Gregor strolled through the Gryphon District, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his coat. His pace was steady but unhurried, boots striking the stone with a rhythm he had memorized over the past few months.

The district buzzed with more noise than he remembered. Or perhaps it was just that he was more attuned to it now.

Voices overlapped in the streets, merchants shouted prices with practiced enthusiasm, and Adventurers passed by in pairs or alone, their polished armor gleaming and weapons proudly displayed at their sides.

The Adventurer Guild had transformed this place. No,...he had transformed this place. That thought trailed behind him like an unshakeable shadow, no matter how often he tried to ignore it.

When the Guild first opened its doors, Gryphon District had been little more than a crossroads for laborers and second-rate shops. Now it felt… alive. Too alive.

As Gregor approached the familiar silhouette of the Guild Hall rising at the end of the street, a weight settled heavier on his chest with each step, as if invisible burdens were piling onto his shoulders.

He could sense eyes on him, subtle glances that lingered just a moment too long. Some held admiration; others curiosity; a few carried expectation. It was that last one that gnawed at him most.

Two months, it had only been two months since that day: the bell ringing out, the announcement echoing through the air, Sage's maddeningly calm voice declaring him first—first place, Pioneer, The First Adventurer.

At that moment, it felt surreal, as though something borrowed rather than earned. Gregor thought pressure would ease after celebrations ended and others caught up. He was wrong; instead of fading away, it multiplied.

Being first didn't mean standing ahead of everyone else; it meant being watched.

He passed a tavern where laughter spilled into the street from open doors. Fragments of conversation reached his ears.

The name struck him hard: Crimson Devil. Valeria Steelheart.

Gregor exhaled slowly through his nose and kept walking. Surprisingly enough, he didn't resent her, not really.

By all rights, he should have felt anger or jealousy toward her for storming into the Guild like a force of nature,shattering his record and climbing ranks with terrifying speed, all while appearing indifferent to the title he so desperately wanted to claim for himself.

Yet resentment never took root in him; instead, what lingered was something colder and far more honest: fear.

Not fear of her strength, Gregor accepted long ago there were those stronger than him; that realization wasn't new.

What frightened him was how people viewed him now, not as Gregor the Warrior but as Gregor the Benchmark, the one everyone measured themselves against, the one who needed to stay ahead.

He paused briefly at a street corner under pretense of adjusting his sword strap while his thoughts caught up with him.

Just two and a half months ago, Gregor was just another Warrior trying to survive in a city that didn't care whether he lived or died. Now, he had transformed into something entirely different.

He was a symbol. A testament to the Adventurer Guild's effectiveness. Evidence that Sage's system wasn't just empty words. And, as Gregor grimly realized, proof that could be taken away at any moment.

He still recalled Sage's casual words from that day, spoken almost lazily, as if discussing the weather: "Since you're the Pioneer, you'll need to maintain your rank. Lose it, and your license will be revoked."

At the time, Gregor had brushed it off as one of Sage's dry jokes. But now he understood, Sage hadn't been joking at all. Each mission he undertook and every ranking update on the Guild board served as a constant reminder of that harsh reality.

There was no safety net for those who were first.

If he fell, it wouldn't just be his own downfall.

It would affect the Guild too.

As Gregor resumed walking, his steps felt heavier. He thought about the recent missions, harder ones, riskier ones, that pushed him beyond his limits.

He had convinced himself it was growth and ambition. Yet in these quiet moments like this one, he acknowledged the truth.

It was fear.

Fear of stagnation. Fear of being surpassed.

Fear of waking up one morning to find his name erased from the board, his badge rendered meaningless, and his identity stripped away with a simple stamp and calm explanation.

Around him, Gryphon District buzzed with newfound confidence. Adventurers walked with their heads held high; some even smiled as they passed him by or nodded in respect. Others whispered when they thought he couldn't hear.

That's him.

The first Adventurer.

The guy chosen by the Guildmaster.

Chosen.

Gregor hated that word almost as much as he feared it because choice suggested favoritism, and favoritism bred doubt.

He knew he hadn't been chosen for being the strongest; rather, he had been selected because he arrived first, endured hardships others wouldn't face, and dared to trust a system no one else believed in yet.

That gamble had paid off, but gambles always come with debts attached. As the Adventurer Guild came into view again, Gregor slowed down once more.

The building appeared larger than before, or perhaps it was just his perception shifting. More people gathered outside now; some waited in line while others chatted animatedly with their Copper Badges glinting in the sunlight.

He recognized several faces, Warriors who'd joined after him, people who once trailed behind him but were now catching up fast.

He could feel it creeping closer.

His hand brushed against his own badge beneath his coat, the cool metal offered brief reassurance before unease washed over him again: Copper Rank. First place. Pioneer.

None of it felt secure. Gregor thought of Valeria again, not with bitterness, but with a sense of clarity. A 5-Star High-Level Knight didn't have to worry about losing her status.

Strength like hers carved out its own security in the world. Gregor didn't share that luxury. He was strong, sure, but not overwhelmingly so. His advantage lay not in raw power; it was in his position. And positions could be taken away.

He approached the Guild doors and paused for a moment, resting his forehead against the cool wood. No one noticed him there. To everyone else, he was just another Adventurer arriving for the day. But inside his chest, something twisted painfully tight.

"How long can I keep this up?" he wondered, feeling the weight of uncertainty settle over him.

Straightening himself, Gregor stepped through the doors. The familiar hum of the Guild enveloped him, voices mingling together, footsteps echoing, chairs scraping across the floor, and the quiet authority of the Mission Board dominating one wall.

Behind the desk sat Sage as usual, looking infuriatingly relaxed as if everything weren't balanced on invisible fault lines.

Being at the top had given him everything he wanted. Now it seemed to be asking for payment, a toll he wasn't sure he could afford.

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