Chapter 4

I woke up just before noon. My throat was parched.

The cemetery was silent, as if no one ever came.

The weather had cleared up completely.

Next to the cemetery was a well. It was a pulley well, and I pulled up the bucket with a creak and drank the water.

Once my thirst was quenched, I felt hungry.

Hikaru rubbed his stomach.

Well, what should I do?

I have no money.

Something I could sell... clothes? But they're bloodstained.

I had once washed my shirt in the water. It had turned into a brown-stained, hole-ridden shirt.

"This is... cold."

There was no time to dry it, so I put it on as it was.

I needed to think about what to do.

- Earn money.

- Escape without being caught as the murderer of Count Morgstadt.

These two were the top priorities.

To earn money, I would search Roland's memories—

"…?"

My memories were more faded than yesterday. No, the knowledge was still there, but the experiences, the feelings, the memories—these were gradually losing their color. It felt like someone else's experience I had heard about somewhere.

I could feel Roland fading away from Hikaru's body.

"Well, I have no choice but to live."

The first thing that came to mind when I searched my memories was to create a "Soul Card." It was similar to Hikaru's skill "Soul Board," but a "Soul Card" was essentially an ID.

You could get a guild card from the Adventurer's Guild, Merchant's Guild, Alchemist's Guild, and a Soul Card from the temple.

Each had different uses, but they all served as an ID.

"I'll go to the Adventurer's Guild."

If it was the Adventurer's Guild, they would issue a card for free if it was your first time. Other guilds would charge a fee, even if it wasn't much. Hikaru didn't have any money at all.

"But where is the Adventurer's Guild?"

This information wasn't in Roland's knowledge.

I walked away from the cemetery and into the city. When I saw a patrolling guard, I instinctively veered off into a back alley. I had the "Stealth" skill, but there was no point in testing it here. I would try it elsewhere.

As I did this, the scenery gradually moved away from the main street, becoming more desolate.

A little girl was drawing on the wall of an alley with what looked like chalk.

"Hmm."

This... I have no choice.

A suspicious man approaching a little girl—this was a case.

Still, Hikaru was quite young.

"Excuse me."

When I called out, the little girl trembled at the sight of Hikaru, who looked unfamiliar.

Perhaps it was because, despite being dirty and worn out, he looked like a decent noble.

"Don't worry. I just want to ask for directions... Where is the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Big brother, you want to go to the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Yes."

The girl nodded as if understanding and spoke fluently.

"Okay, go straight down this alley. When you hit the main street, cross it and keep going straight. When you reach another main street, turn right. Walk for about five minutes, and you'll see it."

"Got it. I'd like to thank you, but unfortunately, I don't have any money."

"That's fine! Pay me when you make it big."

"Alright."

She was quite a bold little girl.

The Adventurer's Guild was a sturdy stone building.

Inside, it was filled with the laughter and shouts of burly men. There were women too, but they were muscular or had a shadowy expression, not easy to deal with.

There were also parties of young boys and girls, but they were often teased and harassed by adult adventurers.

There was only one receptionist at the guild counter.

She wore a small hat with a silver edge on a white fabric, and a uniform with the same details. Her skirt was long, and her jacket was buttoned up with large, flared sleeves.

She had short red hair and a slightly stern face, but she was beautiful. She looked younger than 20.

She was handling quest requests while fending off men who tried to ask her out, all while doing her job.

"Hmm."

No adventurer noticed Hikaru using the "Stealth" skill. No one said, "Hey, when did the Adventurer's Guild become a playground for kids?"

It was better not to be bothered, as Hikaru had no combat skills.

The adventurers were clustered in a semicircle around the receptionist, with some calling out from the sides. At least ten were constantly trying to ask her out.

To take on or complete a quest, you had to cut in.

"Hey, I found a really good place the other day—"

"Jill, you don't have a boyfriend, right? How about we go out for dinner, just once—"

"I want a guild card."

Using "Stealth," Hikaru slipped through the adventurers and turned off the skill at the front.

"What!?"

"Where did this kid come from!"

The receptionist, Jill, also looked surprised.

"Um, well—"

"I want a guild card."

Hikaru repeated. Then,

"Brat! Get in line!"

"What are you up to!"

The adventurers started to complain.

"I didn't wait in line. I simply asked the guild receptionist to do her job. Besides, you can still ask her out while she's making a guild card, can't you?"

"Wha—!"

The adventurer's face turned red with anger.

But he wasn't stupid enough to attack.

"Hey."

"Ah."

They exchanged glances and slowly left.

(Hmm. They're planning to hassle me when I leave the guild.)

It was a very predictable move.

No one was left at the counter except Hikaru.

