Black String of Fate

Adventurers are people who take on various tasks that are unable to be done by ordinary people for money or other rewards. They are usually composed of Pathwalkers, but one doesn't need to be one to become an adventurer. It is a place free from any kind of discrimination, only your abilities and rank define you.

They are defined by Rank F- to Rank S+ with F- being usually uninitiated or initiate novices, and Rank S+ being Crafted Sages. Anyone above the rank of Sage wouldn't bother themselves with an organization, they are already at a level where they could create such organizations and enjoy top authority.

They have various guild quarters all over the place, which are used by adventurers to find quests, and others to commission quests with the guild taking a very small percentage.

Xavier walked into the guild present inside the Grimswald city. The bored adventurers looked over for a second but were instantly disinterested because it was not an uncommon sight. A poor boy coming over to become an adventurer to earn his wages and afford his meals, that's how many of them had started.

"Hi! How can I help you?" The receptionist of the guild asked the small boy. She most probably already knew his purpose but still asked due to guild policies and guidelines.

"I would like to become an adventurer." Xavier answered as he looked towards the receptionist, who was already taking out some forms and paperwork.

"To become an adventurer, you just need to sign here and here, and complete a quest. The quest could be of any difficulty, with most newbies choosing a Rank F. If you successfully complete the quest, you will be assigned the rank of the mission you completed.

Here are the currently available missions."

Saying that, the receptionist pointed towards the quest board, where a lot of bounties were posted.

Xavier went over to take a look at the quests, and as he was about to go for a random quest, something caught his eye.

"Investigate the recently resurfaced ruins in the Outer Forest of Grimswald."

Looking at that, Xavier felt a déjà vu as he tried to recall something about it. If something gave him this feeling, it was probably big and significant enough that he should not forget about it.

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'Hmm... Grimswald Territory... New ruins... Wait, could it be...

The Ruins of the Elemental King!?

I remember now, how could I forget! In recently discovered ruins, a group of explorers found the Chalice of the Elemental King, an artifact of a great being who had mastered all the natural elements and reached the level of Crafted Archon, just like me. He was the one who ushered a new age of magic with his talents long ago, beginning a new era termed the 'Golden Age of Magic'.

The magic tower had bought the historical relic from the explorers for a heavy price, which just shows how important that useless chalice is to them. They treat anything remotely related to that guy as a peerless treasure. If I can get that chalice...

Xavier grabbed the quest without even looking at the rank, an action that garnered the attention of all the people present there.

Xavier brought the quest over to the desk and presented it to the receptionist. She had a troubled smile after reading the contents of the quest the small child had brought over.

"Um... you do know that it's a D-Rank quest, right? Usually, only Pathwalkers of the Elite tier even attempt such a quest. You are not even a Pathwalker, on top of that, you are just a small kid. You can die from these, you know?" The receptionist warned Xavier about the potential dangers while thinking that he picked this quest out of reckless bravado.

"If I die, then it'll just be a fool dying due to his stupid arrogance. Nothing to do with you or the guild, right?" Xavier replied with a placid tone, which just invited a helpless sigh from the receptionist. These scenes were not uncommon, there are far too many desperate people in this world, forced into extreme actions due to their unfortunate circumstances.

She won't be able to last in this job if she starts to take a personal interest in such matters. She just did the paperwork and told Xavier,

"The deadline is a month, it's an exploration quest. The guild will take a small percentage from the quest reward, and whatever you find in the journey will solely belong to you. Godspeed, adventurer."

Xavier nodded and left the guild, shortly after, the people were gossiping about him, mostly about how he was going to die early and how recklessness would be the cause.

**********

"Hmm... This one is well made, I'll have this."

Inside a weapons shop, a small child dressed in rags was buying a shortsword. The shopkeeper was lying face down on the table while Xavier inspected the sword.

"It'll be 300 Roubles, you sure you have the money?" The shopkeeper asked playfully, and Xavier brought 3 small silver coins worth 300 Roubles out of his rags in response. It was the money he had simply 'borrowed' from a cheating old man who was generous enough to give this out free of interest for an indefinite amount of time.

The shopkeeper smirked and handed him the receipt as Xavier made his way out.

'This should be enough to at least keep me alive. Attempting to fight rank 3 monsters while being uninitiated is crazy as it is, plus with this malnourished body, it'll be even harder.

But still, a new life, a new adventure, and a new journey which I can't predict how it'll end, it is something to look forward to...'

Xavier now made his way to the forest, where he will meet the first challenges of his new life.

Unaware that this fresh start carries some past remnants too.

********************

"Hmm... This should be the place."

At a place desolate and far away, in slums where the lowest-of-the-low live, rife with crime and poverty, a hooded figure was wandering alone, looking for something. The figure had a small frame, almost as if it were a child.

Everything about the figure was hidden, but their only visible feature, their deep, sharp, and scarily determined sapphire eyes, were enough to not let any hooligan bother them.

At last, the figure stumbled upon a rough, tattered book, named,

Demonic Arts of the Sun Cult

'Great, now, at least there won't be a demon king bothering me later... I might give this to someone whom I find useful in the future.'

The figure pocketed the sword manual and quietly made their way out of the slums, thinking about future plans.

'This time, I'll save this world. I have to do it. I must become a Paragon in this life, otherwise, we'll stand no chance against the invaders.'