Chapter 5

"Welcome, are you here to register?"

"Yes."

"Do you need an explanation about the adventurer registration?"

The receptionist, with her short bob and neatly cut brown hair, wearing a dark navy uniform, asked.

"Please."

"Here is a guide to the Adventurer Guild," she said, opening a leaflet-like document to show me.

I answered normally when asked, but the log window also displayed the options. However, it seems that even normal conversation and responses are recognized. It would have been embarrassing if they weren't! And it's good that it recognized more than just 'yes' or 'no'!

The receptionist continued her explanation, ignoring my inner turmoil.

"Anyone without a criminal record can register as an adventurer for free. The adventurer card we provide after registration also serves as an ID, and you may be asked to show it outside the guild."

She pointed to the relevant sections in the leaflet as she began her explanation.

"The ranks range from F to A, and above that, S. Solo adventurers can take on requests of their own rank, while parties can take on requests up to one rank higher than the lowest-ranked member. You will start at F rank upon registration."

"Rank-ups are possible when you complete a certain number of requests. In some cases, you may need to take an exam."

"The main job of the Adventurer Guild is to mediate requests for adventurers. Requests are generally posted on the bulletin board, so choose the one you want to take and apply at this counter with your guild card. You will receive a request form. You can take up to three requests at a time. When you complete a request, bring the request form and your guild card to the counter. You don't always need to take ongoing requests; reporting and delivering items is sufficient."

"Ongoing requests have no deadline and no fee, but requests with a specified period have a 'deposit' called an acceptance fee. If you complete the request within the period, the acceptance fee will be refunded, but if you don't, it won't be. However, acceptance fees are waived up to E rank."

"If you commit a crime after registration, your guild card will turn red. You can return it to its original color by paying a fine, but for serious crimes, an 'X' will be marked on the card even if you return it to its original color. If your card is red, you will not be able to use the guild, among other penalties. I don't think it will happen, but please be careful."

She explained casually, but is there a possibility of becoming a criminal?

The only thing that comes to mind is PK (killing other players). Is PK allowed? It seems to have become quite violent.

"That concludes the explanation. Please read the other details in this guide when you have free time."

When I took the leaflet, it disappeared from my hand, and a menu opened, adding a 'Guild' section to the help. There was also a 'Partner Card' section.

It seems that the usage and overview of things you experience are added to the help, which is quite convenient.

"Please place your hand on this card."

She handed me a transparent card, slightly larger than a real-world cash card, on a thin stone tray. I placed my hand on it as instructed. A pattern resembling English cursive appeared along the edge of the stone tray, moving clockwise. After one full circle, the card glowed faintly, changing from transparent to a deep smoky quartz color.

"Please take it. The card will also record your request completion history."

Homura

Rank F

Occupation: Mage

Title: None

The card I received was simple, with only three lines. When I touched the pouch on my belt, the item window opened, and the card moved from my hand to the pouch. The card does not count towards the item limit and added an extra slot. The initial pouch can hold 30 more items. The top-left corner of the slot display showed 1,000 silvers.

You can check your status from the status window, even without the card. The status window now includes the 'F' rank, indicating that it is linked.

The explanation continued while I closed the window. It seems that the guild card allows the owner to view various data, such as the number of defeats. The occupation displayed on the card is the one set in the leftmost slot, and the title can be displayed at your discretion. Additionally, as Galahad mentioned, you can duplicate and exchange partner cards from the guild card.

"That concludes the registration explanation."

《Let's try accepting a guild request.》

The receptionist concluded with a smile, and an announcement followed.

《Guild requests can be accepted by finding them on the bulletin board and applying at the counter.》

《You can also accept requests from the request list in the menu while inside the guild.》

《Let's try accepting a request from the menu this time.》

It seems you don't need to stand in front of the bulletin board; you can look for requests while relaxing in the bar. I followed the guidance and accepted my first request. The request was as follows:

Rank F

Request Name: 3 Hare Horns (3-day period)

Requester: Pico

Report: Guild

Reward: 50 silvers

Acceptance Fee: None

* Bring 3 hare horns from Fastbloom! *

Yes, it's the rabbit I ate earlier. The request form on the bulletin board had slightly less information.

