Debbie was a noble young lady who had been accidentally teleported to a dungeon. She was now penniless, without a single copper coin. Though she had always yearned for an adventurous life, her past experiences were mostly trivial. This time, she found herself stranded in Stan Town, north of the Warmwater River, a completely unfamiliar place with no one to rely on. She understood that her newfound friendship with Ye Chui was especially precious.
At the very least, she needed to borrow money from Ye Chui to return home.
Unfortunately, Ye Chui was even poorer than she was. The original Wade, confident he would become a mage coveted by every magic guild, had only worked odd jobs at a leather shop to earn food and basic supplies. After Ye Chui took over Wade’s body, he also inherited his empty wallet.
In fact, Ye Chui faced a dire situation: Debbie had eaten all his food, so he needed to find a way to earn money soon, or he’d starve before his duel with Riken.
That afternoon, Ye Chui and Debbie, bound by their shared poverty, became adventuring partners. They decided to visit the Mercenary Guild in Stan Town to take on tasks and earn gold coins, starting with securing their dinner.
The Mercenary Guild was located on Blue Road Street in Stan Town, a grand and luxurious building. A beautifully crafted statue of the legendary warrior, Holy Swordsman Sauron, a tall and stern-looking man, stood in the small plaza outside. It was the afternoon, and the guild hall was bustling with noise, filled with shouts and laughter from mages in colourful robes and swordsmen in armour.
Facing the entrance was a large stone board where servants posted mercenary task flyers. Mages, swordsmen, groups, and individuals waited here to select suitable tasks. Popular tasks sparked arguments, while others went ignored for long periods.
Famous mercenary teams or magic guilds, like the Bullhead Magic Guild, no longer needed to visit the guild hall for tasks; clients sought them out directly at their bases.
Ye Chui and Debbie’s arrival drew attention.
Though Debbie was a stranger, her beauty and ornate noble robe made her stand out wherever she went.
As for Ye Chui, he was quite infamous. Word of him awakening the worst magic book in history, spread by the Bullhead Magic Guild, was common knowledge, especially among the guild’s “insiders.” They even knew about his upcoming duel with Riken.
“That’s Wade! He awakened a thin, tattered magic book with a white cover. I can’t believe such a rubbish magic book exists! Honestly, awakening something that bad is worse than not awakening at all.”
“Have you heard? This Wade wants to join the Bullhead Magic Guild. In a week, he’s duelling a reserve member with a green magic book. The winner joins the guild.”
“Is he here to take on mercenary tasks? Who gave him that confidence? At his level, what tasks could he possibly handle?”
These discussions reached Ye Chui and Debbie’s ears, likely spoken loudly on purpose for Ye Chui to hear.
Debbie’s expression faltered slightly. Ye Chui had told her his name was Ye Chui, but she realised the “Wade” these people mentioned was him. She glanced at him, thinking he must have faced immense pressure lately, even abandoning his name.
“Don’t mind what they say. Just treat it as nonsense,” Debbie said, trying to comfort him.
Ye Chui smiled, acting nonchalant. “It’s fine, I…”
Then another comment interrupted, “Who’s the girl with Wade? She’s really cute!”
“Yeah, didn’t know Stan Town had such a pretty girl!” others chimed in.
Debbie’s big eyes widened, and she happily patted Ye Chui’s shoulder. “Ha, they’re actually making some sense.”
Ye Chui muttered, “What the hell…”
Could they still get along?
“Sir,” a serving maid approached Ye Chui. She had long blonde hair, a striking figure, and wore revealing clothing. Her pretty face showed curiosity about why Ye Chui was here. “How can I assist you? Are you here to post a task?”
“I want to take a task,” Ye Chui told her.
From Wade’s memories, he knew how to accept tasks. In this world, there wasn’t a thorough registration system; as long as one was deemed capable, they could take tasks. This capability required at least awakening as a mage or being a low-level swordsman able to channel sword aura.
“But your qualifications…” the maid said awkwardly.
“I’ve awakened as a mage. That qualifies me, right?” Ye Chui said. “Do you want me to summon my magic book for you to see?”
The maid broke into a sweat. Who wanted to see his awful magic book? She’d heard about Ye Chui awakening the worst magic book and was concerned whether he could handle the dangers of mercenary tasks. She wanted to urge him to value his life.
“Please trust him. He’ll be fine,” Debbie said to the maid, giving Ye Chui a reassuring smile. “Even if his magic book is the worst in history, looks like he can’t fight, and seems utterly pathetic, as long as he teams up with me, he’ll be fine.”
Ye Chui was speechless.
Was she really trying to comfort him?
“Pretty lady, if you’re teaming up for tasks, why pick this loser? Why not join me, Kemith?” a brash voice suddenly called out.
As if on cue, someone was looking for trouble.
Ye Chui turned to the speaker. Kemith was a young man in his twenties, tall and thin, wearing a dirty black robe. He smirked arrogantly at Ye Chui, and upon meeting his gaze, snapped his fingers with a “pop.” A magic book appeared before him, white-covered but larger and thicker than Ye Chui’s.
“You’re Wade, right? Get away from this pretty lady!” Kemith said disdainfully.
“What the hell?” Ye Chui’s expression darkened. “Why don’t you get lost?”
“The guy with the worst magic book in history dares to challenge me? Ha, looks like I need to teach you a lesson!” Kemith shouted. He hadn’t expected to scare Ye Chui off with words, but this worked fine, letting him show the pretty lady his strength. He quickly flipped his magic book to a page.
“[Dance of the Water Snake]!”
A rushing sound of water poured from Kemith’s magic book.
“What the hell!”
Ye Chui cursed, unprepared for an immediate attack. He hurriedly summoned his magic book, and when some saw his iPad-like book, they laughed. It really was a thin, tattered white magic book, oddly shaped.
From Kemith’s magic book, the water coalesced into a menacing snake, as thick as a human thigh, slithering off the book and racing toward Ye Chui.
“Hiss!”
The water snake launched a terrifying attack.
But as it neared Ye Chui, a glowing shield appeared, blocking the assault.
Ye Chui staggered back, seeing Kemith’s increasingly frenzied expression. He knew words were useless now; he had to figure out how to handle this duel.
“Not bad, you’ve got a defensive spell. Let’s see how many times you can keep it up!” Kemith shouted, directing the water snake to strike again.
