Chapter 7

The spacious lobby was sparsely populated with people.

The high ceiling and lack of pillars allowed for an unobstructed view of the entire room.

First to catch the eye upon entering was a large wooden board covering the entire front wall.

It was painted black and filled from edge to edge with fine messages written in white chalk.

‘Welcome, Magic Users! From a trio of Red Iron warriors’

‘Seeking Water Users of White Hard level or higher, looking for someone who can join within two days’

‘Going to collect Sand Iron. I have a carriage, local participation possible’

‘Looking for members for a Hippo Taming party. Can use Shield, Stone Body, and Rock Pile formations’

“Wow, what’s this?”

“It’s a bulletin board for adventurers. They write requests and party recruitment notices here.”

“Cool, huh? Are you going to write something, Taur?”

“No, I don’t have anything to write.”

Without moving his head, Taur turned his gaze to the left.

There, along the wall, tables and chairs were lined up, and a few fellow adventurers were chatting while seated.

Noticing a few troublesome individuals among them, he felt a sense of weariness.

Sure enough, voices soon rose up.

“Hey, look at that. What is that, isn’t it too cute?”

“Wow, I really like that type.”

“Should we go for it?”

“Of course! Let’s hope she’s a Magic User.”

“With that much cuteness, it doesn’t matter which one she is.”

The ratio of receiving skill trees for martial or magic skills does not differ much between genders, so there are a fair number of female adventurers.

However, due to the physical strength and muscle required for the job, it is still predominantly a male-dominated profession.

This inevitably leads to some individuals causing trouble over the few female adventurers.

Even though they can be surrounded by pretty women when they return to the city, they are not satisfied.

By acting in the same party, they can indulge in a sense of superiority over others.

Among them, the particularly troublesome ones are those who intimidate and poach members from other parties or aggressively recruit new adventurers.

These individuals try to obtain women as if they were trophies, just for show.

Taur had heard rumors of female adventurers being taken to hunting grounds beyond their level and ending up in irreparable situations.

The three who stood up were two redheads with tanned skin and one with black hair.

They seemed to be in their early twenties and were not carrying any weapons.

The trio, who had their eyes on Sora, approached Taur, who was standing beside her, without even glancing at him.

One of the redheads suddenly increased his speed and tried to forcefully insert himself between Sora, who was reading the board intently, and Taur, who was standing behind her.

“Hey, what are you writing—Huh?”

Naturally, Taur had anticipated the move and closed the gap smoothly.

At the same time, he casually kicked the heel of the man’s left foot as he stepped forward.

The man, who had his feet swept away before he could touch the ground, fell dramatically with a ridiculous sound.

Immediately, the other two closed in.

“What, why did you fall? Are you still drunk?”

“Hey, old man, what are you looking at!”

The breath of the two men smelled faintly of alcohol.

They had probably been drinking too much and were just sobering up in the lobby.

Taur casually touched the arm of the black-haired man who had tried to push him.

Fortunately, the man had been drunk last night.

Taur restored him to the state of being drunk, and the man’s eyes glazed over before he collapsed to his knees.

The other redhead, who was taken aback by his companion’s condition, was gently touched by Taur, who made him drunk in the same way.

The man, who instantly turned pale, bent over and clutched his mouth.

Finally, Taur pretended to help the last man, who was still crouching and frowning, and made him drunk like his companions.

The three, who suddenly changed their expressions and sat down, were greeted with surprise by Sora, who looked up.

“Eh, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Seems like they’re drunk. Just leave them be.”

“That’s right. Drinking too much is bad for your health.”

The commotion in the middle of the room began to draw attention from the surrounding people.

The guards, who usually ignored most disputes, seemed to think they couldn’t overlook this and approached with obvious displeasure.

“Hey, sitting here like this—Whoa!”

The black-clad guard, who had just called out, was immediately vomited on by one of the men.

The sound of his suffering and the watery noise echoed, and the smell of vomit spread throughout the room.

“Damn, who’s going to clean this up!”

“What are they doing? They’re so stupid it’s funny.”

“Vomiting here is the worst. Please, spare us.”

“They’ll probably be banned from entering for a while.”

Since there were many people who disliked the trio, there were hardly any sympathetic voices.

As the crowd gathered, Taur and Sora quietly stepped back and headed for the reception counter.

On the right side of the lobby, a counter divided the space, and behind it, green-uniformed staff could be seen bustling about.

In front, a row of benches lined up, and a few people were sitting, waiting to be called.

“The registration counter is... I think it’s this way.”

Taur, leading Sora, approached the farthest window of the counter.

Since he rarely visited except for renewing his adventurer card, his memory was quite vague.

Looking in, he met the eyes of the woman he had just helped yesterday.

Upon recognizing Taur, her expression changed to one of surprise.

“Oh, hello. It’s unusual to see you here.”

“Yeah, I’m just accompanying a friend.”

“I’m Sora. I’ve come to become an adventurer!”

The receptionist, Enna, bowed politely in response to the girl’s sudden outburst.

A moment later, she remembered that it had been a while since she had heard Taur’s voice.

“Hello, you’re here for a new adventurer registration, I presume. Thank you for your application.”

“It’s not much, but please take care of it.”

While suppressing a smile at Sora’s somewhat off-the-mark response, Enna glanced at the man standing next to the girl.

Although low-level adventurers are often looked down upon, Taur’s reputation among some staff members is relatively high.

Despite having only non-combat skills, he has continued to be an adventurer for almost twenty-five years without taking a break.

His mental fortitude and ability to avoid fatal injuries are notable strengths.

However, it is also a fact that Taur has not made close friends and has remained at the lowest G rank.

The sudden appearance of a beautiful young woman with him was enough to make the receptionist suspect some kind of fraud.

