"You wanna join the guild, eh missy?" The gruff man behind the reception desk looked me up and down with skeptical eyes. His beard was streaked with gray, and a long scar ran from his left temple down to his jaw.

  I nodded. "Yes, sir."

  "Name's Garrick," he grunted, pulling out a thick ledger. "Guild receptionist. Been doing this job for years, so I've seen all types come through that door." He dipped his quill in ink. "Some make it, most don't."

  His tone wasn't exactly encouraging, but I pressed on. "I understand the risks."

  "Do you now?" Garrick's laugh was dry as old leather. "We'll see about that, missy. What's your name?"

  "Vera Demecillo."

  He scratched it down with practiced efficiency. "Combat experience?"

  "Some," I said carefully. "Mostly dealing with forest monsters during travel."

  "Uh-huh." His expression suggested he'd heard that line before. "What's your class? Fighter? Rogue? Don't tell me you're another wannabe mage with delusions of grandeur."

  "Tamer, actually."

  That made him pause, his quill hovering over the paper. "Tamer? Haven't had one of those register in... oh, three years at least." He looked up at me with new interest. "Got any monsters with you?"

  "Two, currently. They're outside."

  "What rank?"

  "D-rank."

  Garrick's eyebrows shot up. "D-rank? Right off the bat?"

  I shrugged. "I've always had a natural connection with creatures."

  "Alright, missy. Standard registration fee is five silver. That gets you F-rank status and access to the job board. You work your way up from there."

  I placed the coins on the desk, grateful for Jorik's earlier insistence that I take them.

  "Now then," Garrick continued, stamping an official seal on a piece of parchment. "Few rules you need to know. No taking jobs above your rank without supervision. No working alone until you hit E-rank."

  He paused, eyeing me. "Though seeing as you've got two D-rank monsters already, I suppose you're an exception to that one. And for the love of the gods, don't do anything stupid that'll get you killed in the first week."

  He handed me the small paper—my official adventurer's license. "Welcome to the guild, Vera Demecillo. Try not to die on your first job."

  I tucked the license into my dress pocket and made my way toward the job board, acutely aware of every pair of eyes tracking my movement across the room.

  The guild hall wasn't crowded, there were maybe a dozen adventurers scattered around the tables, drinking ales or quietly discussing their next job. But every single one of them had stopped what they were doing to stare at me.

  Great. Nothing like being the center of attention on my first day.

  I kept my head up and walked with as much confidence as I could muster, but my palms were sweating. The conversations had died down to whispers, and I caught fragments as I passed.

  "...new girl..."

  "...heard she's got D-rank monsters..."

  "...probably won't last a week..."

  My cheeks burned, but I forced myself to keep walking. The job board was a large wooden bulletin covered in parchments of various colors—white for F-rank jobs, yellow for E-rank, and so on up the spectrum.

  I stopped in front of it, pretending to study the available quests while trying to ignore the continued staring. Most of the F-rank jobs were exactly what I'd expected—herb gathering, pest control, message delivery. Nothing that would pay much, but safe enough for a beginner.

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  "First time?"

  I jumped slightly and turned to see a young woman about my age approaching. She had short brown hair and wore leather armor with a sword at her hip.

  "That obvious?" I asked, managing a weak smile.

  She grinned and extended her hand. "I'm Aditya. E-rank. Been at this for six months now."

  "Vera." I shook her hand gratefully. "And yeah, very first day."

  "Don't mind the staring," Aditya said, lowering her voice. "New faces always draw attention, especially when word gets around that you've got actual monsters with you. Most of these guys have never seen a real tamer before."

  "Is it really that rare?"

  "Around here? Absolutely. Last tamer we had was this old guy named Korven. Never met the guy though.", and he left for the capital years ago. Aditya glanced around the room. "Plus, most tamers start small. Having D-rank monsters right off the bat? That's got people talking."

  I let out a small weak laugh.

  Then I changed the topic.

  "Any recommendations?" I gestured at the board.

  Aditya scanned the postings. "Here." She pointed to a white parchment near the middle. "Moongazing flower collection. Simple herb gathering, but the pay's decent for F-rank work."

  I read the posting.

  Moongazing flowers needed for alchemy shop.

  Location: Northern meadows past Miller's farm.

