Chapter 49

In the end, I ended up eating at a stall run by other players.

I filled my water bottle at the fountain in the square and headed for the Adventurer's Guild.

I thought it would be bustling, but it was strangely quiet, which was a mystery.

Perhaps everyone was neglecting their quests to level up?

Well, it doesn't really matter.

As long as it doesn't interfere with the quests that might come up, there's no problem.

The middle-aged female staff member, who was already familiar with my face, was at the counter, so I was immediately shown to the Guild Master's room.

But the Guild Master wasn't in the room.

I waited in the room for about 10 minutes.

Finally, the Guild Master, Lugran, appeared.

The usual middle-aged male staff member was with him.

It's as if he's there to supervise.

"Oh, you're here earlier than I thought."

"Good morning."

Somehow, I can read the situation.

His eyes are darting around.

He's up to something.

Moreover, I can sense something close to mischief.

"Actually, the town of Remto is expanding, and the Adventurer's Guild is also planning to move to a new district."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. There's a favor I'd like to ask of you."

Here it comes.

I had heard about the relocation before, but pretending to be unaware might have been futile.

What's coming?

I hope it's not too troublesome a quest.

"I'd like you to help with the construction of the new building."

"Eh?"

That's unexpected.

"But I don't think I can do much."

"It's fine. We have Wood Golems for heavy work, and we can use horses for transportation."

"Ah, I see."

That's right.

There's no real reason I have to do the work myself.

"Help, huh?"

"Yes. I'd like you to follow the instructions of the person in charge on-site."

"Okay."

"I'm actually in a bit of a bind. Until yesterday, we had enough people by putting up a request, but today..."

"Nobody showed up?"

"Nobody at all. We're short-handed."

Could it be?

Maybe everyone is focusing on leveling up for the tournament?

Well, after the potion shortage, now it's a shortage of manpower.

"Many adventurers seem to be hunting monsters to prepare for the tournament."

"That's probably true."

"Oh, right. Speaking of the tournament, your slot is already reserved, so be prepared for that."

"Ah?"

What?

I didn't hear about this.

"Am I participating?"

"Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. I registered you in advance."

"But what about the help I'm supposed to give?"

"During the tournament, the work will be on hold, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"But why me?"

"Oren recommended you. He said you have a unique way of fighting."

Master's doing, I suspect.

A suspicion arose in me.

Did Master know this would happen and escape yesterday?

I feel like I want to confront him.

"Summoning magic is prohibited, I heard."

"He said you could still do well even with that restriction."

"Really?"

"The tournament will be held in the training ground. The new training ground is already complete, so it will also serve as its unveiling."

"Ah."

"So, to make the tournament more interesting, we don't want all the matches to be the same."

Could I be in the novelty category?

Well, I can't deny it.

"I might not meet your expectations."

"Hmm, we'll see."

No good.

The Guild Master is smirking.

What kind of mischievous kid is this?

"Anyway, I'll leave the help to you."

《You have received a guild-designated quest. Do you accept it?》

"Yes."

《You have accepted the guild-designated quest!》

The completion conditions aren't being called out again.

But it takes courage to refuse.

However, I can just go with the flow and accept it.

I can clarify the conditions later.

"I'll have one of our staff members guide you to the site."

"Understood. How do I complete the quest?"

"That's up to the site supervisor. Don't worry, he won't treat you badly."

"Ah."

"Then, I'll guide you."

The staff member led me out of the Guild Master's room.

I noticed he was smiling wryly, which was a bit concerning.

The new district of Remto is where I've only seen the new stone walls being built from outside.

This was my first time looking at it from the inside.

It was a completely new town. Of course, it was.

The square was unexpectedly large, and the three alleys extending from it were all wide.

Even if stalls lined both sides, carriages could easily pass through.

There was even a fountain in the center of the square.

There were three water-drawing spots, and places to water horses were near the hitching posts.

It was well thought out.

The building for the Adventurer's Guild was in a prime location.

The building itself looked almost complete from the outside.

Next to it was the town hall and the merchant guild.

The building next to the merchant guild would be used by the craft guilds.

A single carpenter designed the entire town, including the layout.

Apparently, the carpenter had requested personnel from the Adventurer's Guild many times, but they never managed to meet the required number.

The staff member only smiled wryly, but it seemed to be a deep concern.

The construction of the Adventurer's Guild building was also significantly delayed, and the interior was far from usable.

"If you want to move in sooner, send more people," is the foreman's catchphrase.

"Ah."

"I'm sorry, but can you do your best?"

That's...

Does he mean human sacrifices?

The foreman was chatting with other craftsmen.

The craftsmen seemed to be experienced.

One of them was a familiar face.

It was Nils, the glassworker.

I might as well use [Identification] on them.