“Are you here with Taur today?”

“Yes, I came with Taur.”

“May I ask what your relationship is?”

“Well, we’re... engaged.”

“She’s from the same village and came to rely on me. That’s all.”

When Enna stared at her with a probing gaze, the girl returned a guileless, beaming smile.

Looking at Taur helplessly, he shook his head with an indescribable expression.

It seemed that while she was a bit unusual, she was not the type to deceive others.

On the contrary, from the equipment she was wearing, Taur himself looked more like the one trying to deceive.

Judging that everything was fine, the receptionist handed her a sheet of paper.

“First, please fill out this form with the necessary information. Would you like me to write it for you?”

“Write it for me?”

“No, it’s okay. I can write it myself.”

The necessary information was just her name, age, and place of origin.

After writing her name and the name of her now non-existent village, Sora tilted her head at the age field.

“Um, I’m forty-two this year, right? Taur, is that correct?”

“It’s a hassle, so let’s make it seventeen.”

“Thank you. Next, please touch this.”

The receptionist, who had elegantly ignored Taur and Sora’s odd conversation, placed a large crystal ball on the counter, which she had to support with both hands.

“Wow, what’s this?”

“This is a tool to check your skills. It won’t hurt, so please don’t worry.”

This magical device, known as a Soul Meter, is said to have revealed the existence of skill trees for the first time.

Before its invention, there was no way to identify one’s skills except through divine revelation at the temple, and it was impossible to choose and develop skills.

The adventurer card is a smaller, simplified version of this Soul Meter, with its functions narrowed down.

Taur, peering over Sora’s shoulder, looked at the skill tree reflected in the crystal ball.

It was the same as what he had confirmed when holding her hand on the way, but it was much less clear.

It seemed that the <Temporal Perception> Taur had obtained was indeed special.

Moreover, Taur began to realize that it was not just that.

“Thank you, a white trunk is quite rare. And the <Reversal> magic skill... I’ve never seen this before.”

“Hehe, that’s right. I was the only one in the village who had it.”

“Could you tell me more about the skill?”

“Well, when I do it, attacks are deflected.”

“That’s... amazing. Any kind of attack?”

“Not too fast ones, though.”

The receptionist observed the girl’s proud and bashful face with interest.

Sora, like Taur, was a holder of a unique skill.

The details of the skill were as follows:

<Reversal>—Reverses the attack or effect of the target.

Level 1 / Usable times: 5 per hour / Activation: Instant / Effect: 50% / Range: Recognized

Although it was Level 1, the numbers clearly showed that it was a very useful skill.

Recalling the low-level <Restoration> he had, Taur shook his head.

At the same time, he remembered how the girl had deliberately put herself in harm’s way to protect him in order to catch fast attacks.

“Thank you, I’ve confirmed it. A white trunk and the <Reversal> magic skill... I’ve never seen this before.”

“Hehe, that’s right. I was the only one in the village who had it.”

“Could you tell me more about the skill?”

“Well, when I do it, attacks are deflected.”

“That’s... amazing. Any kind of attack?”

“Not too fast ones, though.”

The receptionist observed the girl’s proud and bashful face with interest.

Sora, like Taur, was a holder of a unique skill.

The details of the skill were as follows:

<Reversal>—Reverses the attack or effect of the target.

Level 1 / Usable times: 5 per hour / Activation: Instant / Effect: 50% / Range: Recognized

Although it was Level 1, the numbers clearly showed that it was a very useful skill.

Recalling the low-level <Restoration> he had, Taur shook his head.

At the same time, he remembered how the girl had deliberately put herself in harm’s way to protect him in order to catch fast attacks.

“I will issue your adventurer card, so please wait a moment.”

“Okay, I’ll wait!”

Sitting on the bench, Sora seemed to relax, taking a deep breath and letting her shoulders drop.

The girl, looking up at Taur with her arms crossed, smiled with a sense of accomplishment.

“Hehe, now I’m an adventurer like Taur.”

“Hey, Sora, are you really sure? If there’s something else you want to do, I can help.”

The image of the girl with her neck stained red with blood flashed in Taur’s mind as he made the final confirmation.

In response, the girl showed a carefree smile.

“Yes, I’m very satisfied. I’m really happy to be able to walk with Taur again.”

With a slight blush, Sora turned the question back to Taur.

“By the way, what’s Taur’s dream? Come on, tell the big sister. I’ll support you with all my might!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected response and the familiar sound of “big sister,” Taur was momentarily speechless.

After scratching under his chin for a while, he began to speak in a whisper.

“I... I want to go far away.”

“Far away?”

“Yeah, I’ve been walking in circles in the same place for so long.”

For Taur, the hunting grounds were the Goblin Forest just outside the city.

For Taur, tomorrow was just another day like today.

For twenty-five years, his life had been a repetitive cycle of similar tasks.

But now, with the <Restoration> he had cultivated and the presence of Sora, things were about to change dramatically.

The day had finally come to stop the endless treading in place.

He had heard from junior adventurers who had moved on about various places.

A river as red as blood.

A wilderness where the wind blew fiercely.

A fort where orcs roamed and a swamp where will-o’-the-wisps floated.

Despite their complaints about never wanting to go back, their faces were filled with various emotions.

The determination to face insurmountable challenges, the pride in defeating powerful enemies, and the deep joy of returning alive with their companions.

These were all things Taur had never experienced.

Places he had only heard about, scenes he could not imagine.

“I want to go. Yeah... I want to go on an adventure.”

“Yeah, let’s go together! Taur.”

Sora’s black eyes met Taur’s gaze head-on.

After a moment of mutual staring, the two nodded in unison.

It was the moment when the adventurer, who had been alone for so long, finally found a companion.