The guildmaster's like me? Another transmigrator? And what's up with me not having a system?
I had so many questions, but it's not like I could ask them right now. For all I know, the people of this world are hostile to those of another. I'm not about to risk my life by accidentally revealing myself as an alien. Like I said before, I've read too many books to not consider the possibility.
I made the decision to play dumb, but that didn't mean I was in the clear just yet. The guildmaster wasn't going to let the bird issue go until I came up with an excuse.
Did I mention that I'm not good with coming up with stuff on spot? Well, I'm not. This whole time I should have been thinking about what I was going to say to get out of this situation, but my brain was completely blank.
So I did the only thing I could, I turned to Angel Boy and unleashed upon him the most desperate, silent pleading my face could communicate. I knew that, being the angel he was, he would take pity on me.
And he did. "I'm sure Grey is just tired. Today has been a long day for both of us and, personally, I could use a nap. Do you want to come with me, Grey? I'll take you to the dorms so you can pick out a room."
"Sure."
Saved! I schooled my expression to look as innocent as possible, trying to avoid making myself look more suspicious than I already was. I was totally dodging the question and I knew it, but I didn't have a good excuse at the moment.
Angel Boy got up and I scrambled after him, looking back at the guildmaster just before leaving the room. He was still watching me, showing no signs of what he was thinking. Then the door shut and relief bloomed in my chest. I survived!
Meeting my new guildmates may not have gone as smoothly as I'd hoped it would, but I got through it. That was probably the only positive thing I could say about it.
Honestly, I ended up with more problems than I started with. The guildmaster is suspicious of me, it was never confirmed if I was accepted into the guild or not, I met a talking bird, and I didn't get any useful information for navigating my new reality.
Other than, of course, learning I came from the same place as the guildmaster. Well, potentially. There was always the possibility that we came from different worlds. Geez, everything is so complicated.
Angel Boy led me down a maze of turns until he stopped in a nondescript hallway of doors. The building is too confusing, there's no way I'm finding my way back here by myself.
"This is my room, and that door over there is Ash's. You're free to pick from whatever's left, everyone else lives offsite," Angel Boy said, pointing as he spoke.
His words must have been the trigger of a realization, as his blue eyes widened the next moment. "I never even asked! Are you going to stay here or do you have a place to go back to?"
Obviously I'm staying here. I was lacking the memories to say if I had a home or not and I'm not cut out for a life on the streets, so I'm definitely going to take the boon I'd just been offered.
"I'd like to stay here, if that's okay," I replied, ducking my head down to hide the gleam in my eyes. I was totally taking advantage of this poor guy and I couldn't manage to feel bad about it.
"Of course, it's okay! I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't. Plus, you're doing us a huge favor just being here."
That's right, I was doing them a huge- wait, what exactly was I helping with again?
"Ang- Milo, I'm a little confused, what's my job here?"
He seemed surprised at the question and then frowned. "Did I forget to tell you? That was silly of me."
I took physical damage from his sad little frown. How dare I make the cute angel feel bad!
"No, no, I'm sure you told me, I must have just forgotten."
He smiled and I was able to relax again. That boy's beauty was a weapon. The world would crumble if he ever decided to use it for evil.
"You noticed that our guild is pretty small, right?"
I nodded. There were only five members, six if you counted me.
"We've had some trouble recruiting people. It's not that we can't find people willing to join, it's that Ash rejected everyone who applied," Angel Boy had inched closer to me as he spoke, acting like he was giving away a big secret.
"No one was good enough for him. That's why there were only five of us. Quality over quantity." The way Angel Boy was speaking would have sounded arrogant coming from anybody else.
"How strong are you?" I asked.
Angel Boy hesitated for a moment. "I'm not supposed to tell people, but you're one of us now, so it's fine.
"Me, Gage, Willow, and Victor are all S classes. Ash is SS."
Wow. In the fantasy genre, S class is usually the highest ranking one can get. Sometimes there's a higher level, like the guildmaster. However, these rankings are always rare, often with just a handful of people at that level.
I won't lie and say I didn't feel any apprehension that I'm living with five apex predators. Can you blame me? I'm only a C rank with garbage skills. Naturally, such a skilled group of individuals would have no need for someone like me, so what was I doing here? Why did Angel Boy pick me?
He answered my unspoken question. "Every three years, the hunter association holds a global competition for all the guilds to create a top hundred ranking list. Guilds in the top ten get rewarded with fame, resources, and priority access to dungeons.
"Ash decided that we were going to compete this year. However, only guilds with fifteen or more people qualify. That's where you come in!"
I see now. Of course they didn't want me for my skills. I was only here to meet the quota.
"Don't worry, you won't have to participate in the competition," Angel Boy said, reassuring me of worries I didn't have. "You can just relax and think of it as a paid vacation. We don't need you to do any actual work."
Sweet! Was this a dream come true or what? I had thought that my luck was terrible this whole time. Turns out, I'd just spent it all to meet Angel Boy. I tried to thank him for all the kindness he'd shown me, but he refused my gratitude gracefully.
"Don't thank me. Like I said before, you're doing us a huge favor."
We parted ways after that, both of us heading to our rooms. I chose the closest available one, which happened to be next to the guildmaster's. I had originally wanted to take one further down, but by the time the conversation had ended, my leg was throbbing too much to make the journey.
I registered my fingerprint on the door's lock (apparently they do have decent tech here) and walked inside my room. The threshold was as far as I made it. Sliding down the door on my back, I fell to the floor with a thump and groaned.
Now that I had stopped moving, stopped thinking, everything hit at once. I was so tired and my head felt so heavy. Maybe… I'll just take a short nap.
Just for a little bit.