Chapter 2

Lowering her gaze, Am walked with an apologetic air. This was the trick she had learned to live peacefully in human settlements.

Under the sun, she slowly walked through the familiar streets. Her mood was as usual. As usual, it wasn’t very good.

“Raven City” was a city of “Inorganic Lifeforms.”

Fifty percent of the population were inorganic lifeforms, and she frequently encountered mechanical figures that gave off a cold impression as she walked. She was at her limit. Am’s body was tough; she could move for days without food or water if she wanted to, but that was assuming she was in perfect condition. She scolded her heavy body, walked along the edge of the metal-paved road, and headed for the guild.

Am, a member of the hostile species to humans—the “Malignant Spirit Species”—couldn’t get a proper job.

Am was an explorer. Sometimes called an adventurer, but in simple terms, it was a jack-of-all-trades with a focus on combat.

Her main job was to accept requests, venture into dangerous places to collect rare minerals, or exterminate monsters that appeared in human settlements. The difference from mercenaries was that the job content wasn’t limited to combat, but the commonality was that losing one’s life wasn’t rare.

And it was one of the few jobs that anyone, even Am, could take if they had the strength.

The Wanderer’s Guild—commonly known as “The Guild”—was an organization that supported explorers.

It mediated requests from the country and the city, and it was convenient for buying and selling materials and information. Most explorers looked for jobs at the guild.

With a gloomy mood, she slipped through the large door and took a step inside.

The temperature of the air seemed to drop. The explorers all looked at Am and then quickly averted their gazes.

The guild welcomed all races, but it didn’t necessarily mean they were welcomed. She was probably the subject of rumors.

Unable to move forward, backward, or even confront, the “Malignant Spirit Species” explorer clung to her position as an explorer. Explorers were full of energy, but she was already a worthless existence that almost no one bothered with.

She approached the bulletin board where request papers were posted, shrinking her body and looking up at the request forms.

However, while her gaze was directed at them, she wasn’t really reading any of the requests.

She visited the guild almost every day, so there was no need to check the content. She still checked every day because the difficulty level of the material collection requests, which were always posted, was too high for her.

The territory around Raven City was dominated by wild magic machines, which were not a good match for Am.

Even Am, who was supposed to be a “fairly” powerful species, would struggle alone, and this was fatal for her, who had no companions to fight with. Without money, she couldn’t afford proper meals, rest, or equipment. If her strength declined, she wouldn’t be able to handle the already tough opponents.

It was a vicious cycle. And the guild wasn’t a charity organization.

After much deliberation, the cold gaze of the mechanical guild staff was directed at Am as she brought the request form.

“Am, you haven’t produced any results for almost a month now. As you know, there are no penalties or deadlines for the ongoing material collection requests, but as an F-rank explorer, you are required to complete at least one request per month, and if you fail to do so, you will be expelled.”

The cold announcement. Though human-like, there was no emotion in her words.

“I... understand.”

“I recommend that you present a plan for completing the request.”

“I’ll... do my best.”

With a trembling voice, she declared and moved away from the counter.

She had no one to rely on. Her supplies and money were already depleted. She had been waiting for the inn to pay for a while now. But if this continued, she would be kicked out.

There was no choice but to resolve herself and challenge the monsters.

It was a considerable risk. Am hadn’t been idle for the past month.

She had tried several times before, but the magic machines were formidable opponents, and her sword was dull. Even if it was the weakest of them, it took time to defeat, and they almost always called for reinforcements if the battle dragged on.

But if she was expelled from the guild, she wouldn’t be able to survive in this city.

That was something she had to avoid at all costs.

§ § §

Crap... I left all my stuff with Alice.

I was immediately faced with a major problem in this foreign land.

If I listened carefully, all the words I heard around me were in a different language from the official language of my homeland, the Kingdom of Grael.

This was good. As a “Monster Tamer,” communication is key, and I am multilingual, able to understand and speak most languages. It’s lucky that I can use them to keep my skills sharp.

The culture and climate are different. This is also good.

I am an explorer. My activities range widely, with the kingdom as my home base. This is a land I’ve never seen before, and I must have been transported quite far, but it’s within acceptable limits.

I have no money. This is also good. I just need to earn it.

But—there’s no way to fix the lack of identification.

In my pocket, there were only a few coins for a short stay in the kingdom. The belt tool on my waist contained only a few recovery potions and smoke bombs for emergencies. The “Decayed Holy Sword” on my hip had also disappeared at some point.

As an explorer, my identity is verified by the guild. The guild card issued serves as an ID, but it is also necessary for withdrawing money from the guild’s bank. In other words, without the card, I can’t prove my identity or withdraw money.

Reissuing would be easy in the kingdom where my face was known. But things are different in this foreign land.

I had spent most of my fortune preparing to defeat Shiela, but I had enough savings to live a modest life. Money was one of the few powers I could wield.

“Hmm... So this is what they call a desperate situation...”

Well, what should I do... No money. No weapons. No connections. No strength.

But time is limited, and if I continue to do nothing, I’ll be in a tight spot.

A “Monster Tamer” without slaves is worse than a “Swordsman” without a sword. It’s laughably easy to die.

I decided to resume my observations. Various races were walking on the wide road.

There were humans and carriages. There were beastmen, but what stood out the most was the large number of inorganic lifeforms.

“Monster Tamers” form friendly relationships with various races and accumulate knowledge to draw out the power of their contracted slaves.

