Chapter 2: Beginner Player

"Still, the countryside is nice. There aren't many players, and the village exploration quest is over quickly."

Nick soon returned to the guild, and Ein, who couldn't sleep due to the commotion, handed him a sturdy wooden club.

"Then, shall we start the test for official membership? It won't take long, and you don't need to feel pressured. The purpose is not to check your skills but to get you familiar with the process of accepting and reporting on quests."

"Finally, the tutorial is ending... What kind of quest is it?"

"There's a quest to catch mice in the food storage. It's something an E-rank can do."

"An ominous feeling... How many do I need to catch?"

"You need to catch five."

"Not fifty, but five? This is a total newbie game!"

Newbie game. Ein quickly tried to break down and recombine the words in his head to guess the meaning, but nothing came to mind. He could only guess that Nick's excited expression, which anyone could see, wasn't negative.

Thinking it might be a form of high praise, Ein headed to the food storage with Nick.

Nick's occasional swings of the club, though clumsy even to his own eyes, didn't worry Ein much, as blunt weapons might not be his specialty.

"Mr. Nick, what did you mainly hunt in other places?"

"Early on... dung beetles? Slimes? In any game, you have to hunt dozens of them, so I like that this quest is easy."

"Slimes?!"

Ein was surprised.

Very weak slimes can be exterminated by D-rank, but they are resistant to most physical attacks and some even spew acidic liquid, making them targets for C to B-rank mercenaries and adventurers.

Some slimes even have one or more magic resistances in their skin, posing a risk of total party wipe if the party composition isn't good.

Areas with slimes known as 'Silent Lake' or 'The Deepest Swamp' are off-limits to mercenaries below A-rank.

Given this, it was likely that the 'dung beetles' Nick mentioned weren't ordinary insects.

There was a famous story about a B-rank mercenary whose sword was shattered by the shell of a heavily armored dung beetle in a deep forest, and the mercenary was then torn apart alive.

Thinking that Nick might be a much more formidable adventurer than he appeared, Ein let out a low sigh of admiration as he looked at Nick.

"You're really amazing..."

"Huh? Really? It's easy when you have a group, but I usually play solo..."

The word 'solo' made Ein choke. Nick had exterminated slimes and dung beetles alone?

Ein was convinced that Nick was a mage, and not just a support mage but one with powerful area-of-effect spells.

That would explain why Nick wasn't familiar with blunt weapons and why he muttered strange things from time to time.

Ein's mouth went dry.

Even a weak slime, if hunted in dozens, would quickly promote a mercenary to B-rank, and depending on the type, even to A-rank.

Thinking this, Ein wondered if he was the right person to handle Nick.

Someone of this caliber should be handled by the deputy guild master, or even the guild master, not him.

Judging that losing this mage would be a big loss, Ein's attitude became even more respectful.

"You're really amazing!"

"It's not that amazing. But what kind of quests can I take on after I level up?"

"Stronger beasts, like fanged rabbits, or hunting brown wolves and wild boars in a group. If the numbers are small, stray goblins or kobolds should be manageable."

"Guiding like you?"

"Ah, in my case... I score points by scouting or running errands, or by guiding like now. It's not easy to level up since it's less risky."

Ein chuckled awkwardly.

Moreover, non-combat quests alone can only get you to C-rank, so combat is mandatory to go further, but he wasn't ready for that yet.

But this wouldn't apply to Nick.

Thinking he might not see Nick again from tomorrow, Ein felt a sense of attachment.

"Ah, we're here. The food storage."

"Great!"

Nick, still swinging the wooden club clumsily, opened the door to the food storage. It smelled of grain and a slight stench of mouse droppings.

It was dark, but there should be about five mice that weren't deliberately caught.

Ein decided to wait outside, thinking nothing would go wrong.

'Will he use magic now?'

As he watched Nick walk in with hopeful eyes, Nick suddenly shouted.

"Ah! They burst when you hit them with this crazy club!!!"

"Uh...?"

"Ah! Don't attack me!!"

Thud! Thud! Thud! Stab!

"It's adult mode, but they even implemented internal organs and the smell of blood! Is this crazy? I can't do it!! I can't!!!"

"...Mr. Nick, you've caught one..."

"I've seen mice before, but only the ones caught by cats or in traps, not like this, Ah!!!"

"Cheer up, Mr. Nick!"

It took Nick about two hours to catch three mice.

"Ugh."

"It's okay. It's okay."

"It's too realistic. It feels so squishy when they burst..."

"It's understandable. It's natural, after all."

"Blood and flesh splattered on my face..."

"I'll give you a handkerchief."

