Inside the tavern, the noise was a deafening wall of cheers and clinking glass. Maddy sat in a shadowed corner, her chin resting on her hand. She was bored. She had spent the last hour watching men drink themselves into a stupor, and the "celebration" was starting to grate on her nerves.

She had come here for one reason: to find the Guildmaster. But as she listened to the drunken gossip around her, her hope vanished.

"Too bad the Guildmaster won’t be showing her face tonight," one adventurer shouted over the music. "I heard she’s still in the Elfili Faeloria nation, dealing with some diplomatic mess."

"Ugh, those long ears," another muttered, leaning heavily against the bar. "They’re such assholes. Always acting like they’re better than everyone else because they live in GRAND TREES. They’ll probably keep her there for weeks."

Maddy tightened her grip on her mug, a flash of irritation crossing her face. She hated this. She had dragged herself to this loud, stinking tavern and endured the sight of everyone fawning over Johnn, all for a woman who wasn’t even in the city.

"I wasted my time! I stood here like a fool just to watch that boy drink and listen to these idiots!"

She walked toward the exit, pushing past the crowd of women who were still adoring the drunk Johnn. She just wanted to find a quiet place to sleep and forget this day ever happened. However, she couldn’t stop thinking about the information she had gathered.

"Eight of them now," she whispered to herself. "Including Johnn, there are now eight SSS Rank adventurers in this nation. The Seven Legends climbed their way to the top through years of slaughter and blood."

She thought back to Johnn’s initial evaluation. He had started with a total of ten million stats. With the way the adventurer progression system worked, his magic and might could grow even further. He was a monster in the making.

"But the ’Old Seven’ are different. Their power is on another level. Johnn is just a rookie compared to them."

Before passing the tavern door, she glanced back at the man in the black armor. His gear was crafted from the remains of every monster he had slain. His title was no exaggeration; he was a true monster hunter.

As she looked, his stats flashed briefly in her mind’s eye:

[Magic: 0]

Slayter had absolutely no magic. Yet, his physical presence alone felt like a weight pressing down on her soul.

"He has no magic, but his combined strength is..."

She took a heavy gulp, the realization chilling her to the bone.

"It’s equivalent to all five of my chimera children put together."

[Might: 50,000,000]

The sheer scale of that number made her heart race. She stepped out of the tavern and into the cool night air.

"If this whole nation becomes my enemy, things will not go well," she whispered to herself.

She thought of her children waiting for her.

"I had to be strong for them; the loss of even one would be a loss of my own soul. To survive, I had to be extra careful in this city. I needed to blend in perfectly, doing daily quests and acting exactly like a normal adventurer. But first..."

She sighed, her muscles aching from the day’s trials.

"I need to rest..."

The guild staff had warned her that the Newbie Orientation was scheduled for tomorrow morning. If she missed it, she wouldn’t be allowed to take on any quests. She couldn’t afford to lose a single day of progress.

"Damn this long process! It’s just like getting a government ID—so much pain in the ass!"

With a determined look, she began walking down the street, searching for a decent inn where she could finally close her eyes and prepare for the long road ahead. However, before she could get further away from the tavern, her map flickered.

Her sensory traits began to scream. Her instincts, honed by years of survival, told her something was wrong. She could feel a presence... something small and desperate running from something large and hungry.

Maddy stopped in her tracks, her hand instinctively drifting toward the hilt of her weapon. She glanced toward a narrow, dark alley where a shadow had just flickered. Her heart began to race. A cold, heavy feeling settled in her gut, a warning that she was about to witness something she couldn’t ignore.

She turned sharply, stepping toward the mouth of the alley to confront whatever was hiding in the dark. Her eyes narrowed, searching the gloom for the source of the distress.

Then, she exhaled a long, frustrated breath.

A small stray cat scurried out from behind a trash bin, a fat rat clutched firmly in its jaws. The cat paused, staring at Maddy with glowing eyes for a second, before darting away into the deeper shadows to finish its meal.

"Just a cat and a rat. I’m jumpier than I thought. Yeah... It’s just the natural order—the predator catching the prey."

She turned back to the main street, shaking her head at her own paranoia. She didn’t look back at the alley again.

"Get it together, Maddy. This place is driving you crazy in just one day. Sleep first. Everything will look different in the morning."

She walked away. In just a minute of walking, she realized she wouldn’t have to look far. This district was packed with places to stay; it felt like every street had an inn. She chose a quiet-looking spot with fewer people, wanting to avoid any more rowdy crowds. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

As she walked through the door, a sudden, cold thought hit her. She stopped at the front desk and realized she had no money.

"Those five idiots who attacked my home were broke! Not even one bronze coin in their pockets. How can you be a son of the hero and have a zero balance!?"

The receptionist, an older woman with tired eyes, looked up and immediately noticed the fresh iron plate hanging from Maddy’s belt.

"Newbie?"

"Yes... but about the room... I actually don’t have—"

"It’s free! It’s a tradition here in the city. The first night for a newly licensed adventurer is on the house. We like to think of it as an investment in someone who might save our skins later."

Maddy let out a long sigh of relief. The weight on her shoulders felt a little lighter.

"Thank you. I’ll make it up to you. I’m heading out on a quest tomorrow morning. I’ll bring back enough to pay for the next few nights."

"Just survive your first day. That’s payment enough. Room 202. It’s quiet."

Maddy nodded and headed up the stairs. She didn’t care about the size of the room or the softness of the bed. She just needed the world to stop moving for a few hours.