《Fastbloom is located south of the south gate. This time, we will transfer you there and conduct a combat tutorial.》

My vision turned white again, and I found myself in a grassland. It felt strange to be blinded without the sun. When I first appeared in the square, I thought it was dizziness and was a bit anxious.

《Let's try finding a hare.》

The grassland stretched as far as the eye could see. I had imagined knee-high grass, but here it was covered with soft, ankle-high grass, more like a pasture.

I turned my gaze towards a presence, and there was a brown creature with a bad attitude and horns, which looked more like a rabbit. The rabbit's front teeth were sharp and looked quite vicious.

I used the [Animal Monster Appraisal].

【Hare】

Classification: Monster

This is the information I knew.

The announcement played as if the appraisal had been recognized.

《Monsters come in two types: non-active, which do not attack unless attacked, and active, which attack when you enter their range.》

《If a player's HP reaches 0, they become unable to fight and die after 60 seconds, reviving at the last visited temple.》

《Dying reduces your held money by half and imposes a penalty of reduced stats for a certain period.》

《The maximum HP can increase or decrease based on VIT and other factors.》

The menu opened, and the HP gauge was glowing.

It's best to always display this.

I pulled the three gauges from the menu window and set them to always display at the edge of my vision. The gauges are for HP, MP, and EP. I also displayed the clock.

The semi-transparent window floating at a certain distance from my body felt quite strange.

The [Animal Monster Appraisal] seemed to have slightly reduced my EP.

《Let's try using magic.》

《Do you have a staff or magic book equipped? You can cast magic with bare hands, but there will be no weapon bonus.》

《Using magic consumes MP, which represents your magic power.》

《If your MP reaches 0, you will suffer from [Dizziness] and [Anemia] and other bad statuses.》

《These statuses can be recovered by recovering MP.》

《If you leave your MP at 0, your HP will start to decrease, so recover it quickly.》

《The maximum MP can increase or decrease based on INT and other factors.》

The MP gauge was glowing during the announcement.

Next, the EP gauge glowed.

《Physical attacks and certain skills consume EP, which represents hunger and burst strength.》

《Physical skills have 'required EP' and 'consumed EP.' When you use a skill, the 'required EP' temporarily decreases, and it gradually recovers to the original EP value minus the 'consumed EP.'》

《The EP gauge decreases naturally even if you do nothing.》

《If your EP reaches 0, your movement speed will be reduced to one-tenth of normal, so be careful.》

《Movement speed can be recovered by eating and recovering EP.》

《If you leave your EP at 0, your MP will start to decrease, so recover it quickly.》

I think eating is very important.

《During the tutorial, any HP/MP/EP lost will be recovered at the end.》

《Let's check the magic and spells you can use.》

I tapped the glowing items in the menu. What exactly is [Metal Magic]?

Fire Magic: Fire Needle (MP 3)

Water Magic: Water Needle (MP 3)

Metal Magic: Needle (MP 3)

They are displayed in separate tabs, but it seems I can only use one of each type for now. 'Needle' probably means creating a needle...

《Recognize the target and cast the spell you want to use.》

You can't select from the menu? Shouting out the skill name and spell feels embarrassing. Well, if the window is open, you can select from the menu, but it's cumbersome to look at the menu and instantly tap the needed spell.

...I'll believe in the existence of non-verbal casting.

"Needle!"

I raised my staff and cast the spell. For basic magic, you only need to chant the element and name, but the more powerful the spell, the longer the incantation, and it can be canceled if you are attacked during casting, according to the announcement.

As expected, a 'needle' appeared. It was a metal needle, about the size of a knitting needle, not a sewing needle. When the needle hit the hare, it let out a screech and charged at me with its horns.

I hastily cast another 'needle' and jumped. The hare and the needle collided, and the hare lost its balance and fell. I cast 'needle' again.

I panicked and repeated it, but it turned out well. The hare disappeared in a burst of light.