"Hey, I don't know who you are, but you should apologize later. They won't kill you if you pay them."

Jill said, sounding exasperated.

"Brat" was probably because of his clothes.

"Are you, a guild employee, going to do nothing about the fact that guild members are planning to extort me?"

"Wha—?"

"I said, it's negligence. By allowing potential criminals to operate, the quality of this organization is revealed."

"Wha!?"

She didn't expect a counterargument.

Jill raised her voice and then glared at him angrily.

"Are you thinking of making the Adventurer's Guild your enemy?"

"Indeed. The staff also extort, it seems."

"That's not true. This is a warning, not extortion—"

"Just make the guild card. You're required to make it when asked. Right?"

"..."

She glared at him intensely.

(What a waste of beauty.)

Hikaru thought coolly.

"Fine, I'll make the guild card. Place your hand here."

She extended a smooth stone tablet.

The surface was like glass, with geometric patterns and ancient text visible through it.

It reminded Hikaru of "Soul Board," but this one was much more rugged.

But what surprised Hikaru was something else.

(This is something Roland also researched.)

It was connected to the same system as the "Soul Card" managed by the temple.

It read the "Soul Record."

Hikaru placed his palm on it. For a moment, he thought he saw a light flicker behind the glass.

"Indeed, this is your first time getting a guild card."

Jill was operating something on her terminal.

Good. If Roland's had been recorded, it would have been a problem.

Even if it was a "Soul Record," Hikaru and Roland's would be different.

"Here."

The card was issued quickly.

【Adventurer's Guild Card】

【Name】Hikaru

【Record】Pawnsonia Kingdom Pawnsd Adventurer's Guild

【Rank】G

【Occupation】---

"Occupation?"

He muttered without thinking.

This was something not in Roland's memory. Roland had almost no dealings with adventurers.

"Ugh, I don't want to explain, but it's a rule, so I will."

She explained reluctantly.

"Touch the card with your finger. Then, the occupations available based on your current 'Soul Record' will appear. Selecting one will adjust your abilities. It will be displayed in the format 'God of XXX: XXX.' The shorter the god's name, the stronger the blessing. Three characters or less is super rare. One character is mythic. Four characters is still top-tier."

She added that it was also on Soul Cards and other guild cards.

When Hikaru touched it, a list appeared as if it were a dropdown menu.

【God of Assassination: Night Stalker】

【God of Stealth: Cloak of Shadows】

【God of Chaos: Eye of the Storm】

【God of Forest: Forest Walker】

【God of Civic Rescue: Civilian】

"Interesting."

There were a lot of dangerous options...

While Hikaru was thinking about what to do, Jill said,

"Well, for someone like you, 'God of Civic Rescue: Civilian' or 'God of Wealthy Civic Rescue: Money Worker' would be more fitting, right?"

"Um, yeah."

"What's with the shock?"

"I'm not shocked."

These shouldn't be shown. They were definitely influenced by his assassination experience and the skill tree's effects.

He chose "Civilian" and showed it to Jill.

"Thought so."

I knew it, she said, pointing with her finger.

"To take on a quest, touch the guild card to the board. For delivery quests, check the materials in the archive. Other things—"

Jill gave additional explanations.

- The lowest adventurer rank is G, and it goes up to F, E, and so on, with A being the highest, and S above that.

- Ranks are upgraded based on the number and quality of quests completed. Higher ranks allow you to take on higher-level quests.

- Adventurers specialize in their areas of expertise. For example, plant gathering is "Plant Hunter," precious metal searching is "Jewel Hunter," monster hunting is "Monster Hunter," dungeon exploration is "Adventurer," bodyguarding is "Bodyguard," and general work is "Quest Hunter."

- Becoming famous in a specific genre can lead to special requests.

- You can choose any occupation and don't need to report it to the guild, but a blessing from a god with three characters or less is rare and powerful. Some adventurers become famous just for their occupation. Training to increase your "Soul Rank" can also add more occupations.

Incidentally, "Soul Rank" refers to the ability to steal part of a soul when killing monsters, which enhances physical abilities.

This was in Roland's knowledge, but Roland's Soul Rank had never increased. Noble children apparently start hunting monsters in their late teens.

It's like power-leveling, Hikaru thought.

The difference between monsters and ordinary animals is whether they are harmful to humans.

Especially, the bodies of magic-wielding monsters can be freely processed and used as food, equipment, or daily items, so the guild will buy them if you bring them in.

"That's it. I won't explain it again—"

"I got it. I remember."

"Then go quickly. You're in the way."

When I noticed, a group of adventurers had gathered behind Hikaru. They were a different group.

They were just trying to ask Jill out again.