Gathering Husbands with a System in a Game Like World [BL]
Chapter 17: Finding the party

Chapter 17: Finding the party

"Hey, Kai! Wait up!!" Lucien yelled after him as they walked towards the adventurers guild. Kai gave him a glance and slowed his pace just enough for the half-elf to catch up. The two of them had barely left the inn after a short rest, yet Lucien already looked ready to talk the entire way. The streets of the town were busy with morning traffic, merchants setting up stalls and adventurers moving between the guild and local shops, but Kai kept his hood low and his attention focused ahead.

"You really don’t waste any time, do you?" Lucien said, falling into step beside him. "We just survived an A-Rank beast and you’re already heading straight back to the guild."

Kai shrugged. "I need to check on the others. Darius, Mira, Rogan, Theo, Lina... I have no idea if they made it out. Felix didn’t. I need to know the rest are alive."

Lucien’s expression sobered. "I’ve been thinking the same thing. We got separated so fast when the fog appeared. I kept hoping they found each other."

They walked in silence for a moment. The weight of the previous day still lingered between them, but there was also a quiet comfort in having survived it together. Lucien eventually broke the silence again.

"You know i never thanked you" he said, kai gave him a glance again.

"For what?"

"For everything " kai was confused. He didn’t know what the half elf meant and it was most certainly not something he wanted to bother him so he gently nodded and kept it moving. He didn’t notice that Lucien was wearing a sad look.

The Adventurer’s Guild came into view, its sturdy stone building buzzing with activity.

Kai pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside with Lucien close behind. The hall was loud with conversations, the clink of tankards, and the occasional burst of laughter from adventurers sharing stories. Kai’s eyes scanned the room, searching for familiar faces.

His heart lifted when he spotted them.

There they were.

Darius sat at a table near the back, one arm wrapped in fresh bandages. Mira was beside him, her clothes torn and stained with dirt but otherwise unharmed. Rogan sat across from them, looking exhausted but alive. Theo and Lina were there too, both appearing shaken but safe. The relief that washed over Kai was so strong his legs almost felt weak for a second.

"They’re alive," he said quietly.

Lucien smiled. "Looks like we weren’t the only lucky ones."

They walked over. Mira noticed them first. Her eyes widened.

"Hey look it’s them!"

The entire table turned. Darius stood immediately, crossing the distance in a few strides. For a moment it looked like he might pull Kai into a rough embrace, but he settled for gripping his shoulders and inspecting him from head to toe.

"Are you injured?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Darius exhaled. "Good. Where’s Lucien?"

"Right here," Lucien said, raising a hand. "I’m alive too."

Darius looked at him and nodded. "Good." His gaze returned to Kai. "What happened to you two?"

Kai glanced at Lucien. "That’s a long story."

"Then tell us," Darius said.

They sat down at the table. The others leaned in, listening closely as Kai explained what he could. He told them about the Mistfang Tyrant, how the creature had emerged from the fog with terrifying speed and strength. He described how he and Lucien had run together, how the beast had chased them until they reached the cliff edge with nowhere left to go. He mentioned Rhydian’s arrival and how the Beast Emperor had driven the creature off.

He did not mention the strange violet corruption he had seen. That information still felt too dangerous to share openly in a crowded guild hall.

Darius listened carefully. "So it was an A-Rank beast."

Kai nodded. "Yes."

Darius’s expression darkened. "Then we were lucky. Very lucky. That thing had no business being in Emeraldwood in the first place "

The table fell quiet for a moment. Felix’s absence hung over them like a shadow. Darius finally broke the silence.

"we couldn’t recover Felix’s body"

Kai’s chest tightened. He had already known they wouldn’t .but hearing it confirmed still hurt unreasonably .

"I’m sorry." he said not knowing exactly why his heart ached for the man who he barely knew.

Darius lowered his gaze. "We all are."

Mira spoke softly. "He was difficult but he was a good young man"

Rogan nodded. "We have been on a lot of adventure together and i could atest to his kindness"

Theo and Lina stayed quiet, both still shaken by the experience.

Kai looked at each of them. "I’m glad you all made it. I kept wondering if anyone else survived."

Darius placed a hand on his shoulder. "We’re alive because we ran when we had to. Don’t carry more guilt than you need to."

The conversation shifted after that. They shared fragments of their individual escapes, how they had eventually regrouped near the forest edge and how they would report the situation to the guild. No one had a complete picture of things.

After a while, the others began to disperse. Darius needed to report the incident to the guild. Mira wanted to rest. Rogan declared he would never enter Emeraldwood again. Theo and Lina announced to Lucien that they wete going to check something in town, Lucien let them go.

Kai remained at the table with him for a little longer.

"You look like you’re thinking about something," Lucien said.

