After giving my thanks, I head out to the expedition venue, ignoring the stares and glares the other adventurers were giving me.

Minutes later, I was at the venue, which was a large amphitheater.

It usually is available for the general public to enter and sightsee, but because of the expedition, only approved members of the guild can enter.

There were two guards at the entrance. I went to them, but as they were about to stop me, I showed them my permit to join and my Adventurer’s license.

They looked at me and back to the things I showed them, then after a light snicker, they let me pass.

I was a fair distance away when I heard them whisper, literally behind my back.

“Tsk! Why can someone so weak like him join but we have to be here?”

“Heh, how long do you think he’ll last?”

“Someone as weak as him? Hahahaha! I bet he won’t last a single hour at the dungeon.”

They then laughed loudly. I usually wouldn’t care if people mock me, but I guess they can be my experiment subjects for what I have in mind.

I raised my hand, and as I was about to prepare myself, the two guards were suddenly shrieking.

"Oh my god! It's him!"

"I can't believe I'm meeting one of my idols!"

Turning around to see who they were talking about, there was a large muscular man, probably standing over seven feet tall, with an enormous broadsword on his back.

Who the hell is he?

The man stopped in front of the guards.

“Sir Bob Dunn of the Moonlit Revellers party, it’s truly an honor to meet you!”

I almost let out a laugh. Bob? His name is actually Bob? Seriously?

With his build, I wouldn’t be surprised if his nickname was Mr. Incredible.

“Why wouldn’t you,” Bob arrogantly said.

The two guards began praising—actually, it was more like flattering—Bob, but my attention was somewhere else, specifically behind Bob.

It was a kid with shoulder-length blue hair and gray eyes. He wore eyeglasses as he read the book in his hands. He was clearly here for the expedition, or at least that’s what his outfit shows, and it was clear that every material used for the outfit was of very high quality.

He must be from a noble family. Although they were nobles, they didn’t have any real power when it came to politics since the feudal system had long been abolished. Families having the title of a noble is simply for prestige and pride, and also because it shows just how powerful, wealthy, and influential they are.

The kid seemed to have sensed my gaze on him since he looked away from his book and waved at me with an amiable smile.

I stared at him for a few seconds before ignoring his little greeting by continuing my way down the hall.

Although it was our first ever meeting, I don’t know why but I didn’t like him.

Stepping out the hallway, there were tens of adventurers already sitting and talking to each other.

At the center of the arena was a man wearing medieval yet modern knight armor with a helmet by his side using a tablet.

Unfortunately, the same events happened as I stepped out.

Everyone, including the man at the arena, all turned towards me, analyzed me, then looked away.

Fortunately, only a few snickered since this expedition was more for training.

I went up and sat at the seat closest to the man yet far from the others.

While waiting for the meeting to start, I closed my eyes as I began to meditate.

However, I was immediately interrupted by the sounds of gasps and glees around me.

Opening my eyes to see what the commotion was all about, everyone had their eyes on the bulky man, Bob, and the eyeglass-wearing kid as they came out of the hallway.

“It’s Bob from the Moonlit Revellers!”

“Kyaahh!”

“What’s he doing at an expedition like this? Isn’t it below him to go here?”

“Hey, who’s that behind him?”

“And the kid… Gasp! Is he?”

“Yeah! He’s that prodigy from that famous Barnes family! Ryan Barnes! The one who awakened as a Maven as soon as he was born!”

“Ooohhh!”

“So the rumors were true? It was said that the heir of the Barnes family is looking for a bodyguard/trainer who would accompany him to gather experience.”

“Yeah, yeah! And it was said that the hired person was someone from one of the famous Moonlit Revellers! But who would’ve thought it would be their tank, Bob Dunn.”

“Yeah, I’m also shocked. I thought it would be their leader, Simon Gardner.”

“…”

Funnily enough, they were in sync as they completed and answered each other’s sentences and questions, respectively, giving me the context of who they were.

With my knowledge as the author, since I didn’t know who they were, that would mean they were unimportant in the story, or the other possibility is that they were minuscule details, and I simply forgot about them.

Well, either way, it’s the same for me.

After they found their seats, some adventurers flocked to their side and began idolizing them up-close.

Bob was bragging about his achievements and the time he spent as the tank at his party, while Ryan seemed to be trying to get him to stop as it was embarrassing.

I stared at how they interacted with their admirers, especially the kid, and yeah, I really don’t like him.

There was something off about him as he interacted with his surroundings. Bob was fine, though, since he honestly looks like a musclehead.

Shaking my head, there was still some time before the meeting started, so to pass the time, I began meditating once more.

Time passed, and a resounding clap started me, awakening me from my meditation.

It came from the man in the arena as he swept his eyes over the people who’ll be joining the expedition.

“So, these will be the adventurers who’ll be joining the expedition for Dungeon 3841-F, or Metsa.”

Everyone looked around, presumably to confirm the participants, including me.

From the time I spent meditating, only a few more adventurers appeared.

“And…” He looked towards where Bob and Ryan were seated. “It looks like we’ve got some famous people here.”

After he spoke, deafening cheers erupted from the adventurers.

I sighed at this. God, I wish I could just cut off my senses at times like this. It’s just so goddamn annoying.

“Alright, let me introduce myself. I’m Nicholas Beleril, an Orange-graded Maven of the Fraeve Guild, and I’m hired here to oversee this expedition.”

As soon as he introduced himself, they once again murmured among themselves.

It seems like Nicholas here is a renowned Maven, especially since he’s a member of a strong guild.

Honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t figure out his identity. After all, he’s been standing at the center for all of them to see for a very long time.

Nicholas must be really strong if he’s Orange-graded. Although being an Orange-grade may seem weak since there are only seven grade based on strength for Mavens, they are actually pretty strong.

Besides, most Mavens aren’t able to get past that unclassified grade no matter how hard they try. So just being a Red-graded puts you way above the others, much less an Orange-graded.

Nicholas then gave a detailed overview of what to do and what not to do in a dungeon, what to expect from a dungeon, and what kind of world the dungeon leads to, which is something I already know.

A few minutes later, he finished explaining.

“Any questions, even though I explained it in full detail?” Nicholas asked.

“Yeah, I have on right here.” Bob stood up from his seat and proceeded to glare at me. “Why is a shrimp like him joining?”

For others, he must be menacing with his deep, raspy voice, muscular build, and rough face. They probably think I’m scared witless right now since I’m a kid, but all I could really think about was…

Shrimp? Seriously? That’s like the worst insult anyone could give me… I think. Is 175 cm short for my age?

“Shh… Don’t make a commotion here!” Ryan tried to hush Bob, but it was no use as Bob seemed to be adamant on why I was joining.

Sigh, just looking at that kid is killing my mood. Seriously, why the hell am I feeling this way?

So I just ignored him and let Nicholas answer.

“Well, it’s because… he’s an adventurer?” Nicholas said hesitantly, as if he was uncertain if that was the correct answer to give. “Look, this is just an expedition, alright? Anyone is free to join.”

“But he’s a kid!” Bob yelled out. “And a weak one at that. Can’t you sense it too? He barely qualifies as Fragmentary Maven!”

At his last sentence, the adventurers laughed aloud, agreeing wholeheartedly with what he said as they began mocking me.

I sighed. This is seriously annoying.