kscans

Chapter 5 - The Adventurer's Guild.

I set off for the town. With my master’s permission and the equipment he gifted me, I began my journey.

My current attire consisted of a gray, easy-to-move-in work shirt with pockets on both chests, and gray sarouel pants, which were loose and tied with a string instead of a belt. Both were simple in design. My master had even given his approval, saying the outfit was fine.

On my arms and legs, I wore the gauntlets and greaves from my master. At my waist, I carried my katana and sword. It wasn’t flashy armor; in fact, it looked like the gear of someone with no money. But that didn't matter to me. This equipment was my pride.

On the index and middle fingers of my left hand, I wore one ring each, inscribed with the runic characters for fire and lightning. For fire, I used the symbol for the sun. There was no direct rune for lightning, but after some research, I found the runes of the Aesir gods and learned about Thor, the god of thunder. I took a leap of faith, writing his rune and his name, and it worked.

With this gear, I headed for the regional city of Alum.

As I emerged from the forest, a town surrounded by massive walls spread out before me.

"So that’s the city of Alum. It’s been two years since I came to this world… my first time meeting people other than my master."

My heart was filled with a mix of emotions.

What kind of people lived there? What kind of shops would I find? How big was the Adventurer's Guild? What kind of noble ruled this land?

I had many anxieties about the local lord, but as long as I lived a normal life, I would probably never meet them, so I pushed that thought to the back of my mind.

The main issue was the Adventurer's Guild.

Regarding registration, after submitting an application, you had to fight a captured monster one-on-one in an examination hall and win. There were five rounds in total, and you needed to win twice to pass. Your rank would be determined by the number of wins, with the highest starting rank being D.

However, my master taught me that the monsters get stronger with each round, so it was standard practice to fight at a level that matched your abilities. With this advice in mind, I headed for the Adventurer's Guild.

Two guards stood in front of the gate leading into the city.

My master had told me there was no fee to enter, but they would ask my purpose and whether I planned to settle down. I was to answer honestly. Since I had no intention of settling down and would be living outside the town, it wouldn’t be a problem, but I would be responsible for my own safety. Inside the town, the guards provided protection, so most people lived within the walls.

However, in that case, you had to pay a residence tax once a month. Since my home was on Earth, I had no intention of settling here.

I answered the guard’s questions and entered the town.

The town that spread out before my eyes could be described in one word: lively. The faces of the people walking around were bright and full of life. The stalls in the open-air market were bustling with customers. There was no sense of poverty. As I walked further into the town, one shop caught my eye—an armorer. It was a shop that sold real weapons and armor, the kind you don’t see on Earth. But since I had almost no money, I didn't go in. I figured it would leave a bad impression if I went in and left without buying anything, so I decided to come back when I had more funds. After walking a bit further, I found two large buildings standing side by side, each as big as a school gymnasium.

A sign on the building to the right read, "Adventurer's Guild."

"So this is the Adventurer’s Guild. It’s huge. I can expect a good income as an adventurer. This means I can also focus on my main job as a hunter."

My primary profession was a hunter; being an adventurer was a side job.

My work as an adventurer would be limited to gathering and investigation quests. I decided not to accept monster-slaying requests, as that was a hunter’s job. I would only sell the materials.

This approach was highly inefficient. I could just accept a monster subjugation request as an adventurer and think of it as a hunter’s job.

But I am a hunter.

To think of it as an adventurer’s job at the same time was something I couldn’t do. I might be stubborn, but that was how I would live a life without regrets.

The door to the Adventurer’s Guild was always open, and I walked right in. The interior was like a spacious cafeteria, with tables and chairs lined up in rows. The reception desk was at the back, arranged like the counter where you’d pick up food in a company cafeteria. There were a few people scattered around, each minding their own business, not paying any attention to newcomers.

This was convenient for me. I didn’t want to stand out, so I walked straight to the reception desk. I reached it smoothly, without any trouble.

"Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild. Are you here for a request? Or to register?"

A receptionist with a pleasant smile asked me. She looked to be in her twenties or thirties.

To her question, I replied, "I’m here to register."

I answered straightforwardly.

The receptionist said, "Then please fill out this registration form. Can you write?"