  Payment: 3-5 silver per flower depending on quality.

  "5 silver for a flower?"

  "Good money for starting out," Aditya confirmed. "Though fair warning—it might be a bit troublesome finding them, but watch the stream." Saying nothing more than that.

  I nodded, already reaching for the posting. "Thanks for the advice."

  "No problem. Us newbies gotta stick together." Sarah grinned. "Good luck out there, Vera."

  I took the posting and walked back to Garrick's desk, placing the parchment in front of him.

  "Moongazing flowers, eh?" He glanced at the job description and nodded approvingly. "Good choice."

  He stamped the posting with the guild seal. "Standard procedure, bring back proof of completion and you'll get paid. Don't try to pass off regular daisies as moongazing flowers. I can tell the difference."

  "About that," I said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I actually don't know what moongazing flowers look like. My hometown didn't have them."

  Garrick looked at me with an unreadable expression, then let out a long sigh. "Course you don't." He reached under his desk and pulled out a thick, leather-bound book.

  Well, that's embarrassing.

  He flipped through several pages before stopping at one filled with detailed illustrations. "Here." He turned the book toward me, pointing at a drawing of a delicate flower with pale blue petals that seemed to shimmer even in the ink.

  "Moongazing flowers. They only bloom at night, hence the name. Five petals each, always that silvery-blue color. The stems are about this thick." He indicated with his fingers. "And they grow in clusters near water sources."

  I studied the image carefully, memorizing every detail. "They're beautiful."

  "Beautiful and valuable. The alchemists love 'em." Garrick snapped the book shut. “ Bring me the wrong flowers and you'll be banned from jobs for a week."

  "Understood," I said, tucking the stamped posting into my pocket.

  "One more thing, missy." Garrick leaned forward, his scarred face serious. "Those meadows might seem peaceful, but don't let your guard down. Even F-rank jobs can go sideways fast if you're not careful."

  "I'll be careful."

  "See that you are. I don't like filling out paperwork for dead rookies."

  Such a ray of sunshine, this guy.

  With that cheerful send-off, I headed for the guild's front door. The whispers followed me as I walked, but I tried to ignore them. Soon enough, they'd have other things to gossip about.

  The moment I stepped outside, two familiar forms immediately perked up from where they'd been waiting in the shaded corner of the building.

  Nox rose to his feet, his massive black frame stretching as he padded over to me.

  Fei spread his wings from his perch on a wooden post, letting out a soft cry of greeting. Both of them had been cooped up for too long, and I could sense their restlessness through our mental link.

  "Miss me?" I said, reaching out to scratch behind Nox's ears. His tail gave a small wag, and I felt his contentment at being reunited.

  As we made our way through town toward the northern exit, I noticed the stares as people stopped what they were doing.

  Right. Most people have probably never seen monsters this close unless they were being attacked.

  Nox padded alongside me with his usual calm dignity, but I could see how his massive size made people nervous. A few folks actually stepped into doorways as we passed, their eyes wide with uncertainty.

  When I climbed onto Fei's back, I also directed Nox to follow us on the ground as Fei can’t really carry him.

  With a powerful thrust of his wings, Fei launched us into the air, and we headed north toward the meadows.

  The wind rushed past my face as we climbed higher, and for a moment I let myself enjoy the simple pleasure of flying. But my thoughts kept drifting to the warm feeling in my chest—my wild power.

  Ten days' worth stored up now.

  The number felt significant. I mean I could create something impressive with that much charge. Even stronger than the Basilisk, not counting the loyalty cost.

  But the thought made my stomach twist with fear. What if I lose control again? What if I create something worse than the basilisk?

  I shook my head, forcing the dark thoughts away.

  No. I can't keep thinking like this. I need to do better than my past self.

  It was the same pattern that had ruined my life back on Earth. Every time something went wrong, I'd retreat into myself, paralyzed by fear of making things worse. I'd sit there overthinking every possible disaster until I talked myself out of doing anything at all.

  I need to be stronger. Can't let fear control me anymore.

  But if I created a new monster, the guild's gonna notice immediately. How do I explain a sudden new companion? I'd need a good story, something believable that won't raise too many questions. Maybe I could say I found an injured creature and nursed it back to health? That could work…

  I'll worry about it later. Right now, I just need to focus on not screwing up my first job.