The familiar facade of the Adventurers' Guild quickly appeared before him.
Venti: "Very well..."
He thought as he approached the entrance.
Venti: "Let's see what the wind has in store for me next."
Without further hesitation, Venti pushed open the door and returned to the building, ready to accept a new mission, determined to continue his ascent one quest at a time.
The plan was simple:
Do another quest to pass the time and have some fun with his skills.
Venti: "Here we go again."
When Venti entered the Adventurers' Guild again, the ambient noise immediately felt familiar.
Yet, this time, he didn't even have time to reach the counter before the receptionist looked up, surprised to see him back so soon.
She blinked slightly, then tilted her head, puzzled.
The receptionist: "...Already back?"
She wondered what Venti was doing when he had just finished his quest.
The receptionist: "Perhaps he forgot something?"
Venti stopped in front of the counter, a slight smile on his lips.
Venti: "Hello."
He replied simply.
The receptionist quickly consulted the register in front of her, flipped through a few pages, then looked up at him again.
The receptionist: "You already submitted the proof of your mission this morning."
"It's approved."
Her tone wasn't suspicious, but clearly questioning.
The receptionist: "I was wondering what you were doing here."
"You're not planning on leaving right away, are you?"
Around them, a few adventurers cast curious glances.
Returning to the Guild less than half a day after a mission, especially for a new member, wasn't very common.
And even less so to return ten minutes later.
Venti shrugged slightly.
Venti: "It's not even noon yet, and I still feel good."
The receptionist stared at him for a moment, attentive, as if trying to determine whether he was joking or not.
The receptionist: "Most newcomers take the rest of the day to rest..."
A slight smile then appeared on her face.
The receptionist: "But I imagine that's not your style."
She closed the register and gestured toward the quest board.
The receptionist: "Very well."
"If you're looking for another mission, there are a few more suited to your rank."
Venti inclined his head slightly.
Venti: "Perfect."
As he walked toward the board, he felt the receptionist's gaze follow him for a few more seconds, a mixture of curiosity and interest.
This boy dressed like a bard was starting to stand out from the crowd.
Venti approached the large wooden board hanging against the Guild's main wall.
It was almost entirely covered with sheets of paper, held in place by nails or simple pins, forming a haphazard collection of available missions.
He took the time to examine them one by one, letting his gaze wander over the titles written in ink.
Very quickly, he noticed something obvious.
The majority of the quests were low rank.
Venti: "I suspected as much…"
Many involved simple, almost mundane tasks:
- Cleaning warehouses
- Clearing debris after a storm
- Delivering packages between districts
- Or transporting light goods to neighboring villages.
Some missions required helping merchants move crates, while others simply involved escorting a cart for a few kilometers.
Venti read a few descriptions more carefully:
— Clean the moss and seaweed from a dock in the port: 3000 Moras
— Capture fireflies: 5000 Moras
— Deliver a fragile package to the port: 1500 Moras
— Clean up an old, infested warehouse: 5000 Moras
— Transport official documents to the guard post: 2000 Moras
No mention of dangerous monsters.
No high rewards. Nothing spectacular.
Venti: "Safe missions… but slow."
He thought.
He perfectly understood the Guild's logic.
These quests were designed for new adventurers:
- Low risk
- Low pressure
- And gradual progression.
They allowed them to learn discipline, responsibility… and to gain the trust of the locals.
Venti folded his arms, lost in thought.
Venti: "This isn't really what I need to train for combat..."
Yet, he didn't despise these missions.
He knew that every quest had its importance, even the smallest ones.
Helping the city, strengthening ties with the people, making a name for himself—all of that mattered.
But deep down, Venti whispered something else.
Venti: "I need to get stronger... and fast."
He continued to scan the board, searching for a mission that, even a low-ranking one, would allow him to use his skills, test his limits, or at least keep him active.
His gaze became more focused, more selective.
But this wasn't what he needed, and he quickly realized it.
As he scrolled through the quest board, Venti stopped abruptly, as if struck by a sudden realization.
His gaze drifted for a moment, and a faint smile touched his face.
Venti: "Why do I only think in terms of combat…"
He instinctively reached into his pocket and pulled out his Adventurer's Crystal.
It emitted a faint greenish glow as soon as he infused it with a little Anemo energy.
The familiar symbols appeared before his eyes, visible only to him.