I had aimed to become a magic swordsman, but maybe I should reconsider. If this had been a close combat, I would have been overwhelmed. No, I'll get used to it and be able to handle it calmly, I'm sure.

The 'needle' didn't look like magic, but it was cool and I liked it.

《You have obtained a hare horn.》

《You have obtained hare meat.》

《When you defeat monsters, they drop items. These drops can be used for delivery and production, so try various things.》

《Two more to go. Keep this up.》

My MP seems to have enough left from the previous battle, but I want to save it just in case.

Will it recover if I sit down? I looked around to confirm there were no enemies and lay down on the spot.

Sorry, but I've never seen such a soft, bug-free grassland in the real world! After the tutorial, there will be other players in the grassland!

I lay down and looked at the sky, thinking it would be just for a moment. The sky was full of clouds moving quickly. The wind on the ground was gentle, but it seemed quite strong in the upper air.

The feeling of wanting to take a nap ended. A small, dull thud came from the ground. It was probably the hare jumping.

I got up quietly and saw a hare farther away than before.

《You have obtained a hare horn.》

《You have obtained hare skin.》

This time, the hare dropped skin instead of meat. The quest item, the horn, is still there, but I learned that drops can change. It's skin, not fur.

My MP didn't recover while I was resting, so I need to buy MP recovery potions. I don't doubt that there are potions, as in other games. If I miss an attack, I might be in trouble, so I approached the third hare quietly from behind and launched a preemptive attack.

This time, I tried using Water Needle and Fire Needle. I wondered if Japanese wouldn't work, but 'Water Needle' also worked. It seems to be flexible.

《You have obtained a hare horn.》

《You have obtained hare skin.》

《You have completed the request '3 Hare Horns.'》

《The following skills have been added to your skill list: [Natural MP Recovery], [Natural HP Recovery], [Keen Eyes], [Stealth], [Awareness], [Ambush], [Martial Arts].》

《Skills are added to your list based on your actions and can be learned using skill points.》

《There are other ways to obtain skills, so try various things.》

《Skill points are obtained through level-ups and other means.》

《Let's report the request at the Adventurer Guild.》

My vision turned white again, and when it returned, I was in front of the guild counter. I peeked into the bar, but Galahad was gone. I tried talking to three people drinking, but I only got some basic knowledge about adventuring.

I've already hunted the hares! This information is late!

I want more NPC partner cards because my login time with friends is different, and I can't call them to battle.

I gave up and reported the request.

"Please accept my report."

I handed over my guild card and the hare horns.

"Thank you. Here is your guild card. Please place the parts here."

I placed the guild card on the same stone plate as when I received it and the horns on a dark brown space slightly to the right of the receptionist.

"The request has been confirmed. I will process the payment."

The edge of the stone plate and the dark brown space where the horns were placed glowed. The horns disappeared, and 50 silvers appeared on the counter.

"Thank you for your hard work. Here is your reward."

I took the 50 silvers, and the process ended. What a convenient counter.

I should ask the receptionist's name.

《You can report requests from the request list in the menu while inside the guild.》

《You can also sell items from the menu, so use it.》

《This concludes the tutorial.》

《Thank you for your hard work.》

Time was up.

I found myself back in the fountain square.

Before I forgot, I selected Galahad from the partner card list and chose to hand over the card. There was only one person on the list, after all.

《You have obtained the title [Communicator].》

《Announcement: A player has exchanged a partner card with a resident of the 'Other World.' Information will now be disclosed.》

《If you become close to a resident and meet certain conditions, they may give you a partner card. By exchanging cards, you can invite them to battles.》

《You can obtain multiple resident cards, but you can only exchange your own card with one person. If you discard the exchanged card, you can exchange it again, but you cannot receive a new card from the same resident. In some quests, the number of exchangeable residents may increase.》

《You can only exchange once with each resident. Two players cannot exchange cards with the same resident.》

《If you do not log in for more than three months, the resident's received card will be discarded, and you can give them a new card.》

《There are many residents in the 'Other World.' Actively engage with them.》

!?

Is it me!?

It's me, I can only think