Chapter 39

Having completed the preparations for the shop, I headed straight for the guild.

I was going to take on a profitable escort request.

The guild was on a scale that couldn't be compared to places like Eleera or Ein.

First, the building was long and wide, made of stone, and looked incredibly sturdy. There were about 15 counters, lined up in a row, and there were a considerable number of adventurers. There were some empty counters, though.

The number of requests was also on par with the number of counters. There were quite a few B-rank requests, which I had never seen in the previous towns. There were no A-rank requests, of course.

I searched among them for an escort request.

None.

There were escort requests to other cities like Tsuva and Dorin, but there wasn't a single request to Desibatora.

Even after checking from G-rank to A-rank, there wasn't a single mention of Desibatora. I had no choice but to ask the receptionist.

"Excuse me, where can I find the escort request to Desibatora?"

"If you're looking for that, it's over there. Do you have the necessary qualifications?"

The receptionist pointed to a request board in a distant area.

But do I need qualifications? Not the adventurer rank?

"Qualifications? Is the adventurer guild's qualification not enough?"

"No, because the abilities required for regular escorts and these are quite different, a separate qualification is set."

Does that mean transporting goods from an empty state, including putting them in an item box, is considered a regular escort?

"Where can I get this qualification?"

"The registration is at that counter, but the exam is only held in the morning. Also, it takes a full day, so please be aware of that."

It seems to be a rather large-scale exam. I thanked her and headed to the counter she pointed to. It was the Photoren-Desibatora transport request window.

Transport? Not escort?

"Excuse me, I'd like to take the certification exam."

"What's your adventurer rank?"

"E, I've been told that my combat ability is sufficient and that I should take on escorts to improve my rank."

"So you're taking the Desibatora transport, are you an idiot?"

That's rude. I want to hear something about courage or manliness.

"No, I don't think so... The branch chief recommended it to me, and I heard they're short-staffed."

"Indeed, there is a chronic shortage of manpower, but it's not so dire that we're sending people to their deaths. Which branch chief said such nonsense?"

"The Eleera branch chief."

"Eleera...? The Eleera branch chief was supposed to be competent... Well, never mind, let's see if you can pass the exam. The exam starts in the morning and takes a full day. When do you want to take it?"

I heard that earlier. I'm currently unemployed, so it's no problem.

"Then I'd like to take it tomorrow. Is there an exam fee?"

"3000 tel is required, which will be returned if you pass and confiscated if you fail."

So it's free if I pass. Probably to prevent people from taking it just for fun?

"Understood, so I just need to come in the morning, right?"

"Yes, tomorrow's examiner is... Gunsoo, and you're the only one registered. You have terrible luck, don't you?"

"Is he that kind of person?"

"Well, as long as you do the exam perfectly, there shouldn't be a problem. You'll be fine."

What happens if I don't, though...

Feeling quite uneasy, I booked a room for the night and went to the guild the next morning.

"From now on, I will conduct the Photoren-Desibatora transport certification exam!"

In front of me stood a man with a strange hat.

"Respond!"

"Yes."

"Are you kidding me! Speak louder!"

There's no other way to respond here.

"Sir! Yes! Sir!"

I understood what the person from yesterday meant.

This isn't Gunsoo, it's a sergeant. Compared to the sergeants I know, he's a bit milder, but it's the difference between a senior and a regular sergeant.

"Alright, follow me!"

It seems to have worked. The translation magic did a good job. I'll give it the right to translate my brilliant naming.

The sergeant led me out of the city.

On the Desibatora side, of course, the battle with monsters was ongoing.

The density of monsters was much higher than in the nearby forest, with at least 20 visible in the area. They looked like strong Gargons.

The wall itself looked sturdy, and I could see adventurers fighting in the distance.

A straight path ran through the area. Am I supposed to transport goods here?

About 50 meters ahead, a black wolf, about 1 meter tall, was visible. It was hard to tell if it was a dog or a wolf, but it had a Green Wolf-like vibe.

"Can you see the Black Wolf over there! Kill it!"

What, right away?

"What's wrong! If you can't do it, you fail!"

"Sir! Yes! Sir!"

