Chapter 14

Up to a good point. A bit longer.

"Excuse me, can we proceed with the application procedures?"

"Ah, yes. I apologize for going off-topic. Now that the practical test is complete, I will issue your Guild Card. This time, the practical test was a bit special, and I'm a bit at a loss as to how to handle it... As a precaution, I would like to start you at F Rank, Mr. Thor, is that alright?"

"Of course."

Toru nodded.

"Thank you. I will now explain the rules of the Adventurer's Guild."

The receptionist retrieved a well-used parchment from under the counter and began to explain the guild's rules by tracing the words written on it.

The rules were not particularly difficult. Things like not attacking civilians indiscriminately, not causing harm to clients, and not falsifying accounts. For Toru, who had lived as an adult for nearly ten years, these were all very common-sense rules.

He also received a brief lecture on how to accept requests, how to report, and how to sell materials.

"Disputes among adventurers are strictly forbidden, but this does not apply in cases of self-defense or mission-related situations. Please be cautious and do not become overly complacent just because you are an adventurer.

Once you complete a certain number of requests, your adventurer rank will rise. With a higher rank, you can take on requests with higher rewards, but the difficulty level also increases. The risk to your life will also increase, so please be aware of this.

Please note that if you fail a request due to inadequate preparation or because your skills are not up to the task, a penalty fee will be incurred. If you fail multiple times, your adventurer rank may be lowered.

Regardless of rank, if the content of the failure is severe, your registration may be revoked. If your registration is revoked, you will not be able to re-register for a certain period, so please be careful."

"Yes. Um, could you tell me a bit more about the guild ranks?"

"Yes. The guild ranks range from F at the bottom to A at the top. These ranks are linked to the ranks of monsters. However, please note that just because you are a certain rank does not mean you can defeat monsters of the same rank. For specific examples of ranks, please refer to this paper."

The paper listed specific examples of adventurer and monster ranks.

A Rank = World-class adventurer: Dragons, etc.

B Rank = Nation-class adventurer: Ogre King, etc.

C Rank = City-class adventurer: Trolls, etc.

D Rank = Mid-level adventurer: Goblin King, etc.

E Rank = General adventurer: Goblins, etc.

F Rank = Beginner adventurer

(Huh... I didn't know goblins were E-rank monsters.)

"Is there anything else?"

"No, that's fine."

"Then I will give you your Guild Card."

The receptionist handed over a card the size of a business card. When Toru held it, words appeared on the surface of the card.

"Wow! The words appeared!"

"I have registered the wavelength of your soul, which I read from you earlier, onto the Guild Card. This allows the card to read the wavelength of its owner and display the words on the surface. If you lose the card, it cannot be misused, so you can rest assured. However, if you do lose it, there will be a reissue fee of 10 silver coins, so please be careful."

10 silver coins would be equivalent to 100,000 yen. Toru, who had never even held 100,000 yen in Japan, felt his hand tremble slightly as he held the card.

"Ah, thank you."

"Congratulations. Now Thor is officially an adventurer."

"Yeah, that's right."

"By the way, let me give you a word of advice as a senior."

Suddenly, Estelle put on a senior-like air, raising her index finger and tilting her chin slightly.

"Adventurers must not be underestimated. If you are competing for a request, the client will choose the one who looks stronger, right? Thor's polite tone is pleasant, but if it sounds weak, you might not get many requests. Some clients might even think you're a failed merchant, so it's better to avoid being too polite."

"Is that so?"

Toru didn't think Estelle was wrong, but her perspective might be biased. He tilted his head and looked at the receptionist.

"Estelle's words are generally correct. It is true that there is such a trend among adventurers."

"Generally, you mean?"

"It depends on the time, place, and person."

"I see."

For example, when meeting with the leader of an organization, a corresponding attitude is required. Just because you are an adventurer doesn't mean you can be rude; you might be seen as lacking in education.

"In any case, be mindful of the time, place, and occasion."

"By the way, we do not distinguish adventurers by their tone of voice, so please don't worry about it."

Even if they say they don't distinguish adventurers, the receptionist is human, not a robot. If your attitude is bad, it will leave a bad impression.

This is the same in Japan. If you treat someone with a lower status in a condescending manner, you will lose their trust.

In this case, you should not be underestimated by other adventurers or clients, but there's no need to be rude to others.

"I understand. Thank you for the advice."

Toru responded politely to the receptionist's words. The receptionist smiled broadly, as if Toru had passed her "test."

"Thor?"

"Yikes!?"

Estelle's eerie voice made Toru's shoulders shudder. He almost dropped his Guild Card.

If he accidentally threw the card, which costs 100,000 yen to reissue, and it got stuck somewhere, it would be a disaster. To avoid losing it, Toru carefully stored the Guild Card in his <Ethereal Vault>.

