"Ah, he has grown so much," Gabriel says, his voice thick with exaggerated sentiment.

  Before I can question what he means, Ravyn's voice cuts through. "Don’t forget to send letters."

  Wait. What?

  I glance around in confusion, only to see Ravyn fake crying, dabbing at nonexistent tears.

  "Hold on—why am I getting kicked out?" I demand, crossing my arms. "And why the hell is he acting like I’m leaving forever?"

  Ravyn immediately claps a hand on my shoulder, grinning. "Well, you did say you wanted to get stronger, right? So I'm sending you off to train. Listen, it's a mission!"

  "A mission?" I repeat, narrowing my eyes. "Wouldn't sticking with you guys be enough training?"

  "Nah." Ravyn waves me off like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

  Meanwhile, Gabriel clasps his hands together and starts praying. "Oh, merciful heavens, may you guide this young one to another woman, lest he continue to disgrace himself by lusting after my Lena."

  "What the—?!" I whip my head toward him. "That's not—"

  Ravyn tightens his grip on my shoulder and leans in conspiratorially. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of your beloved Porky while you're gone."

  I swear I hear him snicker.

  My eye twitches. This has to be a joke. Right?

  I stand in front of the entrance to our base. It’s closed.

  "I guess not," I mutter under my breath.

  Just as I’m about to turn away, a shadow looms over me. A large figure steps into view, and instinct kicks in—I immediately grip Nyxrend, ready for anything.

  It’s Mark.

  He says nothing, just silently holds out a map. I take it, scanning the details. His finger moves, pointing at a particular location—The Kingdom of Aurewyn. Then, just beside it, a smaller, more ominous place—Korthyn Mire. A crude drawing of a demon is scribbled next to the name.

  I raise an eyebrow. "So I go to the place with the demon drawing, huh?"

  Mark just nods.

  "Thanks, I guess better than nothing to do."

  And with that he waved me off. Wait.. I have to walk all the way there..

  "FUCK!"

  ...

  The journey to Aurewyn was hell.

  Not because of monsters. Not because of bandits. Not because of some grand, life-threatening battle.

  No. It was because I was broke.

  The first few hours, I thought, Alright, this isn’t so bad. Just a little walking.

  Then the sun rose higher, and I realized something horrifying—I had no food. No water. Nothing.

  By the time I hit the second day, my legs felt like lead, my stomach was performing a full orchestra of betrayal, and I had started hallucinating about Porky carrying me to safety.

  At one point, I found a small pond and considered drinking from it… until I saw a frog sitting smugly on a rock, as if daring me to try.

  I kept walking.

  By the third day, I was dying. Not in a dramatic, heroic way—just the miserable, pathetic kind where you start wondering if grass is edible. (Spoiler: it’s not. I tried.)

  When I finally reached Aurewyn’s gates, I must have looked like a half-dead vagabond because the guards immediately crossed their spears in front of me.

  "Halt! State your business!" one of them commanded.

  I opened my mouth, but instead of words, a dry croak came out.

  The other guard narrowed his eyes. "Uh… is he okay?"

  I tried again. "W… water…"

  They exchanged glances.

  “…Should we give him something?”

  "He's not even armed," the first guard pointed out.

  I was armed. My sword was literally strapped to my back. That’s how weak I was—I wasn’t even registering as a threat.

  Moments later, they sat me down by the gate, handed me a chunk of bread and a waterskin, and watched as I devoured it like a starving beast.

  "...Should we ask who he is?"

  "Let him eat first. I think he's fighting for his life right now."

  And they weren’t wrong.

  As I tore into the bread like a man possessed, the guards just… watched. I could feel their judgment, but I was far beyond caring.

  "Sweet gods above, he's eating like a wild animal," one muttered.

  "Should we be concerned?" the other asked.

  I paused mid-bite, cheeks stuffed, and glared at them. "Mmf hrrm hmf."

  They blinked.

  "...What?"

