Chapter 5

Ah, I said I needed some time, but I've finished writing the first episode, so I'll post it.

I think it will take some time to post the next episode.

Hello, everyone.

I was able to enter the city of [Dijel] without any problems, and currently, I'm being guided to the guild by Arma.

The cityscape feels more like a beautiful foreign town you'd see on TV rather than a different world.

Well, rather like a girl delivering packages on a broom... I'll stop there.

What does a city in a different world look like? With fluorescent lights everywhere and residents flying around? No, that's not quite right.

While thinking about this and walking around the city, I arrived in front of a building with a sign for the Adventurer's Guild.

It's bigger than I thought. About the size of a school gym?

Oh, the entrance looks like a Western-style saloon door. It makes a creaking sound every time someone goes in or out.

"This is the Adventurer's Guild. I take requests here and go to the forest to slay monsters."

"Wow, this is the guild?"

When I think of an Adventurer's Guild, I imagine a bulletin board filled with various requests, a beautiful receptionist, and getting harassed by a rough guy on my first visit.

...I'd rather skip the last part.

As I entered, making a creaking sound, the interior was mostly as I imagined.

There are request papers posted on the bulletin board, but they're not just randomly stuck up. They're categorized by type, such as monster slaying, ruins exploration, and herb gathering.

Well, it would be hard to distinguish them otherwise, so it makes sense. Seeing them neatly organized like this, it reminds me of a work checklist, which somewhat dampens the excitement.

The guild is bustling with various people.

Old and young, different professions, and different weapons. Just looking at each person reveals their unique characteristics.

I went to the reception counter, and Arma started talking to the receptionist.

"I'm back. Please check my history."

She handed over a request card.

"Sure, sure... Two Kobolds and six Goblins, right? Good work!"

The receptionist is a beautiful blonde with blue eyes and a gentle demeanor. She must have an appraisal skill to see the slaying history.

After the check, she took money from the register and handed it over.

"Two Kobolds for 1400 en, six Goblins for 3000 en, a total of 4400 en. Please confirm."

"Thank you. And, I have someone who wants to join the guild. Please handle the procedures."

"Huh? It's rare for Arma to introduce someone, actually, it's the first time. You usually take solo requests."

"Yeah. They don't have a place to go and are in trouble, so please help."

She then looked at me.

"Ah, I'm Kajiwa Kouryu. As you can see from my status, I'm having trouble finding a job."

"Huh? Let me check... Job classification impossible? Ability values are all 2? Skills unobtainable... But, one Kobold and two Goblins slain!? What's going on here??"

The receptionist, confused and flustered, looked a bit cute... I mean, no.

"It seems I was born a bit differently, and my status is as you see. I can't get hired anywhere, so I thought I'd take on relatively safe guild requests to make a living."

"I see. It seems there are some complicated circumstances. You have a record of slaying monsters, so I assume you can defend yourself?"

"Well, one at a time, I can manage."

"By the way, I saw him take a club from a Goblin and knock out two of them right in front of me."

Arma, thanks for the support, but your phrasing...

"Uh... I see. Then, please sign this registration form..."

The receptionist, tired of understanding, quickly finished the registration. Sorry for being complicated.

"Please note that depending on the request, there may be a penalty if you fail."

"Understood. By the way, I'd like to take on a request right away. Do you have any recommendations for a relatively safe one?"

"Well, for beginners, herb gathering is a good choice."

She then took out a plant similar to mugwort from under the counter. Is it always prepared there?

Checking the menu.

【Hiruka's Herb (Rootless)】

<An herb used as a material for HP recovery potions. It has restorative effects not only in the leaves and stems but also in the roots, so it's best to dig it up from the roots.>

The sample doesn't have roots.

"This is a sample taken by another beginner earlier. This herb is in high demand, and we always accept gathering requests. We buy it for 100 en per plant if it's properly gathered."

...The sample isn't proper, but that's beside the point.

Well, she's hinting that this might not be the proper state since it was gathered by a beginner, but it's a bit mean.

Probably trying to say that even simple requests require preparation and information gathering.

"I'll take the herb gathering request."

"Understood. Here's your request card."

"Thank you. By the way, are there any points to be careful about when gathering herbs?"

"Well, there might be similar plants nearby, so be careful not to pick the wrong one."

"Is there anything else?"

"Um, the places where this herb grows near the town are mostly the northern grasslands. There are hardly any monsters, but be cautious of your surroundings."

...She doesn't seem to want to talk about the important things.

Guess I have to figure out the gathering method myself.

"Understood, thank you. It's my first request, so I'll do my best to dig up as many as possible."

"Ah, yes. Be careful."

She saw me off with a look that seemed to say, "Do you know the gathering method?"

Maybe I was a bit mean too.

