Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Don't Judge by Appearances**

"What do you see?"

At some point, a refined-looking middle-aged man in a deep blue robe had appeared beside Mo Tan. He tilted his head with interest and asked him this question.

"I see an epic." Mo Tan glanced at the statue of Gary Anquan, the founder of the Adventurer's Guild, then turned his head back, gazing at the statue of the nameless adventurer—a figure with no face or any professional or racial features. "And a mirror~"

The other man smiled warmly at him. "Well said. Every time I come here, I feel the same way..."

"It's not a feeling." Mo Tan returned the smile, but then shook his head. "An epic and a mirror—those are what I see. But if we're talking about feelings..."

He looked up at the Pioneer's Gate ahead, which could easily allow an adult dragon to pass through freely, and said with emotion: "Freedom and unruliness. That's all."

The man was slightly taken aback. He looked at Mo Tan thoughtfully for a long moment, but in the end, said nothing. He simply patted Mo Tan on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Mo Tan glanced back with some curiosity, only to find that the middle-aged man who had been in his field of vision just a moment ago had vanished in the blink of an eye, as if he had never appeared at all.

He suddenly felt a bit of regret, thinking that if he had answered more thoughtfully instead of blurting out what was on his mind, he might have had a chance to pick up some hidden quest from that handsome older man. Something like being told to go to the Shilipo Mountain Shrine outside Anka Market tonight and act like a fool...

Then be rewarded with a Sword Flight Art manual, a set of Taoist Talismans, and a fairy sister with the Nuwa Bloodline as a bonus~

"Psycho." Mo Tan rolled his eyes, cursed himself, and then quickly walked toward the Pioneer's Gate of the Adventurer's Guild. He decided to hurry up and register his identity first, since he was at risk of disconnecting at any moment and couldn't afford to waste time on meaningless daydreaming.

As one of the largest branches of the Adventurer's Guild on the Northwest Continent, the Anka Branch was constantly filled with a massive number of adventurers of all races, genders, ages, worldviews, and sexual orientations. This even gave Mo Tan, who had just stepped into the first-floor lobby, the illusion of having wandered into a subway station during rush hour...

Although it wasn't quite to the point where he might be swept off his feet by the flowing crowd, he had to admit that the sheer number of adventurers here was even greater than all the living creatures he had seen in the game over the past two days combined...

A slim thief, with several daggers hanging from his waist, his entire body wrapped in black leather armor, and not even an air hole left on his mask, leaned against the wall as if asleep. Yet he still managed to radiate a sharp, chilling aura.

Bearing a longbow, with sharply pointed ears and a slender, graceful figure, the White Elf Huntress was quietly conversing with her companion. Mo Tan keenly noticed that a faint, almost imperceptible silver aura occasionally rippled around her. Perhaps beneath that agile and nimble exterior, she was also a Priestess with unwavering faith.

The Aged Human Mage walked calmly through the crowd, and the surrounding adventurers, who all seemed equally formidable, instinctively made way for him. The unassuming, ancient staff in his hand continuously sparked with tiny flashes, his mana reserves seemingly unfathomable.

Then there was the Half-Orc Girl standing by a shop window. With her gray beast ears and sharp fangs, she remained silent, but that was surely because this unremarkable-looking girl had just completed some dangerous and difficult task, and could only reveal details when a higher-level receptionist arrived...

And there were many more—just a single glance made it clear they were all tough characters!

【As expected of the Adventurer's Guild, truly...】

Mo Tan, who had just stepped into the hall, had gathered a wealth of information through observation in an extremely short time, feeling a sense of awe. But before he could even finish his inner thought, a loud wail rang out from across the room.

"Ow!!! Who stepped on my foot!" The Slim Thief, who had previously 'exuded a sharp chill,' leaped three feet into the air, looked left and right warily, then asked in confusion, "Huh? Why did it get dark?"

A kind-hearted bystander patted his arm and reminded him, "Your mask fell off..."

"Oh, thanks!" The thief quickly pulled up his mask, muttering, "Actually, it was supposed to be down, but I forgot to cut a hole when I made it. No wonder I felt so suffocated when I accidentally fell asleep earlier..."