"By the way, I forgot to mention this earlier."

The receptionist leaned forward over the counter and got close to Toru.

"<Ethereal Vault> is very rare and a useful skill. Until you become strong enough, be careful not to let others know you have it. There are many ways to manipulate people."

(Oh no! What is that scary...)

The receptionist's threat chilled Toru's heart.

"That concludes the guild explanation. Do you have any questions?"

"No, that's fine."

"Then I will tell you about the earth spirit crystal you provided earlier."

The receptionist took out a paper with the appraisal results and showed it to Toru.

"You provided 15 spirit crystals, all of very high quality. I added a little extra to the price, making it 10 silver coins per crystal."

The total was 15,500 gold. The 15,000 gold for the spirit crystals had an additional 500 gold added.

(I earned what would be several months' salary in Japan in just one day!)

"Is this amount acceptable?"

"Eh, ah, yes."

Toru, who was overwhelmed by the amount, managed to nod with a slightly shaky voice.

The receptionist brought a cloth bag containing 1 gold coin and 55 silver coins, and Toru tried to put it in his <Ethereal Vault>. However, he remembered the advice to "be careful not to let others know" and reluctantly held it tightly in his hand.

Suddenly having a large sum of money, Toru was on edge. He felt as if everyone passing by or approaching from behind was trying to steal his money.

(I want to put it in the <Ethereal Vault> so badly...)

While Toru was almost in tears, Estelle spoke to Thor with a smile.

"Alright, Thor. Let's go to the communal well first."

"A well?"

"Yeah. There's a well that anyone in the city can use."

"Actually, I think it would be better to secure a room first."

The sun had already set, and it was getting dark. Although it wasn't time to feel sleepy yet, Toru wanted to secure a room for the night early.

But Estelle shook her head with a wry smile.

"First, we need to take care of your appearance, or the guards will be called."

"Ah, right."

He had just remembered. Toru was still dirty from the goblins.

○

While receiving strange looks from the people around him, Toru washed his body and clothes at the communal well. After washing, he received a towel from Estelle and dried himself.

Toru wrung out his wet clothes as much as he could, but they still stuck to his body and felt cold. Still, it was much better than not washing at all.

"You look much better, Thor. Now you can enter shops without the guards being called."

"Thanks."

"It's nothing! I can't repay the favor you did for me with just this!"

"No, no. This is more than enough."

After all, Toru had been covered in goblin blood and guts, and Estelle's kindness was deeply appreciated.

"Next, we need new clothes. Goblins' blood is stubborn. Even if you wash it off, the smell won't go away. It's better to get all new clothes."

"Okay. Can you show me to a clothing store?"

"Sure."

Together with Estelle, Toru went to a clothing store and bought a few second-hand outfits. Estelle paid for them, even though Toru offered to pay. "Your clothes got dirty helping me. I should pay for this. I want to pay!" she insisted.

Toru, who had a large sum of money, decided to accept Estelle's offer. Otherwise, it would have been a never-ending argument.

Finally, Toru asked Estelle for directions to a place to stay.

"Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Hmm. Oh, right. Can you tell me how to use magic?"

"Ah, magic. I can explain, but..."

Estelle, who had been answering clearly until now, suddenly became hesitant.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, Thor, you're a wanderer, right? I don't know if you can use magic."

"Oh, right."

Wanderers are said to be inferior to Ealgardeans in many ways. It's possible that he can't use magic. Estelle's doubt was understandable.

"I want to try using it since it doesn't exist in my original world, but I'll give up if I can't."

"Got it. You can buy magic at a store down the main street and through a small alley."

"Buy it?"

"Yeah. Magic is something you generally buy."

"Really!"

The possibility of using magic, which didn't exist in Japan, excited Toru. He wanted to go to the store immediately, but Finris' stores were mostly closed. He reluctantly gave up on the idea.

"Is there anything else?"

"Hmm... Not really."

"Well, if you want, I can show you around Finris tomorrow!"

"No, no, no. That would be too much."

Estelle was a Rank E adventurer, a higher rank than Toru, and a senior. While he wanted to learn from her, he couldn't afford to reduce her earnings by tying up her time.

"Adventurers can also form parties. What do you think?"

"Thank you for the offer, but... I might be a burden."

As a new and inferior adventurer, Toru could only see himself holding Estelle back if they formed a party.

"No, but—"

"Thank you for everything, Estelle. You really helped me out. If I hadn't met you, I might have died somewhere."

"..."

"If I have any problems, I'll come to you first. Until then, I want to try to do things on my own. If I always rely on others, I won't grow."

"...I see. You're right."

Estelle's expression fell at Toru's words. He felt bad for her, but he meant what he said.

He needed to take action and think for himself to grow. He needed to cultivate the most important basic knowledge