Thanks to my Language Function skill, I could understand and write the language. I had shown my writing to my master, and he had given me his approval, saying it was fine.

"Yes, I can. I just need to write my name and my preferred weapon here, right?"

The receptionist replied, "Yes, that’s correct. Please fill it out. Once you’re done, please go through the door on the left."

To the left, about ten meters away, was a large door. A sign above it read, "Training Hall."

"Understood."

I wrote my name as Shinsuke and my weapon as "sword," then entered the door. Beyond it was a dome-shaped area, about the size of a soccer field. At the far end was a steel door, and in front of it, in the center, was a circle drawn on the ground, about thirty meters in diameter. I understood that this was the stage where I would fight. After a short wait, a man appeared from behind me. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, but he radiated a considerable aura of strength.

The examiner-like man asked, "Are you the applicant named Shinsuke? It says here your specialty is the sword. Have you ever fought a monster before?"

To that question, I replied, "I have fought against Wolves, Slimes, and Falcons."

At my answer, the examiner said, "It seems you have some training. Very well, the test will now begin. The rules are simple: defeat the monster that comes out of the door at the back. There will be five rounds in total, fought consecutively. Win twice, and you pass. However, if you step out of this circle, you are disqualified."

"If you wish to fight more than twice, you must shout, ‘Send out the next one!’ Two wins will earn you an E-rank registration, and five consecutive wins will earn you a D-rank. Also, before the test, you must put a drop of your blood into this."

He handed me a palm-sized clay doll with a depression in its center.

The examiner explained, "This is a substitute doll. It will activate if you receive a fatal blow. It will swap places with you, and the doll will take the damage you would have received."

"However, it only takes the place of a fatal blow. It will not substitute for scratches or non-fatal injuries. To put it extremely, even if your arm is cut off, the doll will not activate. But if you take a fatal blow and it swaps with you, your severed arm will be restored, so don’t worry. Any other questions?"

To that, I asked, "If all my weapons break, can I continue the fight?"

The examiner sighed slightly and answered, "In that case, even if you are confident in your bare-handed skills, we will deem you unable to continue combat, and the test will end on the spot. If you have already won twice and your weapon breaks on the third round, you will still pass. Any other questions?"

I replied firmly, "No."

The examiner said, "Very well, put your blood in the doll and enter the circle. The test will begin the moment you do."

I put a drop of blood in the doll, placed it on the ground, drew my sword, and stepped into the circle.

I looked around and noticed that a few spectators had gathered at some point. They seemed to be here to kill time.

The examiner announced, "Then, let’s begin. First up, a Wolf."

As he spoke, the door opened, and a single Wolf emerged. It was the same size as the ones I was used to seeing, not much of a threat. The Wolf charged at me.

But I dodged it with ease.

My master always stressed the importance of crisis management. He said that trying to follow a prey’s movements with your eyes is often too slow and impractical in a real fight.

Therefore, the important thing is to feel fear. Fear is a sense of danger, and it’s crucial in a life-or-death struggle. That’s what my master often said. I dodged the Wolf’s attack, and as it passed by me, I swung my sword in a low slash and lopped off its head.

I heard a whistle from the crowd. Someone must have been impressed.

"Next, second monster, a Slime."

From the door came a single Slime, the size of about five soccer balls piled up.

The Slime approached by hopping, and then suddenly, it jumped with greater force and charged at me. I dodged to the left.

But I didn’t slash at it as we crossed paths. Slimes temporarily harden when they charge.

As soon as the Slime landed, I took a one-handed thrusting stance with my sword and dashed forward. I moved to finish it before it could recover. The sword pierced the Slime, and with the momentum, I swung it sideways.

Water gushed out from the slash, and the Slime deflated and stopped moving. This technique was a one-handed thrust followed by a horizontal slash, inspired by an anime I had watched.

The crowd reacted with murmurs like, "What was that?" and, "Have you ever seen a move like that?" as if they had witnessed something rare.

The examiner said, "With this, you have passed the test. Do you wish to continue?"

To this, I replied, "Next one, please."

I wanted to know how far I could go with my current abilities.

From the crowd, I heard a voice say, "Youth is a fine thing, so reckless," in a slightly mocking tone. But I didn’t care.

The examiner said, "Very well. Third monster, an Anaconda."

