The chief spoke in a commanding voice, his sharp eyes locked on them.
"May I ask why you two are pretending to be adventurers?"
Julius immediately stepped forward, his expression calm.
"I think you're mistaken somewhere. We never said we were adventurers—it was this villager who assumed that and claimed it himself."
The villager looked sheepish and turned to the chief.
"Yes, chief, it was me. How foolish of me. I'm sorry, both of you, for causing any trouble."
Rui quickly shook his head, waving a hand dismissively.
"No, no. If anything, you've actually helped us. We needed to meet the village chief anyway, and you were kind enough to bring us here. Thank you."
The villager scratched the back of his head, looking relieved.
"Ah—well, if that's how it is, then no harm done."
The village chief's gaze softened a little, and he tilted his head.
"So, why did you want to see me in the first place?"
Julius raised an eyebrow, glancing at the door behind the chief.
"Not going to invite us inside?"
The chief let out a warm laugh.
"Ah—where are my manners? I'm sorry. Please, come in."
They stepped inside. The house was surprisingly pleasant—right past the entrance was a small area to remove shoes, with a neat shoe stand on the right. The floor was made of polished dark wood, glowing softly under lantern light.
Ahead, a wall divided the entryway. To the left was a doorway, and to the right, a narrow passage led to the kitchen, bathroom, and toilet.
"Consider this place your own home," the chief said kindly.
They slipped off their shoes and followed him in.
The chief pushed open a sliding door designed in a traditional Chinese style, revealing a spacious living room with a low wooden table and several sofas.
Three people were already sitting there.
One wore full silver armor that gleamed in the lamplight, a silver sword resting at his right hip. His brown hair was shoulder-length, swept back, and his brown eyes watched the door with sharp focus. He sat with arms crossed, his back perfectly straight.
Beside him lounged an archer. He wore no heavy armor—only a light leather vest that allowed him to move freely. A blue bow rested across his knees, matching the short blue hair and piercing blue eyes that sized them up curiously. A quiver full of arrows hung at his back.
The third figure was a woman. She wore a witch's outfit dyed deep violet, complete with a wide-brimmed hat. Her long black hair tumbled freely past her shoulders. A thin gray staff was balanced across her chest, one end resting on her left shoulder as she held it in both hands. Her violet eyes studied them coolly, and the front of her dress dipped low enough to reveal the curve of her cleavage. She was strikingly beautiful.
All three looked to be in their mid-twenties.
The armored man turned his gaze to the chief.
"Oh, chief. Who are these two?"
The chief stood calmly, both hands tucked into his wide sleeves.
"They are my guests. I'd like you all to treat them as such."
"Sure."
The chief turned back to Julius and Rui.
"So, may I know your names?"
The armored man raised an eyebrow.
"You don't even know your own guests' names?"
The chief gave a small shrug.
"Something like that."
Julius stepped forward smoothly.
"Airu. Airu Koruto. And he's Zhou Rui."
"Oh. My name is Yu Zhen."
The armored man frowned.
"Your guests don't know your name either?"
Yu Zhen sighed.
"Yes—something like that."
Then he gestured to a pair of empty seats.
"Please, have a seat."
Two of the sofas were unoccupied. Julius and Rui sat down, while Yu Zhen took a chair across from them.
Yu Zhen's expression turned thoughtful.
"So, tell me—what business do you have with me?"
Zhou Rui began,
"We wanted to ask you about Sno—"
But Julius interrupted smoothly,
"Before that, could you tell us why you were gathering adventurers? If it's something we can help with, we'd be glad to assist."
Zhou Rui leaned closer, whispering urgently,
"Airu—what are you saying? We have somewhere else to be."
Julius whispered back, eyes gleaming,
"If there's a quest, we could take part and get a reward."
Zhou Rui hissed,
"But Lord Vermillion IV already gave us enough funds to live in luxury for the rest of our lives!"
Julius grinned, whispering,
"Yeah, but he didn't give us any grimoires or magic scrolls. If we score something like that, it'll be worth it."
Zhou Rui sighed in exasperation.
"One day, your obsession with magic is going to get us killed."
Yu Zhen cleared his throat sharply.
"Ahem! Anyway—I'm gathering adventurers because about five kilometers from this village, I discovered a dungeon two weeks ago. Inside it, the boss is a Magma Mountain Tyrant. I'd be honored if you two would join us in subjugating it."
At that moment, a cyan window popped up in front of Julius, shimmering in the air:
[New Quest Available: Hunt of the Magma Mountain Tyrant. Do you want to accept?]
[Yes] [No]