Instead of focusing on his raw stats, Venti scrolled through his skill list with a fresh perspective.
He then realized something important.
His powers weren't just for fighting monsters.
He slowly reread the names floating before him:
- Telekinesis — Level 2/10
- Intangibility — Level 1/10
- Flight — Level 1/10
- Soul Manipulation & Lie Detection — Level 1/10
- Illusion Creation — Level 1/10
- Teleportation — Level 4/10
- Wind Communication — Level 1/10
Rare skills, invaluable for relaying information quickly.
Venti gently closed the crystal, lost in thought.
Venti: "These simple missions…"
He murmured to himself.
Venti: "Perhaps they're exactly what I need."
He now understood that even cleaning or delivery quests could become perfect training grounds.
Using his skills outside of combat would not only allow him to improve them, but also to remain discreet, without attracting the attention of guards or high-ranking adventurers.
Venti: "And what's more..."
He thought with amusement.
Venti: "No one will suspect that a simple bard-boy can do all this with magic."
The wind seemed to stir around him, as if to agree with his thought.
With a completely different perspective on the missions displayed before him, Venti looked up at the board, ready to choose a quest, not to fight, but to cleverly exploit the full potential of his skills.
And also to have fun.
Venti continued to scan the board, mechanically reading the quest titles:
- Urgent Deliveries
- Warehouse Cleaning
- Helping Merchants, Night Watch…
Nothing too exciting, but he was now looking for a quest that would allow him to have a good time without fighting.
He understood that if he only fought, he risked becoming a proud and arrogant adventurer.
And he didn't want that.
Then, suddenly, a poster caught his eye.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
- Find a cat: 10,000 Moras
Venti: "......... ".
He blinked once, then a second time, certain he had misread it.
Venti: "............. ".
Slowly, he leaned closer to the sign, as if the amount were about to change before his very eyes.
Venti: "Ten... thousand... Moras?"
He thought, incredulous.
A slight frown appeared on his face.
He straightened up and crossed his arms, lost in silent thought.
Venti: "Find a cat."
Not a dangerous monster, not a creature corrupted by elemental energy, not an enemy-infested area... just a cat.
And yet, this mission paid almost double what he had earned by eliminating a dozen elemental slimes on the beach.
Venti: "For the slimes, I risked being bombarded with projectiles, I had to use my skills, manage my stamina... and I earned 6,000 Moras."
He recalled.
Venti: "So why would finding a simple cat be worth so much?"
Several hypotheses began to form in his mind:
- Perhaps the cat belonged to someone important.
- Perhaps it had run away into a dangerous area.
- Or perhaps… perhaps this cat wasn't just any cat.
Venti couldn't help but smile slightly.
Venti: "Either people really love their pets… or this quest is hiding something."
He glanced quickly around.
No other adventurer seemed particularly interested in the poster.
Some walked right past it without even looking at it, while others snickered and muttered that this kind of mission was a waste of time.
Venti: "Perfect."
Venti thought.
The fewer competitors, the better.
This mission also allowed him to use some of his skills.
He immediately thought back to his skills that weren't useful in combat:
- Wind Communication to listen to his surroundings
- Flight to move objects without frightening the animal
- Illusions to lure a wary cat
- And even Soul Manipulation & Lie Detection if he needed to question locals or lure the animal to a specific location.
Venti: "Finally…"
He mused.
Venti: "This might be exactly the kind of mission for me."
With a look of both curiosity and amusement, Venti took the poster down from the board.
Whatever the reason behind this surprisingly high reward, he was determined to find out for himself.
And after all, if finding a cat could be more lucrative than defeating monsters, he certainly wasn't going to complain.
Venti turned to the receptionist, the poster still in his hand, and approached the counter.
His gaze flickered between the sheet of paper and the young woman's calm face, which was clearly intrigued.
Venti: "Excuse me,"
he said politely but curiously.
Venti: "I'd like to know something."
"Why is this mission so well paid... when no one seems to want to take it?"
He gently tapped the poster with his fingertip, making the paper tremble slightly.
Venti: "Finding a cat for ten thousand Moras seems... a bit excessive."
The receptionist glanced at the advertisement, then let out a quiet sigh, as if the question came up more often than anyone thought.
The receptionist: "Ah... this mission,"
She murmured.
She rested her elbows on the counter and clasped her hands, lowering her voice slightly.
The receptionist: "The person who asked for help is a young child from a noble family in the city."