After leaving the guild, I decided to head to the inn where I'll stay tonight.

It's a very cheap wooden inn with basic facilities for washing, no meals, and costs around 1000 en per night.

Arma usually stays there too, and apparently, it's quite comfortable for the price.

"Since you usually stay at an inn, did you become independent right after turning adult? That's impressive."

"Yeah. After deciding on a job, I somehow felt uncomfortable staying at home..."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's..."

"Ah, Arma. Bringing a guy is rare. Are you short on money and selling yourself?"

While talking to Arma, a very rude voice came from behind.

Turning around, I saw three girls taller than Arma looking at us.

They don't seem like friends. They look like typical bullies.

"Are you that desperate to sell yourself to such a dull old man? Poor thing. How about I lend you some money? Even a half-breed like you can be helped, you know? Hehe."

The middle girl, a red-haired twin-tailed swordsman, continued.

"Of course, you have to return it doubled within three days. If you can't, I'll sue and throw you in jail."

The girl with blue hair in a ponytail, an archer, said with a smirk.

"Hey, stop it, both of you. It's cruel."

The silver-haired long-haired mage said, slightly pulling back.

Wow.

What are these girls?

The silver-haired one aside, the other two are clearly talking down to us.

No way. What's so fun about harassing us like this? Girls' bullying is scary.

And who's calling me an old man? I'm only 30, if you round up.

"I'm not short on money. I'm just guiding him to the inn. It's not selling myself."

"The inn? That shabby place? You can say you're not short on money when you're staying there?"

"Well, it suits a half-breed with an unlucky job."

"Hey, both of you..."

Arma's expression darkened slightly.

I could feel a hint of frustration and regret in her changed expression.

...Dangerous, she might snap.

I didn't expect to get so angry seeing Arma being mocked.

I opened my mouth without thinking.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm a half-breed with an unlucky job. But compared to me, Arma is a very kind person who helps someone like me in a crisis and even introduces me to the guild and guides me to the inn."

"What? What are you saying, old man?"

"Well, to be able to see my status at a glance, you must be a pro. Here, this is a list."

I showed the appraisal paper to the three girls.

How about that! When I say "unlucky," I mean someone like me! I want to cry.

"Wait, this isn't just a half-breed level..."

"Old man, how have you been living until now?"

"Poor thing... And this seems to be a Filus Daim appraisal, so it's not a mistake..."

The three girls were taken aback.

Well, that's the reaction you'd expect.

"Compared to me, she saved me from a life-threatening situation, introduced me to the guild when she knew I had nowhere to go, and even guided me to the inn. She's a wonderful person, almost like an angel! Don't you think so?!"

I said something weird in a rush, but I'm fed up.

"Alright, I get it. Don't come near me. ...Arma, you should be careful about who you know. Bye."

She said and quickly left.

The silver-haired girl seemed to say, "Old man, good luck," but it would hurt more, so I'd rather she didn't.

After the three girls left, Arma looked at me with a face that seemed to want to say something.

"Sorry, I said something weird. If it caused trouble, I apologize. If you don't want to walk with me, you can keep your distance—"

"Sorry."

Arma, looking down, spoke.

"Sorry for making you do that to protect me. You shouldn't have shown your status to others."

"Well, it's not exactly a status to be proud of. But it's better than facing a group of Goblins alone. Right?"

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Let's head to the inn. I've been walking since before dawn and I'm exhausted."

"...Okay."

She said and started walking towards the inn again.

I feel like I've added another black mark to my history.

But I couldn't stand seeing Arma being harassed like that.

Even though I'm used to being mocked myself.

By the way, Arma mentioned an unlucky job. What does that mean?

Job: [Apprentice Paladin]

<A job given to those who possess both sword skills and offensive magic skills. It combines the characteristics of an apprentice swordsman and an apprentice mage, but the ability value increase from level-ups is low, and skill growth is slow, making it a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none job. At level 10, you can change to a swordsman, mage, or ■■■■■. The growth rate becomes the same after the job change, but there will be a slight difference in the ability values and skill growth at the apprentice stage. Choosing swordsman will eliminate offensive magic skills, and choosing mage will eliminate sword skills.>

That's a long explanation. In short, it's a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none compared to specialized jobs.

And a job change? When you rank up, you can only use either swords or magic.

Is that why it's considered unlucky? Hmm.

And what's the third option for the job change? It's probably Paladin, right?

<There are no precedents, so the details are unknown. No one has met the conditions for the job change.>

Conditions? There are conditions for the job change?

<For example, to change to a swordsman, you need to have the sword skill and reach level 10.>

In other words, you need to have the specific skills for the job and reach a certain level.

Assuming it's Paladin, what skills would be required?

Thank you for reading.

I'll write the names and stats of the three girls if I get the chance (I didn't say I definitely will).