Chapter 16

Adventurer Dogger was ultimately stripped of his qualifications as an adventurer and expelled from the guild on that very day.

I had hoped he would repent and work for the good of society, but apparently, his declaration to oust the current guild master and take his place could not go unpunished.

"Dogger and his gang were already outcasts within the guild."

Rondaito sighed and sat down when we returned to the guild.

"They were a bunch of typical fools who got cocky because they drew powerful skills. They thought too highly of themselves, picky about quests, and caused trouble with clients. The guild couldn't overlook their behavior anymore."

'How could they become so arrogant over such trivial reasons?'

Abinion said with deep contempt.

'Skills do not determine a person's worth. Even if they obtained the ultimate skill, they would still be weaklings that I could crush with a single twist.'

That's true from your perspective as Transcenders...

No matter the skills, they are just like acorns compared to you...

"That's why nothing could be done until today, despite their despicable character, because they had the power. Their skills were indeed powerful, and the guild had to rely on them to complete daily requests."

Rondaito gritted his teeth.

"Improving that situation was thanks to you, Ryuya."

"Me?"

"Even without skills, with your level over eight million, you can handle any quest. There's no need to cater to those scoundrels. Thanks to you, the guild can change significantly."

With that, Rondaito bowed deeply to me.

"Thank you."

"No, no, please don't! The guild master!"

I'm just a low-ranking adventurer who joined yesterday!

"Oh, I've already raised your adventurer rank."

"Eh!?"

"Your guild card should have been automatically updated. Take a look."

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Guild Registration Information

【Name】Ryuya

【Lv】17

【Skills】None

【Criminal Record】None

【Affiliation】Adventurer Guild: Centakilian Capital Branch

【Rank】D

【Suitable Jobs】All

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【Rank】D

The word that once read F now shines brightly.

"Two ranks promotion...!?"

"That's the limit I can do on my own. I feel bad for only giving you this much for liberating the Colant Plain."

"No, no, no, no, no!!"

To be honest, I had already received a hefty sum as a reward for completing the quest.

A sack full of gold coins.

I thought this couldn't be the reward for a training quest and must be for clearing the spirits from the plain.

To get a promotion on top of that is beyond what I could have hoped for!

"As for Noem, I'm sorry, but there's no promotion this time. With your skills, you'll reach C or B rank in no time, so please be patient."

"Not at all! I understand that Ryuya was the one who did all the work!"

Noem was humble despite her youth.

"To be honest, I want you both to reach A rank as soon as possible. You are exceptional, and I've realized that firsthand."

"No, that's too much..."

"I'm not flattering you. You are currently unstable. Your abilities are too strong for your position."

Is that a problem?

"It's a big problem. The existing power holders will not leave you alone. They will either try to recruit you or crush you... To be free from their schemes, you need power. Even we in the guild can't fully protect mere F or D rank adventurers."

'The church, the royal palace, the magic academy, other guilds... There are countless power players who would want to use you.'

"You know a lot about human society, don't you?"

'Of course, fool. Demigods live long, and even trivial information naturally comes to our ears, cuss.'

If you don't want to be used, strengthen yourself and assert your will.

For now, the only way I can protect myself from others' influence is through strength... physical strength.

But using it would lead to war.

Power exists to resolve conflicts peacefully when multiple wills clash. Power itself is not inherently evil.

What is evil is using power for personal gain.

"I understand. For now, I should complete many quests and raise my adventurer rank, right?"

"Same for you, Noem. Frankly, when I heard about Noem's skills, the Craft Guild would not stay silent. Before that happens, you should build as much of a track record as possible to arm yourself with theory."

With that...

"I have a new quest for you. I want you both to take it."

Rondaito handed us a piece of parchment.

A quest acceptance contract?

"This quest is a B or A rank, but you two can handle it without any problem."

"Can we really take a quest above our rank so easily?"

"I'll take full responsibility!!"

Rondaito is so cool!

I want to be embraced by her!

I read through the quest acceptance contract and confirmed its contents.

A delivery quest.

The objective is to collect specified items by the deadline, and the difficulty depends on the quality and quantity of the items.

The items required for this quest are...

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Susu Susuki's Root × 1

Shishi Shishika's Horn × 1

Zuzusa × 1

*Note: Additional items beyond the required number can be purchased.

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Hmm.

I have no idea what any of these are.

Where can I find them?

"This...!?"

Noem, who was peeking at the quest content from my side, exclaimed as if she had realized something.

"Noem, do you know what these are?"

"Ah! No, I just have a hunch, but I'm not sure at all!"

Is that so?

Since this is an A or B rank quest, it must be quite difficult to obtain these items.

"You'll have to risk your life to get all of these. But for Ryuya, it should be easy."

"Too much expectation...!?"

"All of these can be obtained in the dungeon within the city. I'll give you permission, so I want you to dive into the dungeon as soon as possible."

"Dungeon?"

Is there such a thing in the city?

I was born and raised here, but I never knew!

"Dungeons are the source of all resources. They are directly managed by the state. I'll give you permission, so don't hold back."

"Really? No holding back?"

"Within reason...!"

Anyway, as a new adventurer, I can't afford to be picky about jobs.

So, I accepted the quest introduced to me and decided to dive into the dungeon.

"What's a dungeon like? I'm excited!"

'It might be new at first, but it's just a dark and damp place. There are a lot of bugs too.'

Is Abinion coming along too?

And next to her, Noem...

"Could this be... the materials for that...?"

She muttered to herself.

◆

When we arrived at the location Rondaito told us about, a massive door towered before us.

"Is this the entrance to the dungeon...!?"

"It's huge! As big as a castle gate!!"

The Centakilian National Dungeon.

That's what it's called.

Myself and Noem looked up, completely awestruck.

It's really overwhelming. The door is made of heavy metal.

'To prevent monsters from escaping, the management is strict. But to me, this door is like a curtain.'

Abinion, don't try to show off.

"Rondaito isn't coming with us this time."

"She's probably busy."

It's rare for a guild master to accompany adventurers on a quest. Her job is to run the guild properly.

This time, she's focusing on her main duties.

We should focus on our jobs too.

"Excuse me! We're from the Adventurer Guild! We want to enter the dungeon!"

I called out, and after counting to ten, someone finally came to respond.