Alright, fixed up a few things. I’ll be more careful next time.
(This is an Original Novel)
Since my lust ruined my plan yesterday, today I’m heading over to the Guild.
It’s quite near my house, so it doesn’t take too long to walk there; the Guild’s also near the city plaza. The building is obviously fancy, it’s an important part of the city after all.
I go through the door and make my way to an empty counter.
– Good morning. How may I help you today? – The female receptionist greets me with a smile.
– Hello. I’m here to register as an Adventurer.
– Before that, may I ask if you know you can also register as a Hunter?
I raise my eyebrows:
– Oh, I have no idea I can.
– Would you like to learn more about the job Materials Hunter?
I nod:
– Sure.
– Once you’ve registered as a Hunter at the Guild, you can either go to the Guild’s Firm or a private trading firm to receive Hunting Quests. Your main objective will be collecting the required amount of materials by hunting monsters. In all honesty, being a Hunter guarantees you a more stable income than an Adventurer, but you must fulfill a quota of at least 1 Quest every week.
– So the Adventurers also deal with collecting herbs and escorting missions, while Hunters strictly focus on killing monsters to obtain the required materials?
The receptionist nods with a smile:
– Yes, that is correct. More details about the job Hunter can be found at any trading firm in the city, but, if you’d like to learn about what kind of jobs are involved with being an Adventurer, any of us staffs here at the Guild can help you.
– Is it possible to become both? – I ask.
– You certainly can apply for both, but you might need to be a careful while picking an Adventurer Quests, since you don’t want the two types of Quests to interfere with one another. It is tricky, but a few people have pulled it off before.
So, generally speaking, if one’s intention is solely to kill monsters and earn money, then being a Hunter should be a better choice. However, if you want to do a wide variety of jobs, the ‘Adventurer’ choice comes out on top.
Now, if I think about my future plan, it doesn’t involve a lot of travelling, since I don’t intend to move away from this city. Aldyr is a great place to start a life if you’ve got some strength in you. On top of that, we need to lay low for the time being, so that the bastards from Runia can’t track us down. Once they’ve given up, we’ll be free to go around, doing whatever we want. I, myself, also need to practice using Dragon Magic more. I do think that there are a few more tricks that I haven’t discovered yet.
With all that being said, I make up my mind and give my answer to the receptionist:
– I’ll become a Hunter.
– Understood, then, first, please fill out this form.
– Alright.
I put down a fake name, a fake age and the kind of weapon I use, as well as my fighting style. However, I leave the Hometown entry blank; it’s optional, anyway.
– Alright, then, Jester-san. Now you only need to bring this over to the Guild’s Firm, which is the building right next to this one, and submit your application there. The staffs over there will take care of the rest.
– Got it. Thanks.
– You’re welcome. I hope you have a wonderful day.
Having left the Guild’s main building, I enter the Guild’s Firm right next door. Inside is a little bit more quiet than the main building, but everything looks a lot more tidy and organized.
I wait in line and submit the form to one of the staff there.
After processing the paper with a copy machine-like magic tool, the guy explains to me the basics of the job Hunter:
– You will not be hunting for specific materials like how the Adventurers do. Instead, you’ll have to fulfill the Quests based on the classifications of required materials. For example, a Quest might ask you to bring back five sheets of B rank hides, or maybe ten pieces of C rank bones. It doesn’t matter what kind of monsters the materials come from, they only need to be of the right classification.
– Alright. How do we know what rank the materials are? Not all of us have the skill Appraisal, right? – I ask.
– You don’t have to worry about that. Each Quest will properly provide you information regarding which monsters you should kill to obtain the required materials.
– I see.
– Is there anything else you’d like to know?
– None, for now.
– Alright then, you can pick a Quest from that bulletin board over there.
– Thanks.
I walk over to the Quest Board and look through all the Quests posted there.
There are loads of them, ranging from F rank to A rank with all sorts of materials in need. For the time being, to make things a bit simpler, I’ll go with ‘Five Sheets of D rank Hides’.
