Shawn

One day later.

I swiftly bring up my miasma-covered sword to parry the troll's club before pushing a wave of miasma at the troll and rolling away.

After I get back to my feet again, I see the troll raise its club for another swing.

I quickly dodge its swing before thrusting my blade into its side and infusing my miasma into the wound.

"I can't help but wonder what someone would do to kill this thing without a distinct level advantage or something like my miasma," I mutter while backing away as the troll's natural regeneration clashes with my miasma in its wound.

The troll stumbles while looking down with a frown on its disformed face.

I guess it is wondering why it isn't healing.

Well, too bad not-so-little fella, that isn't going to be healing any time soon.

I cover myself in a veil of shadows and rush towards the boss monster while it's distracted before swinging my sword around and cutting halfway through its neck.

The troll stumbles onto its knees and reaches for its neck with both hands.

"Sorry fella, but that was a bad idea," I mutter as I watch the miasma in its neck spread to its hands.

Miasma is a very special power. It spreads to anything it touches and attempts to drain the life out of it in a rather long and drawn-out manner.

Although it doesn't work on undead. Probably because we don't have much life in us in the first place.

You would think it would work on me, seeing as I am half Shadow Hunter, but nope. Miasma treats me the same as any undead.

I decide to take pity on the troll and finish it off by stabbing it through the throat with my sword.

You have gained 75 Exp from the level 5 troll

Now that is a nice chunk of Exp.

I bow to the troll before saying, "Thank you for the Exp."

The troll then turns into a flash of light and leaves its loot behind.

I reach down for the loot and put several coins into my storage ring before checking my status again.

I wonder how Aldred and his party are doing?

"I just hope they don't cause me any trouble," I mutter before heading off to the next floor of the dungeon.

Aldred

"Have you decided as to what job we should take next?" Josh asks me as we walk into the Guild building for the Adventurer's Guild branch located on the Isle of Drifting Ash.

"I am not sure," I respond before walking over to the line for the receptionist's desk.

Once we reach the desk, I overhear the receptionist's conversation with what seems to be a new adventurer.

"Alright, now that all of the paperwork is done with, all you have to do is to enter a dungeon and get your first star by killing a monster," the receptionist explains to the newbie.

"I am required to tell you how leveling works in our world, so I will start with the stars," the receptionist says.

Seriously? This might take a while.

I turn around and find that the rest of my party had already moved to go sit down at the side of the entrance hall.

Did they seriously ditch me here to go sit down?

"Your maximum level is dictated by how many stars you have and there are only two ways to raise your stars. Outside of getting your first star that is. One of the ways is to solo a dungeon that has the same number of stars as you do. Meanwhile, the other way is to do a dungeon with more stars then you have with a party or by yourself," the receptionist continues with his explanation.

"Finally, each star represents ten levels; so for example, a 1-star adventurer can have a maximum level of 10, and a 2 star adventurer can have a maximum level of 20," the receptionist pauses before adding, "Do you have any questions?"

Are they are done?

I turn towards the front of the line again and pay attention to the newbie for the first time.

The newbie is a girl who appears to be around nineteen or twenty years old and is wearing a light leather armor with holes in the back to accomodate her wings and tail.

I guess she is a race of demon then. Don't see very many demons around here.

"No sir, I don't have any questions," the newbie says.

I turn towards my party and wave for them to come back over again.

"Alright, here is your adventurer's ID. Have a nice day!" I hear the receptionist say as my party makes it back to the line.

"Thank you," I hear the new adventurer say in response.

I turn around again and see the newbie leave the line and head for the exit.

"What can I do for you?" The receptionist asks.

After studying the receptionist for a second I respond, "Were here to turn in our quest."

"Alright, show me your adventurer's IDs," the receptionist asks.

I hand my ID to him while the others are still getting theirs.

As I wait, I observe the receptionist.

He is wearing the normal receptionist attire, but for some reason something just seems off about him.

I wordlessly activate my magic sight skill and take another look at him.

At first, nothing seems to be off with him, but after a few more seconds, I notice the glamour magic on him.

I knew it.

"Sir?" I ask the receptionist.

He raises his head from my card and says, "Is something wrong?"

"Why are you working as a receptionist in your own Guild?" I ask in a straightforward manner.

Everyone behind me aside from my sister gasps in surprise before Hank asks, "What are you talking about?"

"This 'receptionist'," I say before pointing at him, "Is actually the Guildmaster of this branch."

The receptionist's hand holding my ID gives a tiny jolt before he says as calmly as possible, "I have no idea what you are talking about Al."

I squint my eyes at him before saying, "Then why did you just call me Al?"

His eyes open wide in surprise before he seems to turn into another person as his glamour fades away, revealing a foot-tall man floating in the place of the receptionist.

"A fairy?!" Hank shouts in surprise upon seeing the Guildmaster.

"Yep, I am a fairy!" The receptionist now turned fairy says with a smug look on his face.

Why are you looking so smug?

I gently massage my temples as I wonder what idiot decided to make a fairy a Guildmaster.

"This is Luke Darkhill, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild branch of the Isle of Drifting Ash," I tell my party.

Shawn

The ghoul stops shrieking as soon as my sword finishes cutting through its neck.

You have gained 75 Exp from the level 5 ghoul

Congrats! You have reached level 5!

Oh, nice. A level.

Just five more levels until I reach the max level for my current number of stars.

Anyways, I think that is enough for today.

I open the door leading back to the entrance and walk through it.