Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Dungeon (1)
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1.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ ~Neutral Stage~ Asral City Adventurer's Guild After leaving the library, I headed to the Adventurer's Guild with Lewis in tow.
I'd stashed the borrowed books in storage for now.
Reading through all of them in an hour was impossible anyway, so after a quick meeting, I'd finish them back at the inn.
How long had we walked like that? Map in hand to avoid any mishaps like last time, we finally reached the entrance of the building.
It looked just like a saloon straight out of a Western flick.
The kind of crazy place where drunk cowboys, blondes on their hips and guns blazing, shot up the joint in broad daylight. But compared to an actual guild, that'd be like kindergarten.
-Creaaaaak!
"......Crowded place."
Pushing open the guild doors, sure enough, adventurers packed every table.
They were a mix: battle-hardened bodies, well-maintained gear, skilled mages radiating mana, even pint-sized orcs and other beastkin.
'Levels averaging 40 to 50, huh.'
A few high-rollers hit 80, elves nearing 100. Growth curves just like the game.
Solid mid-to-upper tier by human standards.
Though a dragon like Lewis could make them sweat buckets. Freelancers like adventurers were mostly small fry outside a tiny elite—perfectly average.
"Welcome! How can I assist you today, adventurer?"
Making my way to the counter amid the bustle, a pretty blonde receptionist greeted me with a bright smile.
Familiar face.
The standard NPC who always welcomed players in the game. Seeing her up close made her feel more alive.
I even remembered her name.
She didn't seem to recognize me, though.
Makes sense—different timeline from the game. Or maybe I met her often back in the human realm. Hard to say for sure if it's the same world.
"Here for adventurer registration. Not me—this kid."
"And who might this be?"
I pulled back the robe covering Lewis's head.
"Ah... a dragonkin? One moment, please. I'll get the registration form for you to fill out."
She blinked at the horns but quickly smiled and proceeded.
Dragonkin were rare, but not high-elf rare. She'd probably seen one before. The city was a melting pot anyway—no big deal.
'Just fake some ID details.'
I whipped up a backstory: Lewis, dragonkin.
Write "Actually a dragon," and the whole city—no, the Ailes Empire—would erupt. Swordmasters, extermination squads, the works.
Easy to wipe them out, but smarter to play it sly. Still had business here.
"Here. She doesn't read well yet, so I filled it out. Hope that's okay."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
(I know human writing perfectly well...)
'Keep quiet and stay put.'
The receptionist scrutinized the form.
In-game, it was instant. Watching her read it all hit home: this was real life.
"Do you have any ID to verify? You don't seem like an imperial citizen, and it's required for registration."
"ID?"
Oh. Tricky.
Dragons don't carry ID. Game never asked for it. Caught off guard.
"If not, another adventurer can vouch. Recent law change—sorry for the hassle."
"Can't I vouch?"
"You can, if you show your registration card. Just need to confirm your identity."
Law change, huh...
No choice.
"Hold on."
Good thing inventory items were out, but my Demon's Blessing pendant counted as jewelry.
Registration cards could be engraved on accessories. I'd done it in-game.
Novel Online was weirdly detailed—demon players needed faked IDs to operate in human lands.
Hoping this works...
"Here."
"Pretty necklace. Let me check."
I handed over the pendant. She pulled out some magitech device—like a microscope—and set it on.
-Flash!
A thin beam pierced the gem, projecting a hologram: my photo and glowing text. Like a standard card.
'Game just flashed the accessory. Real deal scans it.'
Fresh sight—game skipped details to avoid loading gripes.
"Let's see... From the elven lands? Mage named Cyan..."
Good, no issues.
The card parsed my mana for ID. I'd tweaked it ages ago.
Elf village NPC forged perfect ones—for a price, worth it.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📜 Adventurer Registration Card ▶ Name: Cyan ▶ Race: Elf ▶ Class: Mage ▶ Adventurer Rank: 6 Stars No demon exposure—just a regular high-elf mage.
High elves drew stares, but they popped up in human cities sometimes. Short-term attention only.
Nothing else eye-catching—
"......6, 6-star adventurer?!"
She yelped loud enough for everyone.
▶ Adventurer Rank: 6 Stars
'Right.'
That was eye-catching.
Max rank: 6 stars.
"Wait, 6-star? Here?!"
"No way! That tiny thing...!"
Adventurers rose, murmurs swelling.
-Murmur murmur
Normal reaction.
Novel Online had six ranks.
Starts at apprentice—no stars, no quests done.
Then 1 through 3 stars. 4-stars were veteran elites.
"Um, could you show your face? For ID verification..."
Above that: hero legend territory. 5-stars for heroic feats, 6-stars for mythic legends.
Rare owners, mostly ancient figures.
'Screwed.'
Game setting fluff. High-level players made 6-stars common—no biggie.
Why so many? Higher ranks = better perks, quests. Everyone cleared guild boards—quests were prime cash/exp. Fixed difficulty scaled down with levels. Time made 6-stars dime-a-dozen.
Here? Different story.
'Being demon's less conspicuous.'
I'd maxed everything in human lands. Record stuck.
Forgot—ancient history.
...Fucked.
"Hey! Covering for a 6-star? Show your face!"
"Yeah! Let's see! Looks female—what kinda 6-star is she?!"
Change plans: knock 'em out, flee? Or massacre witnesses?
Then bail with Lewis. Cleanest—
-Tap.
Receptionist grabbed my hand, sweating bullets, whispering:
"Please, come to the guild master's office?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 2.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ ~Neutral Stage~ Asral City Commercial District "Cyan's a 6-star adventurer? Well, high elf—makes sense."
The brown-haired swordsman scratched his head.
"Figured a adventurer like you had high rank, but 6-star? Wow."
The blonde priestess sparkled, staring intently.
Yeah, uncomfortable.
'Slipped out okay, somehow.'
A quiet restaurant.
Not hungry, but late lunch with familiar adventurers—swordsman and priestess only.
Others prepped tomorrow's "quest" at market...
-Crackle!
(Cyan, some humans watching us.)
'I know. Ignore 'em. No hostility.'
Lewis's telepathy.
Indeed: alleys, rooftops, windows—stealthed watchers everywhere.
No malice. Guild hyped my 6-star status; fans followed.
'Perception debuff useless. Hides presence, not targeted tracking.'
Guild wrapped quick.
Guild master: elf. Verified ID match, quashed fuss. Lewis registered easy.
Elves treat kin like family—promised to hush 6-star rumor.
'Won't last long.'
Sigh. Should've skipped registration.
Or asked these guys to vouch.
Rushed it.
(Okay, as you say.)
'Good. No flashy stuff for a while.'
Too late...
Spilled milk.
"...So, this quest you mentioned? Why ask me along?"
"Ah, check the map first?"
"?"
Sighed, quizzing the adventurers.
I'd gone for Lewis's registration at their request.
[Cyan, join a quest? Need one more body.]
Swordsman asked in the alley.
Tough quest. Perfect: test library skills, train Lewis's human form combat. Planned guild pickup.
But quests needed min party size.
[...Fine. Meet later—gotta go.]
Bother grouping? Familiar faces safer—less spotlight.
Now wasted. Should've skipped quests, hunted wild mobs.
Game habits die hard...
'Guild quests beat random grinding efficiency.'
Habits scary. Gotta bounce soon.
Anyway, map...Pione Mountains?
"New dungeon found there. We're the scout team."
"Dungeon?"
Red-marked peak: dungeon icon.
...Might be worth the aggro.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 📰 Today's Reveal Cyan Farming Items ㅗㅜㅑ...