  I swallowed—painfully, because I had inhaled the food too fast—then tried again. "Three. Days. No food. No water. And you’re judging me for being hungry?*"

  The first guard raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, chill. Just… maybe slow down before you choke and we have to explain how some random traveler died at our gates."

  I wasn’t slowing down for anything. My body had rights, and I was currently making up for violating all of them.

  Once I drained the last of the water, I let out an exhausted sigh and slumped against the wooden gate.

  The second guard crossed his arms. "So, are you gonna tell us who you are now?"

  I wiped my mouth with my sleeve, suddenly remembering I had to actually act normal now. "Oh, uh… yeah. I’m Eli. Just a traveler."

  The first guard narrowed his eyes. "You don’t look like just a traveler."

  I glanced down at myself. Okay, yeah. I was still covered in dirt, sweat, and what I hoped was just mud from when I tripped into a ditch earlier. Add in my sword, and I probably looked more like a bandit than a starving idiot.

  "...I promise I’m not suspicious."

  The second guard deadpanned. "You say that while looking exactly like someone suspicious."

  I sighed. "Look, I just need to get inside. I have business here."

  The first guard tapped his chin. "Well, you did look half-dead a few minutes ago. If you were some assassin or something, you wouldn’t have been dumb enough to nearly die of starvation before reaching your target."

  "Exactly!" I gestured wildly. "See? I’m too pathetic to be a threat."

  The second guard shook his head. "That’s… not the defense you think it is."

  "But it’s working, isn’t it?"

  They exchanged glances. Then, with a sigh, they stepped aside.

  "Fine. Just… try not to cause any trouble, alright?"

  I gave them a thumbs-up. "No promises."

  They groaned as I finally stepped past the gate, entering Aurewyn at last.

  Now… the first thing a real protagonist would do in this situation—

  "Alright," I muttered to myself, stretching my aching limbs. "Time to find the Adventurer’s Guild. There should be one here, right?"

  Every kingdom worth its salt had one. A bustling city like Aurewyn? Definitely had one.

  I started walking down the cobbled streets, taking in the sights. Aurewyn was lively, with merchants shouting over each other to sell their wares, kids weaving between carts, and armored knights patrolling the area. The smell of fresh bread and roasted meat filled the air, reminding me that one chunk of bread was not enough to undo three days of suffering.

  But food could wait. I needed information, and the Adventurer’s Guild was the best place to start.

  I stopped the nearest person—a tired-looking old man carrying a sack of potatoes. "Hey, uh, excuse me. Do you know where the Adventurer’s Guild is?"

  He gave me a weird look before jabbing a finger down the main road. "Keep walking straight, then take a left at the big fountain. Can’t miss it."

  "Thanks, old-timer!" I said, already moving.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "I’m thirty-five, you brat!" he called after me.

  Oops.

  A few minutes later, I found myself in front of a large, well-built structure with a massive wooden sign reading AUREWYN ADVENTURER'S GUILD in bold letters. Just outside the entrance, I could already hear the lively sounds of drunkards, rowdy warriors, and—was that someone crying?

  Classic guild atmosphere.

  With a deep breath, I pushed open the doors and stepped inside, ready to begin the next part of my journey.

  As I stepped inside, the lively atmosphere came to a sudden halt. Conversations quieted, drinks were set down, and every pair of eyes turned to me.

  Maybe it was because of my mask?

  I didn’t really care. Instead of acknowledging the stares, I made my way straight to the nearest receptionist—a beautiful one, at that.

  She greeted me with a polite smile. "Welcome, traveler. Here to become an adventurer, right?"

  I glanced at her name tag—Yuna.

  "Uh… yeah," I replied, trying not to sound awkward.

  "Great!" She slid a piece of parchment across the counter along with a quill. "Just sign here, and then you'll be tested."

  I picked up the quill, hesitating. "Tested how, exactly?"

  Yuna smirked. "Oh, you'll see."

  …That didn’t sound ominous at all.

  ...

  A training hall… great.

  Yuna had disappeared after making me sign the form, and when she returned—well, she wasn’t alone.

