**

After spending the whole day in the dungeon called Prontera Culvert, Albert and Lily decided to leave the foul smelling dungeon so that they can turn in the items that are required for completing the quest. As the two exit from the dungeon, the strong lingering pungent smell of Prontera Culvert's sewers began to fade away. Once they were out, Albert and Lily removed the rags that they used as masks to filter the stench of the dungeon from their face.

"Ah! Fresh air!" Lily exclaimed as she remove the ragged mask from her face.

"But my cloths smell stinky now. Bleh!"

"We'll wash our clothes when we get back to the Inn. First lets turn in the items that we've collected to the Adventurer's Guild." Albert grinned as he stored the make shift mask made from rags inside his dimensional storage ring.

As the sun sets from the horizon, the two continue their way towards the western gate of Prontera. On their way there another adventurer exited from the dungeon.

When the adventurer arrived at the dungeon's entrance, she instantly looked around as if she was looking for someone. The adventurer paused, looking depressed because she couldn't find the two adventurers that she was searching for. Then from behind her, someone said something.

"What's wrong miss?"

"EEEk!!" The adventurer squealed and jumped up when someone from behind her spoke.

"Ah! Mr. Royal Guard. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

"I am always here. It's my duty to guard the entrance of this dungeon to prevent anyone other than volunteers to enter this place."

"Ah that's right. Say, Mr. Royal Guard, have you seen two adventurer's just like me exit the dungeon?"

"I did see two Acolytes exit the dungeon earlier. I over heard them saying something about going to the Adventurer's Guild."

"Thank you Mr. Royal Guard!"

The adventurer dashed off towards the western gate of Prontera to go to the Adventurer's Guild so that she could meet the two Acolytes that she's in search for.

**

Albert and Lily arrived at the Adventurer's Guild to turn in the Insect Feelers that they've collected in the dungeon. Inside the Adventurer's Guild, the two were still being stared upon by numerous adventurers in the lounge. Albert noticed the the glares of the other adventurers felt as though they've been intensified. The feeling of being in the lounge was like being in a room full of hungry dogs and they felt as if they were some sort of fresh meat for the taking. Lily on the other hand didn't care at the moment about that the other adventurers were staring at them. She casually walked towards a padded chair to sit down and decided to stay there while she waits for Albert to claim their rewards for the quest. At moment they are both extremely exhausted from slaying countless monsters in Prontera Culvert all day. But before they could call it a day, they need to retrieve their reward from the quest. Albert walked over to the quest counter and talked to the man standing behind it.

"I'm here to turn in the items I gathered for the quest; Exterminate the Thief Bugs."

"Please proceed inside and place the Insect Feelers on the table so it can be inspected."

"Uh . . . okay."

Albert entered the door located beside the quest counter as he was told. Inside the room was the chair where the man was sitting and in the middle of the room is a large sturdy looking wooden table. The walls around the room has various different things hanging on them. Besides the door that Albert had entered was a rectangular paper which looked a lot like a calendar and besides the rectangular paper are several bulletin boards that are nailed cross the four sides of the walls. As he observed the room, Albert wondered how they were able to tell time in this world. While he was preoccupied about how they're able to tell time in this world, the man that told him to place the items on the table was waiting besides the table and he began to look impatient.

"Ahem . . . Please place the Items on the table so I may begin appraising them."

"Ah! I'm sorry."

After apologizing, Albert quickly opened his dimensional storage ring and expelled the Insect Feelers that he had collected from the dungeon on to the table. The Adventurer's Guild worker was so startled at the amount, that the grown man shrieked at the sight of the amount of Insect Feelers that appeared in front of him.

" Aieeeee!"

The Insect Feelers that Albert expelled from his dimensional storage ring made a mound on the sturdy looking table and a lot more were scattered all over the ground.

"I think the table isn't big enough." Albert smirked

"I didn't know you would have this many! How on Midgard did you manage to get this many?"

"My party mate and I stayed in the dungeon all day. This is the result of it."

The Adventurer's Guild worker gave a depressing sigh.

"Please wait in the lounge until your items have been inspected and verified."

"Sure."

Albert grinned and walked out of the room. He then continued his way into the area where Lily was waiting for him. When Albert arrived at the seat where Lily was sitting, Lily had already dozed off.

"Heh, I guess she was more tired than I am."

Albert sat down on a seat next to Lily who was sleeping comfortably. While he sat there next to Lily, he started to feel how hard his palms had become from swinging his bat all day. An hour later and still he was waiting in the lounge for the Adventurer's Guild worker to finish appraising his items. While he waited, Albert decided to go through his dimensional storage ring to organize which ones he would want to sell to the Item shop and which ones would be of value for trade. As he continued to wait, Albert decided to lean his head against the back of the chair so he could get a quick shut eye until the worker is done with appraising his items. Just as he was about to doze off, an adventurer came up to Albert.

"Excuse me."

Albert lifted his head to see the person who was trying to speak to him. He opened his eyes and to his surprise an Acolyte class adventurer was in front him. Seeing another Acolyte adventurer made Albert's drowsiness disappear in an instant.

"Yes?" Albert's brow furrowed.

"Were you one of the Acolytes that I saw in Prontera Culvert?"

"Uhm . . . I'm not sure if I was one of them. But I just recently came from Prontera Culvert."

