kscans

Chapter 7 - The Guild Master and the First Job

The Guild Master was my master's best friend.

I was a little surprised, but then again, my master wasn't one to talk much about himself. It wasn't strange to think he'd have a friend or two.

The Guild Master said.

"I never thought he'd actually take on an apprentice. You must have done some convincing to get that stubborn old man to agree."

He sounded rather impressed. To that, I replied.

"Well, at the time, I happened to find him being attacked by wolves. He offered to train me as a way of repaying me for saving him."

At my words, the Guild Master said.

"I know. It was rare for him to be caught off guard like that. When I first heard about it, I spat out the booze I was drinking."

The Guild Master roared with laughter as he spoke.

"But there's something I want to ask you. Is he... is Dornet dead?"

The Guild Master's expression turned serious.

I looked down slightly.

"Yes. Yesterday, he suddenly collapsed and passed away in his sleep. Just before he did, he told me it was time for me to go to town. That's why I came here for the first time."

At first, my words came out haltingly, but my final sentence was filled with confidence and resolve.

The Guild Master responded.

"Just as I thought. He told me... 'If my apprentice ever comes to the Guild, it means I'm probably dead.' Damned fool, saying such ominous things. But I know him well enough to know he wasn't one to make jokes like that."

The Guild Master's voice was tinged with sadness.

I had a question, so I asked.

"You said you and my master were best friends. Were you in the same party back when you were adventurers?"

To this question, the Guild Master replied.

"No, he was a solo adventurer until the very end. I invited him to join when I was forming my party, but he turned me down. Still, the rest of my party never thought ill of him. We were drinking buddies, often complaining to each other over a few cups."

"Alright, that's enough reminiscing for now. This will turn into a long story. Now, Dornet probably taught you the basics. So if there's anything you're wondering about this town, I'll answer. Go ahead, ask."

At the Guild Master's words, I said.

"What kind of people are the high-ranking adventurers in this guild? I'd rather not anger someone without knowing who they are. That trio from earlier was weak, but I imagine the high-rankers are a different story."

My master had only taught me about general worldly matters, not about famous individuals.

To this, the Guild Master replied.

"High-rankers, eh? In our guild, there are two famous adventurers I can tell you about. The first is Tina, the A-rank leader of an all-female adventurer team called 'Beautiful Sword'."

"She's not the type to pick fights with people for no reason. In fact, her attitude and actions are a model for all adventurers. She's away on a long-term job in another town at the moment, so she hasn't returned yet."

An all-female adventurer team, huh.

This really was another world. If you had the skill, even a woman could rise to the top. In a way, it was a world of freedom for me. Not that I was particularly interested in them.

The Guild Master continued.

"The second is a solo adventurer named Bardos. He's a battle-crazed maniac who loves to fight and is probably off fighting some strong monster right now. He rarely bothers people, since he's only interested in strong opponents. He's B-rank. His personality and his weapon of choice, an axe, have earned him the nickname 'Bardos the Mad Axe'. He's quite fond of it himself. Any other questions?"

I asked.

"Are those people considered upper or middle in their respective ranks?"

The Guild Master looked at me with a blank expression.

"??? What's this 'upper' and 'middle'? I've never heard of such a thing."

Eh? I thought, but then the Guild Master seemed to remember something.

He stood up, took a book from a bookshelf, and began to read.

As he read, he said.

"Ah, yes, there was a system like that once. But it was abolished because it became too complicated as the number of adventurers grew. Still, how do you know about this? That system was abolished one hundred and thirty years ago."

One hundred and thirty years?! Was that book really that old?! I was shocked, but I kept a poker face.

"There was a knowledgeable old man in the village where I lived, and I heard it from him. I had no idea it was such old information. I'm glad I could confirm it early on."

It was a huge lie, but it couldn't be helped.

As I thought that, I asked about a certain incident.

"By the way, my master told me about a great massacre that happened a hundred years ago."

To this, the Guild Master replied.

"Ah, yes, there was such an incident. But while they call it a 'great massacre,' incidents where entire villages are wiped out are quite common. Attacked by a horde of monsters, slaughtered by bandits, and so on. In fact, that incident was more significant because it led to the Guild taking over the management of materials and goods."

"According to the records, the goods and materials being sold in shops were of poor quality, and some were even sold that caused plagues. The country and the Guild tried to crack down on it, but with little actual harm done and few victims, the merchants were not cooperative."

"Because those items sold for high prices, no one wanted to stop. There were even foolish nobles who said there was no need to amend the law when so few people had died. However, after this incident occurred and many people died, the nobles fell silent, and the law was changed."

"Some people said it was divine retribution. In any case, it was recorded grandiosely as the 'Great Massacre Incident' to mark the change in the law. Well, hardly anyone cares about it now, so if you ask, you'll just be told they don't know. Anything else?"

My biggest worry had vanished.

