After arriving at the City of Mireval, a settlement located in the southern lands, Khael stepped through its main gates.

  The massive stone walls cast long shadows over the road, and the flow of people entering and leaving never seemed to stop.

  The structure of the city… and the houses… they’re so different, he thought. I’ve never seen anything like this in person. Only in books.

  As he walked through the streets, Khael observed everything carefully.

  The scent of the place was completely different from the elven forest. There was the smell of food being cooked, freshly cut wood, and the dust stirred by wagons rolling across the streets.

  The city was filled with humans and demi-humans. Merchants loudly advertised their goods, some people argued over prices, and others tried to bargain for a few extra coins.

  It was an incredibly lively place.

  Wagons loaded with merchandise rolled through narrow streets, vendors raised their voices to attract customers, and groups of travelers gathered at street corners, speaking animatedly.

  Then an important thought crossed Khael’s mind.

  I just realized… I don’t have any money.

  In the elven forest, currency didn’t exist. Everyone lived in harmony, each person contributing their part to support the community.

  Curious about how work functioned in a human city, Khael approached a merchant who was organizing products on his stall.

  “Hello. You’re a merchant, right? You must know how people earn money in this city.”

  The merchant looked at him for a moment, studying his appearance.

  “An elf around here? That’s pretty rare,” he said, leaning his arms on the stall. “Looks like you’re traveling.”

  He scratched his beard before continuing.

  “Finding a job isn’t exactly easy—especially if you don’t know how things work around here.”

  Then he continued:

  “But judging by the way you’re looking around… you seem like someone who likes exploring. You might earn a few coins helping the adventurers in this city.”

  Khael tilted his head slightly, intrigued by the word he had just heard.

  “Adventurers?”

  The merchant adjusted a few items on the stall before answering.

  “Yeah. Strange phenomena have been happening across the land lately. For a long time there have always been fissures in the ground—places where strange creatures sometimes come out.”

  He sighed, glancing briefly at the movement in the street.

  “But now the frequency of those things has increased a lot.”

  “Because of that, the government is looking for more and more people capable of protecting the areas around the city. Mireval has never really been a place known for its soldiers or armies.”

  He shrugged.

  “This city has always been about trade. So any help is welcome.”

  Khael remained silent for a moment, absorbing the information.

  Fissures in the ground…

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Creatures emerging from them…

  “I see,” he finally replied. “I’ll take a look.”

  After thanking the merchant, Khael continued walking through the streets, trying to find the place that had been mentioned.

  As he walked, hunger slowly began to set in.

  That was when his eyes noticed a small wooden building with a hanging sign at the entrance. Lively voices came from inside, along with the smell of warm food and the sound of mugs clinking together.

  A tavern.

  Khael paused for a moment.

  Maybe… I can get something to eat.

  He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  The place was crowded. Several tables were occupied by people talking loudly—some laughing, others arguing. The smell of roasted meat and freshly baked bread filled the air.

  Khael sat at one of the empty tables and waited to be served.

  His idea was simple: explain that he didn’t have money at the moment… but that he would return later to pay.

  While waiting, Khael overheard a conversation from the table beside him.

  There were three people sitting there—two men and a young woman who seemed to be leading the conversation. All of them looked like adventurers.

  She had long hair in a pinkish tone, tied back so it wouldn’t get in the way of her movements, partially covered by a slightly tilted black beret.

  She wore a dark long-sleeved outfit with small pink buttons that matched the color of her hair. Her pants were black as well, along with worn boots that suggested she spent a lot of time walking around the city.

  Her clear eyes contrasted with faint dark circles, as if she had been working for several exhausting days.

  Even so, her expression showed clear irritation.

  “Ugh… I can’t take this anymore,” she said, resting her face on her hand. “Every time one of those weird creatures shows up, we have to go deal with it.”

  One of the men let out a short laugh.

  “There aren’t many people in this city who can fight those demons. So all that work ends up falling on the shoulders of the few who can.”

  The young woman sighed, clearly frustrated.

  “What a pain… Anyway, let’s order something already. I’ve been hungry for a while.”

  Not long after, a waitress approached Khael’s table.

  “What’ll it be?”

  Khael hesitated for a moment before answering.

  “Well… actually, I wanted to ask something… I don’t have money at the moment. Would it be possible for me to eat something and pay later?”

  The waitress stayed silent for a second.

  Then she crossed her arms.

  “Are you serious?”

  Some people at nearby tables began to look over.

  “You walk into a tavern without a single coin?”

  She shook her head, clearly irritated.

  “That’s ridiculous. If you don’t have money, then get out.”

  Khael was a little surprised by her reaction.

  Things were very different in the elven forest. People rarely became upset over something so small.

  Even so, he stood up without arguing.

  “I understand… sorry for the trouble.”

  And he left the tavern.

  Outside, he continued walking through the streets of Mireval.

  Now that he was paying closer attention, he began noticing more details about the city. Many houses looked worn down, some with broken wood and patched roofs.

  The streets closer to the walls seemed even poorer.

  The poverty was obvious.

  So this is how humans live… he thought.

  After wandering for some time, Khael finally found the place the merchant had mentioned.

  A building slightly larger than the others, with a sign hanging at the front.

  This was where adventurers gathered.

  Inside, he saw a large board filled with posted notices.

  The government was asking for help with several tasks:

  Hunting creatures.

  Escorting wagons.

  Investigating fissures.

  While examining the papers, something caught his attention.

  Some notices mentioned something interesting: people with a strong affinity for Essence were preferred for certain tasks.

  Elves, in particular, seemed to be highly valued.

  Khael crossed his arms, analyzing the information.

  “Lucky me…” he murmured to himself. “With this, getting involved shouldn’t be too difficult.”

  “So you’re interested in this too?”

  The voice came from right behind him.

  Khael turned his head in surprise.

  It was the same young woman he had seen in the tavern.

  She stood with her arms crossed, studying the mission board beside him.

  “I saw you earlier,” she said. “At the tavern. You were kicked out, right?”

  Khael looked slightly embarrassed for a moment, but then nodded.

  “Yes… I suppose I’m still getting used to how things work here.”

  The woman let out a small sigh, as if the situation were nothing unusual.

  “Happens all the time. Mireval isn’t exactly a kind place for people without coins in their pockets.”

  She tilted her head slightly and looked back at the mission board.

  “So… are you interested in this?”

  She pointed toward the list of missions.

  “Hunting creatures, investigating fissures, protecting wagons… that sort of thing.”

  Her gaze returned to Khael.

  “Because if you are… maybe we should talk.”