Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Aside from all that, there were also some bug fixes, though they had nothing to do with Zane anyway.

“Oh right, there’s something else I need to give you,” Shiu added.
“What is it?”
“Come to the usual spot and you’ll see.”

‘What was that about, acting all mysterious?’

Three minutes later, Zane returned to the city in his original form and met up with Shiu in a back alley.

The moment Shiu took out a pair of shoulder guards gleaming with golden light, Zane could no longer stay calm.

“This is…?”

“Shadowfiend Shoulderpads. The equipment we got as a drop yesterday. After thinking it over, we decided you should use them.”

As soon as he reached out and touched them, their attributes surfaced.

‘Shoulder guards!?’ That slot on Zane’s character was still completely empty. If he equipped this piece, his survivability would skyrocket. ‘But… is it really okay for a Wishkeeper to wear so many dark-aligned items? Meh, forget it. Practicality comes first.’

Zane accepted them without hesitation. Since this was their decision, there was no need for false modesty.

“Wait, don’t go yet. I’ve got something for you too.”

“What is it?”

Zane took out a level 30 Epic-grade staff, along with a radiant golden hat that shimmered brilliantly.

“These two dropped from the boss yesterday. I’ve already got a better weapon, so keep this staff for when you hit level 30. As for the hat, it boosts healing effects, give it to Seraphine.”

Shiu’s mouth fell open as he took the staff, caressing it lovingly as if it were his own child.

“…” Zane was speechless. “Can you have a little more self-respect? It’s just an Epic-grade item.”

“Do you have any idea how painful it was using a trash-tier starter staff for over ten levels!? You wouldn’t understand!” Shiu replied bitterly.

Zane couldn’t be bothered to argue and continued, “There are also these two skill books: Charge and Camouflage.”

Charge needed no explanation, Zaria could learn it, while Camouflage was an assassin’s trump card. When used together with Stealth, it could even fool high-level players and monsters.

Considering how often Wanderer had died, having Camouflage would make probing far safer.

Shiu nodded. “Got it. So, are you training with us today, or…?”

“I’ll see how things go. I need to head to the Guild Hall first.”

This was also a newly unlocked building today. Players who possessed a Guild Creation Token could come here to establish a guild, and the formation of adventurer parties was handled here as well.

“You’re planning to create an adventurer party?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh right, I just remembered. Didn’t someone get a Guild Creation Token yesterday?”
“Yeah. What about it?”

Shiu sighed. “That thing’s been driven up to an absurd price. Its symbolic value is already greater than its practical use.”
“Absurd? How much?” Zane asked curiously.
“Fifty million.”

Zane’s pupils dilated as he exclaimed in disbelief, “You’re kidding…!”
“Why would I lie to you? And that’s not even the final price. It’s still climbing. Can’t be helped. Who wouldn’t want the title of the nation’s first guild?”

***

Aside from marveling at how crazy rich some people were, all that remained was envy.

Five minutes later, following the marker on the map, Zane arrived before a striking building. Majestic white stone walls enclosed a massive gate woven with blue and gold.

Above it were bold, neatly carved letters forming the words: Guild Hall.
Beside them, in smaller text, was written: Wynwater City Branch.

He walked straight inside. The interior was bustling with people, voices clamoring everywhere, and it was clear that many curious players had already gathered here.

“Sorry, sir. You do not meet the requirements to create an adventurer party. Please work toward meeting the requirements and try again.” A clear yet composed female voice stood out sharply amid the surrounding noise.

“Requirements? What requirements?” the player asked in confusion, voicing the doubts on everyone else’s mind.

“The conditions for establishing an adventurer party are as follows: a reputation value of at least 100, a level of at least 30, and in addition, you must obtain an official stamp from a referral,” the receptionist explained politely, her tone calm and elegant.

The moment those words fell, the crowd erupted. Reputation was something some people had never even heard of, and as for players above level 30, how many could there possibly be right now? Not to mention the referral’s stamp, which clearly did not sound like something easy to obtain.

In an instant, a good portion of the crowd dispersed, though newcomers still trickled in, curious to see what the fuss was about.

Inside the hall stood a massive quest board as well. A brief glance showed no shortage of A-rank and even S-rank quests, but all of them required a high-level adventurer party to accept.

‘A referral’s stamp… Who’s even qualified to give one? It seems I will have to deal with that first.’

Just as Zane was about to step out through the main doors, a soft, sweet voice called out to him, “Zane!”

He froze for a moment and turned around, only to find Elna sitting right beside the counter.

Several players were already chatting her up. “Hey, little sis, can you turn into a wolf and let big brother take a ride?”

“Get lost, you damn pervert! Ahem… little girl, how about me? I can tank, I can fight, a true all-rounder knight right here.”

“…”

Elna was clearly not very good at handling situations like this, and besides, she could not even turn into a wolf in the first place.

Zane pushed through the crowd and squeezed his way in.

“What are you doing here?”

“Because… I guessed you’d come here. If I didn’t wait here, who knows when you’d come looking for me!” Elna puffed out her cheeks, openly expressing her displeasure.

“Damn, bro, that’s insane! How did you pull that off?”
“Are you stupid? That’s Emberveil, the Beginner freak on the level rankings!”
“Holy crap, it really is him!”

Ignoring the noisy players, an idea took shape in Zane’s mind. Since she was here, some things might not need to be so troublesome after all.

He turned his gaze to the receptionist beside him and checked her information.

These days, you could not even see a receptionist’s description anymore? Or was it that she had some hidden identity?

“Miss Shamin, I’d like to establish an adventurer party. Is that possible?” Zane asked bluntly.

She raised her head and looked him over before nodding in affirmation. “A promising newcomer. Then, have you prepared the referral’s stamp?”

“About that… I don’t have the stamp, but I do have a referral. Would that work?”

“Of course it wo—” Shamin suddenly sensed something was off and looked at Zane with a you’ve got to be kidding me expression. “Sir, please don’t make such pointless jokes.”

‘Nana, go!’ Zane shot her a meaningful look.

Elna was quick-witted and immediately understood. She wrapped her arms around Shamin’s arm and chirped sweetly, “I’m Zane’s referral~ Shamin, is that okay?” Her emerald-green eyes sparkled as she blinked repeatedly, unbearably cute.