"Thank the gods!"

"Er . . If you're trying to recruit us to your clan, I'm sorry but we have to decline."

"Eh! . . . Why?"

"Because we're making our own clan." Albert lightly smiled.

"If that's the case. Then can I join your clan?"

"Huh? Well we haven't actually created our clan yet." Albert scratched his head.

"Why not?"

"Its cause we haven't found an Emperium yet."

"Well I happen to have one with me."

"Wait. Before that. What's your name? and why do you want to leave your current clan just to join a clan that hasn't been created yet?"

"Ah! I apologize. My name is Rina."

"Nice to meet you Rina. I'm Albert and the one sleeping besides me is Lily."

"The pleasure is mine! Tell me, How long have you two been adventurers?"

"Hmmm . . we both just became adventurers. I believe today is our third day."

"THIRD DAY?! AS ADVENTURERS?" Rina said out loud. Many of the adventurers around the lounge looked their way when Rina shouted. "How is that possible? What level are you right now?"

"At moment we're both level twenty five. Thanks to Prontera Culvert, we were able to level up so fast."

"What . . . That's insane."

"What level are you now Rina?"

"I'm level 34 but it looks like you're both about to catch up with me. And I've been an adventurer for almost a year now."

"I think I know the reason why."

"Why what?" Rina's brow furrowed.

"When you go out slaying monsters, how many party members do you have with you always?"

"We all go on dungeon raids together as a clan."

"And how many adventurers are there in your clan?"

"There are sixteen of us in the clan. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Final question. Do all of you always go on raids in Prontera Culvert?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"It seems to me that your clan isn't very ambitious. Prontera Culvert is a dungeon but its considered a low level dungeon. It like this, If a level eighty adventurer only slays low leveled monsters every time for a whole year, he'll never gain any experience at all because he doesn't challenge himself. It's basically the same concept with your clan. In addition to killing the same level monsters over and over again, your clan share the experiences among sixteen people. The higher your level, the more experience you need to get to the next level."

Rina stayed silent for a few seconds and looked at Albert.

"I see. . . How do you know all of this?"

"Isn't this knowledge the basics from the Adventurer's Academy?"

Albert made up a lie on the spot. Even though he knows that all the knowledge that he just shared with Rina is because of playing 'Deaths of the Gods' for hundreds hours, he had to make a lie to avoid any suspicions. In the game 'Deaths of the Gods', when entering the game, a player would be transported to the Adventurer's Academy. There in the Adventurer's Academy, the player has to answer several questions before they could start their journey in the game as a Novice class adventurer. In this world, a normal citizen has to go through a week course of school in the Adventurer's Academy and pass the written exams to become a Novice class adventurer. For the purpose of learning the basics of being an adventurer.

"I'm sorry It's been a while since the academy, I don't remember anything from that place. But you do make a point. My clan has been so accustomed to raiding Prontera Culvert that its become a daily chore. We're suppose to be adventurers and we're suppose to explore new places. Not like this. Thank you, Albert. I would like retract my request from before. I'll stay in my clan and persuade the clan leader to be more 'ambitious'."

"I'm glade to be of help."

"Please, take this as my thanks for helping me realize the path my clan has been taking."

Rina opened her dimensional storage ring and took out an Item then presented it to Albert.

"I can't take this. I didn't do anything."

"Please take it, as a gift so that you can make you're own clan. And in exchange please allow my clan, The Porings to be your first ally."

"In that case, I accept this gift."

Rina placed the Emperium on Albert's hand.

"Thank you."

"No, Thank you." Rina smiled.

After placing the Emperium on Albert's hand, Rina walked away and left the Adventurer's Guild building. Albert stared at the piece of Emperium in his hand then he looked at Lily who was sleeping right next to him.

"We can finally make our clan Lily." Albert whispered.

Moments later, the Adventurer's Guild worker from the quest counter came up to Albert.

"Excuse me Mr. Albert, we're finished appraising your items."

Albert turned his attention towards the person who spoke.

"Ah okay."

"Please proceed to the quest counter."

Albert stood up and made sure that he didn't wake up Lily, then he walked towards the quest counter. Once he was at the quest counter, the Adventurer's Guild worker greeted him with a smile.

"Ah! Mr. Albert. I finally finished inspecting the items. Since the quest distinctly requested to retrieve fifty Insect Feelers from Female Thief Bugs and since the quest is repeatable to anyone, your reward sums up to seventy gold, forty silver and eighty copper coins. This was because you turned in three thousand five hundred twenty four Insect Feelers which are all from Female Thief Bugs."

The Adventurer's Guild worker placed a large bag of coins in front of Albert and seconds later two smaller bags of coins.

"The large bag is for the seventy gold coins and the smaller bag contains the copper coins and silver coins. Please feel free to count them and thank you for your participation on this quest."

"It's fine. But I do have another business here. Where do I go to officially create a clan?"

"To officially create a clan you would need to have an Emperium and ten gold coins. Once you have the requirements, please proceed to the clan counter which is located left from this counter."

"Thank you."

Albert grabbed the bags full of coins and placed them inside his dimensional storage ring. Then once he had stored the bags, he quickly walked over to the counter on the left and immediately, an old woman greeting him.

"Hello, this is the counter for clans. How may I help you?"

"I'm here to create a clan." Albert grinned.

**