Luciana had spent nearly an hour studying the quest board.
There were plenty of interesting requests available, but most of them sounded far more dangerous than she was willing to admit.
One required travelers to escort a merchant caravan through a forest known for monster activity.
Another involved investigating strange lights near an abandoned mine.
There was even a quest asking for assistance in dealing with a group of aggressive magical boars.
Luciana quietly moved away from that one.
She had only just received her traveler’s ID.
There was no reason to get herself eaten on her first quest.
Then she noticed a much simpler request.
Beginner Quest — Moonleaf Herb Collection
Location: Beyond the eastern mountain lake
Requirement: Beginner rank or above
Objective: Collect twenty bundles of mature Moonleaf
Reward: 30 silver coins
Luciana stared at it.
Thirty silver coins.
For picking herbs.
She read the details again just to make sure she hadn’t misunderstood.
“Twenty bundles…
thirty silver coins…”
Alex glanced over her shoulder.
“That one is suitable for a beginner.”
Luciana nodded firmly.
“I’m taking it.”
Sara looked at the quest notice.
“Moonleaf grows near the mountain lake.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to find.”
“Perfect.”
Luciana pulled the notice from the board.
At almost exactly the same moment, another hand reached for it.
Their fingers touched the paper together.
Luciana froze.
The other person froze too.
Slowly, she turned her head.
A tall man stood beside her.
Dark clothes.
Calm expression.
An unfamiliar face.
Luciana blinked.
The man looked down at the quest notice.
Then at her.
Then back at the notice.
Neither moved.
Luciana finally spoke.
“…You want this one too?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation in his answer.
Luciana looked at the reward.
Then at him.
Then back at the reward.
Thirty silver coins.
She tightened her grip on the paper.
The man did the same.
For several seconds, they stood there holding opposite sides of the same quest notice.
Alex stared at them.
Sara stared at them.
A nearby adventurer glanced over.
Luciana finally whispered,
“It’s just herbs.”
The man calmly replied,
“Exactly.”
That somehow made the situation worse.
Luciana frowned.
“Then why are you fighting me for it?”
“I am not fighting you.”
“You’re holding the paper.”
“So are you.”
Luciana looked down.
He was right.
She hadn’t even realized she was pulling it toward herself.
“I got here first.”
“I reached it at the same time.”
Luciana narrowed her eyes.
The man remained completely calm.
She couldn’t tell whether he was joking.
He wasn’t.
Because the man standing opposite her was Raizen.
And after a thousand years of waiting, he had finally found himself sharing a quest notice with Luciana.
Unfortunately, the quest happened to be worth thirty silver coins.
He had faced ancient monsters.
He had fought beings capable of destroying cities.
He had once stood against divine powers that made entire realms tremble.
Yet somehow, this tiny herb-collecting quest had become unexpectedly complicated.
Luciana tugged the notice again.
Raizen released it.
She stumbled backward slightly.
“Ah!”
Sara quickly caught her arm.
“You two should probably take this to the information counter.”
Luciana looked at Raizen.
Raizen looked at Luciana.
Neither argued.
They walked toward the counter together, each still suspicious of the other.
The woman sitting behind the information counter looked up as they approached.
She was a young guild employee with neatly tied brown hair and a stack of documents arranged beside her.
“Good morning.
How can I help you?”
Luciana immediately placed the quest notice on the counter.
“We both want this quest.”
The woman blinked.
Then looked at Luciana.
Then at Raizen.
Then back at the quest notice.
“Both of you?”
“Yes,” Luciana said.
Raizen nodded.
The woman picked up the notice and checked its details.
Her name tag read Clara.
“Well, this is a beginner quest, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Luciana brightened.
“Great!
Can we get separate copies?”
Clara paused.
“Separate copies?”
“Yes.
We both want to do it.”
Clara looked between them.
“You’re asking to complete the same quest separately?”
“Yes.”
Raizen remained silent.
Luciana nodded enthusiastically.
Clara stared at them for another moment before finally understanding.
“You two don’t want to work together.”
Luciana and Raizen answered at exactly the same time.
“No.”
They looked at each other.
Luciana blinked.
Raizen’s expression remained perfectly calm.
Clara covered her mouth briefly.
“I’m sorry.”
She cleared her throat.
“You don’t actually need separate quest notices.”
Luciana looked confused.
“Why?”
“Beginner-rank travelers are allowed to share certain quests.”
Luciana’s face brightened again.
“So we can both do it?”
“Yes.”
“Then we both get thirty silver coins?”
Clara smiled.
“No.”
Luciana’s smile disappeared.
“What?”
“If two travelers share the same quest, the reward is divided equally between them.”
Silence.
Luciana slowly looked at Raizen.
Raizen slowly looked at Luciana.
Clara continued explaining.
“If the completed quest normally pays thirty silver coins, each of you receives fifteen.”
Luciana’s expression became extremely serious.
“Fifteen?”
“Yes.”
“That means I’m doing the same amount of work…
for half the money?”
Clara nodded.
“That is generally what ‘sharing’ means.”
Luciana looked personally betrayed by the guild system.
She turned toward Raizen.
“You caused this.”
Raizen raised an eyebrow.
“I was going to say the same thing.”
“You were the one who reached for the quest!”
“You reached for it at the same time.”
“I was faster.”
“You weren’t.”
“I was.”
Clara watched the two beginners argue over fifteen silver coins each.
She had worked at the guild long enough to know that adventurers could be strange.
But these two were impressively serious about thirty silver coins.
Finally, Luciana sighed.
“Fine.”
She picked up the quest notice.
“Let’s just do it together.”
Raizen nodded.
“That is reasonable.”
Luciana looked at him suspiciously.
“Don’t take more than half the herbs.”
“I won’t.”
“And don’t pick the easy ones while leaving me the difficult ones.”
“I won’t.”
“And if we find a really rare herb—”
“I won’t steal it.”
Luciana paused.
“You answered that very quickly.”
Raizen almost smiled.
“I understand the rules.”
Clara handed them a small quest confirmation slip.
“Twenty bundles of mature Moonleaf.
Once you return with them, the thirty-silver reward will be divided equally.”
Luciana accepted the slip.
“Understood.”
She turned toward the exit.
Then stopped.
She looked back at Clara.
“Clara?”
“Yes?”
“Can I take another quest after this one?”
“Of course.
As long as your rank allows it.”
Luciana smiled.
“Good.”
She was already imagining all the places she could travel to with the money she earned.
Raizen watched her quietly.
This was not the meeting he had imagined.
There had been no grand introduction.
No dramatic revelation.
No ancient memories returning.
Instead, after a thousand years of waiting…
His first proper interaction with Luciana had been an argument over a herb-collecting quest.
Somehow, he found that strangely reassuring.
She was smiling.
She was alive.
She was enjoying her new life.
And for now, that was enough.
Luciana glanced back at him.
“So, beginner traveler…
are you coming?”
Raizen looked at her.
“Yes.”
She nodded and started walking.
Neither of them noticed Clara watching them leave with an amused expression.
She shook her head.
“Thirty silver coins.”
Then she laughed quietly.
“Some people really will compete over anything.”