Chapter 4

The Seeker Guild is said to have been established in the 112th year of the R.P. calendar, as a union to support and manage explorers.

This Red Planet has several unexplored areas, and it is said that especially the dungeons, which are called such, have only been cleared by about thirty percent.

Dungeons are massive sealed spaces that suddenly appear.

Their shape is mainly that of a cave, and they appear without any warning in places that were previously plains or swamps, and do not disappear until someone reaches the deepest part.

To make matters worse, creatures called monsters, which are harmful to humans, tend to spawn from dungeons.

Therefore, it became necessary to have people who regularly slay these monsters or aim to reach the deepest level of the dungeon.

These specialists are known as Seekers.

However, their job is naturally fraught with danger. No one wants to risk their life without any reward.

Thus, the government created a union to support Seekers and made the environment conducive for them to work.

If many Seekers gather, those who get along well can form teams, and if weapons are lent at low prices, the death rate will decrease.

Manuals can be created based on the experiences of Seekers who have cleared dungeons in the past, and if other Seekers have mapped part of a dungeon, that map can be shared with everyone.

The Seeker Guild, with such a history, is one of the largest buildings in the capital.

It is 12 meters high, 30 meters wide, and 25 meters deep.

Above the entrance, a sign is displayed, featuring a logo of two crossed swords in front of a cave entrance, asserting its presence.

The entrance is a double glass door. Inside, there are clean white walls, ceiling, and floor, and many chairs where people who look like Seekers are waiting.

On the walls, request forms, guild reports, and clippings summarizing recent incidents are posted.

The lighting fixtures attached to the ceiling use magic, which, though expensive and out of reach for ordinary people, illuminate the area brightly even at night.

Vampires have good night vision, but there is no rule that the room must be kept dark.

Mercedes stepped into this building, brushing off the curious and mocking gazes of those around her, and headed straight to the counter.

"Oh, a cute child has come. What can I do for you?"

The person at the counter was a beautiful receptionist... if it had been a human, but it was a vampire with a long, thin body and a pale face. Of course, it was a man.

His head was shaved, and there were stitches on his face.

This was a recent fashion trend in the capital. Currently, in the royal capital, it is trendy to have such stitches on the face or arms.

It is a twisted fashion trend made possible by the high regenerative abilities of vampires.

"I want to register as a Seeker."

"Hmm... well, that's fine. Could you just fill out the required sections on this form?"

The form she was given stated that if one becomes a Seeker, they will be granted the right to receive support from this guild.

It also mentioned that the guild's contract does not bind one's freedom, that the guild does not control or command Seekers, and that the guild is not responsible for any misfortune that befalls a Seeker during exploration.

It was also clearly stated that this contract could be terminated at any time.

"Hmm..."

After checking everything, she looked at the section to fill in.

If she was satisfied with these conditions, she was supposed to write her name and age.

There was also a section for address, but it was apparently not necessary to write it if one did not have a fixed address.

Mercedes first wrote her name but hesitated to write Grünwaldt's name.

Grünwaldt was the lord who ruled over this capital and the surrounding areas. Even if he was a concubine's child, it would most likely cause problems.

So, Mercedes decided to write her mother's maiden name.

"I've written it."

"Thank you. ...Hmm, Mercedes Calvert. No address, age 20.

I thought you didn't look your age, but you grow slowly. I'm envious."

The growth rate of vampires is, of course, completely different from that of humans.

They grow like humans until a certain age, but then their growth stops, and the changes in their appearance become very gradual.

The age at which this growth stops varies from person to person. Some continue to grow until they are twenty, while others stop growing in their mid-teens.

There are cases where a woman in her twenties and a child around twelve years old stand side by side, and the one who looks like the child is actually the grandmother.

This age at which growth stops is called the "immortal period," and while the exact mechanism is unknown, it is generally believed that those with an earlier immortal period have more potential to become strong.

"But, you need to write more neatly. The 20 looks like a 1."

"Ah, I'm sorry. Could you fix it for me?"

Mercedes said this nonchalantly, but inside, she apologized to the receptionist.

The receptionist said the 20 looked like a 1, but in fact, it was the opposite. She had intentionally written the 1 to look like a 2.

She wasn't lying. She had written 10.

However, the 1 might have looked a bit messy and like a 2, but that couldn't be helped.

"Then, I'll check your Seeker aptitude.

Could you put some blood on this card?"

"Sure."

Mercedes split her finger with her own nail without hesitation and dripped blood onto the black card the receptionist handed her.

The wound healed instantly, and the receptionist let out an impressed voice.

"Amazing regenerative ability. You must be a promising newcomer?

...What the heck is this?"

The receptionist, who had been looking at the card with expectation, suddenly reverted to a male tone and expressed surprise.

Such a reaction made her a bit uneasy.

Was her status that bad?

"Strength, agility, endurance, stamina, all level 4 or higher?

