Chapter 3: The Guild and the Curious Child

The place known as the guild was a four-story building, constructed entirely from an unknown type of stone, giving it a remarkably refined appearance.

The first floor alone spanned an area roughly ten times the size of Leaf Su’s cramped rental room, and upon arriving, he couldn’t help but stare, utterly captivated by the figures bustling within.

It was practically identical to an RPG game; the expansive space of the first floor was filled with numerous tables and chairs where guild members could discuss quests.

At its very center stood a colossal signboard, plastered with various quest requests.

Presumably, one only needed to peel off a quest slip and then register it at the row of service counters lining one side of the room.

Once again, he found himself reaffirming the undeniable truth: he was no longer in his original world, for such a place could never have existed there.

Most of the people within the guild possessed imposing physiques, many of them baring their chests to display powerful muscles, and all carried some form of controlled weapon.

In fact, ‘controlled weapon’ was a generous term; Leaf Su had even witnessed individuals wielding greatswords nearly three meters long, weapons on par with those from a certain monster-hunting game he used to play.

In his former world, even for filming, such a sight would be impossible, for these were real implements, not mere props made of dyed foam.

Furthermore, he had spotted creatures that only existed in comics and novels—familiars or summoned beasts, perhaps?

Those clad in robes within the guild were typically accompanied by unknown creatures, leading Leaf Su to deduce that they must be summoned beasts.

“Now, little brother, what’s your name? I’ll go post a missing person quest for you,” Fiona suddenly interrupted Leaf Su’s observation of his surroundings, asking him softly.

‘I don’t know myself. I have no idea how this child’s body came to be, so naturally, I don’t know its name.’

‘Besides, posting a missing person quest… that would probably be useless, wouldn’t it? He had no family here at all, and truthfully, he only retained memories from before his transmigration, prior to his ‘氪命穿越’ (TL Note: A Chinese web novel trope where one pays a heavy price, often life force, to transmigrate or gain power).’

‘Unlike other transmigrators, who often retained both their original memories and those of their new body, he was currently experiencing the lowest quality of soul transmigration.’

Gritting his teeth, Leaf Su, as if possessed, still uttered his true name.

“My name is Leaf Su, and I’m twelve this year~”

‘Ugh, Leaf Su almost wanted to vomit at his own words.’

‘Still, he decided to create this persona for himself for now, playing cute to emphasize his identity as a twelve-year-old boy. There was no law against pretending to be younger, after all.’

“Fiona, why have you brought back a child? The quest you took on didn’t seem to involve finding children, did it?”

An uncle, seemingly an acquaintance of Fiona, approached from an adjacent table, casting a surprised glance at Leaf Su.

‘If he remembered correctly, Fiona had taken on an A-rank quest to subjugate a Forest Devourer.’

‘Where had she managed to abduct a child from?’

“After successfully completing the subjugation, I found him when I emerged from the Devourer’s nest. He was probably lost, so I brought him back to help him find his parents,” Fiona explained to the middle-aged man with a placid expression.

Upon hearing her description, the uncle’s demeanor turned peculiar, and he shot Leaf Su a stern glare.

‘???’

‘What did I do wrong?’

‘Wow, that man’s gaze was truly terrifying.’

‘Leaf Su certainly didn’t want to experience the feeling of being glared at by a muscle-bound brute (TL Note: ‘肌肉兄贵’ (jīròu xiōngguì) is a Japanese-influenced Chinese internet slang term referring to a muscular, burly man, often with homoerotic undertones, but here used humorously to describe a very strong, intimidating man) a second time.’

“Fiona, come here. I need a word with you,” the middle-aged man said, his expression turning solemn, which made Fiona pause before she walked over.

“Don’t you think it’s strange to find a child outside an A-rank monster’s nest? High-tier monsters can alter their aura and transform into humans, you know. You’d best take him to the guild’s Philosopher’s Stone (TL Note: Often translated as ‘Sage’s Stone’ or ‘Philosopher’s Stone,’ a magical artifact in fantasy settings used for identification or purification) to appraise this child first,” the middle-aged man stated gravely to Fiona.

‘Philosopher’s Stone?’

‘Isn’t that something used to appraise equipment in games?’

‘Since when could it appraise people too?’

Leaf Su had just discovered a feature not found in his games.

……To be continued.