After getting her temporary city pass, Lana politely asked for directions and slowly made her way toward the Adventurer’s Guild. People were surprisingly helpful, pointing toward a building with a big wooden sign, crossed swords engraved above the double doors, and what looked like a dragon fang hanging as a welcome charm. Very fantasy-core.
Inside, the pce was lively but not chaotic—thankfully. Adventurers milled about, some bragging loudly, others checking the quest board, a few dozing off at the tables nearby. Behind the counter stood a petite woman with short brown hair in a neat bob, silver-rimmed gsses perched on her nose, and a professional-yet-warm smile that could probably pacify angry trolls.
“Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild,” she greeted with a slight bow. “How may I help you today?”
Lana stepped forward, brushing imaginary dust off her not-so-imaginary filthy dress. “Hi, um, I’m here to make an ID pass... I kinda... lost mine.”
The receptionist blinked once, then smiled again. “Of course. My name is Merith. I’ll assist you. Please fill out this form here.”
Lana looked at the form—and her smile twitched.
“Uh…”
“Ah,” Merith said, recognizing the panic of someone trying to decipher alien scribbles. “You don’t understand Drysian, do you?”
Lana awkwardly ughed. “Nope. Sorry.”
Merith tilted her head thoughtfully. “It happens. Foreigners, huh?” she said with a knowing sigh. “No worries. You’ll need to visit a rune maker to get a nguage rune before we can finish the form.”
“A rune maker?”
“Yes. They enchant stones to help you understand and speak local nguages. You can also learn the nguage the slow way, but... the rune’s quicker.”
Lana perked up. “Okay! How much does it cost?”
“...About 100 silver coins.”
Lana blinked. She was pretty sure even her imaginary bank account from Earth flinched at that.
“I… may have zero coins. Like, none. Zilch. Can you help me out?”
Merith, to her surprise, nodded. “We can at least get started. Tell me your name and age.”
“Lana. Age... 15,” she said with a tiny cringe.
“Right.” Merith input it into a crystal tablet. “Now, for magic attributes—”
“Oh, um, I haven’t had that tested yet.”
Merith stared. “At 15?”
“I moved around a lot,” Lana said vaguely. “And had amnesia. And… mango allergies.”(pov: she doesn't know what to say after experiencing chaotic days)
To her surprise, Merith actually nodded. “It happens more than you’d think.”
She led Lana to a round, pale blue orb nestled in a silver pedestal. “Just pce your hand on it. This orb detects elemental affinity.”
Lana nervously pced her hand.
The orb shimmered.
Silver light danced around the blue core before finally pulsing to a chilly light blue with silvery mist swirling inside.
Merith gasped softly. “...Ice. That’s an advanced element.”
Lana blinked. “It’s not water?”
“Ice is part of the Mystral Tier—advanced elements. Water is basic. Ice requires more control.”
Lana quietly wondered if she'd accidentally unlocked Elsa mode.
With that settled, Merith handed Lana her F-Rank guild card—pin, wooden, but official.
“You can now take beginner-ranked quests to earn money.”
She nodded and eyed the Quest Board, which honestly looked like a fantasy version of a sticky note wall. After filtering for “low danger, low effort, maximum pay,” one quest caught her eye:
“Urgent Request! Collect 10 bundles of Dewstem Grass from the Outer Ring of Marrowpine Forest. 100 copper coins per bundle.”
Easy enough, she thought. Until she saw the slimes.
Lots and lots of them.
The Marrowpine Forest, named for its pale bark and eerie glow at night, was less scary by day... until you met the wildlife. Dewstem Grass looked like shiny, mint-colored cattails, and for some reason, every patch was surrounded by bouncy, translucent blobs.
“Alright, slimes. Be nice—"
One sptted her with a wet plop.
She slipped and fell on another.
By the time she was done, Lana looked like she’d been slimed on national television. At least the grass was in hand.
Back at the Guild, Merith tried not to ugh. “...You did well.”
Lana smiled sheepishly. “Do I smell like monster soup?”
“Only mildly.”
She handed over the Dewstem Grass, received 1 silver coin, and decided it was time to bathe or perish trying.
The nearest inn was run by a kindly older woman with curled gray hair and sharp eyes. “500 copper for a night,” she said. “Includes dinner and breakfast.”
Lana internally cried, but paid. “I’m Lana,” she said, offering a hand.
The dy smiled. “Call me Auntie Mirva.”
After dropping her slimed-up rags in the undry basket of shame, Lana bought a new outfit: a simple sky-blue tunic with soft white leggings and a hooded cape, plus a rune pendant neckce—her very first enchanted item.
Now 300 copper lighter, she headed back to the inn, bathed like a queen, and walked down in clean clothes.
Mirva blinked. “You—are the same girl?”
“Yep,” Lana chirped. “New and improved.”
Dinner was vegetable stew with soft bread and warm tea. The best meal she’d had in two worlds. She chatted with Mirva a bit before retreating to her room, eyes heavy.
Outside, the sky turned indigo.
Inside, Lana snuggled under the warm covers.
So this is how it feels... to be alive in another world.
She smiled, yawned—and drifted off.
Morning sunlight filtered through the window, casting golden rays across Lana’s face. For a moment, she forgot she was in another world. That is, until she stretched… and realized her joints didn’t crack.
“…Ah, right. I’m fifteen now,” she muttered, blinking up at the wooden ceiling.
After a refreshing bath—because she wasn’t letting herself go through another slime-covered day unwashed—Lana descended the staircase of the inn, the scent of something buttery wafting through the air.
“Morning, Aunt Mirva!” she greeted the kind innkeeper, who was already setting up a hearty breakfast.
“Well now, look at you! Bright and shiny like a new coin,” Aunt Mirva chuckled, handing over a pte with what looked like a fried egg… except it was green.
Lana decided not to ask.
