The m, the guild was alive with energy. The sound of boots cttering, voices chattering, and adventurers gearing up for the day filled the rge hall. Li and Zora stepped inside, entering into the busy crowd. Li's hands were tightly ched, her nervousness written all over her face. Beside her, Zora stood steady, his calm exterior hiding his own worries. The guildmaster, stood at the front of the room, holding a long scroll. As he stepped forward, the room quieted, all eyes on him. He cleared his throat, his deep voice eg through the hall.
"It's time to annouhe results of yesterday's trials," he began. Li's heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't help but fidget, her excitement and ay mixing together. Z her and smiled softly. The guildmaster began calling out names one by one, pausing after eanouo let the crowd react. Finally, he reached the end of the list. "And st but not least," he said, his voice growing louder, "Li!" Li felt her breath caught ihroat. "gratutions. You've passed the trials and are now officially a D-Rank Adventurer!"
The room broke into appuse for the new adventurers, and for Li, it felt like the entire world was cheering for her. She jumped up, her face lighting up with pure joy. Holding up her shiny new adventurer card, she turo Zora. "I did it, Papa! I did it!" she excimed, spinning around iement. Zora chuckled, reag out to pat her head. "Yes, you did. gratutions, Li."
---
To celebrate the big achievement, Zora took Li to a popur restaurant in town. The pce was lively, filled with adventurers boasting about their missions, merts haggling oods, and townsfolk sharing ughter over hearty meals. The rich aroma of roasted meats and freshly baked bread filled the air.
Li's eyes sparkled as she looked at the menu. " I order whatever I want?" she asked eagerly. Zora smirked. "Within reason. Don't go the whole menu." They both ughed as Li settled on a feast of grilled chi, vegetable stew, and a slice of apple pie for dessert. She dug into her meal with enthusiasm, sav every bite. As they ate, Zora raised his gss of juice. "This is your first step toward your dreams, Li. But remember, the road ahead won't be easy. Be careful, don't get overfident, and always stay true to yourself. If you ever o stop, you always e bae." Li hough her attention was more on her pie than his advice. "Are you even listening?" Zora teased, raising an eyebrow. "I am! I promise!" Li replied, her voice muffled by a mouthful of food. Her wide grin made them both ugh.
---
As the day went oy began to sink in. Li's new responsibilities meant she'd o stay iown to take on guild missions. Zora, realizing this, felt a load of sadness but k was the right thing for her. Together, they spent the afternoon looking at apartments. They visited some luxuries pces, which they could not afford to cheap pce which didn't seem it could hold on any longer, as their search tinued.
They visited a few more pces, but no quite right until they stumbled upon a small, cozy apartmehe southern part of the town. It had a single bedroom, a tiny kit, and a snug living space. The simplicity of it appealed to both of them. "This is perfect!" Li excimed, spinning around the room. The ndlord, a stern-looking woman with sharp eyes, ehe versation. "It's a nice pce, but I have a strict rule: no one under 18 live here alone." Li's excitement faltered. "Oh…" Before she could say another word, Zora stepped in smoothly. "Don't worry. I'll be staying here with her." Li's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?!" Ign her protest, Zora quickly sighe paperwork.
That evening, as they settled into the apartment, Li sat cross-armed, gring at Zora. "You knew about that rule, didn't you?" Zora shrugged, pretending to be i. "It's just a lucky ce." Li groaned but eventually gave up. "Fine. But you 't interfere with my guild missions. Promise?" Zora smiled. "Of course. Whatever you say." Though he agreed, Zora's mind was already rag with ways to keep an eye on her without her knowing. That night, Li struggled to sleep. Her mind was buzzing with excitement as she thought about her future as an adventurer. She couldn't wait to take on her first mission and prove herself even more.
---
When dawn arrived, she and ready in record time. Zora, still dazed, followed her to the guild, yawning as he walked. Ihe mission board was filled with requests ranging from simple delivery tasks to dangerous monster hunts. Li sed the board eagerly, her eyes nding on a mission she liked. "This one!" she said, pointing to a task that involved gathering herbs from a nearby forest. She rushed to the receptionist's desk to accept the mission.
The receptionist took a look at the mission paper and then at Li. "I'm sorry, but as a D-Rank adventurer, you're required to form a party of at least three people for most missions. You 't take this on alone." Li froze, her excitement draining away. "What? I didn't know that…" The receptionist offered her an uanding smile. "Don't worry. You'll find other adveo team up with. Everyoarts somewhere." Li turned away from the desk. She had been so excited to get started, and now she was faced with an ued challenge. Zora, who had been watg quietly from a er, approached her. "What's wrong?" he asked, though he already knew. "I have to form a party," Li muttered, her frustration clear. "I thought I could handle missions on my own." Zora pced a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You'll figure it out. Maybe this is a eet new people and learn from them. You don't have to do everything alone, you know." Li sighed but nodded. "I guess you're right."