Foreman Yorgen Lv.???

Carpenter Negotiating

Stone Polisher Theodor Lv.4

Stone Mason Negotiating

Appraiser Rauno Lv.2

Woodwork Master Negotiating

Glassworker Nils Lv.???

Glasswork Master

Wow.

I can see the levels of some NPCs.

But I guess the NPCs whose levels I can't see are probably higher.

"Mr. Yorgen, this is the dispatch from the Adventurer's Guild."

"Hmm? Wait a moment."

Is there some kind of argument?

No, from what I can overhear, it seems to be about the schedule and personnel adjustments.

The stonemasons are in the finishing stages, but due to the rain, they need to repair the joints.

The carpentry is the most behind.

They are prioritizing the staircase construction, which is causing delays in the delivery of smaller items.

Lastly, the glasswork.

The windows and decorations are complete, and even the smaller items are done, but the cabinets are still missing.

In summary, the carpentry work has been rearranged several times to prioritize the finishing of each room.

This has caused delays in the delivery schedule.

I can kind of understand the power dynamics.

Rauno, the Woodworker, looks the youngest and has the lowest level.

It seems something didn't go well for him.

"I understand the situation. I want to prioritize the personnel."

"Well, the difficult parts are mostly done."

"But it doesn't seem like we'll meet the deadline."

"We can't deliver subpar work."

"But insisting on that has already extended the deadline."

"I know that."

"That's why. If you're going to be so particular about quality that you refuse help, you shouldn't have taken the job in the first place."

"I couldn't have predicted the shortage of personnel!"

"Securing and training capable people in advance is part of the job. Every workshop does it."

"That's true, but..."

"Then accept the help. If you're not satisfied with the work, you can fix it after delivery."

"Such!"

"Just accept the help from other places. We'll send people from the stonemasons and glassworkers too."

He's young.

Rauno reluctantly followed the instructions.

I wonder if he can do a good job.

"Huh?"

"Hello."

"Could you be the reinforcement from the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Something like that."

Nils noticed me and greeted me with a smile.

"I know it's a bit much to ask, but can you help?"

"Yes."

The staff member's voice was as usual, but it sounded a bit lower to me.

This person is subtly scary.

"Mr. Yorgen, is it all right?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

"This is the dispatch from the Adventurer's Guild."

"Ah, yes. Rauno! Reinforcements for the carpentry!"

"I'd like you to help with the furniture."

"Okay, Nils, can I leave it to you?"

"Got it."

"Thank you."

With a bow to the smiling Nils, the staff member left.

Well, everyone, including me and Nils, was left behind.

It was a bit too abrupt.

"Shall we go?"

Following Nils, we arrived at the training ground.

I tied the Crescent to the hitching post outside the training ground, and left Helix and Obsidian on the saddle before entering.

It was spacious.

The new training ground, attached to the Adventurer's Guild, was more than a round larger than the old one. It was probably twice as big.

In one corner, materials were piled up.

Those are stones, right?

There was a bow range that was completely covered from the rain.

However, it looked unfinished.

No, upon closer inspection, it seemed to be complete.

It was being used as a temporary workshop.

Several NPCs were working there.

Yellow markers indicating NPCs were moving around like spinning mice.

What are they doing?

"Here we are. We're making chairs, tables, and storage cabinets for the Adventurer's Guild building."

"Wouldn't it be better to do the work at a carpentry shop in town?"

"The carpentry shops are already busy with other jobs. So, this place is being used as a temporary workshop."

"I see."

"I thought it was a bit much at first. Plus, I heard this training ground will be used for the tournament."

"Is that so?"

"I've heard that, but with the current state, I wonder if the tournament will be okay."

"Ah."

Well, it seems things are a bit chaotic.

People, materials, money, and time can cause a lot of problems if not managed properly.

I've seen this happen a few times, and it's not a good feeling.

Most of these issues could have been prevented with proper planning.

I've suggested preventive measures a few times.

It was useless, of course.

Of course, these are experiences from the real world.

Oh, right.

The quest.

"Let's start with the chairs together."

"Eh? Do you have experience with carpentry, Nils?"

"I'm not a great carpenter, but I can do basic repairs like window frames."

"I see."

"At a carpentry shop, you have to manage the raw wood before processing it."

Saying that, Nils picked up a piece of wood and smiled.

"Let's just get used to it."

I felt a connection with Nils.

I had a feeling this would be a good partnership.

Oh, right.

It's time to start working.

What we're doing is chamfering.

Chamfering wood.

That's it.

At first, I worked in a pair with Nils.

We were just doing chamfering on the materials cut by other NPCs in a production line.

However, the only tools we had were a few types of knives.

A plane would have been easier, but we didn't have such a convenient tool.

We had a file, but it was for the finishing stage.