Kai leaned back. "I’ve been preparing for the something for a while that I never really considered what my life would look like afterward. But after everything that happened in the forest... I’m starting to wonder if that’s still the right path."

Lucien studied him. "You’re thinking about becoming an adventurer instead?"

Kai nodded. "Maybe. The guild gives access to places I’ve never seen. Dungeons. Ruins. Monsters. Information. Freedom. It feels... right."

Lucien smiled. "Then you should do it. The pursuits will always be there if you change your mind. But this world is big, don’t box yourself in one place. You should see it for yourself."

Kai looked toward the massive quest board. Something stirred inside him. Curiosity. Excitement. A sense of possibility he hadn’t felt in a long time.

The system appeared in his mind.

[Preparation Quest Progress Updated.]

[Remaining Time: 24 Days.]

Kai smiled faintly. He still had time. But for the first time, he wasn’t sure he wanted to spend it inside the Academy walls.

Later that evening, after the others had left to rest, Kai sat alone in a quiet corner of the guild. Lucien had gone to handle some personal matters, leaving him with his thoughts. The system finally presented the rewards he had earned for surviving the Mistfang Tyrant incident.

A series of blue windows unfolded before him.

[Emergency Survival Scenario: Mistfang Tyrant Encounter – Completed.]

[Performance Evaluation: Exceptional.]

Kai sat up straighter. Exceptional? He had mostly run and survived. But the system clearly disagreed.

The rewards appeared one by one.

[Reward One: 3,000 Gold Coins.]

Kai’s eyes widened. That was a significant amount. Enough to give him real financial independence for months of travel and supplies.

[Reward Two: High-Grade Explorer’s Cloak.]

The cloak materialized in his Ring of Infinite Storage. It was durable, weather-resistant, and designed with multiple hidden pockets. The hood could be adjusted to better conceal his face without restricting vision. Perfect for someone who preferred to avoid attention.

[Reward Three: Intermediate Survival Kit.]

This included high-quality rations, a reinforced waterskin, basic medical supplies, and several emergency tools. Nothing flashy, but extremely practical for wilderness travel.

[Reward Four: Sight Enhancement.]

Kai’s existing Arcane Eye skill received a direct upgrade.

[Arcane Eye (S-Rank) to Enhanced Arcane Eye (S-Rank+)]

New functions unlocked: deeper analysis of magical phenomena, detection of hidden properties in objects and creatures, and limited ability to perceive corrupted or abnormal mana signatures. The enhancement made his primary skill significantly more powerful without giving him an entirely new ability.

[Reward Five: 7,500 Bond Points.]

Kai’s eyes widened further. Seven thousand five hundred bond points on top of what he already had. This was substantial. Enough to open up meaningful purchases in the System Shop and give him real flexibility for future growth.

The final reward appeared with a golden border.

[Reward Six: SSS-Rank Skill Lottery Ticket.]

Kai stared at the window. This was the big one. His first real skill beyond Arcane Eye. The system presented him with several options, each radiating powerful energy. He would have time to choose carefully later, but the mere presence of the lottery made his heart beat faster. His path was no longer limited by what the original game had given him.

The system spoke directly in his mind.

[All rewards have been distributed to your ring of infinite storage. Your survival against an A-Rank threat far beyond your current stage has been recognized.]

Kai leaned back in his chair. "Thank you."

[You are welcome.]

The system paused, then added something unusual.

[Your choices are beginning to shape your future more than the original timeline. Continue as you are.]

Kai smiled. The system was becoming more of a companion than a strict guide. He liked that.

Later that night, after Lucien had returned and they had shared a quiet meal, Kai sat alone with the system interface open. The Academy path and the Adventurer path still waited for his decision. He had spent a good number of days preparing for the Academy that abandoning it felt strange.

But Emeraldwood had changed something in him. He didn’t want to sit in lectures and wait for the story to unfold. He wanted to go out and see the world himself.

He made his choice.

[Official Path Selection Confirmed.]

[Path: Adventurer]

The Academy objective was marked as abandoned. New recommendations began appearing, focused on exploration, quests, dungeons, monster encounters, wilderness survival, and independent growth. The system adapted immediately, becoming a guide for the life Kai had chosen rather than a force pushing him toward a predetermined route.

Kai looked toward the guild doors. Beyond them lay the world. A world larger and more complicated than the game had ever shown. He didn’t know where the road would take him. He didn’t know what lay beyond the cities and forests. He didn’t even know what the strange corruption spreading through the wilderness truly was.

But that uncertainty no longer frightened him.

For the first time since arriving in this world, Kai wasn’t following a path someone else had prepared.

He had chosen his own.

And tomorrow, he would take his first real steps as an adventurer.