After hunting for a while and testing my new skill, I left the dungeon and headed straight to the guild. As soon as I approached, many adventurers stared at me curiously. I don't know if it was because of my appearance or because I had never been there before.
I ignored their looks and went inside.
There were several counters available, with guild staff assisting adventurers. I want her to handle me. I looked around and finally saw her—but she was talking to another adventurer.
Rose Fannett.
Long red hair and wolf ears on top of her head. An extremely attractive woman.
I don't know how she isn't a character adored by readers. I guess it's because she doesn't get enough screen time.
I sighed and stepped forward to wait in line.
Rose, who was assisting another adventurer, glanced at me and then looked to the side. There was another free guild member who could have helped me. But I just smiled at her and kept waiting.
After a few seconds of silence, I said, "I'd like to register with the guild. I recently joined the Hestia Familia and haven't signed up yet."
"Huh? Hestia Familia?" Rose's eyebrows rose in surprise. However, her expression quickly returned to normal. "I see." She stood up and went to fetch a document for me.
After some time, I finally completed my registration.
"If you have any questions, you can come to me. I'll help you," Rose said, maintaining her impassive expression.
"Alright." I gave a faint smile and left the guild.
I didn't get the chance to talk to her much.
Getting closer to her might be very difficult.
Huff~~
After sighing, I slipped my hands into my pockets and walked down the street. After several long minutes, I approached the dungeon again. But just as I was about to enter, I ran into two people I knew very well.
They were Clone 1 and Clone 3.
Their names now are Ryo and Kyo—at least, those are the names they chose.
Actually, I gave them that suggestion. Simple and easy names. And similar, too. Mothers of twins often give matching names to their children, so it makes sense.
And their last name? Well, they don't have one.
When they saw me, Clone 1 almost lowered his head, but I gave him a killing glare, and he stopped that nonsense.
I walked past them, analyzing the guys in their group.
They look like idiots. All of them seemed weak and foolish.
That's probably why my EXP gain hasn't dropped much—my clones are definitely stronger and smarter than them.
"Hey, you."
I turned around. "Are you talking to me?"
The man who called me was one of my clones' party members. He was about my height, but skinny, with a strange body structure. How does someone even end up with a body like that?
"Yes, you! Why were you looking at me like that?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"You were staring at us in a weird way. I didn't like it."
Is he looking for trouble just because I glanced at him?
"Why would I stare at idiots like you?" I asked with a sigh.
Pfft!
Clone 1—Kyo—let out a laugh, but when the man looked at him, he immediately stopped.
Tsk!
The man clicked his tongue. "Next time I see you, if you look at me like that again, I'll rip your head off." There wasn't an ounce of conviction in his voice.
This guy's a coward.
"Why don't you try doing that now? I'll kill you in a single move if you attempt something like that." I smiled and took a step forward. Clone 1 and Clone 3 looked at me in surprise.
I'm not usually someone who goes looking for trouble.
"Urgh!" The man stepped back when I looked at him coldly. Is he scared?
You've got to be kidding me.
"Hey, Ryo, do something!" the man shouted.
Clone 3, who now goes by Ryo, stared at him for a few seconds before stepping forward.
[What are you doing, Master?] he asked in my mind.
'Just having a little fun. I didn't expect to run into you two here.'
[I see. Let's resolve this peacefully. I can't fight you. It's against the rules.]
'Rules? What rules?'
[All clones know the rules.]
That was all he said before stepping closer to me.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Just pretend you got scared and leave. You don't want to draw attention, right?"
"Ah, sure."
Still curious about these so-called rules, I turned and walked away.
The man, thinking I was afraid of Clone 3, celebrated as I left.
I should ask about those rules.
After putting enough distance between us, I looked back, but they were gone—probably already inside the dungeon.
I guess I'll ask Clone 4. I've never talked much with him.
Hey, Clone 4, can we talk?
[Master? Did something happen?]
'Clone 3 mentioned some rules that the clones have to follow. What rules are those?'
[ … ]
Clone 4 remained silent for a while.
After some time, he began speaking.
[All of us received a list of rules when we were created. Do you want me to tell you all of them?]
'Yes. That's why I contacted you.'
[Alright. The first rule is: Never disobey your owner.]
Owner? I know I technically am their owner since they're my clones, but it makes them sound like dogs or something.
[The second rule is: Never act on your own.]
I see.
[The third rule is: Die to save your owner if necessary.]
Well, that rule is obvious.
[The last rule is: Never attack your owner. In any way.]
That's the most important one.
But why wasn't I informed about this? The system should have told me about these rules.
'Did the system tell you what happens if you break them?'
[If we break rules one and two, we get up to three chances.]
"…"
[But if we break rules three or four, we will be erased.]
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