Nick was vomiting in a corner.

Ein felt something was wrong but, as it was his job to take care of the struggling new member, he patted Nick's back as best he could.

"Ah... I applied adult and hard mode to enjoy the game. The sensory implementation and graphics are too good, so... Ugh!"

"Shall we do it tomorrow?"

"My HP decreased from vomiting. It's sad. No, I'll keep going."

Ein speculated that Nick might not be used to seeing blood or might use magic that doesn't involve blood.

Slimes only need their core destroyed, so there's no blood. Or if he uses fire magic, it would just burn them without blood.

Nick, looking somewhat haggard, got up and muttered weakly.

"Settings."

"?"

Then, he waved his hand in the air, manipulating a transparent window that appeared in front of him, sometimes muttering words that Ein couldn't even recognize.

Seeing this, Ein nodded, confirming his suspicions.

'Sure enough, he's a mage. I don't know what kind of magic, but maybe he's practicing melee weapons to become a sword mage!'

Meanwhile, Nick adjusted all the settings, took a deep breath, and shook his head.

"Done."

"Ah! Is it a body enhancement spell?"

"Sort of? A spell to make me numb? A spell to make blood look like something else?"

Nick chuckled awkwardly and stared at the club he used to kill the mice.

"But having flowers instead of blood is a bit much. I'll change it back later."

"Illusion magic can be illegal in certain situations, you know...?"

After that, empowered by the setting changes, Nick quickly exterminated the mice and completed the quest.

After chasing away a small venomous snake and completing a few minor errands, it was already dusk.

Finally, back at the guild, when Ein handed Nick a small copper badge signifying a D-rank mercenary, Nick sighed, looking at his name.

"Damn... I should have been more careful..."

"It's free the first time, but you have to pay if you change it or lose it and get a new one."

"Cheapskate!"

"It's not like I'm digging the earth for business! Even gold plating is quite expensive."

"Terrible game..."

"Did you just swear?!"

The tone was cute and adorable, but it was clearly different from when Nick used the term 'newbie game.' Ignoring Ein's question, Nick asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Can I level up to C-rank today?"

"Huh? Well, it's not impossible, but it's difficult."

"I've disabled the pain sensation, so I'm not scared."

"Are you really using illegal illusion magic?!"

Ein was really worried, but Nick's face was serious and full of confidence.

In the end, Ein raised his hand first.

"While it's possible to take on difficult quests, I don't recommend it. Being a mercenary is already a dangerous job, and you don't need to have such experiences so early..."

"There's a group of wild boars called Red Fangs, right? I want to hunt them."

"Listen to me! And where did you hear that?"

"From the official website."

Ein's head throbbed. By his standards, Red Fangs were far too challenging for a newly D-ranked mercenary.

Even if Nick was an excellent mage, mages and Red Fangs didn't have good synergy.

"No way."

"Why? You're not fighting anyway."

"..."

Ein immediately regretted promoting Nick so quickly.

If he had known Nick would act so recklessly, he should have been more cautious.

"Then, how about hunting a small wolf? I'll recognize your skills. The quick path only leads to death."

"What a persistent tutorial NPC..."

"I'm thinking about your well-being, Mr. Nick..."

"Alright, alright. Hunting a wolf, then?"

"Yes. Then... Wow!"

Nick put the club in his inventory, but Ein, unaware of this, was startled by the sudden disappearance of the club from Nick's hand.

Nick put the wooden club in his inventory and took out an iron sword and a wooden shield given to him upon reaching D-rank.

Seeing Nick fully equipped, Ein felt a strange sense of expectation that this time might be different.

A small brown wolf, one of the weakest wolves, should be manageable for a D-rank mercenary. But thinking of Nick's clumsy performance with the mice, Ein was extremely anxious.

After stretching a few times, Nick headed to the field outside the village. A few incisor rabbits passed by, but they were relatively docile and didn't attack, just glancing at them a few times before continuing to graze.

While walking and watching the incisor rabbits graze, Nick suddenly shouted.

"Found it!"

Sure enough, not far away, a brown wolf was growling and staring at Nick.

"Let's see, the wolf pattern... It scratches the ground twice with its paw and then crouches."

The wolf had already scratched the ground twice by the time Nick started speaking. The wolf wouldn't wait for Nick's leisurely approach.

The wolf immediately pounced, biting Nick's shoulder.

"Mr. Nick!"

Ein's scream echoed as blood splattered in the air.

Nick's body was thrown to the ground, and the wolf's teeth dug into his neck, trying to crush his spine.

But Nick's response was calm and collected.

"Oh, this one was a first-strike monster, right?"