According to the map, it should be around here.

“Where’s that red roof?”

“Kyuuu.”

Following Yongyong’s gaze, I spotted a building with a red roof that looked like an ordinary house.

On the front of the building was the Frey Guild’s emblem, a wolf insignia. As I reached for the door handle, a message appeared.

[Entry is restricted to Frey Guild members only.]
[Welcome, Yuna.]

I opened the door and stepped inside, greeted by an interior that was completely different from its modest exterior.

The decor was lavish, though curiously, while there were numerous rooms, none of them had doors.

As I admired the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a voice called out from inside.

“Oh my, and who might you be?”

A woman with blue hair and golden eyes, wearing a mage’s robe and a large hat, stepped forward.

“Hello! I’m Yuna, the new member of Frey Guild!”

“Kyaa! So you’re the new recruit I’ve heard so much about! Nice to meet you! My name’s Hecate!”

She hugged me tightly with her... well, impressive chest. 

After what felt like an eternity in a soft embrace, she finally let go, telling me to wait on the sofa before vanishing in an instant.

While sitting on the sofa and looking around, I heard Lea’s voice.

“You made it?”

Lea appeared, clad in silver armor.

“Hello!”

“Was the trip here tough?”

She approached and patted my head, her hand warm and gentle, just as it would feel in real life.

“Not at all. Thanks to the bear taxi, it didn’t take long.”

“Bear taxi?”

We chatted for a while, and she mentioned they’d be holding a welcome party for me tonight. I told her I’d complete the quest Erika had given me and then left the guild.

On the way to the information guild, I stopped by some street stalls, browsing the items on display, when one item caught my eye.

[???'s Orb]
I have no idea what it is.

It doesn’t seem to have any abilities.

But… I felt strangely compelled to have it.

“Mister, how much for this orb?”

“How much were you thinking?”

“Huh?”

Startled, I held up three fingers, and he pondered for a moment.

“Hmm. Three thousand is a bit low, but since you’re cute, I’ll let it go.”

“Three thousand…? T-Thank you!”

I paid three thousand gold and took the orb, feeling somewhat dazed.

I’d expected it to be thirty thousand, so this saved me some money.

As I examined the orb on my way to the information guild, it suddenly glowed brightly.

[Responding to the Divine Dragon’s Priestess Garb and Bell to unlock hidden information.]

[You have acquired the Divine Dragon’s Orb.]

「Divine Dragon’s Orb」
A special event may occur if it meets the Yeouiju.

What on earth is this?

Wait, the Yeouiju?

The same Yeouiju I got ages ago after spending hundreds of thousands of points!?

I’d completely forgotten about it, and now, by chance…

“I guess I’m lucky, right!?”

“Kyuuu…”

Yongyong was giving me a wary look. Why?

I opened my inventory to get the Yeouiju, but… it wasn’t there!?

“What!? Where did the Yeouiju go!?”

“Kyuuu!”

“You’re saying I should forget trivial things!? And what about the Light Crystal!?”

Apparently, I hadn’t organized my inventory in ages, and, just my luck, the Yeouiju was gone.

As I searched my inventory in disbelief, Yongyong urged me to hurry to the information guild.

“What’s with him today?”

“Kyuuu!”

“Alright, alright! I’ll go, so stop pestering me!”

The information guild in Talassa, the commercial city, was disguised as a simple cafe.

A popular one at that, with a limited-edition menu.

Accessing the information guild was easy.

Just go inside and order an “iced hot chocolate.”

“Would you like the ice served separately?”

“Half in, and half separately, please.”

“Understood.”

They asked me to wait a moment, and then a staff member came over, saying there was an issue with my order and to follow him.

He led me through a hidden door and down a staircase to a lounge area.

Inside, an elderly woman was seated.

“Grandma!? We meet again!”

Was the grandmother I’d chatted with earlier actually the guild master of Talassa’s information guild?

At that moment…

She transformed with a bright glow—an elf?

A blonde, golden-eyed elf stood up and introduced herself, bowing.

“To the savior of the World Tree, I extend my gratitude.”

“W-Wait a moment!”

Flustered, I asked her to raise her head, and she looked up at me with a bright smile.

“Thanks to you, the World Tree is safe. I cannot thank you enough.”

“It was nothing.”

“Nothing, you say? Without the World Tree, elves could not be born.”

Suddenly, a question popped into my mind.

“If elves are born from the World Tree’s fruit, isn’t the World Tree like your mother? Why don’t you call her ‘mother’?”

“The World Tree fulfills a mother’s role, but… the World Tree is simply the World Tree.”

She smiled brightly, but her answer made no sense to me.

“Unlike humans, we don’t have a natural birth process; we’re born from the fruit…”

She continued mumbling something about the biology of apples, and while I nodded along, I was completely lost.

Finally, I took out the letter from my inventory and handed it to her, which made her pause.

She opened the envelope, read its contents, and then burned it on the spot.

“Thank you, noble benefactor. Should you face any inconvenience in the city, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

After saying my goodbyes, I exited through another door, which led to a general store instead of a cafe.

An employee saw me and escorted me to the exit.

By the time I stepped outside, the sun was setting, and I began making my way back to the guild.

Following the path to the guild’s headquarters, I grabbed the door handle, and as I turned it, fireworks exploded.

‘Pop!’

“Welcome to the Frey Guild!”

I was greeted by everyone.

Led by guild master Lea, along with Sasha, the stalker, Hecate, and…

The red-haired shirtless guy. No, the tsundere.

“Tsundere!?”

I pointed at him in surprise, which startled him too.

“You’re that kid from before. And who’s a tsundere!?”

He introduced himself as Barak, flexing his muscles proudly.

Seeing someone with such a muscular build, I couldn’t resist asking.

“What’s your max lift?”

“Six hundred in real life. In the game…”

While we were talking about muscles, a sister in a nun’s habit pulled me away from the tsundere.

“Stay away from muscleheads like him. They’re bad for emotional development.”

“Who are you calling a musclehead!? You and your cult!”

“For the last time, the words of the divine…”

As they bickered, a silver-haired woman with blue eyes introduced herself as Aria.

Excluding me, there were five guild members here; was that everyone?

“Are there only five guild members?”

“No, there are two more, but they’re out on missions. Sadly, they couldn’t make it.”

So, seven in total. Including me, that makes eight now.

This really is an elite guild.

“Well, now that Yuna’s here, let’s start the welcome party!”

With that, I took hold of the glass in front of me.

“Drink up!”

“Cheers!”

“To new beginnings!”

Led by Sasha, the stalker, and Hecate with her impressive figure, the drinking began.

But… why is mine apple juice?

---

“Where are you, my dear?”

Leaving the dragon’s lair, she gazed into the sky and then down toward the earth.

Below, countless monsters gathered.

An army of monsters numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

“This time will be different. Last time, we didn’t have enough numbers, but now we’re prepared. Just wait a little longer, my dear.”

At her command, the mass of monsters began to move.

Their sole directive:

To find her beloved.

All other beings were inconsequential.

The mark hadn’t activated, meaning someone had tampered with it.

Someone dared to take her precious one.

A thousand—no, ten thousand deaths would not suffice.

Starting with places where humans gathered en masse, their first target…

The city humans called a commercial hub.

‘Talassa.’

[Main Scenario Quest condition met.]
[CHAPTER 2: Protect the Commercial City of Talassa.]
[Time Remaining Until Invasion: 167 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds]