Chapter 35: The Pocket Change Princess

Sage was taken aback, his mind racing as he looked at the splintered wood and glanced between the little girl and the desk. He was utterly flabbergasted.

Staring at the tiny figure before him, he couldn’t fathom how such a small girl could possess such immense strength. What had she been eating? Dragons?

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Sage still felt overwhelmed. Initially, he had attributed her strength to the massive shield she carried, but this level of power was beyond anything he had anticipated.

Noticing Sage’s shocked expression, the girl snorted with pride, crossing her arms and giving him an arrogant look that only accentuated her chubby cheeks.

“What? Are you surprised? Can your fragile ego not handle it that a little girl like me has so much strength? Are you questioning your entire existence?” she taunted with even more bravado.

Sage slapped his forehead in disbelief. “What an arrogant little girl.”

He sighed softly and addressed her directly. “Listen here, Flatboard Princess, are you sure you want to become an Adventurer? It’s quite a dangerous job for someone like you.”

Bang!

The girl slammed her fist on the desk again, causing it to creak ominously under the pressure.

Sage raised an eyebrow. “Hey there, Little Ancestor, please don’t do that again! Otherwise, you’ll have to pay for any damages.”

“Hmph! I don’t care,” she retorted defiantly. “What do you mean I can’t be an Adventurer? Are you discriminating against me because I’m a girl? My elder sister was right; men are really scum.”

Sage’s brow twitched as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He felt his temper rising with every word she spoke.

“Look here, little girl, I’m not discriminating against anyone; it’s just that this line of work is dangerous. I don’t want to be held accountable if something happens to you, I’m not ready for prison over ’forced child labor.’”

The girl’s eyes narrowed in confusion before shifting into stubbornness. “I don’t care! I want tasks and money just like what the sign said outside this shop! And besides, I’m not weak; I’m really strong!”

“Oh God, why? What did I do to deserve this?” Sage leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling with bitterness swelling in his chest.

This little girl was proving to be one of the most challenging individuals he’d ever encountered, second only to his pig-headed manager back on Earth.

Turning back to face her, he sighed deeply and said, “Alright then; if that’s what you want, I’ll register you, but first things first: how strong are you?”

The girl’s eyes lit up with excitement at his question as she eagerly replied, “I’m a 2-Star Adept Knight! With my precious shield, I can hold my own against a 3-Star Expert Knight for several minutes!”

“Holy shit!”

Sage nearly toppled over in his chair when he heard what the little girl said. Now, he was completely freaked out. What kind of little monster is this girl? His suspicion that she might be a dragon had risen significantly. After all, how could a ten-year-old girl possess such strength?

“System, is what she’s saying the truth?” Sage calmed himself and asked the system inwardly.

[Affirmative, Host. She is telling you the truth.] The system replied in its usual tone.

Sage clenched his teeth. “How can she be this strong? Is it because she’s talented?”

[Correct, Host. She is talented, unlike you, who has a trash talent that even chickens can beat. Her talent is leagues above yours.] The system’s mechanical voice held a hint of mockery and sarcasm this time.

Sage’s lips twitched at the system’s comment. He clenched his fists and scowled but took a deep breath and looked at the little girl, who wore a proud grin.

“What? Are you shocked by my strength? I can’t blame someone as ignorant as you,” she said, waving her tiny hand like an adult.

Sage’s eyes flickered as various thoughts raced through his mind. He realized that this girl might indeed have quite the background, but he remained cautious, years of reading novels and watching anime had taught him to be wary.

The first rule: If you encounter a little girl with such insane talent and strength, she likely comes from a prominent family or has a reclusive expert for a grandparent—and maybe even have overpowered siblings or senior disciples.

But judging by how much she talked about her elder sister, it seemed she had an overpowered sibling as well.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Sage couldn’t help but smile creepily at the girl.

“Alright, young lady. If you want to become an Adventurer, you’ll need to fill out some documents.” He spoke softly while forcing on what he hoped was a professional smile.

Her expression shifted slightly; caution appeared on her face as she regarded him warily. “Wait…why are you suddenly being nice? Are you planning something bad? Elder sister warned me that when a man smiles at you, it means he’s up to no good.”

Sage’s sweet smile froze on his face; awkwardness washed over him as he felt his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably.