Mo Tan: "..."

Then, not far away, the Elf Huntress, who had seemed like a 'steadfast Priestess' with a serene smile, pouted at her companion and mumbled, "But it's so pretty..."

"Pretty your head!" The Lizardman Summoner beside her, his red scaly face turning green with anger, hopped up and down and yelled, "You're a Ranger Apprentice, why would you buy Aura Glitter for no reason?! If you could climb trees, fine! But you're an elf who can't even climb a tree, and now you can glow intermittently—are you trying to get yourself killed faster!?"

The Ranger Apprentice shrank her neck, her face flushed red as she whispered, "Girls all like shiny things, you know. And the one I bought was a nearly expired clearance item from the Goblin Second-Hand Market, so it shouldn't glow too brightly..."

"The Goblin Market?! Those bastards mix gunpowder into everything they sell!" The Lizardman, now as angry as a chameleon, pointed at Mo Tan and roared at the young elf, whose expression suddenly turned panicked, "How is it not obvious?! Haven't you noticed that clueless-looking passerby has been staring at you for ages?!"

Mo Tan: "..."

Then, a commotion stirred among the crowd nearby, with faint shouts of "Run!" and "Holy crap!" echoing. Mo Tan stiffly turned his head and saw the "unfathomable" aged old mage staggering toward him, waving his arms and shouting, "Why are you all avoiding me! This staff of mine is a family heirloom! Even if it's a bit old, it's not like it's going to explode at the drop of a hat!"

"Get lost!" A gnome priest who couldn't squeeze past the crowd waved his hands in terror and shrieked, "You old bastard who's still just a novice mage at death's door! Stay away from me!"

Immediately, many around him chimed in loudly...

"Yeah! Stay away from us!"

"Last month, that old geezer's antique staff, which blows up everything but itself, exploded four times!"

"Four times? I remember it was three..."

"The last time it exploded, you were still recovering from your injuries~"

"Uh, hold on, I'm a bit dizzy. How did I get hurt back then?"

"He blew it up!"

"Damn!"

In short, aside from Mo Tan, who was too stunned by the shock to react, everyone nearby warily scurried away. Then...

That gifted old man, still only a novice mage at over eighty years old, suddenly brightened up and scurried over to Mo Tan, chuckling cheerfully as he ran, "Hey, kid, wanna team up with me? My Great Fireball is wicked sharp, no doubt about it!"

"Wait!" Mo Tan stared at the antique staff in the old mage's hand, which kept sputtering ominous sparks in midair, feeling a chill rise from the depths of his heart. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't come..."

Boom!!!

A minute later, Mo Tan scrambled up from the ground, looking disheveled, and casually helped up the old man he had instinctively tackled earlier. He sighed deeply as he saw his Health Points had dropped to a mere 5%.

Everything happened too suddenly. Just as the staff in the old mage's hand suddenly emitted a wisp of black smoke, Mo Tan, without a second word, snatched it away, hurled it into the air with the speed of a special forces soldier spotting a grenade rolling to his feet, then prostrated himself on the ground while also shoving the old mage down. Then...

Then he was blasted down to a tenth of his health, and the Burning Effect attached to him burned away another 5% of his Health Points.

So, as the saying goes, it's not without reason that good people often die young...

[Damn, that hurts...]

Mo Tan stood up woodenly, staggered to the wall, and slumped down, ignoring the still-dazed old mage and the countless gazes of "Kid, you've got guts, not afraid to die!" and applause around him, feeling utterly hopeless.

Then he heard a "Woof~" beside him.

Woof!?

Mo Tan turned his head and instantly felt himself turn pale. The half-orc girl he had noticed earlier, who seemed so aloof, finally spoke, but it was just a single syllable, a "Woof"...

"Hey~" The human girl behind the window raised a hand to her forehead, then spread her palms toward the half-orc girl in front of her, who seemed to have canine lineage: "Just how bad is your Common Language?"

"Woof o(╥﹏╥)o..."

"Sigh, how about this: if it's about quest inquiries, bark once; if it's about complaints or something like that, bark one thousand four hundred and seventy-three times."

