the best, sir. Welcome to Fang Guild."
With that, she turned away, already approaching another fresh recruit, leaving Denwen alone in the vast guild hall.
Denwen exhaled, glancing at the busy room around him.
Looks like it's time to find a team.