Chapter 7

As Inegal's hind legs were wrapped in rough paper, I walked along carrying the bundle.

It seemed that the prey had become smaller, and I started to feel a bit disappointed.

However, the thought that I could cook this immediately made that feeling disappear.

After all, it was meat. Meat. Precious meat.

The two people, unaware of what I was thinking, started looking for the sign with a shield at the crossroads they had been told about by the gatekeeper.

"Ah! That's it!"

The sisters diagonally crossed the intersection and entered a large building.

They were beckoning me at what seemed to be the entrance, so I hurried over to avoid being nagged at.

The large two-story building was the guild. It was wooden, but much bigger than my house.

Opening the double doors at the entrance and stepping inside, there was a counter straight ahead with a few older sisters. It didn't seem too different from a bank.

I walked up to the older sister in the middle of the counter.

"Excuse me, I heard from the elder of the upper village that we can become hunters here..."

The sister hesitantly started to explain.

"Yes! You can. ...Can you?"

"Yes!"

"Um... it's a new registration. Please fill out this form with the necessary information."

The older sister seemed a bit casual, but it looked like we could register as hunters.

Peeking at the form the sister handed me from behind... I couldn't read it.

The text was a blend of Greek and cuneiform, written in small characters.

"What is this? I've never seen such writing before!"

"Akito can't read it either?"

The sister showed the form to Mea, but she just shook her head.

"Excuse me... I can't read or write. Can you write it for me?"

"Yes, that's fine. ...So, please come this way!"

She led us through a door at the end of the counter into a small conference room. The older sister asked us questions, and our profiles were written on the form.

"Your name?"

"I'm Mizuki Yagami. This is Akito. This one is Mea."

"Where are you from?"

"Japan, but..."

"Where did you walk from?"

"From the upper village..."

"Your origin is Actras!"

"What's your preferred weapon?"

"I use a bow. Akito uses a sword, I think. Mea..."

"I'm fine with this."

"Short sword. Understood."

"Can you use magic?"

"Is there such a thing?"

"I can't use magic!"

"Who should we contact in case of death?"

"No one."

"In case of death, the guild will take care of it!"

The form was filled out with such questions, and finally, the older sister took out a crystal ball about 5 cm in diameter.

"We will measure your individual skills. Please hold it one by one."

First, the sister held it with her right hand. It flashed for a moment.

"Good. Next, please."

I held it and confirmed that it flashed, then passed it to Mea.

When Mea held the crystal ball, it flashed, and the older sister collected it.

"That's all. Next... So, you all will work together, right?"

"Yes, that's what we want to do."

"In that case, it's convenient to register a team name. Some quests can only be accepted as a team."

"In that case, we'll call it 'Yoi Machi.'"

"Understood."

The older sister wrote three forms and looked at us again.

"Next, I'll explain the guild's rules. I'll give a brief explanation, but if you have any questions or problems, please ask at the counter..."

The rules the older sister explained were as follows:

You can find jobs on the quest board in the guild hall.

The forms posted on the quest board have the hunter level required, and you can accept quests up to one level above your current level.

To receive the reward for completing a quest, you need to bring proof of completion. If you bring back parts of beasts that can be exchanged for money, the amount will be added to your reward.

Injuries sustained during a quest are your responsibility.

Food, lodging, and other expenses related to the quest are your responsibility.

The cost of weapons, armor, and other equipment is your responsibility.

Temporary storage of equipment is also available.

"So, can we exchange this for money, which we got on the way here?"

The sister said, taking the horns and tusks out of Mea's backpack.

"Ah... Yes, you can. I'll take them. Please wait in the hall."

We left the room and moved to the hall.

Indeed, there were quest boards on both sides of the hall, with forms written on rough paper posted all over them.

"The problem is that we can't read them. We need to do something about it."

The sister muttered as she looked at the forms.

Indeed, if we can't read the quest forms, being a hunter won't be very useful.

"Everyone, please come here."

The older sister's bright voice echoed in the hall.

We gathered at the counter, and she handed us three cards over the counter.

