First Visit to the Guild and Choosing a Familia

After I left the tavern, the noise in the streets seemed even louder. Sunlight spilled across the cobblestones as adventurers made their way through the crowds, each one striding with purpose.

As I looked around, I noticed quite a few adventurers gathering in the same direction. They moved in groups of three or five, all looking excited, as though they were about to attend some important event.

"Hm? What's that...?"

Following their lead, I looked up at a conspicuous building at the end of the street. A sign hung over the entrance, bearing the words "Adventurers Guild."

"The Guild... Is this where information comes together?"

Without thinking too much about it, I decided to follow them inside and take a look. The moment I entered the Guild hall, a lively atmosphere swept over me. The hall was spacious and bright, with people lined up in front of several rows of counters, handing documents to the staff behind them or talking with them.

I glanced around and soon noticed a female half-elf in uniform, busy answering adventurers' questions. Her long ears, well-proportioned features, and patient manner made her stand out in the crowd.

"Maybe I can get some useful information here," I said quietly, walking toward her counter.

As I approached, she looked up and noticed me, a professional smile on her face.

"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. I'm Eina. If you need any help, please let me know."

"I want to become an adventurer," I said, getting straight to the point.

She paused for a moment, then nodded slightly and handed me a form.

"Of course, but before you can formally apply to become an adventurer, we first need to confirm whether you've joined a familia."

"A familia?"

"Yes." Eina explained patiently, "Only members of a god's familia are permitted to explore the Dungeon. Once you join a familia, the god will enhance your abilities by granting you 'Falna.' That's also the source of an adventurer's strength."

So that was how it worked. The rules of this world revolved around the gods. I nodded thoughtfully.

"If you don't belong to a familia yet, you can try looking for a god first. Most of the gods in Orario are usually happy to welcome new adventurers."

She pointed to a notice board in the corner of the hall. "There's information there about familias that are recruiting members. You can also contact a god through friends or introductions."

"I see."

I took the form and looked in the direction she had indicated. The board was covered with recruitment notices from all kinds of familias. Judging by their contents, some wanted to expand their ranks, while others were clearly looking for help with certain highly difficult tasks.

"If you'd like a recommendation, I can introduce you to some familias that are relatively suitable for newcomers," Eina added, her polite smile still in place.

"No thanks. I'll choose one myself." I shook my head, then turned and walked toward the notice board.

Quite a few adventurers stood in front of the board. Some studied the notices closely, while others exchanged a few words about the requirements of certain familias. I looked over the board and soon spotted some interesting names.

"The Hermes Familia... specializes in gathering information and espionage?"

"The Apollo Familia. Recruitment requirements: good facial features... Hm?"

"The Loki Familia requires adventurers to be at least level two... They have quite a few restrictions."

The descriptions of these familias varied wildly, but one thing was clear—each familia was looking for suitable people for a particular purpose. As The Eminence in Shadow, my goal was naturally to hide myself and observe the bigger picture, not reveal my power at random.

"Looks like I need to pick a more low-key one," I murmured to myself.

Just then, a tall man suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, newbie, are you looking for a familia too?" he asked with an honest smile, his tone not sounding malicious.

"...Yeah," I replied casually.

"Then why not consider our familia? Lord Hermes is a very tolerant god!"

The Hermes Familia... That was a pretty good choice. It had an extensive information network and operated discreetly, which certainly suited my needs.

"I'll think about it." I nodded, turned, and left.

The moment I stepped out of the Guild, I felt that the atmosphere in the street seemed to have changed subtly. In any case, finding a suitable familia was only the first step.