  Standing next to her was an absolute monster of a man. No, scratch that—this guy might actually be bigger than Mark. Somehow.

  Massive arms. Thick, battle-worn armor. A greatsword nearly as tall as me strapped to his back. Just looking at him made my body ache in advance.

  The giant crossed his arms and grinned. "Welcome, traveler. Name's Garrus. I'll be testing your fighting capabilities and assigning you a rank."

  I exhaled slowly. "Right. And if I fail?"

  "You'll automatically be placed in the lowest rank—E-Rank."

  Figures.

  I glanced at Yuna, who was watching with mild amusement, then back at Garrus. "And if I do really well?"

  Garrus chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Then you'll get a rank that actually means something."

  Great. No pressure.

  ...

  Garrus moved faster than I expected.

  A blur of steel and muscle, closing the gap between us in an instant. My instincts screamed at me to dodge, but my body—stiff from a month of inaction—was a second too slow.

  BOOM!

  The impact alone sent me flying. I barely managed to block with Nyxrend, but the sheer force behind his swing rattled my bones. I hit the ground hard, rolling several times before slamming into the training hall wall.

  The room spun. My arms felt numb.

  Holy shit.

  I pushed myself up, coughing. My fingers tightened around my sword as I tried to steady my breathing.

  Garrus cracked his neck. "Huh. Thought you'd go down in one hit."

  So did I.

  He charged again. I forced my body to move—dodge, counter, do something! But my sluggish reaction time failed me again.

  CRASH!

  This time, his boot caught my stomach, sending me skidding across the dirt. I barely managed to roll to my feet, gasping for air. My vision blurred for a second before sharpening again.

  I was getting destroyed.

  Every move I made was too slow, too predictable, too weak. It wasn’t just that I hadn’t fought in a while—Garrus was just that strong.

  Stronger than me.

  But then something shifted.

  I could feel it. A strange, instinctual pull.

  Skill Eater.

  It was subtle at first—a whisper in the back of my mind. My muscles, my body, adjusting. I had just taken two direct hits, but suddenly, I understood something about them. My stance, my footing—I had unconsciously copied the way Garrus planted himself before his attacks.

  I exhaled sharply. So that’s how it works.

  I didn't just learn. I adapted. Absorbing experience mid-fight.

  I raised Nyxrend, my grip firm. My muscles still ached, but my movements felt… smoother.

  Garrus smirked. "Huh. You’re standing a little different now."

  I rolled my shoulders. Let’s test this.

  This time, when he charged, I saw it. The weight behind his step, the shift in his balance—I could read it.

  I dodged, barely, his greatsword carving into the dirt where I stood a second ago. My counterattack was instinctual—too instinctual. I swung Nyxrend at an angle I hadn't even practiced before.

  Garrus blocked, but his eyes briefly widened in surprise. "Hoh?"

  That was all I needed to confirm it—Skill Eater was broken.

  But it still wasn't enough.

  Because the next thing I knew—

  BOOM!

  —his backhand caught my face and sent me spiraling.

  I crashed onto the ground again, pain flaring through my skull. My vision blurred for a second before snapping back into focus.

  Garrus stood over me, resting his sword on his shoulder. "Impressive. You’re learning as we fight."

  I coughed, wiping blood from my mouth. "Not fast enough."

  He nodded. "Exactly."

  He raised his blade again, eyes serious now.

  "There will always be stronger opponents. You better learn faster."

  I clenched my jaw. He was right.

  If I wanted to survive—if I wanted to win—then I couldn’t just rely on Skill Eater.

  I needed to be stronger.

  "D-Rank," Garrus said flatly, lowering his sword.

  I blinked. "What? I'm not done yet."

  He smirked. "Well, it's over."

  I stared at him, processing his words. "Over?" I still had fight left in me—I could keep going, keep improving, keep adapting. My body ached, my movements were sluggish, but I wasn't finished.

  Garrus sighed, shaking his head. "Listen, kid. You're learning fast, yeah. But right now, you'd still lose against anyone above mid-tier." He jabbed a thumb toward me. "Your endurance is crap. Your reaction speed? Barely passable. And your technique? It ain't yours—you're just mimicking."