"This is for Mizuki. This is for Akito. And this is for Mea."

These must be the guild cards we're familiar with from RPGs...

They were metal pieces the size of a business card. I couldn't read the content, but there were various imprints on different sections. There were two holes at the bottom.

The sister's card also had two holes, but Mea's had only one.

"Since you are beginners, your cards are red. The holes at the bottom represent your combat level. They were determined fairly by the crystal ball. This is commonly known as a 'double red' level. Also, the exchange amount is 130 leks, so one silver coin and three copper coins."

"Thank you. By the way, can you recommend a good inn?"

The sister casually asked for a recommendation.

We are currently walking to the inn recommended by the guild's older sister (Fiene's Inn), but this distance is quite far from the village. We've walked quite a bit!

"I think this is it... Good evening!"

A small two-story house stood quite far from the guild. The landmark was a large cedar tree to the left of the house.

When we opened the door and entered, the older lady at the counter glared at us. We are customers, right?

"Good evening. Excuse me, can we stay here?"

"Good, you found this out-of-the-way inn."

"We were recommended by the older sister at the guild."

"Recommended by Sandy. Sure, you can stay. It's 20 leks per person. How many nights?"

"Since we don't have much money... two nights, please. And, can we eat here?"

"Breakfast is 5 leks per person, and dinner is 8 leks. I'll serve you."

"Three people, please. And, can you cook this for us?"

I placed one of Inegal's hind legs on the counter.

The older lady looked at the meat for a while.

"I'll cook it for free. By the way, what about the leftover meat..."

"I'll give it to you!"

"Are you sure? Thank you. Here's the key to your room. It's a four-person room, but that's fine, right? I'll prepare the meal, so put your luggage in the room first."

The sister paid with a mix of silver and copper coins and received the key.

We went up the stairs the older lady pointed to, and there were rooms on both sides of the hallway.

The room at the end of the four rooms was ours. There were room numbers, but we couldn't read them. We found our room by matching the symbol on the key tag.

The room had two bunk beds and a table with four chairs. Opening a door on one side revealed a small wooden bathtub. There was no toilet, so it must be outside.

There was a wooden box next to the bed with a simple lock.

We put our backpacks in the wooden box and decided to go downstairs for dinner.

"Wait at that table. I'll bring it out soon."

The older lady called out from the counter when she heard us coming down the stairs.

Indeed, there were tables on the opposite side of the counter.

Two groups of guests were already seated at the five tables. It seemed to be a combination of a restaurant and an inn.

We sat at a table away from the other guests and waited for a while, and then dinner was served.

A vegetable soup and hard black bread, and then the grilled Inegal meat.

Glancing at the other guests, they had the same menu without the grilled meat.

"Hey! We don't get any, huh?"

One of the guests noticed our grilled meat and started complaining to the older lady.

"Unfortunately, they brought in a real Inegal they caught. I'll make stew with this meat tomorrow, so look forward to it."

"Damn, a real catch. We can't even catch an Inegal yet!!"

"But, you look quite young. It's impressive that you managed to catch one."

"Probably a lucky find. We can't catch an Inegal more than a few times a year."

I was about to stand up and yell at them, but the sister held me back by the hem of my clothes.

"Let them talk. It was probably a lucky find..."

The two groups of guests seemed to be getting more heated as they talked. Maybe they were drinking?

One of them came to our table and asked me a question.

"What's the real story? Did you kill it, or was it a lucky find?"

"I killed a young Inegal that was being chased by a Gator. Akito took care of the Gator that was chasing it. ...It was indeed a lucky find."

The guests were surprised to hear this.

"The speed of an Inegal being chased by a Gator is no joke. And the tenacity of a Gator whose prey was taken is well-known. You did well to survive. By the way, what's your hunter level?"

"We just became hunters a little while ago."

The sister said, taking out her guild card from her pocket and placing it on the table.

"Double red... Got it. This time, you were lucky. But next time, it might not be. Look for jobs that match your abilities. ...Got it!"

The guests nodded.

The guests, who looked like rough people, were also hunters. It was a bit reassuring to know they were worried about us.