Boran merged into the familiar crowd of the Hub. Thousands of adventurers surrounded him—some resting, some trading, others chatting in groups. He let his tired body sink into the nearest bench-like structure and took a deep breath.
The previous group crossed his mind. Their equipment marked them as experienced adventurers—or at least high-level ones. But why would they tackle a low-level Boss like the Guardian of the Empty Flame? And with a six-person team? It was like using a cannon to hunt rabbits. Even William had defeated an eighth-level Boss alone with just one ability.
What was even stranger was their knowledge of the Boss's location. They must have known about the Guardian beforehand, since they arrived with a fully equipped team ready to hunt it.
He looked at his injured finger. His shirt was stained red, but at least the bleeding had stopped. The Hub's magic had partially healed his wound, but it couldn't restore his lost finger. This was his first serious injury—his first real battle wound. Sure, he had a scar from the Alpha Wolf on his arm, but it couldn't compare to this.
He watched the crowd around him. High-level adventurers stood out with their flashy armor and weapons. Some looked down on newcomers, while others completely ignored them. Boran frowned. He was also relatively new, but at least he had taken down two Bosses alone, despite being a tank. Why weren't these "experienced" adventurers helping newcomers?
Boran stood up. His body still ached, but he would have more time to rest later. Now he needed to check his rewards and plan his next move.
As he walked toward the Hub's center, he listened to the conversations around him. He might catch a hint, but all he heard were mundane discussions about which dungeon gave better loot, which Boss was easier.
As he passed by a group of young adventurers, one of them said, "I wonder how this Alpha Wolf appears? It says optional, but doesn't say how it appears."
"I can tell you... for fifty gold," said a man in his forties.
"Fifty gold is a lot," said one of the youths, turning a bronze sword in his hands. "That's all the money I have."
"My brother gave me a hundred gold," said the girl beside him, brushing back her brown hair. "Maybe we could pay? After all, it's a good starter Boss—I've heard it drops valuable items."
"A hundred gold?" said the third youth, his eyes widening. "If I had that much money, I'd buy better armor. Look at this leather armor I'm wearing—it's practically rags."
The girl shrugged. "Yeah, but think about it, if we defeat the Boss, we'll make our money back from the drops. And maybe—"
"Don't waste your money," Boran interrupted. The youths turned to him in surprise. "I'll tell you how the Alpha Wolf appears."
The older man frowned at Boran. "Who are you? These are my customers!"
"I'm someone who killed the Alpha Wolf," Boran said calmly. "I'll tell you for free: Kill a hundred creatures in the dungeon, and the Wolf will appear on its own."
The youths looked at each other. The older man rose angrily. "He's lying! The Alpha Wolf doesn't appear like that!"
"It does," said Boran. "That's how I encountered it."
The girl jumped forward excitedly. "Really? A hundred creatures... that's doable! And we get to keep our money."
"He's lying to you!" shouted the older man. "I'm level one hundred and ten! He's just lying!" Then he showed his character panel to everyone.
As he said, it showed he was level one hundred and ten. "Show your level too! Whoever has the higher level has more experience."
"This isn't a game!" Boran said sharply, the seriousness in his eyes clearly visible despite his exhaustion. "Trying to make money by deceiving people, taking advantage of their inexperience, hoarding and selling information... Everyone was once a beginner, don't forget that. How will we progress if we don't help each other?"
The older man said, "What a fool," and spat on the ground. He walked away grumbling. The youths excitedly gathered around Boran.
"So how did you defeat the Wolf?" asked the one with the bronze sword. "Could we defeat it too?"
Boran smiled. "I'll tell you everything I know. But first, how old are you?"
"We're all sixteen, why?"
"Aren't you a bit young for this place?"
"In France, the gateway age was set to sixteen."
"Ah... Isn't there any training?"
"There's a few months of training. But you can bypass it with money."
"Good," said Boran. "Then let's begin. First, there are preparations you need to make before entering the dungeon..."
Boran shared information with the young adventurers not just about the Alpha Wolf, but also about survival, battle tactics, and teamwork. He told them about his struggle with the Alpha Wolf, explained the challenges of defeating a Boss alone.
The youths listened attentively. There was that familiar sparkle in their eyes—the desire for adventure, the need to prove themselves. When Boran looked at them, he saw himself. Just a few days ago, he had been just like them.
"And remember," he said finally, "many people here might look down on you. But what matters isn't your level or equipment. What matters is your intelligence, courage, and trust in each other."
The youths nodded. The girl said sincerely, "Thank you, Boran. For helping us."
"Don't mention it," said Boran as he stood up. "Just... when you become stronger one day, don't forget to help others."
All three promised. "Why aren't there places where we can learn these things? He was really helpful."
"That's because nobody lets others get ahead for free. And we checked the guilds, didn't we? They all want high levels, experience. There's no guild suitable for beginners."
As Boran watched them walk away, he thought about his injured finger, the bite mark on his arm. Maybe some things in this world should be learned for free. Through blood, pain, experience... but not for money.
"So there's no guild suitable for beginners..." he said and looked at his ring for a while. "What do you think, Boney? Should we open such a guild?"
He saw the ring glow faintly. He hadn't thought Boney could hear him, but the fact that the skeleton could both hear and respond made him happy.
"But I don't know how to establish a guild. William is the only person I know who's in a guild. Should I ask him? Though I'll be asking for too many favors, and I don't want to overwhelm him. Well, what harm could asking one question do?"
[Boran: Hey William, thank you so much for your help today. Can I ask you something?]
A few minutes later, the reply came.
[William: No problem at all. Sure, go ahead.]
[Boran: How can I create a guild?]
William didn't respond for a while. "Did I ask too bluntly?" he thought as a new message arrived.
[William: You want to create a guild? Why?]
[Boran: There are probably guilds that would accept me, but I want to help others myself. I want to create a guild where newcomers can get information about dungeons, creatures, bosses, and items.]
[William: I see... A noble intention. I'll help you. First, you need some things. You must be at least level 10.]
Boran checked his level. He had gained another level for killing the Boss. He was now level 10.
[Boran: I'm level 10.]
[William: Good. You'll need several more items. And 5000 gold. The total costs add up to about 10,000 gold.]
Boran checked his money. He had 935 gold in his inventory.
[Boran: I don't even have a thousand gold. The costs are quite high.]
[William: Let's do this: I'll wait for you this evening where we first met. I could cover all your expenses under certain conditions.]
[Boran: William... You really don't have to do something like this. Just telling me what's needed would be enough.]
[William: Just hear out my offer, if you don't like it, you don't have to accept. What do you say?]
Boran thought for a moment. He didn't want to be more indebted to William, but he also wanted to have his own guild as soon as possible. It probably wouldn't hurt to hear the offer.
[Boran: I'll be there this evening.]