"Woof?!"

"Oh, so it's about quests, huh? Taking one or turning one in? Bark once for taking, twice for turning in."

"Woof (*^▽^*)."

"Hand me your manual, let me see... You can only take the lowest tier, E-rank quests for now." The clerk girl handed back the manual with a big bone drawn on it: "Go look at the quest board over there. Once you've picked one, copy down the number and bring it here to register."

"Woof..." The half-orc girl reached out.

"Alright, alright, here's a pen. Remember to give it back to me later."

"Woof~~ (?ω?)"

The half-orc girl took the pen and ran off.

Barely holding back the urge to vomit blood, Mo Tan, who had recovered a bit of strength, struggled to his feet from the ground and walked over to the uniquely spirited clerk girl from earlier. Raising a hand to greet her through the window, he said, "Excuse me~"

"Hmm?" She replied absentmindedly while playing with her fingernails: "What is it?"

Mo Tan smiled politely: "I'd like to register as an adventurer. I was wondering what I need to..."

Slap!

A piece of paper was slapped directly in front of Mo Tan. The girl glanced at him: "Fill this out. Give it to me when you're done, and I'll give you the manual."

"That's it?" Mo Tan was surprised. Even though he felt he could handle any ridiculous situation by now, Meg had mentioned earlier that while registering as an adventurer wasn't hard, it still required a simple test.

Had the information become outdated?

"Technically, there should be a little test, since we do have some rules here." The girl smiled at Mo Tan, then pointed at the scorch marks on his clothes: "But I saw you survive Jadka's old self-destructing staff just now, neither dead nor crippled. That should be enough to qualify. Based on the magical fluctuations, if you were a weakling, you'd probably be ready for cremation right now..."

So cremation is a thing on the Innocent Continent too?

Mo Tan chuckled and nodded. Borrowing a pen from her, he looked at the fairly simple form and quickly filled in his name, gender, age, and other basic information. Finally, in the strength section, he wrote 'Novice Warrior' and called it done.

"Mo?" The girl muttered while registering on a crystal panel beside her: "That's a pretty unique name. Could it be a fake? Were you originally called something like 'Silly Ox' or something... Eh, whatever. The Adventurer's Guild will only recognize this name from now on. Here you go."

With that, she handed Mo Tan a thin, black-covered manual.

"Thanks~" Mo Tan politely thanked her, took the manual, and immediately heard a system prompt ring in his ear.

[You have unlocked the Identity System.]

[You have obtained the identity: Novice Adventurer]

[Novice Adventurer]

Identity (Non-unique)

Use: Allows you to accept or register E-Rank Quests at the Adventurer's Guild.

[Note: Rookie]

...

[You have obtained a bound item: Adventurer's Handbook]

[Adventurer's Handbook]

Bound, Unique

Use: Prove your identity.

[Note: Replacing it doesn't require much paperwork, but it's very expensive... very expensive... very expensive...]

"Don't mention it." The girl smiled at him. "You're a Novice Adventurer now. You can only take the lowest-level quests. They're troublesome and a rip-off, but at least they're safe. After you complete a certain number of quests, you can raise your rank and take higher-level ones. But it's best to do that only after your strength has improved to a certain level. Our Anka Branch's annual mortality rate is already high enough. For the sake of our bonuses, please be sure to look after your own safety..."

Mo Tan was actually a little touched at first, but after hearing the rest, only complaints remained in his heart. After thanking her again, he quickly walked toward the Quest Board not far from the center of the hall, wanting to see just how troublesome those E-Rank quests really were.

...

"That's against the rules, Guild Leader." After watching Mo Tan leave, the girl spoke softly to the air as if talking to herself. "If something happens, you'll have to take responsibility..."

Accompanied by a hazy ripple, the refined man Mo Tan had met at the branch entrance earlier appeared behind the girl and shrugged. "When have you ever taken responsibility when something happened? Don't worry, that young man is quite interesting..."

Martin Sloan, the Guild Leader of the Anka Market Adventurer Branch, known as the Starlight Archsage, chuckled softly. "I saw redemption in his eyes..."

Chapter 19: The End