Regenerative ability level 6? Magic power is just normal at 2... Wait, this is already C or B rank, isn't it...?"

It seemed to be good in a good way.

She didn't understand the ranking system, but it probably indicated the difficulty of the job based on strength.

Mercedes, who was still in a daze, snatched the card from the stunned receptionist and read its contents.

【Mercedes Calvert】

Seeker Rank: F

Primary Attribute: Earth

Secondary Attribute: Wind

Strength: Level 5

Agility: Level 5

Endurance: Level 5

Stamina: Level 4

Magic Power: Level 2

Speed: Level 5

Regeneration: Level 6

From the receptionist's reaction, these numbers were probably good, but with single-digit numbers, they seemed weak.

Mercedes vaguely sensed that she was strong, but she had no one to compare herself to.

She decided to ask him for a safe answer.

"Is this a surprising number?"

"...I got a bit flustered. I'm sorry.

To explain, most Seekers are around level 1 or 2 in all abilities. Level 1 is like a half-trained person, and level 2 is a fully trained person. Level 3 is considered top-notch."

"Just to ask, what is the highest level of the strongest person in this guild?"

"That's personal information, so I can't tell you. But, I can say that you would be in high demand for A-rank jobs."

It seemed that Mercedes' status was quite high.

Since it was better to be high than low, she should be happy with this result.

The five years of training were not in vain.

"Here, this card is now yours.

Personally, I think the F rank is a waste of your abilities. You should take on more jobs and quickly raise your rank. F rank doesn't suit you."

"No, I'll start with easy jobs.

I need to learn what being a Seeker is all about."

"You're cautious."

"I'm just a coward. So, what kind of jobs are there?"

No matter how capable she was, Mercedes was still a beginner with no practical experience.

It was good to have confidence in oneself, but it could easily turn into overconfidence.

Even the most skilled professionals can stumble over a small stone if they let their guard down.

For today, she decided to just feel the atmosphere of the field without pushing herself.

"For F rank, there are requests posted on that board. You can take any you like."

"Got it. I'll be back later."

The receptionist pointed to the board, and Mercedes headed over.

The requests were posted on what seemed to be a corkboard.

The request forms were pinned to the board.

Mercedes looked for a good one among the several request forms.

【Varavolf Brau Capture Request】

Requester: Half Moon Pet Shop

Reward: 20,000 Elka

Deadline: None

Details: The Brau species of Varavolf, which is small, weak, and docile, is popular as a pet. We have run out of them, so we need you to capture some.

If you capture both male and female, we will pay double the reward.

It has been reported that Varavolf Brau appears in the Practice Dungeon and Stark Dungeon.

【Stark Dungeon, Spring Investigation】

Requester: Seeker Guild

Reward: 8,000 Elka

Deadline: Two weeks

Details: It is believed that the spring on the 2nd floor of Stark Dungeon has a healing effect. Please bring back some water for research.

【Stark Dungeon, Mapping】

Requester: Seeker Guild

Reward: 5,000 Elka or more

Deadline: One week

Details: The map of the recently appeared Stark Dungeon is not yet complete. We urgently need a map, so please do the mapping.

Among the several requests, Mercedes noticed these three.

All three specified the same dungeon.

If she mapped the dungeon while searching for the spring and captured the Varavolf if it appeared, it would be efficient.

Mercedes peeled off the three request forms and returned to the receptionist.

"I want to take these three."

"Oh, you're doing them all at once?"

"I think I can handle them concurrently."

"Well, it doesn't seem to be a problem for you. By the way, do you want to rent weapons? We lend them out at a low price.

Of course, you'll have to pay for any damage."

"I'll pass."

"Alright. Here, this is a map showing the location of Stark Dungeon.

It's about a five-hour walk from the capital. There are also carriages to the dungeon, so you might want to take one. We distribute these maps for free, so you can take it."

Deciding to take on the three requests, Mercedes headed outside.

She also received a map and mapping materials like parchment and a pen, but not any weapons.

The low-cost weapon rental was tempting, but she didn't have the money to rent even the low-cost items.

After leaving the guild, she headed to the pet shop without leaving the capital.

First, she needed to check out the requester's store.

Depending on the location and size of the store, she would need to consider how to bring the captured Varavolf Brau back.

(Still...)

It was indeed a country of vampires. It was similar to a human city, but there were natural oddities here and there.

A stray cat walking around had bat-like wings on its back, and the wealthy ladies chatting on the street had wolf men on leashes instead of cute dogs.

They were about 160 cm tall and blue. Could they be the Varavolf Brau?

At a street stall, bottles of bright red blood were sold alongside healing potions.

But she was part of this vampire community. She would have to get used to it.

Feeling a sense of unease due to the difference in common sense from her previous life as a human, Mercedes eventually found the store she was looking for.

Incidentally, there were also wolf men with faces like Chihuahuas or Pomeranians, but their bodies below the neck were muscular.

Starting from next time, she would finally begin wandering through the dungeons.