If it's an order from a superior, I have no choice. I accelerated with wind magic and quickly approached, slaying it with a magic sword.

"You used magic! What if you run out of magic power when you need it in the middle of something important!"

"Sir! I'll be fine! Sir!"

"Then keep using it and learn the consequences! For now, you've passed the preliminary exam. Decide the weight of the cargo."

Oh, this is normal. Maybe it seemed like a sergeant because the lines overlapped at first.

What should I do? I gave a strange response. I hope the translation magic gives a sensible translation.

"Weight?"

"Yes, the weight of the cargo you will carry at once. During transport, you will need to keep the cargo within this range. For the exam, you will carry the equivalent weight in ballast, fully equipped."

...Why am I carrying the cargo myself? Isn't this supposed to be an escort?

Could this mean I have to run through a monster-infested area and break through?

"I have an item box. Is it okay to use it?"

"...You have magical aptitude and you're a swordsman? I thought magic was only used for non-combat support."

"No, I use both, even in combat."

"...Are you already a Desibatora person before even taking the exam?"

What's this "Desibatora person"? If this were a book, it would definitely have "weirdo" in ruby characters.

"No, I'm just an average magic swordsman."

I'm not lying. If I'm the only one, then I am the average.

"Understood, it was a mistake for me to try to explain the norms to a Desibatora person. Then, it's fine to carry a 0 kg item box. The capacity will be measured later."

It was accepted. It feels a bit off, but I think it was accepted.

"Yes, what's the exam content?"

"First, run 50 laps around Photoren with this card. If necessary, there will be a combat test afterward."

The card I received was a board slightly smaller than a guild card. It said "0 laps." It might be a similar system to the guild card.

"Understood, should I start now?"

"Yes, the exam starts in the morning because it takes a long time."

From the entrance of Photoren to here is about 1 kilometer. Assuming it's a square, one lap is about 4 kilometers, so 50 laps would be about 200 kilometers.

Even at 80 kilometers per hour, it would take 2.5 hours, which is quite a long time. And with monsters around, the speed might drop. ...Hmm?

"Um, there are monsters, right?"

"Of course, you'll have to scatter or evade them while running. That's the test. If you defeat monsters alone during the course, it will be recorded on the card. There's no reward, but depending on the number and type, you might be exempt from the D-class or lower combat test."

"How many do I need to be exempt?"

"About 50 Black Wolves or 100 Hami Clubs."

That's quite a lot. Well, I can just use magic to kill any monsters I see.

"Then, I'll start running."

"Alright, good luck."

So, I started.

I did a crouching start to feel more athletic, but it didn't really increase my speed. Of course not, since the main source of acceleration at the start is magic.

I went counterclockwise from the front of the outer wall, where the monsters were. With wind magic, my speed was about 100 kilometers per hour, so even with slowing down at the corners and fighting monsters, it shouldn't take more than 3 hours. About 3 minutes per lap.

With this estimate, I started running with high spirits. I reached the first corner after 2 minutes.

This fort is definitely not just 1 kilometer wide.

Well, the task remains the same. Since I don't get tired and have an endless supply of magic, I maintained my pace, taking a wide turn at the corner to avoid slowing down—

Wait, the ground disappeared. I quickly used magic to fly back to the course.

It seems the side of the fort is by the sea. The path is made by shaping the cliff, and it might have been a beach or something originally.

The path is only about 3 meters wide, but it's not bad.

I regained my composure and continued running when a new threat appeared.

A training ground familiar from sports manga: a sandy beach. The path widened but turned into a sandy beach, making it extremely difficult to run.

I gave up on running and floated slightly above the ground to fly. Finally, I left the sandy beach and reached the next corner. The narrow path and sandy beach combined were about 1 kilometer. It felt long, but it probably took less than a minute.

This area was a grassy plain with scattered trees, making it easy to run.

After about 3 minutes of running, I reached the next corner. After the sandy beach and narrow path combo, I turned the last corner and returned to the starting point in about 1 minute. It probably took about 9 minutes in total, covering about 12 kilometers.

...50 laps, how long will it take?

50 laps is the distance of about 14 full marathons.

Desibatora adventurers carry cargo and complete this in no more than 20 hours.

In the protagonist's case...