"Mark, this is for you." Having finished helping the young adventurer, the brunette turned her attention back to me, handing over what looked like a small notebook.
"It's a little starter guide for new recruits," she explained with a warm smile. "You'll find a bunch of helpful tips for new guild members, including answers to the most common questions. I'd recommend holding onto it."
"Thanks," I said, nodding gratefully. Pretending to slip it into my coat pocket, I tucked it away into my inventory instead.
"That's everything for now. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to come find me. Oh — and don't forget to pick up your guild badge in two days." Katya threw in that last part just as I was about to leave.
"Will do. Thanks again for all your help."
With my errands wrapped up, I grabbed Bennett — who'd been lingering awkwardly by the door — and we headed out. First stop? The tavern he'd been going on about.
The downpour didn't exactly lend itself to sightseeing, so instead of giving me the grand tour, he led me straight there, no detours through the usual landmarks or tourist traps. Honestly, I was grateful.
The rain was too heavy to get a good look at the building from outside, so I didn't waste time loitering in the street. I followed the white-haired adventurer indoors and was greeted by the sight of a textbook medieval tavern — exactly what you'd expect: wooden beams, dim lantern light, and the smell of food that had been cooking all day.
Glancing around, I saw only a handful of patrons besides the staff. A couple of locals were nursing their drinks quietly in a shadowed corner, caught up in a conversation I had zero interest in.
"Welcome!" A friendly voice drew my attention.
Turning toward it, I found myself looking at a rather cute girl with soft lavender hair and a pair of cat ears perched on her head. If it weren't for the tail swishing behind her, I might've struggled to place her exact species.
We picked a table in the back right corner, close to the bar. The catgirl — tail swinging like a metronome — pounced the moment we sat down, clearly trying to nudge us into ordering the most expensive items on the menu.
Bennett tried to deflect her at first, poor guy. But it was a losing battle. Eventually, I stepped in and took the hit — along with the bill. After all, he'd agreed to play tour guide for the day. The least I could do was treat him to a decent meal.
Besides, I had a few things I wanted to ask him — stuff that went beyond which food stalls were worth visiting or which taverns served the best local brew which, I'll admit, was surprisingly decent.
"Friend of yours?" I asked, watching the waitress bounce off to another table.
"You could say that…" Bennett replied, sounding a little embarrassed.
He looked like he was about to elaborate but stopped himself, his expression shifting just slightly.
In the end, all I managed to get out of him was her name and a brief account of how they'd met. Nothing too dramatic — just another of his famously bad-luck incidents and a nekomata who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
All in all, the story had a surprisingly wholesome ending — and the so-called unlucky son of fortune. Though how unlucky was he really? Even walked away with a prize: a slightly burnt piece of toast with a fried egg on top.
The food didn't arrive until a full fifteen minutes after we'd placed our order. Chloe slid the steaming plates onto the table with practiced ease, never once interrupting our conversation. She capped it off with a cheerful "Enjoy your meal!" before dashing off to tend to other tables.
"So… missions ranked higher than C are only available if you're in a team of at least three people?" I pulled that little detail out from the middle of Bennett's ramble about his life as an adventurer.
"Yup." He gave a short grunt of affirmation, washing down his bite with a sip of tangy berry compote. It was surprisingly good — and did a great job quenching thirst.
"They put that rule in place more than a decade ago, back when the casualty rate among adventurers was off the charts."
"Ah, I see." I nodded, filing that one away. At least now it made sense why I hadn't seen a single B-rank job posted on Springvale's board in the month and a half I'd been checking.
"Well… there are exceptions," Bennett added, clearly sensing my next question before I even asked it.
"For example, high-ranking guild members with a Vision are allowed to take on tougher missions, even if they're solo."
"People like you, then?" I raised an eyebrow, voicing the thought outright. That earned me a slightly flustered look — and a quick attempt to downplay it.
"I mean… yeah, I've got a Vision." He tugged it out for me to see. "But I wouldn't call myself a strong adventurer."
That made me pause. Because, for context? The strongest person I'd met so far without a Vision had been one of the gate guards. His level was sitting at forty-seven. Meanwhile, blondie here? Seventy-six. Either the guy had the worst case of self-esteem I'd ever seen, or the level system worked a little differently than I'd originally assumed. Both theories were viable. Problem was — I had no way to confirm them. Not yet.
