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The moment Scarlette stepped out of the guild hall, a strange heaviness settled over the room—one made of stunned silence, disbelief, and the lingering echo of her final instructions. Adventurers who remained inside slowly turned their attention toward the young man she had left behind.
Ryan stood rooted in place, staring blankly as though his soul had momentarily slipped out of his body. It didn't take a genius to guess why. Anyone would be in shock after realizing they had spent the last hour pestering Scarlette Overland—the strongest adventurer in the entire Miris Continent—like she was some average stranger.
A wave of sympathetic winces rippled across the room.
If that were me… I'd never show my face again.
Some muttered.
Some shook their heads.
Some simply stared.
But before Ryan could process anything further, an arm suddenly hooked around his shoulder, dragging him out of his dazed stupor.
"You're one lucky bastard, aren't you?" a voice snickered by his ear. "You actually managed to catch the interest of the strongest adventurer here, bro! Tsk!"
Ryan blinked, startled, and turned toward the stranger invading his personal space.
The one clinging to him was a woman—bold, confident, and loud enough to draw curious glances. Her aqua-blue hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and her chestnut eyes sparkled with a mixture of mischief and admiration. She wore full leather armor, practical and flexible, and a pair of brass knuckles hung at her waist like trophies.
Ryan's body stiffened. Uncomfortable with the sudden touch, he gently removed her arm and offered a polite—if strained—smile.
"I don't mean to be rude," he said carefully, "but… may I know who you are?"
The woman blinked… then burst into uproarious laughter. Her voice rang through the guild, prompting others to chuckle along. Ryan's irritation flared as a blank expression plastered itself across his face.
Yes, I KNOW I didn't recognize Scarlette Overland immediately!
I am SORRY, okay?! Is that such a crime?!
He groaned inwardly, swallowing his annoyance.
Scarlette Overland was not someone easily forgotten. Even outlanders from distant empires had heard whispers of her feats, her unmatched combat prowess, and her solitary nature. Rumors painted her as a woman who completed S‑rank missions for fun and took low-level herb commissions when bored.
Doing menial tasks out of boredom…?
What a strange woman.
Ryan mentally shook his head.
But then a shiver crept down his spine.
He glanced around—and instantly understood the chilling sensation.
Dozens of adventurers were staring at him.
Not with amusement.
Not with curiosity.
But with envy.
Irritation.
And something dangerously close to murderous jealousy.
Ryan swallowed.
Why am I being targeted all of a sudden? What did I do?
The woman next to him—still laughing—noticed his look and shook her head knowingly.
"Seriously?" she scoffed. "You don't even realize it? Scarlette chose you as her first-ever companion. You didn't get what she said earlier?"
Ryan snapped his head toward her so quickly he nearly sprained something.
"WHAT?! She chose WHO?! M‑ME?!"
He jabbed a finger at his own chest, face twisting comically between disbelief and horror.
Yes. Him.
The clueless outlander who had annoyed Scarlette earlier.
The aqua-haired woman nodded with theatrical sympathy.
Ryan rubbed his temples, groaning.
Of course. Looks like she turned down quite a number of adventurers before… judging by the way everyone's looking at me like I'm fresh prey. Did I… get myself into trouble?
He sighed… again.
Just as he regained a semblance of calm, a sudden force struck between his shoulder blades.
SMACK.
Ryan lurched forward, nearly faceplanting into the nearest table. He caught himself just in time and slowly, very slowly, turned his head toward the culprit.
The leather-armored woman grinned back at him with the kind of expression that made Ryan reconsider his stance on violence.
This woman… should be thankful I'm a civilized person.
Back home, she'd be a corpse on the ground for that disrespect…
But this was the Silveria Empire.
He was an outsider here.
Starting fights was not an option.
"Oh! How rude of me!" she finally said, planting her fists on her hips. "I'm here touching you everywhere and you don't even know my name! Haha! I'm KIRA STONE, leader of the Black Dust party. What's yours, bro?"
Ryan exhaled slowly.
His patience was wearing thin.
Still, he forced a smile—it was painful, but he managed it.
"Ryan Wayne," he replied. "I just got here yesterday. This is my first day in the guild and… well… everything went downhill fast."
Kira barked out another laugh.
"You're bold, I'll give you that! Marching up to Scarlette like you own the place—and pestering her like crazy! You didn't even recognize her! Hah! Even outlanders like you should've heard of Scarlette Overland by now!"
Ryan pressed a palm to his face.
"I—well—maybe I SHOULD have, but—"
"No excuses!"
He groaned.
The other adventurers nodded solemnly from afar.
He groaned louder.
Kira leaned in, poking his chest with the end of her knuckle.
"Still, don't let it get to your head, Ryan. Scarlette doesn't just talk to anyone. And she NEVER—ever—takes companions. The fact you managed to get even one nod out of her is already a miracle."
Ryan looked around again.
The jealous glares.
The whispered gossip.
The stunned silence from some.
And the begrudging admiration from others.
All of it suddenly made sense.
I'm… the first person Scarlette Overland ever brought along?
He wanted to scream.
Instead, he let out a defeated sigh.
"This is too much for my brain," he muttered.
Kira snickered. "Kid, your life just got interesting."
Ryan stared at her.
"If this is what you call interesting," he said with a pained voice, "then I think I want a refund."
Kira laughed so hard she stomped the floor.
But behind the laughter, the whispers resumed.
The adventurers of Crown City would be talking about this for weeks. Months. Maybe years.
Ryan Wayne—
the man Scarlette Overland chose.
Whether he liked it or not, his quiet arrival into the Silveria Empire…
was over.
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