Out of the door came a snake about five meters long.

An Anaconda. I knew the name from Earth. It was a ferocious snake, large enough to attack humans.

But strangely, I didn't feel any fear. On the contrary, I found myself thinking that I could win against this snake with a certain strategy.

The snake slithered toward me and opened its mouth to strike. Without dodging, I switched my sword to my left hand, thrust it forward, and plunged it into the snake’s mouth.

As the impaled snake’s tail began to thrash, I drew the katana from my left hip with my right hand and, in a single horizontal slash, severed the snake’s head. The snake died instantly. A collective "Ooh" came from the crowd. They must have expected me to struggle. They seemed surprised that I had won so easily.

The examiner said, "Not bad. But what about this next one? Fourth monster, a Heavy Turtle."

Out of the door came a turtle the size of a tortoise.

Its movements looked slow, but I knew that once it retreated into its shell, my attacks would be useless.

The turtle started to move. As expected, its legs were slow.

I approached it cautiously.

Suddenly, the turtle’s neck shot out, extending two meters.

I hastily dodged to the left, keeping my balance in a low stance. The turtle’s neck retracted.

I was surprised by its extending neck, but it wasn't a threat. I took a one-handed thrusting stance and rushed toward the turtle. The startled turtle immediately withdrew into its shell.

Just as planned.

Attacking the turtle’s shell would be pointless. And if I attacked its head or limbs, it would just retreat and hide. So, my target was the hole where its neck had retracted.

I accurately thrust my sword with one hand into the opening. The blade plunged deep, and the turtle’s limbs flailed for a moment before going still.

The voices from the crowd grew louder. "I didn’t know you could do that," and, "He actually got it in there," were some of the things I heard.

The examiner said, "Quite impressive. This is the last one. Fifth monster, a Goblin."

From the door emerged a creature about a hundred centimeters tall, holding a shield in its left hand and a club in its right. It was the very image of a Goblin from games and anime.

"So this is a Goblin."

I muttered unconsciously.

Yes, this was a fantasy world monster. To think that the day would come when I could fight such a creature… life is truly unpredictable.

But that thought vanished as soon as I heard the Goblin’s shriek.

Right, this is reality. If I lose, I die. I was angry at myself for almost forgetting that I had thrown myself into such a world.

I steeled myself and faced the Goblin. It started running and swung its club. Its speed wasn’t that great, and I easily dodged to the right and brought my sword down from above. The Goblin dodged with a forward roll. Its movements were nimble. So this was a Goblin’s agility. I thought it was a fitting opponent for the final test. I ran toward its back and thrust my sword. The Goblin, without turning around, rolled sideways to evade, then quickly got back on its feet and charged at me.

I immediately swung my sword horizontally as a feint. The Goblin, surprised, stopped its charge and retreated. This exchange was quite stimulating.

This is what a real fight feels like, I thought, and my heart soared with joy.

But I am a hunter. I shouldn’t take joy in battle.

To hunt prey—that is my job.

I calmed my spirit and held my sword in a natural stance.

The Goblin was wary and didn't attack. A staring contest began. But I couldn’t keep this up forever. With that thought, I switched my sword for my katana, and with the same words I used when I first faced a monster, I took an overhead stance and charged.

"Cheeeeeeeeeeestooooo!!!!"

I shouted as I ran.

The Goblin was startled and froze on the spot.

I reached it and swung my katana down. At the last second, it tried to block with its wooden shield. But my momentum-filled, powerful strike cleaved the shield in two and cut off the Goblin’s left forearm. The Goblin clutched its left arm and writhed in pain. Seizing the opportunity, I swung my katana in a wide horizontal slash and took off the Goblin’s head.

The fight was over.

A loud cheer erupted from the crowd. "Who is that guy? Does he have some kind of experience?" and, "That strike was something else." I heard some overly generous praise, but I figured it was fine.

The examiner announced, "Five consecutive victories. Congratulations. You will start as a D-rank adventurer."

I felt a sense of relief at his words.

The examiner continued, "Now, please come back to the reception desk. There, you will be given an explanation of what it means to be an adventurer and receive your D-rank insignia."

With those words, the examiner left.

Confident that I had passed the test, I quickly returned to the reception area, feeling the eyes of the crowd on me.