"Mind if I take a look?" I reached toward the Vision with an inquisitive tilt of my head.
This time, Bennett hesitated. Chloe, who was weaving between tables nearby, visibly slowed her step — trying not to look too obviously in my direction.
Just as I was about to withdraw the request, Bennett handed it over without a word, letting me inspect it up close.
Celestial Eye
Artifact Type: Magic Conduit Catalyst (???)
Current Holder: Bennett (???)
Creator: (???)
Rank: Adaptive (+)
Durability: ???/???
Internal Energy Storage: 557/557
Special Traits: Enables the user to exceed natural physical limits; evolves alongside the wielder; (???)
Abilities: (???)
Despite all the question marks in its status readout, there was enough information to at least form a rough idea of what I was dealing with. Technically, it wasn't even an artifact in the traditional sense. It felt more like some kind of symbiotic entity — something closer to a magical conduit than a standalone relic. Honestly? The closest comparison I could think of was a wand from Harry Potter.
And if the two knights I used to chat with back in Springvale were to be believed, the principle wasn't all that different either: "The wand chooses the wizard."
Of course, all those missing data fields in the description still made me twitchy, but hey — better something than nothing. At least now, the Vision or "Eye of Celestia", if you want to get fancy, wasn't this completely alien concept in my mind anymore. And that alone gave me something to work with.
Even more interesting? That shiny little thing gave me a fresh perspective on my own spear — specifically, on some of the functions it had been hiding all this time. Up until now, I'd only been guessing about its full potential, but seeing the Vision's readout helped connect a few dots.
"Neat little piece of gear," I said, handing the artifact back to its owner.
Bennett chuckled modestly and reattached the Vision to his belt pouch — somehow magnetizing it in place with a move I couldn't quite figure out. Then, after polishing off the last bites of his lunch, he picked up where we'd left off, continuing his impromptu lecture on the ins and outs of life as an adventurer.
We didn't talk for too long after that. Just as the sound of the storm outside finally began to ease up, the conversation took a turn — straight into the topic I'd half-expected from the start: whether I planned on joining a party anytime soon. I was actually surprised he'd waited this long to bring it up.
"I've only just arrived in the region," I replied, lazily sipping the herbal blend Chloe had brought over. It was a solid substitute for tea — less bitter, with a hint of mint that lingered pleasantly on the tongue. "And truth be told, I'm used to flying solo. Haven't really talked to any other adventurers much since I got here… other than you, I mean."
To be fair, I'd run into others in passing. But actual conversations? Not really. Back then, strangers set off all the wrong alarms in my head, so I kept my distance out of pure habit. These days, I was a bit more relaxed about it — but that wasn't always the case.
"Got it," Bennett nodded. He paused, clearly thinking something over, and then added a bit hesitantly,
"Well… I've actually been looking to form a team lately. And, uh… if you're not opposed…"
Yeah… fast. But not unexpected. The guy really was absurdly unlucky — even compared to me — and that's saying something. Though, in my case, it's less of a universal curse and more… karmic.
Still, watching Bennett fumble his way through lunch was like witnessing a one-man slapstick show: spilled his drink once, burned himself with the soup twice, and somehow managed to catapult a spoon straight into the air, only for it to land squarely on the back of his head with a dramatic clink.
Impressive, in a tragic sort of way.
That said, despite his personal war with gravity and thermodynamics, he was probably my safest bet right now. A guy like that? He wasn't the type to ditch you when things got dicey. And from what I'd seen so far, people in this world — anime backdrop or not — weren't all that different from the ones I knew back home.
So yeah. My answer was a solid yes.
"No objections here," I replied, meeting his eyes.
That earned me a bashful but genuinely warm smile.
"I've actually got this one mission in mind," he said, perking up immediately. "Something about exploring some ancient ruins…"
"Whoa there, slow down."
I cut him off before his enthusiasm launched him into a full expedition plan.
"I don't even have my guild badge yet. And first, I need to find a place to sleep. Then maybe I'll have time to get a proper feel for the city. You did promise to be my guide, remember?"
"Tch — right, right."
He nodded quickly, visibly dialing it back.
"No worries about a place to stay, though. Chloe!" he called toward the front counter. "You guys still have rooms available, right?"
The nekomata behind the bar twitched her ears apologetically.
"Sorry, Benny. All booked up."
Aaand just like that, the curse of bad luck made its triumphant return. Welp. This was gonna be fun.