Chapter 2

As soon as I stepped inside,

Whoosh—Thud.

A knife suddenly flew at my face, and I instinctively grabbed it. ...This is worse than I imagined.

"You have a new face."

The woman approaching me had red hair and red eyes.

"Is this from you?"

"Yes?"

"That's dangerous."

I said, returning the knife.

"If it's dangerous, why don't you leave?"

She chuckled, but her eyes didn't smile. It's scary.

"I can't do that. I'm starting to work here from today."

At those words, I felt the gazes of the adventurers around me converge on me.

"Huh. So, you're the new toy?"

...Toy? Did I hear wrong?

"Can you show me around?"

The woman stepped aside.

"Thank you."

As I passed by her, she whispered, "Good luck," in a low voice. The guild was filled with adventurers. They lined up at every reception desk, and occasionally, shouts broke out over queue disputes. Truly, the town of adventurers, Tauran. The quality of adventurers here is no joke.

"Hehe. Look? That guy is apparently the new staff member?"

"How long will he last? I bet two days."

"Idiot. He won't last half a day. Hehe."

I heard ominous conversations. What's going on here? Is it the end of the world?

I approached the receptionist instead of the reception desk where the adventurers were lined up.

"Excuse me?"

"What is it?"

I felt relieved by the gentle smile of the receptionist.

"I'm here to work from today, Teppe Setten. I would like to meet the Guild Master."

"Ah, you're the one expected to arrive today. ...You're quite young. I feel sorry for you. The Guild Master's office is on the third floor."

"Really? ...Ah, thank you. I look forward to working with you."

"Sure."

Did my ears deceive me? I've been hearing inappropriate words since just now. I shook off the feeling and climbed the stairs.

The Guild Master's office was surprisingly easy to find. On the third floor, there were the 'Guild Master's Office' and the 'Accounting Department.'

I knocked on the Guild Master's door, and a response came from inside, "Come in."

"Excuse me."

Inside, an old man with white hair was smoking a cigarette. If my prior research was correct, his name is 'Barizas,' the 25th Guild Master of the Tauran Adventurer's Guild. He was originally an adventurer and reached the highest rank, 'S.'

"Who are you? I don't have any guests scheduled for today."

"Sir Barizas. A new adventurer handler is expected from the capital today."

The woman standing next to the old man, who must be his secretary, said this matter-of-factly.

"Oh, right. Today, huh? So, you're the new adventurer handler?"

I responded with a smile.

"Yes, I've been dispatched from the capital. My name is Teppe Setten."

"Hmm. ...Then, Mina, please show him around."

His lack of enthusiasm made me half-exasperated.

"Sure, I'll show you around."

Then, the blonde woman called Mina led me out of the room. She seemed like a capable person.

"Don't take it personally. He does get serious when he needs to."

"About the Guild Master? No, it's fine."

"The adventurer handler position has a high turnover, so many people come to greet him. But they quit quickly, so he doesn't bother to remember their names."

Indeed, this job seems tough. Mina led me to a room on the second floor.

"This is where you'll be working from today."

Above the door, it said 'Adventurer Management Department.'

"Thank you."

I knocked on the door.

...

But there was no response from inside. That's strange? Did they not hear it?

I knocked again.

"Teppe, it's no use. No one is inside."

Mina said. I see, that's why there was no response. She took a key from her pocket, inserted it into the lock, and turned it. The door opened with a click.

The scene inside made me shudder. The walls were covered in writing.

'Die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die...'

"Even if we repaint the walls, people keep vandalizing them, so we stopped fixing them."

Mina laughed awkwardly. No, this is beyond vandalism.

The windows had no glass, just holes. The rain had soaked the floor near the windows, which were rotting.

"Um... what about the glass?"

"Oh, things are often thrown in and break the glass, so we removed it."

Things are thrown in? ...Are they playing baseball in the nearby vacant lot?

I looked up and saw something hanging from the ceiling. It was a rope, with a loop at the end.

Eh? Is this... seriously?

"Don't worry. The previous person put it up but never used it."

Mina noticed my gaze and explained. ...This needs to be removed.

The room was too small to be a department. And there were clearly not enough desks.

"Um... there's only one desk..."

"That's because you're the only staff member."

"Really? Just me?"

"Yes. It's the Guild Master's decision. Since he's an ex-adventurer, he doesn't think highly of this department. It exists only because of guild regulations."

The more I hear, the more daunting it sounds. ...Do I have any allies?

"Oh, I almost forgot. You have to stay for at least a week. Otherwise, we can't pay you. Also, if you return to the capital, you'll be given the lowest evaluation, so I don't recommend it."

Mina, you're threatening me with a smile. That's not cool at all.

In this room, which filled me with nothing but uncertainty, I sighed, knowing it would be the first of many.