I realized I didn't need to worry about my black hair or being associated with those of my kind. Still, I couldn't be careless. There was still a chance I could meet descendants from that village, which could lead to a fight to the death.

But then again, if I told anyone about being from another world, they'd just laugh at me, so I wouldn't tell anyone anyway.

I said.

"No, that's all. Thank you for the long explanation."

I gave a bow. The Guild Master said.

"Hoh, quite the polite speech and mannerisms. Just as Dornet said, you seem to have a good grasp of etiquette. Alright, that concludes my explanation. If you have any questions while you're working as an adventurer, just ask at the reception desk. We're done here."

The Guild Master gave his concluding words. I stood up, walked to the door, turned back to give the Guild Master one last bow, and left the room. I returned to the reception area and stood before the quest board I had intended to look at earlier. There were fewer people around now, and no one spoke to me, so I took my time looking it over.

The quests were for monster subjugation, material gathering, and herb collection, with a request to submit any new species found. There were also personal requests for escorting goods, guarding shops, and even testing prototypes made with magic. A real variety, I thought.

I wouldn't take any personal requests at first. You needed trust and a track record for those, and even then, there was a chance you'd be asked to do something unrelated.

In this situation, the best thing to do was to take on many of the standing quests offered by the Guild. However, I wouldn't do monster subjugation or material gathering.

Because I am a hunter.

I didn't want to take on my work as a hunter under the guise of an adventurer's job. I really am a stubborn person, I thought. I didn't care about adventurer ranks either. To live and work in this world, I didn't need a rank or title. I just wanted to live freely.

With these thoughts in mind, the first job I would take was gathering medicinal herbs.

The instructions on the board said to bring the quest paper to the reception desk, so I took the paper and headed over.

The receptionist said.

"Yes, a material gathering quest. As a beginner, that's the right choice. Please gather as many medicinal herbs as you can. Bring what you've collected to the receiving area behind the Guild. Also, it's not a violation if you hunt monsters for their materials along the way. Just think of it as a way to earn more money."

After hearing the receptionist's explanation, I left the Guild.

I looked at the money in my pocket. Ten copper coins, three small silver coins... just barely enough to buy a bag for the herbs. I saw a sign for a tool shop, went inside, found a suitable bag, paid one small silver coin, and left the shop.

I thought things were going surprisingly smoothly, but I quickly changed my mind. What was I expecting? Some kind of fated encounter or dramatic event like in a manga or anime?

A little drama might be nice, but for now, I had to focus on the job.

I left town and headed southwest. My house was to the southeast, so I went to the forest in the opposite direction.

I entered the forest and began gathering herbs.

My master had taught me about grasses that could be used for healing salves, antidotes, and ointments. After I had gathered a fair amount, I felt someone watching me.

I quietly activated `Detection`. There were seven red spheres gathered in one spot within my range. They were definitely hostile. Now, how would they act? I couldn't go home. I couldn't let them know where I lived. If they weren't going to make a move, then I'd have to draw them out. With that in mind, I said.

"Why don't you stop hiding and come out? It's painfully obvious you're there."

In response to my taunt, three of the seven spheres came forward.

It was the trio of thugs who had hassled me at the Guild.

"Hey, thanks for the welcome at the Guild. We're here to return the favor, with interest."

He delivered the classic line of a thug out for revenge.

I sighed.

"The fight in the Guild was your fault for starting it in the first place, and then you lost to me in an instant. When the Guild Master showed up, you cried and begged him to punish me, only to be refused and run away. By any logic, you're the ones in the wrong."

To my words, the thug replied.

"Shut up! Who gives a damn about the Guild?! And I wasn't crying, you bastard! Well, whatever. There's no one here to stop us, and if you die, we can just blame it on monsters. We can do whatever we want, hehehe."

He really was a third-rate thug, I thought.

But his words struck me as odd.

"Hmm? I get blaming it on monsters, but why not bandits? Unless... you guys are the bandits, is that it?"

My probing question made the thug flinch.

"Wha—?! How did you know—?!"

Did he not know the meaning of subtlety? To fall for such a childish word game... The salarymen in Japan were tougher opponents than this.

Still, bandits... The Guild had said you could do whatever you wanted as long as you did your adventurer work, but considering they were hiding it, they must have been up to a lot of things they couldn't talk about.

As I was thinking this, the thug said.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you know. You're gonna die here anyway. Boss! It's your turn!"

At the thug's shout, the remaining four spheres began to move.

Each was equipped with a sword or spear. And one of them, a man with a greatsword on his back, stood out.

The thug bowed before the man with the greatsword.

"Boss, this is that cheeky rookie. He seems to know about us, too. Please, show him true despair with your own hands."

The boss ignored the bowing thug and turned his gaze to me.

"So you're the rookie with the weird moves I've been hearing about. I'll be sure to thank you properly for the trouble you gave my boys."

The boss said with a smirk.