by Yuu Tanaka
I guess we were okay. He was probably getting used to all these surprises at this point.
“So, which one will you choose?”
Ask him for a recommendation.
“What do you recommend?”
“Well, the Spellsword, Duelist, and Flame Mage Classes are all intermediate Classes that are quite rare. If you want to use both magic and your sword, go with Spellsword. If you want to focus only on your sword, choose Duelist. And if you want to focus on your spells, choose Flame Mage.”
I see… Which one do you want, Fran?
“Spellsword sounds cool.”
Let’s go with that then.
The Spellsword Class seemed to be the one with the most beneficial Effects anyway.
Spellsword: Intermediate Class. Unlocked when a Sword skill and a Magic skill are at Level 6 or above.
Effects: Gain additional Strength and Magic upon leveling up. Increases the chances of learning new Sword and Magic skills. Increases the strength of Sword and Magic skills.
There was one more thing I had to clear:
“Can I change Classes again later?”
“Yes. You can come to the guild at any time to change your Class. However, you can only get the Effects of your equipped Class. For example, your stats will change significantly should you job change to Duelist from Spellsword. As well, job changing to a lower Class would significantly reduce your stats. You would also lose access to skills unique to specific Classes.”
That was about how I expected the Class system to work, so I was okay with it. We might as well pick Spellsword for now, since we’d confirmed we could change Classes down the road if we wanted to.
“I’ll take Spellsword.”
“Then here is your Guild Card.”
The card appeared to be an ordinary bronze card. Fran’s name was listed on it along with her guild affiliation, Class, and adventurer rank.
“The Guild Card will act as your ID. A reissue costs 5000G. The card only responds to its owner’s magic signature, but do your best not to lose it regardless.”
The Guildmaster proceeded to tell us about basic guild procedure. It was an explanation usually given by the guild receptionist, but we had gained his attention, for better or worse. Here were the bullet points of his talk:
You could only take up Guild Quests that corresponded with your Adventurer Rank, plus or minus one. There were also Rank Up Quests when you wanted to move up. G- and F-Rank cards were bronze, E and D were black, B was silver, A was gold, and S was platinum. You could sell any materials regardless of your rank.
There was no annual fee, but if you didn’t take any quests after a set amount of time, you would get demoted and eventually removed from the guild. Any acts of betraying the guild would also get you kicked out.
The guild wasn’t responsible for any fights you got into with your fellow adventurers.
The last point was likely personally directed at Fran. She was raising too many flags.
“And now, you are an adventurer.”
“’Kay.”
“Is there anything else you want to ask?”
It wasn’t a question so much as it was a request.
“Are you going to announce the results of my examination?”
“No. The guild does not circulate the abilities of individual adventurers.”
“Good.”
“You don’t want to stand out?”
“Not in a bad way.”
“Let’s make a deal. I, Donadrond, and the receptionist will keep quiet about you. It is much more convenient for us anyway. Donadrond oversees assembling the adventurers in case of emergency, and it would trouble us if people began questioning his authority.”
“I think it’d be a crying shame. But if you want us to keep quiet for you, little lady, I’ll oblige.”
“Not that you could lay low for long considering how strong you are…”
Ugh, I couldn’t deny that. But I guess this meeting turned out okay.
We spoke to the receptionist, Nell, after receiving our guild card.
“Do you want to take on a quest?”
Her question reminded me that we had to sell off our materials if we wanted to stay the night at an inn. I had almost forgotten following the barrage of information we got after receiving our guild card.
“I have some goblin horns.”
“You’ll want the Quest Report counter then. Right this way.”
Now that Fran was a proper adventurer, Nell the receptionist politely responded to her needs. As the face of the guild, her manners were impeccable.
“I have some materials I want to sell.”
“Then please head to the trading counter and wait for me there. I’ll just count the number of goblin horns you’re turning in.”
“’Kay.”
“Eight pairs makes for 160G. Would that be all right?”
That wasn’t enough for a night’s stay. We needed 300G at the very least, and I’d like to stay at a decent inn if possible.
We made our way to the trading counter.
“Will you be selling individual parts? There’s a special area to the side in case the parts you’re selling are too big or aren’t carved yet. If it’s still too big, we have a special room where we can properly assess its value,” Nell explained.