Inorganic lifeforms, also known as mechanical species, are beings created by humans. They are a powerful race overall, but there is no race easier to interact with if you’re not at war.

This is because they—unless programmed otherwise—do not possess malice.

I immediately targeted a person with a cool moss-green body among the mechanical figures walking on the road and approached them with enthusiasm.

It was a male-type mechanical figure. There were no notable modifications, but the slim body was flawless. The steady footsteps revealed the superior craftsmanship of its creator.

“Hey, you with the cool green body. I’m in a bit of a bind, can you help me out?”

The male-type mechanical figure stopped and turned to face me, speaking in a mechanical voice.

“I require you to present your identification.”

“I don’t have it. I lost it. That’s why I’m in a bind. My name is—Phil Garden, the ‘Monster Tamer’ Phil Garden.”

The single eye on its face blinked green. I waited for it to finish processing.

In a mechanical voice, the green-bodied figure—likely specialized in defense—said:

“Phil Garden. Please state your request.”

Inorganic lifeforms are generally very kind. They have an instinct to be of service to their creators, the “organic lifeforms.” Therefore, as long as you don’t make a mistake, it’s easy to make contact.

I smiled and stated my request.

“Thank you. I’m in a bit of a predicament. I need information. But first, can you tell me your name, kind sir? ‘Cool Green Body’ is a bit long to keep saying.”

§

The most important tip for being a “Monster Tamer” is to always smile. People don’t gather around someone with a gloomy expression.

It’s simple and straightforward, but it took me a long time to truly understand this truth.

With a smile, I parted ways with the kind male-type mechanical figure (incidentally named Baldisca) and hurried to the guild.

Though I didn’t show it, the situation was nearly the worst. The distance I had been transported was extraordinarily large.

The continent is divided into north and south by the impenetrable mountain range known as the Boundary. I lived in the north, and this was probably the south. I couldn’t be sure without a proper map, but it was at least—50,000 kilometers from the kingdom. It wasn’t a distance I could easily return from.

I had heard stories about the south, where inorganic lifeforms were common. I had even thought about visiting someday, but I never imagined it would be like this—there were more things to consider now.

As the place changed, so did the culture. The guild was also quite different from the one in the kingdom.

It was a huge rectangular building made of white metal, with a futuristic atmosphere. The only thing that remained the same as the kingdom was the guild’s emblem of a longsword, staff, and shield on the sign.

The interior of the guild was also very different from the capital. The air conditioning was effective, the metal floor was polished, the counter was clean, and the staff were mechanical figures. The only common point was the bulletin board with posted requests. A few explorers were in the attached tavern, but many were inorganic lifeforms.

It was probably because there were many advanced magic machines, which raised the level of civilization.

I looked around the guild and headed to the counter.

A large electronic bulletin board was installed above the counter.

The guild staff on the other side were all mechanical figures, typing on keyboards instead of writing. It was a scene rarely seen in the kingdom.

There were five guild staff at the counter, all mechanical figures. However, unlike the one I had asked for directions, they looked human at first glance.

They were likely equipped with high-quality emotional mechanisms. Their expressions were somewhat limited, but their appearance had no “weirdness.” This was remarkable. It alone revealed the skill of their creators.

I narrowed my eyes and licked my lips in my mind. The receptionists are inorganic lifeforms... Lucky.

The first inorganic lifeforms were created by organic lifeforms. Therefore, they are generally weak against organic lifeforms.

I lined up in front of the female-type mechanical figure with black hair and an antenna on her head, the one I liked the most out of the five.

“Hello. What can I do for you?”

A slender-faced, female-type mechanical figure who looked a few years younger than me looked at me straight in the eye.

I met her crimson eyes, which likely contained optical sensors. Her created eyes had a glint of intelligence. While some inorganic lifeforms have degraded intelligence, she was different.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Phil Garden. Could you tell me your name?”

Her antenna trembled slightly. Her eyelids opened and closed slowly. It was a delicate task, even though her eyes wouldn’t dry.

Eventually, her lips slowly parted, and a voice came out. It was so similar to a human voice that it was indistinguishable from the real thing.

“Yes, Mr. Phil. Nice to meet you, my model number is Tesla GN60346074B.”

“I want to know your name, not your model number... And from your head’s thinking aid, I can tell you’re a Tesla GN 6000 series.”

I pointed to her antenna. I’m not an expert on inorganic lifeforms, but I know the basics.

Just as other species have similar characteristics at the species level, inorganic lifeforms have standards set by their creators.

Tesla refers to the licensed products of the mechanical engineering doctor, Tesla Encester. The GN on her head indicates that she is a female-type mechanical figure. The GN type with an antenna-type thinking aid on her head is a unique technology—more of a whimsical touch—of Tesla Encester, and it is only given to the 6000 series.

It’s common knowledge. To add, the four digits 6074 after that indicate the manufacturing year, and the B at the end stands for Battle type—combat use.

Tesla GN60346074B looked puzzled and said something unexpected.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Phil. In that sense, I don’t have a name.”

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes. Naming is an important ritual. While magic machines are not created through intercourse like other species, it doesn’t mean there’s no love. Many “Mechanical Mages” who create them only give their creations to those they like, and owners who are lucky enough to receive them often name them first. And that name becomes their pride.

How lamentable. It seems this guild is so busy that they neglect such basic things.

Seeing this, my blood boiled. I clapped my hands and said with a smile.

“I see... But not having a name is inconvenient. If it’s not too much trouble—would you let me give you one?”