The bell above the door gave a soft jingle as Aria stepped into the adventurer's guild, quietly closing the door behind him. A warm gust of chatter and laughter greeted him, muffled only slightly by the thick wooden walls that separated the guild hall from the growing cold outside.
Winter was coming.
And with it came more frequent monster activity. Creatures, driven by instinct and desperation, often pushed toward populated areas in search of food and shelter before the snow fully set in. That meant work for adventurers, and the guild was beginning to buzz with the early rush of contracts aimed at thinning monster numbers before the worst of the season arrived.
Aria scanned the hall, his sharp eyes quickly taking in the scattered groups of adventurers. Most were in their parties, lounging around long tables or standing by the request board, murmuring over parchment slips. A few were solo like him, quieter and more observant, sitting apart with practiced ease.
He moved forward, sidestepping a raucous group that had formed near the center of the room. At the heart of it stood a burly man with arms like tree trunks and a jagged scar across one cheek. His right arm was firmly planted on a table, flexing exaggeratedly as he faced down an elderly mage across from him.
The mage, hunched and narrow, looked more like a librarian than a fighter. His frail hand hovered uncertainly above the table, drawing laughter from the surrounding crowd.
"C'mon, old man!" the burly man barked. "You said you'd do it. Now show me what you've got!"
He flexed again, this time earning a few whistles from a trio of women nearby. One giggled, another rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.
Aria smiled faintly, just as his attention was drawn to a particular girl standing off to the side. She was hard to miss.
Long, wild red hair cascaded down her back in untamed waves, and her outfit left little to the imagination—light leather armor strapped over her shoulders, her spear slung across her back. She nursed a plain cup of milk as she leaned against the wall, expression fixed in an unamused scowl.
Her eyes narrowed at the display.
"Hypocrites," she muttered under her breath, loud enough for Aria to catch.
He turned, blinking. Before he could process it, the red-haired girl was suddenly at his side.
Fast.
"That guy's clueless," she remarked, nodding toward the arm-wrestling pair.
Aria smirked. "I think he's about to find out."
On cue, the elderly mage finally placed his thin hand on the table. The gathered crowd leaned in. An adventurer raised his hand to count down.
"Three… two… one… go!"
The big man immediately pushed with brute force, his muscles bulging, veins popping. Cheers erupted around him, but the old mage held steady, looking almost… bored.
"Here it comes," the red-haired girl muttered, sipping her milk.
The mage's smirk widened. Suddenly, the withered arm ballooned with unexpected strength, his hand becoming a blur. With a deafening bang, the burly man's arm was slammed into the table, splintering the wood and sending a sharp crack through his knuckle.
The man howled in pain, clutching his hand as the crowd gasped, then fell into laughter and groans of disbelief.
The old man stood calmly, stretching his back. "Ah… my back… Definitely too old for this nonsense."
He grabbed his gnarled staff and hobbled toward Aria and the red-haired girl, now grinning openly.
"Good afternoon, Guild Master," Aria greeted with a small wave.
"Ha! Aria!" the old man bellowed. "You're back!" He burst into a shambling sprint and engulfed Aria in a dramatic hug.
"Ohhh, my little Aria! You finally returned! Did you miss me?"
Aria chuckled, awkwardly patting the man's shoulder. "Something like that."
But before the Guild Master could continue his theatrics, the red-haired girl yanked him by the collar.
"Enough, you old goat!" she scolded, pulling him back with surprising force. "You're a grown man! Can't you act your age for once?"
The Guild Master puffed out his cheeks in protest, then raised his fingers dramatically to his eyes. With a plume of smoke, his form shimmered and shifted—gone was the frail elder, and in his place stood a tall, robust man in his mid-forties. His neatly trimmed beard matched his vivid red hair, and his fine clothes now marked his status unmistakably.
"Olia, must you always ruin my fun?"
"Someone has to keep you in check," she replied dryly, crossing her arms.
Aria watched them with a fond smile.
The Guild Master, once an infamous rogue, now led the local guild with a flair for mischief. His sister, Olia, though technically the vice-guild master, often acted more like his babysitter. Despite her title, she never wore her badge—a silent rebellion, perhaps, against how often she ended up handling the guild's real work.
When Aria first came to this place, it was these two who helped him. They'd taught him how to control his power, how to mask his strength from prying eyes, and even let him stay in their home until he could move into a place of his own.
But… his room was still there.
"Still have my old room?" Aria teased.
The bickering duo paused. Olia rolled her eyes, while the Guild Master grinned and slung an arm around Aria's shoulder. "Of course we do! You're always welcome."
"Do you need anything?" he added.
Aria thought of the strange egg resting in his bag. It pulsed with a warmth he hadn't quite figured out.
"Not yet," he said. "But I need to report a completed quest."
"Business before bonding? Fine, fine." The Guild Master pouted exaggeratedly as Olia yanked him away by the ear.
Aria approached the front desk, only to find it manned—unsurprisingly—by the most insufferable person in the entire building.
The receptionist had puffed pink hair and cleavage barely contained by her uniform. Her flirtations were loud, shameless, and seemingly unending. She was currently giggling and leaning into a handsome D-rank adventurer's space.
Aria rapped his knuckles on the desk. "Task turn-in."
The girl glanced over, her smile quickly vanishing into a sneer. She hated Aria, and he was beyond grateful for it.
"Finally," she muttered, snatching the quest papers and loot bag. She skimmed them quickly, stamped the forms without comment, and shoved a small coin pouch toward him.
Then she was gone, striding away toward a nearby group of male adventurers who were already calling her over. One of them grabbed her rear as she joined them. She jumped—but smiled sweetly, melting into the crowd.
Aria picked up the coin pouch and tucked it into his coat. He'd gotten used to the nonsense here.
He took one last glance around the room—the cracked table still lay in pieces, adventurers chatting and laughing, and Olia dragging her brother by the ear upstairs like a fed-up older sister.
Aria sighed and procceed to the door.