Regaining his composure, he coughed and tried again with that same sweet smile. “Young lady, why do you say that? I’ve been nice to you since you entered this building.”

The little girl shook her head firmly. “Nope! You’re lying! Ever since I walked in here, you’ve either called me ’little girl’ or ’flatboard princess.’ So why are you suddenly calling me ’young lady’ with that sweet smile?”

“Well…!” Sage stammered; he was genuinely speechless for once.

“Damn, this girl is really smart and cautious. That’s a good sign,” he thought to himself as he stole a glance at her.

“Back then, I didn’t realize you truly wanted to be an Adventurer; I just saw a lost child. But since you aspire to join the Adventurer Guild, you deserve my respect,” Sage explained, his sweet smile unwavering.

“Oh.” The little girl tapped her red lips with a finger, her big eyes darting around before she turned back to Sage and nodded. “Okay, I understand. I want to become… um…”

“An Adventurer,” Sage finished for her with a grin.

“Yes! An Adventurer!” she exclaimed eagerly. “But what exactly is this Adventurer thing? I thought the sign said we could accept tasks here and earn money?”

“You’re right,” Sage nodded, leaning slightly forward; the damaged desk creaked under his weight. “However, in order to accept tasks and earn money, you need to officially become an Adventurer.”

Sage patiently explained what it meant to be an Adventurer and outlined the various benefits that came with it. The girl’s posture straightened as she listened intently, her eyes sparkling with fascination, especially when Sage mentioned money.

“So if I become an Adventurer, I can take on missions based on my rank and earn lots of money when I complete them?” She leaned forward eagerly, excitement lighting up her cute face.

“Exactly!” Sage replied with a smile. “In fact, one of our Adventurers recently earned over two hundred gold coins just by defeating some Phantom Wind Wolves.”

He grinned at her as he continued, “What do you think? Pretty cool, right?”

The little girl bobbed her head enthusiastically like a hen pecking at rice. “Yes! Yes! That’s really cool! I want it… I want to become an Adventurer!”

Sage’s smile widened even more at her enthusiasm. Without saying another word, he turned around and opened the cabinet containing the Adventurer Ledgers. He retrieved a brand-new ledger along with an Iron Rank Badge and an Adventurer ID before turning back to face the girl.

Her curiosity piqued as she looked at the items laid out on the table.

Without wasting any time, Sage opened the ledger and asked, “Okay, I’m going to take your information.”

“Okay!” she nodded eagerly.

“Name?”

“Mina Oakshield.”

Sage raised an eyebrow upon hearing her name; his gaze flickered toward the giant shield leaning against the chair where she sat as he muttered something under his breath.

“Race?”

“Human.”

“What’s your Warrior Rank?”

“2-Star Adept Knight,” she replied with a huge grin.

Sage nodded while jotting everything down and continued recording additional details. Afterward, he took the Adventurer ID and wrote down some words on it.

“Alright,” Sage said as he handed both the ID and Badge over to her.

The little girl eagerly accepted both items with outstretched hands, her excitement evident as she flipped through them.

“Here are your Adventurer ID and Badge,” Sage explained, his expression serious. “The Adventurer ID represents your identity as an Adventurer, while the Badge indicates your current rank. Just a warning: whatever you do, don’t lose either of them.”

“Okay, I understand,” the girl replied, nodding earnestly.

“Great! Now, the registration fee is fifty silver coins. Please pay up,” Sage said, extending his hand expectantly.

“There’s a registration fee?” The girl’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, did I forget to mention that? Yes, there’s a fee of fifty silver coins.” He shrugged innocently. “As a powerful warrior and a young lady like yourself, surely you can afford such a small amount.”

“Hmph! Who said I wouldn’t pay? Fifty silver coins is just pocket change for me.” With that declaration, she reached into her battle maid armor and pulled out a small pouch. She extracted one gold coin and tossed it casually at Sage.

“You can keep the change.”

Sage’s lips twitched as he thought to himself, “Such arrogance.” Nevertheless, he promptly placed the gold coin in his drawer.

“You’re really shameless,” the little girl remarked, taken aback by his demeanor.

“Shameless? Nah! I’m just an honest person,” Sage replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Rolling her eyes at him, she asked eagerly, “So when can I get a mission?”

“Well…!”

Before he could finish his sentence, an elderly voice interrupted from the entrance.

“Is anyone in here?”

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