We used the knives to rough out the edges and the file to finish them.

The process was simple.

The wood we used was mostly oak and ash.

Surprisingly high-quality?

I'm not very knowledgeable, but [Appraisal] showed that they were all C-quality with a rarity of 2.

We worked steadily, had lunch, and continued working diligently when the usual notification came.

《You have gained the skill [Carpentry] based on your previous actions.》

It requires 3 bonus points.

I thought about it for a while but eventually decided to acquire it.

I couldn't tell if my work had improved.

I [Appraised] a piece of wood, but it was still C-quality, so there was no noticeable difference.

The same was true for other production skills, so I didn't worry about it.

When Nils wasn't looking, I tried using alchemy to speed up the process.

It worked.

However, the quality dropped to C-, so I had to make some adjustments.

Still, it significantly reduced the work time.

While not as efficient as Nils, combining it with the regular process seemed to work well for mass production.

"Um, you're doing pretty well, aren't you?"

"Thank you."

Nils was consistent.

He was thorough in his approach of praising to encourage growth.

He also occasionally gave advice to other NPCs.

"Can I leave the chamfering to you?"

"Of course."

"Great. I'll help with the assembly process over there. If you need anything, come to me."

"Understood."

Being entrusted with a process on the first day.

It must be because the deadline is tight.

But this is an opportunity.

I used the alchemy shortcut to save time.

Of course, it paid off.

《Your [Alchemy] has leveled up based on your previous actions!》

Well, I did invest a lot of MP, so it was worth it.

It was already 5 PM.

The day's work was over.

It was getting dark, and the work environment was becoming dim.

Some NPCs were going to work overtime.

One of the NPCs could use a light magic spell, and they started illuminating parts of the workspace.

"Okay, Keith, that's enough for today."

"No, I can stay and continue working if you want."

"No, no. It would complicate the reward calculation for you. It would be a problem for me."

Hmm.

I thought I could gain some good experience.

No overtime, huh.

"By the way, I have another request."

"What is it?"

"This."

What I took out was a Kaya rod.

It was broken in the middle, but I wanted to see if I could use it or process it.

I wanted to cut the broken part and chamfer it.

"Can I borrow some tools?"

"Sure, use whatever you need."

"Thank you."

"It's fine. But it's getting dark, so it's better to finish quickly."

"Yes."

Well, I'm not worried about that.

I can handle it with Noctovision or a Flashlight.

I used the borrowed saw to cut the broken part.

Then I chamfered it.

That was it.

When I [Appraised] the finished product, it looked like this.

[Weapon Item: Staff] Kaya Bat Quality C+ Rarity 2

AP+1 M·AP+2 Damage 2 Weight 0+ Durability 70

A weapon that can be used for both striking and casting magic.

It has a moderate elasticity and is easy to handle without slipping.

It has a beautiful texture and can be used as a percussion instrument.

Kaya Bat.

Does it mean I can use it to play drums?

The performance has decreased due to the shortened length, but the damage hasn't dropped.

If I consider it as a striking weapon, the ease of handling has improved, which is a positive aspect.

And I have two of them.

Yes, two.

I held one in each hand and swung them, taking a rhythm as if playing drums.

The feeling was different from the rod, but I got used to it quickly.

What should I do?

What should I do?

What I'm struggling with is the auxiliary skill [Dual Wield].

The skill acquisition screen is floating in a virtual window, and it shows that 5 bonus points are required.

Surprisingly high.

Or surprisingly low?

I currently have 16 bonus points.

Hmm.

Before I knew it, I had acquired and activated it.

Truly without any principles.

While I was at it, I made a hidden weapon using the snow leopard's claws.

It was a concealed hook claw.

However, it only had one claw, not like a Bugnack.

The structure was simple; I attached a wooden base to the root of the claw.

I drilled a hole in the center of a 3cm square piece of oak and inserted the snow leopard's claw.

After embedding and securing it, I carefully chamfered the wooden part to complete it.

When I [Appraised] the finished product, it looked like this.

[Weapon Item: Blunt] Snow Leopard's Hidden Claw Quality C Rarity 4

AP+1 Damage+0 Weight 0+ Durability 50

Slightly hinders agility, Ice attribute

A concealed weapon. It is almost ineffective against armor and helmets.

It has a low probability of reducing agility as an additional effect when it deals damage.

A concealed weapon.

The way to hold it is to grip the wooden base in your fist.

The claw part protruded about 2cm between the fingers.

It's not a weapon that can deal significant damage.

But it's enough for me.

And this weapon has an ice attribute.

The agility hindrance is quite nasty.

I made two more, for a total of three.

It's a bit disappointing that I can't hold all three at once, but one should be enough in actual use.

After leaving the workplace, I had an early dinner at a stall and immediately headed to