  I clenched my fists. He wasn’t wrong.

  "You’ve got potential," he admitted. "But potential alone doesn’t mean shit in a real fight." He turned away, heading toward the exit. "Come back when you can actually win, not just adapt."

  I ground my teeth as Yuna strolled up, handing me a small wooden tag. "Congrats, you're officially a D-Rank adventurer," she said cheerfully.

  I took it, staring at the cheap-looking engraving. D-Rank. Barely above the lowest rank.

  Pathetic.

  I exhaled sharply. Fine.

  I pocketed the tag and turned on my heel.

  If I wasn't strong enough yet—

  Then I'd just have to fix that.

  Did I really become that weak just because of one month without fighting?

  I clenched the wooden D-Rank tag in my fist, frustration boiling inside me.

  I wasn’t some rookie who had just picked up a sword yesterday. I killed three Tikbalangs—high-ranking demons that most adventurers wouldn't dare challenge. I fought them, survived, and won.

  And now I was struggling against a guild instructor?

  The bitter taste of reality settled in.

  No. It wasn’t just a month of inactivity. That was an excuse. The truth was, I relied too much on Skill Eater—let it carry me instead of actually refining my techniques. It gave me the ability to adapt, but that didn’t mean I could just slack off and expect to win.

  Garrus was right. I wasn’t fighting—I was mimicking. And mimicking alone wouldn’t cut it against stronger opponents.

  I exhaled sharply, slipping the tag into my pocket.

  Fine.

  If I had to start over, so be it. If I had to grind my way back to the top, then I'd do it.

  Because D-Rank sure as hell wasn’t where I was staying.

  ...

  I made my way over to the quest board, hoping for something decent.

  …Yeah, no. Nothing fancy. Just the usual beginner-level garbage.

  Escort missions, herb gathering, and—oh, look—subjugating a goblin nest.

  I sighed. Well, it’s not like I have better options.

  Taking on goblins wouldn’t be exciting, but it was exactly what I needed—a way to refine my skills in real combat. With Skill Eater, every fight would accelerate my growth. Even if goblins weren’t the strongest opponents, they were unpredictable in groups.

  Perfect for testing how fast I can improve.

  I grabbed the request and walked back to the receptionist desk.

  "Taking the goblin subjugation?" Yuna asked, raising an eyebrow as I handed her the paper.

  "Yeah. Should be easy enough."

  She stamped the request and slid it back to me. "Just don’t get cocky. Goblins may be weak alone, but they’re dangerous when they swarm. Plenty of overconfident adventurers got torn apart underestimating them."

  I smirked. "Good thing I’m not that dumb."

  She gave me a doubtful look but let it slide.

  With the quest in hand, I turned and walked out of the guild. Time to see just how much Skill Eater could push me.

  ...

  The goblin nest… was just a hole in a mountain.

  I stood at the entrance, squinting at the dark tunnel. This is it? I expected something more—maybe a few goblins standing guard, some crude wooden barricades, something.

  But there was nothing. No signs of movement, no scouts patrolling the entrance. Just eerie silence.

  I frowned, glancing around. That’s when I noticed it.

  There were multiple holes in this mountain.

  Not just one nest. Several.

  I rubbed my chin. "Is this… more than one goblin nest?"

  That was concerning. If separate goblin groups were living this close together, then either they were working together—which was bad—or something stronger had forced them to settle here.

  And then another thought hit me.

  Wait a second.

  I had read a ton of fantasy novels, manhwa, and manga back in my old world. In none of them did goblins actually live inside caves.

  They built dens, burrowed into the earth, or even took over abandoned villages. But deep mountain caves? That was more of an orc thing.

  Something wasn’t adding up.

  I tightened my grip on Nyxrend. Maybe this was just a normal goblin nest, and I was overthinking it.

  …Or maybe I just walked into something way worse.

  And I was overthinking it.

  Because the moment a goblin spotted me, it screeched—and suddenly, a swarm of them poured out of the holes like angry rats.

