Chapter 2

It took about a week in real time. After traveling north while constantly consulting the map, I finally reached the town.

...A week of mainly moving around in the game was quite tough...

I think the travel time in this MMORPG is a bit too long.

Fortunately, since it's just a game, you don't get tired no matter how much you run, so I kept running (faster than I usually do, at a sprinter's pace), and I was attacked by monsters a few times along the way, so I didn't get bored, but I still feel the world is too vast.

The town I reached after such a long journey was a large, walled city.

In other games, the towns are usually no larger than a population of 100, but in this "Another World," it's on a different scale.

Judging by the size, it probably has a population of around 3,000 to 4,000 people.

I can't help but admire the developers who placed so many NPCs to recreate a real town and created AI that can perform complex actions as if they were living real lives.

This town, Meridia, has major shops like weapon and armor stores, so I plan to use it as a base to level up and improve my equipment for a while.

I want to finally upgrade to stronger weapons and armor instead of using the same staff and shirt.

The first place I went in the town was the Adventurer's Guild.

Unlike typical RPGs, you don't usually get money directly from defeating monsters in this game.

Therefore, you can only earn money by completing quests—such as hunting specific monsters or gathering items—and selling items dropped by monsters.

Quests can be received through the Adventurer's Guild, in addition to those received directly from people.

Especially, quests through the Adventurer's Guild are abundant, making them more efficient for earning money.

...That's what I read on the strategy wiki.

The Adventurer's Guild was next to the inn. Inside, there were a few burly men who looked like adventurers and three men writing documents at desks.

No women around, it's a rough place.

"I want to take on a quest. What do I need to do?"

I approached one of the men doing paperwork.

He glanced at me, pulled out a sheet of paper from a drawer, and pointed to it.

"First, you need to register as an adventurer. Fill this out."

But I couldn't read the paper.

It's probably a detail to deepen the game's world, a unique language of the game.

While hardcore fans might be able to decipher it, I can't.

I assume it's asking for my name, age, and skills.

"Can't you read the words?"

I nodded. Actually, I think most players can't read it either, since it's not in the alphabet.

"Then write your name, age, and skills—what you're good at. Like swords or bows. Do you have any?"

There's no option to register a profession. Should I say I'm a magician and can use magic?

"My name is Chaos. I'm 16. My skill is magic."

"Hmm, magic, huh."

He gave me a scrutinizing look, as if evaluating me. Did I do something wrong?

"Alright. We'll issue your guild ID tomorrow. Be careful not to lose it, or you'll have to pay a fine. If you want to take a quest, ask me or the receptionist. The request board is there, but you can't read it, right? Anything else?"

The registration was surprisingly quick. Hmm, I need money first. Taking a quest is good, but can I sell the items dropped by monsters on the way here?

In this game, you can obtain items from monsters with a certain probability by examining their bodies after defeating them. The obtained items are automatically stored in your inventory.

For example, the Forest Wolf I defeated earlier dropped fur. I didn't need to skin it with a knife.

"I want to sell the fur from the Forest Wolves I defeated. Where should I go?"

"Sure, we buy them here. Show me what you have."

I took out about 50 pieces of fur from my inventory.

I got them by defeating a group of Forest Wolves on the way here.

The receptionist looked a bit surprised by the quantity. But he quickly regained his composure and began examining the fur seriously.

"Good quality fur. Since it's so good and you have this much, I'll give you 10 silver coins, no, 15. You're quite capable."

The receptionist smiled.

"You're new to this town, right? As you know, the inn is next door. They give a discount to new guild members. With this much, you can get a decent room. Do you want to take a quest?"

"Please."

"Given your skills, I recommend hunting Killer Bees. They spawn along the river to the east, so you'll find them easily. While you're there, gather this herb. Here's a sample. If the quality is as good as this, I'll give you a bonus."

"Got it."

I took the herb and left the Adventurer's Guild.

Before heading to the quest, I stopped by the weapon and armor shops and spent 10 silver coins to upgrade to a mage's staff and cloak.

I chose a staff that slightly increases the "Intelligence" stat and a cloak that slightly increases the "Health" stat.

It was my first time in these shops, and I noticed that even among the same type of equipment, some items have stat boosts while others don't, so you need to be careful when choosing.

Now, let's head to the quest.

※

Carlo, who works at the Adventurer's Guild in Meridia, was as usual struggling with paperwork.

Five years since he retired as an adventurer, he was picked up by the guild for his past achievements, but he still didn't get along well with paperwork.

Today, he faced the documents with a sense of weariness.

That's when a peculiar young boy arrived.

The black-haired boy looked like any other boy, but Carlo, who had lived in Meridia for a long time, had never seen him before.

He was probably a young adventurer from a nearby village.

However, his light outfit was concerning. The nearby villages were at least a two-day walk away, so he should have some luggage.

Perhaps he rode in a merchant's carriage that happened to pass by—Carlo thought as he greeted him.

Indeed, the boy seemed to be a new adventurer.

Carlo handed him the registration form, but the boy didn't try to write anything.

It seemed he couldn't read. This wasn't unusual, as the literacy rate in this country wasn't high.

One of the tasks of guild clerks was to write and read for adventurers. Carlo started writing for him, asking for his name, age, and skills, as usual.

Reporting skills was important. It could be useful for forming parties or assigning quests.

That's when the boy said his skill was magic.

Carlo looked at the boy again. The boy didn't look like someone who could use swords or bows, so it made sense.

However, using magic usually required reading spell books and deepening knowledge, which meant he should be able to read and write.

Carlo considered the possibility that the boy was from a foreign country, but the light outfit was still suspicious.

The boy gave a contradictory impression.

Carlo decided to keep the boy talking for a while and planned to check the criminal list and the guild's blacklist later.

After explaining, the boy asked if he could sell the fur from the Forest Wolves he had defeated.

Items obtained from monsters served not only as proof of defeat but were also widely used in weapons, armor, and medicines, so they were often required for quests, and the guild bought them.

A single Forest Wolf could be dealt with by a novice, so it wasn't impossible.

Carlo assumed the boy had hunted a few stragglers from a group.

But the boy produced 50 pieces of fur. That was too many for stragglers.

But they weren't old. They were recently obtained. Could he have faced 50 of them?

It couldn't be stolen goods—no, that was an impossible quantity.

Forest Wolves lived deep in the forest, so a large number of furs wouldn't circulate.

More importantly, where did he get so many furs from?

Questions piled up, but Carlo suppressed his suspicions and focused on the appraisal.

Each piece of fur was carefully skinned—rare to see such meticulous work.

The quality was consistent, indicating it was done by the same person. The quality was so good that it could be mistaken for the work of an experienced hunter.

Carlo himself couldn't have done this well in his prime.

Some adventurers had the skills to defeat monsters but were poor at skinning and gathering, sometimes making the items unsellable.

With this quality, merchants would pay a lot.

If this boy did all this alone—. He would be an incredible rookie.

Even if he did part of it, he would easily surpass the rookie level.

Despite the many suspicious points, Carlo couldn't help but praise him. Proper evaluation was necessary for those who did good work.

That's why Carlo was chosen as a guild clerk.

With the silver coins in hand, the boy—Chaos—decided to take a quest.

Carlo thought. He was too capable for beginner quests.

He should be tested with a more challenging quest.

Killer Bees are insect-type monsters about the size of a human child. Many rookies are defeated by their quick movements and stingers, making them a significant barrier for new adventurers.

But if Chaos truly had the skills, he would complete the quest successfully.

Despite the remaining suspicions, Carlo couldn't help but feel excited, remembering his adventurer days, at the prospect of a promising rookie.