Morning arrived in Arielia with unusual peace—no one screaming, no one falling on top of Ray, no one dragging him out of bed "for safety reasons."
For a moment, Ray thought:
Maybe today I won't almost die.
He was, of course, wrong.
A Sudden Knock
A frantic series of knocks hammered the door.
Claire opened it, bow still in hand.
Standing outside were seven women, each from different guild departments—mages, hunters, alchemists, even one noble-looking lady with way too many rings.
They all stared at Ray.
Ray blinked."…Can I help you?"
One of them stepped forward.
"Is it true!?" she shouted."Did you single-handedly defeat a Beast Lord AND tame a Fairy Dragon!?"
Ray froze.
Amelia crossed her arms. "Who told you that?"
The women answered in perfect unison:
"THE RUMORS!"
Ray put a hand to his face."Oh great… I have rumors now."
And they weren't done.
"Is it true you trained personally under the Legendary Knight Maria Ironheart?"
Ray choked on air."I—I did NOT train under her! She just—"
"Is it true you made the Arch Mage Sophie laugh!?"
Sophie, who was reading quietly in the background, sipped her tea and said, "Pure coincidence."
"Is it true your smile can calm monsters within twenty meters?"
Ray stared at them, horrified."Why am I becoming a cryptid creature?!"
Lyria whispered, "Honestly, Ray, this is mild. I once heard a rumor about a man who sneezed and caused a hurricane."
"That is NOT comforting!"
The Guild's Warning
Before the crowd escalated, the guild receptionist—now with heavier eye bags than ever—burst through the door and dragged Ray inside by the wrist.
"Listen," she said, slamming paperwork on the counter, "your popularity is skyrocketing. That's dangerous."
Ray blinked. "Dangerous how?"
Ellie raised a hand excitedly. "Because women might kidnap you!"
Ray froze. "…Kidnap me??"
Amelia patted his shoulder."Don't worry. If anyone tries, we'll break their legs."
Claire corrected her. "Not break—disable. More professional."
Ray felt faint.
The receptionist sighed deeply."We need to establish a new rule for your team: Ray is not allowed to walk alone. Ever."
Ray exploded."I've been here one week!"
"And you've already caused more chaos than the last five Beast Lords," she answered.
A New Mission (and a New Problem)
To calm the rising frenzy, the guild assigned them a "calm, simple" mission:
Escort a merchant caravan to the neighboring city of Lunestra.Minimal danger, good pay, no monsters expected.
Ray exhaled in relief."Finally, a normal job."
Ellie nodded happily."I hope Lunestra has pastries!"
Sophie adjusted her glasses."I hope it has silence."
Maria, who had come to deliver a report, stared at Ray with concern."I hope you don't cause trouble."
Ray's eye twitched."Why am I always the one blamed?!"
Claire smiled."Because it's usually you."
Amelia added confidently,"Also because trouble is attracted to you like bees to honey."
The system notified him politely:
[Comedic Attraction Aura — Passive]Women attracted today: 34Near kidnappings prevented: 2Cause: Breathing while male
Ray screamed internally.
The Road to Lunestra
The next morning, they departed with the merchant caravan.
For the first hour…Nothing happened.
Ray almost cried from joy.
Then a giant shadow crossed the sky.
A large, winged creature swooped down, roaring.
The merchants panicked.
"A wyvern! A wyvern is attacking!!"
Ray paled."WHYYYYY?! This wasn't even a combat mission!!"
Maria drew her sword."I'll handle it!"
But the wyvern flew straight past her and—Landed in front of Ray.
The massive creature's head bowed.
Everyone stared.
Ray whispered, terrified:"…Why is it looking at me like that?"
Lyria flipped a page in her book."Wyverns recognize powerful magical pheromones."
Ray stiffened."What pheromones?"
She pointed at him."Yours."
"WHAT?! I'm not some sort of walking love perfume!"
Ellie gasped."Ray… did you just tame a wyvern… by existing?"
Maria whispered, stunned,"…That's not normal."
The wyvern nudged Ray lovingly.
Ray screamed.
The girls laughed.
The merchants fainted.
And the system announced proudly:
[New Beast Companion Acquired: WYVERN "NIBBLER"][Warning: Beasts may instinctively compete for Ray's affection.]
Ray fell to his knees.
"I want a refund. On EVERYTHING."