  For a second, I tensed, expecting some kind of strategy, an ambush, maybe even a leader barking orders. But then I actually watched them charge at me.

  They were slow.

  Like, really slow.

  And dumb.

  One tripped over a rock and faceplanted. Another ran headfirst into the cave wall. One even tried throwing a rusted dagger at me—only for it to go completely off-course and stab another goblin in the back.

  I sighed, shaking my head. This is just sad.

  Still, this was the perfect chance.

  I tightened my grip on Nyxrend, exhaled, and stepped forward.

  "Alright," I muttered, lowering my stance. "Time to train."

  I dashed forward, slicing through the first goblin with a single clean strike. Immediately, I felt it—the faint pull of Skill Eater kicking in. My body adjusted, refining the motion, the weight behind my swing.

  The next goblin lunged at me with a crude club. This time, I parried with ease, my counterattack smoother, more precise.

  Every movement, every attack—I could feel myself improving in real time.

  And these goblins? They were the perfect punching bags.

  ...

  "321 goblins… multiplied by 2 since the ears are the only part I need… that’s 642 goblin ears."

  I stared at the pile of severed ears in front of me. A normal person might be disgusted, but at this point, I was just tired.

  With a sigh, I shoved them into a large leather bag. Holy shit, this is heavy.

  I slung it over my shoulder, nearly toppling over from the weight. If I had known goblin ears would be such a pain to carry, I would’ve borrowed a damn cart.

  Grumbling under my breath, I started making my way back to the Adventurer’s Guild, dragging my oversized bag of goblin ears like some kind of deranged merchant.

  I was exhausted, covered in goblin blood, and reeked of battle.

  But at least I was about to get paid.

  ...

  As I stepped into the Adventurer’s Guild, the lively chatter inside came to a sudden halt.

  Then, almost immediately, gossip filled the room.

  "Is he K's new apprentice?"

  "They do look alike."

  "And they’re doing the same thing."

  I frowned. K? Who the hell is K?

  Ignoring the murmurs, I dragged my very heavy bag of goblin ears across the floor, the dull scraping sound making a few people wince. With one final heave, I dropped it right in front of Yuna’s desk.

  THUD!

  Yuna barely reacted. She simply glanced at the bag, then at me, completely unfazed.

  "You're like him..." she muttered.

  I raised an eyebrow. "The K guy? Who is he?"

  She leaned forward slightly, smirking. "You really don’t know?"

  I crossed my arms. "If I did, I wouldn’t be asking."

  Yuna chuckled. "K’s a bit of a legend around here. A solo adventurer who ranked up ridiculously fast. And just like you, his first quest was a goblin subjugation. When he came back…" She tapped the desk. "He dropped a bag full of goblin ears. Just like you did."

  I glanced at the bag, then back at her. "Huh."

  Before I could process that, a voice from the back of the guild yelled—

  "Oi, rookie! You related to K or somethin'?!"

  I turned to see a burly adventurer eyeing me suspiciously.

  I sighed. Great. More problems.

  I didn't reply and he didnt push it.

  Yuna spoke up again, casually leaning on the counter. "If you're curious about him, he's a B-Rank adventurer. Travels with a companion, both of them masked. K, specifically, wears an Oni mask."

  I frowned. "Isn't that kind of private information?"

  Yuna waved a hand dismissively. "Normally, yeah. But K himself shouted in the middle of the guild that he'd become a Diwata-Rank one day. Not exactly subtle."

  …Alright, fair.

  She brushed the topic aside and got to work, casually counting the severed goblin ears like this was just another Tuesday.

  A minute later, she pulled out a small pouch and slid it across the counter.

  12 gold coins.

  Not bad.

  Then, she placed something else on the table—a C-Rank badge.

  I blinked. "Wait… already?"

  "Congratulations on becoming C-Rank." Yuna smiled.

  I picked up the badge, staring at it. I ranked up? Just like that?

  …Maybe wiping out an entire goblin nest wasn't such a common thing after all.