Maddy took a deep breath, suppressing her mana even further. If the person running this city was a "King" built on strength, they would be the first person to sense a "Demon Lord" walking through their front door. She had to be a ghost.

"Well, let’s see what kind of ’Kingdom’ they’ve built on the backs of people like Hoppy."

She pushed open the heavy doors, and the roar of a thousand conversations washed over her. She stumbled back a half step, her head spinning.

It wasn’t just the noise; it was the mana. Thousands of adventurers packed the hall, their combined magic and might signatures clashing and swirling in the air. To Maddy’s sensitive perception, it felt like standing in the middle of a crowded server room where every machine was overheating.

"Ugh, my head... It’s like a beehive in here."

She leaned against a marble pillar, trying to steady her vision. As her eyes adjusted, she began to really see the people filling the massive hall.

To her left, a group of warriors sat at a heavy wooden table, their armor scarred and dented, their faces grim. They reminded her of the gritty gladiators she’d seen in old movies—men and women who lived and breathed violence. They were the real deal, radiating a cold, sharp intent.

But then, her gaze shifted to the right, and she almost snorted.

A squad was strutting toward the quest boards, draped in gear that looked more expensive than a small village. One man wore a cape so long it practically acted as a broom, adorned with glowing feathers. Another woman had shoulder pads shaped like dragon heads.

"Adventurers... Hmm, some of these guys look like gladiators, but the rest... they look like over designed cosplayers from a convention. How do they even move in that stuff without tripping?"

She stayed close to the wall, weaving through the "cosplayers" and the "gladiators" alike. She made sure to keep her own presence as dull as a rusted spoon. Amidst all the shining armor and glowing capes, a dusty, hooded traveler was the perfect camouflage.

She was masking her presence so effectively that she felt almost weightless—a phantom in the fray. She moved with such practiced invisibility that she failed to anticipate the heavy, clumsy figure barreling around the corner.

It was a young brown haired man, barely in his twenties, who seemed completely lost. He bumped into Maddy, but Maddy did not move an inch; it was as if he had collided with a solid block of granite. The impact sent him sprawling backward, where he landed hard on his backside against the polished floor.

Nearby adventurers laughed at the sight, but the man didn’t look angry. He simply blinked, rubbing the back of his head with a confused, good-natured chuckle.

"Whoa! What in the world did I run into?" he laughed, looking up from the floor. "I could’ve sworn I just bumped into a stone wall. My apologies, traveler—I wasn’t looking where I was going."

Maddy sighed internally.

"So much for being invisible."

She reached out a hand to help him up. As she moved, her hood loosened by the unexpected physical contact, slipped backward, falling away to reveal her face.

The man’s laughter died in his throat.

From his perspective, the world seemed to tilt. Maddy’s hair, a deep and shimmering violet, cascaded down her shoulders, catching the light from the overhead Eternal Embers and glowing with an unnatural, ethereal beauty. She wasn’t just another dusty traveler; she possessed a poise and a striking, otherworldly elegance that felt entirely out of place in the grimy, frantic Guild hall.

The young man froze, his hand hovering inches from hers. His confident, joking demeanor vanished, replaced by a sudden, stunned silence. He stared up at her, wide eyed, completely mesmerized by the transformation from a dull, hooded figure to a vision that seemed to command his very attention.

"I..." he stammered, his face flushing a deep red. "I, uh... I am sorry. I didn’t see you there."

Maddy pulled her hood back up quickly, her face once again obscured, but the damage was done. The people standing near them had stopped their bragging, their eyes darting to the girl with the violet hair who had just sent a full grown man flying without moving an inch.

The young man’s fingers brushed against Maddy’s palm, his skin rough and calloused while hers felt unnervingly smooth—almost porcelain against his own. Before Maddy could pull away, he gripped her hand firmly, pulling himself up, his eyes wide and fixed on her face with an intensity that bordered on worship.

"Wait—"

He didn’t let go immediately, his thumb tracing the back of her hand as he looked at her with a dazed, unfiltered admiration.

"Your hands... they’re incredibly soft. This place is not for you, my lady. Are you lost? The fashion district is just over that way."

He took a step closer, heedless of the way the crowd had fallen silent around them. His face was flushed, and a grin that felt far too bold for a stranger stretched across his features. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"You know, a beauty like yours shouldn’t be hidden away. You shouldn’t cover your face. Someone with a glow like that... you’re meant to be seen, not tucked away in a dusty hood."

Maddy felt a wave of irritation, sharp and immediate. She snatched her hand back as if he had burned her. She pulled her hood forward, obscuring her face once again, but she couldn’t hide the cold, narrow look in her eyes.

She let out a dry, biting scoff.

"Of course... The ’charming’ variety. The kind that thinks a pretty face is an invitation to be bold, regardless of who or what is actually standing in front of them. I had seen his type a thousand times before in the histories of Earth, and apparently, the species didn’t change just because they were in a different dimension!"

Despite the irritation prickling at her skin, Maddy didn’t let her coldness show. Instead, she forced a polite smile.

"I appreciate the sentiment, boy. But it seems I need to cover up, as my appearance is clearly making you... wild."

The young man’s eyes sparkled, completely undeterred. He opened his mouth, leaning in.

"W-wild!? A sharp tongue too? You’re a rare find in this dusty hall. Look, you seem new here. This place is a maze—let me assist you. I could be your—"