After confirming it with the receptionist, I exit the building and walk North. According to the information written on the Quest paper, I can obtain a lot of D rank materials from killing the monsters in the Northern forests. To name a few of them, Crimson Wolves, Cyclop Bears and Wood Lizards.
– Dragon Speed.
Invoking a spell, I begin running toward the Western forests. Normally, it would take a day or two by foot, but, with this speed, I can get there in thirty minutes.
Let’s see how strong D rank monsters are…
◇
Having arrived at one of the Western forests, I summon the Dark Dragonblade and take a stroll around. It’s pretty gloomy, but, at least, it’s not filled with dark miasma or something like that. I’d prefer not breathing in those miasma…
Five minutes later, I’m attacked by a Cyclop Bear.
The creature looks like your average mountain bear, but it only has one eye. Although, the strength of its muscles and claws are leagues above any ordinary bears.
One slap and a commoner’s definitely going to die.
That said, Adventurers who move in groups with decent teamwork can take it out pretty easily, since the Cyclop Bear isn’t all that fast and agile. They only need to ruin its only eye, and there’s nothing else it could’ve done to survive.
– Let’s see how tough this Dragonblade is… – I mumble.
I raise the Dark Dragonblade and swing it downward, trying to directly cut the bear.
Much to my surprise, the blade slices right through the Cyclop Bear’s thick muscles and steel-hard bones, cutting it into half. I didn’t even feel any pressure on the blade when it bisected the huge bear. I guess it’s just that sharp…
– Wait… This is not good…
Because I cut it too violently, the bear’s hide was ruined. Now I can’t turn that in…
Letting out a sigh, I take the claws and fangs of the bear instead. Next time, I’ll be more careful. I should just aim to pierce the monster’s heart or brain to kill it instantly. That way, I can avoid damaging the materials I need.
A few hours later…
I’ve finally fulfilled my first Quest, that is five sheets of D rank Hides.
I’ll admit that skinning it with a knife is pretty tough. It certainly took me a few tries before I got used to skinning an animal as big as a bear.
I tried to skin a Wood Lizard, but it was horrible. I’m never going to try skinning that thing again…
The Crimson Wolves were actually pretty easy to skin, though.
I quickly make my way back to the Guild’s Firm to turn in the things I’ve obtained. It’s already late noon, I missed lunch, but, since I could go weeks without food, I don’t particularly mind.
– Oh, next time you don’t have to skin it yourself. – Says the receptionist.
Even though he’s really surprised that I completed a weekly quota within one day, he doesn’t lose his composure. The guy sure is professional…
– Yes?? – I make a dumb face.
– You can just drag the monster back here, and we’ll dismantle it for you with a cheap price. That way, we’ll also buy the extra usable materials from you, and you can earn some pocket money, too.
– ……alright. Thanks for the advice.
I’m not even going to make a comment on that. That’s just stupid of me……
Anyway, the Quest’s reward is forty silver coins, plus three silver coins from the extra claws and fangs I took from the first bear I killed.
This world doesn’t seem to use bronze coins as they seem less common than silver or gold mines. On that note, if you’re really stingy, two silver coins could keep you alive a whole day. Well, it’s obviously going to be a lot more expensive if you eat at a restaurant. But, as far as home-cooking goes, it’s pretty cheap.
Besides, some inns include meals in the rental, so there are a few ways to survive before you get paid by the Guild’s Firm.
Needless to say, depending on your Hunter Rank, you’ll earn a fixed amount of money every week. Whereas, if you’re an Adventurer, it depends on what kind of Quests that are available for you to take. Freelancing is difficult, be it in this world or my previous one.
…
The Receptionist brings out the money.
– Here you go, Sir. Forty silver coins from the Quest itself, and three silver coins for the extra fangs and claws.
– Thanks.
With that, I leave the Guild and go home.
My total earnings today is 43 silver coins. Not too shabby; though, I should increase the difficulty of the Quests I’m going to be taking…