"His cat disappeared a few days ago, and he insisted that the guild post an official quest with a high reward."
Venti tilted his head slightly.
Venti: "So what?"
"Why won't anyone accept him?"
The receptionist shrugged, a slightly weary expression on her face.
The receptionist: "Because he's a little boy."
"Many adventurers think he's exaggerating, or that the cat will simply return on its own."
"Some even say it's just a child's whim and that the quest will be canceled any day now."
Author's Note: The adventurers in question aren't acting in bad faith; they simply believe the problem will resolve itself and that the child doesn't need their help.
She paused, then added with a hint of annoyance:
The receptionist: "Others feel this kind of mission is beneath them."
"They'd rather fight monsters or escort caravans than play babysitter."
Venti frowned slightly.
Venti: "Yet the reward is very real, isn't it?"
The receptionist: "Absolutely."
She confirmed.
The receptionist: "The funds have already been deposited with the guild."
"The family is wealthy, and the child is... very attached to their cat."
A silence fell for a few seconds.
Venti looked at the poster, lost in thought.
He could easily picture a worried child, probably ignored by adults too rushed or too proud to help.
A slight smile appeared on his face.
Venti: "I see…"
He said softly.
Venti: "So it's not that the mission isn't worthwhile."
"It's just that no one wants to listen to a child."
The receptionist nodded.
The receptionist: "Exactly."
Venti looked up at her, a determined glint in his eye.
Venti: "In that case, I think I'll take care of it."
The receptionist seemed surprised for a moment, then her expression softened.
The receptionist: "Very well," she replied.
"I'll register the quest under your name."
As she began to write down her choice, Venti felt deep down that this mission, as simple as it might seem, could be much more important than it appeared.
A few hours later:
A few hours passed in this way, punctuated by pointless detours, paths that led nowhere, and hesitation at every fork in the road.
The receptionist gave him a map to help him find his way.
Despite his good sense of direction in open terrain, the outskirts of the city and its winding roads sorely tested Venti's patience.
Venti: "I could swear this road led somewhere…" he thought, sighing.
He had to ask for directions more than once, sometimes receiving contradictory information, sometimes surprised looks at a "mere bard" searching for a place supposedly known to adventurers.
Even though Venti had arrived in the city two days ago, he hadn't taken the time to explore it and memorize the city streets.
After wandering for a long time along side paths he wasn't supposed to be on, Venti finally arrived at his destination.
Venti: "Whoa."
Before him stood an imposing manor house, its architecture ancient, its dark stone walls seemingly having withstood many years of harsh weather.
Tall wrought-iron gates surrounded the grounds, covered in places with ivy and brambles, giving the place an atmosphere that was both noble and unsettling.
The wind blew gently, making the branches of the trees that encircled the property creak.
Venti paused for a moment to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees.
Finding this place had been much more complicated than expected:
- The map provided by the Guild was inaccurate.
- And several of the marked paths seemed to have disappeared over time.
He sighed inwardly, promising himself never again to underestimate a simple geographical clue.
Looking up, he noticed the manor was guarded.
Two figures stood near the main entrance, motionless but clearly vigilant.
Their weapons, clearly visible, reflected the daylight.
Venti squinted, observing their movements, trying to determine if they were mercenaries, private guards, or perhaps even former adventurers hired to protect the place.
Venti: "Well, logically, this is it."
A slight shiver ran down his spine, not from fear, but from anticipation.
This manor was clearly no ordinary place, and if it was protected in this way, it meant the mission entrusted to him by the Guild was probably more complex than it seemed.
Squeezing the strap of his satchel, Venti took a deep breath before approaching.
Venti: "Well…"
He thought, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.
Venti: "Time to go get a cat."
He took a step forward, ready to discover what this guarded mansion had to offer.
He put a hand behind his head and replied with disarming honesty:
Venti: "Well… I'm here because I accepted a mission from the Adventurers' Guild."
The guards exchanged a quick glance, without letting their guard down.
Guard #1: "What mission?"
asked the first, his hand still firmly gripping his sword.
Venti took a slow breath before continuing, as if announcing something perfectly ordinary:
Venti: "A mission to… find a lost cat."
A heavy silence immediately fell before the gate.
Guard #2: "…A cat?"
repeated the second guard slowly, convinced he had misheard.
Venti: "Yes."
Chapter 21: A Lost Cat
The End