If the goblin horns were any indication, the low-rank monster parts would only sell as much as the Black Bug parts I had sold to Randell on the way into the city. They were just way too cheap. They were going to be a bit bigger, but I was going to have to take out the mid-rank monster parts.
“They’re a little big.”
“Then you can have them delivered to that spot over there. Where do you have them stored? High-quality materials will need careful handling.”
Oh yeah, I guess we didn’t look like we had anything on hand.
Judging by the many people in town who had Item Pouches on their belts when I Identified them, Storage Space wasn’t that rare of a skill. It should be safe for me to use it here.
“I’ll take it out now.”
I’d be the one in charge of inventory of course. This was one of the drawbacks of Skill Sharing. Although Fran could use Pocket Dimension, she didn’t have access to my inventory, and I didn’t have access to hers.
I had Fran pretend to take things out of her own inventory and leave it on the trading area. I began by clearing out my low-rank materials, with the first monster Fran had ever killed coming first. Specifically, the Twin-Headed Bear’s claws and fur. The bear’s guts were apparently used in making medicines, but I shoved it back inside the Pocket Dimension until I could find containers for it; it would stink up the place all by itself. Next came two sets of pelts and fangs from the Poison Fang Rats.
“How did you find these?”
“I killed them on the way here.”
“And you carved them by yourself?”
“Yeah.”
We were getting unwanted attention from the surrounding adventurers, stealing glances at us and smirking. Were they implying we shouldn’t be selling such low-rank materials? All right, let’s up the ante a little bit.
Next, I took out the materials from the monsters in Areas 2 and 3 of the grasslands. From the Giant Bat, we had its wing membrane, venom fang, and hollow bone. From the Crush Boar, we had its tusk, pelt, and skull. From the Rock Bison, we had its shell and horns. They weren’t that strong, but these should be enough to buy us a few nights’ lodgings and some basic armor.
We definitely would’ve had enough if we sold the Tyrant Saber-Tooth and Doppel Snake materials, but I decided against it. They might come in handy as material for Fran’s equipment, and we risked standing out too much. One look at the Guildmaster’s Doppel Snake Robe and Donadrond’s Saber-Tooth Mantle was enough to tell me that these were good enough for high-rank adventurers to wear. Selling them here would only cause an upset.
Nell frowned.
Were the monsters too strong for someone as young as Fran to have beaten? Th
ey were among the monsters that gave low-rank adventurers a tough time after all. We didn’t have much choice considering the low-rank materials didn’t sell for much. We could stand out just this once and get it over with. Should we sell all our low and mid-rank materials?
What do you think?
“We may as well get it over with in one go.”
You’re right! Okay, I’m gonna bring out the rest of the stuff now.
I took out the Stone Spider’s silk sac, fangs, and shell; the Tunnel Mole’s claws and pelt; the Paralysis Cat’s pelt and claws; and left them on the trading floor. We didn’t sell the meat since I wanted to keep it for Fran’s meals.
“This is all of it.”
“O…kay… Please wait while I assess them.”
It looked like Nell had Identify and Connoisseur on her. She must’ve been a genius. She called three other receptionists and they proceeded to assess our loot. It took ten minutes of non-stop Identify until they finished.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“Hm.”
“That’ll be 195,000G in total. Will that be all right?”
Excuse me? 195,000G? Seriously?! Wasn’t that too much? I would’ve been all right with 30,000G to be honest.
“That’s a lot of money.”
“I assure you, it’s reasonably priced. There were F-Rank monster materials thrown in there, and the condition of the material is impeccable. That’s why we threw in a bonus.”
I don’t remember us being too careful when we were carving them, but I guess it made sense that a damaged pelt wouldn’t sell as much as one that was in fine condition.
“Take the Twin-Headed Bear’s pelt, for example. It usually sells for 6,000G. But the pelt you brought in was spotless. Also, not only did you skin it beautifully, you carved up the entire bear to boot. That’s why we’re buying it for 18,000G.”
Three times? Wow. I guess the other materials were in a similar condition and the profits just stacked on top of the other. I’d take whatever I could so I wasn’t complaining.
“Here is your pay. Please make sure you have the correct amount.”
“Thanks.”
Fran shoved the money into her Pocket Dimension. It’d be a mess if it fell to the floor; it was also the best anti-pickpocket measure.
“Bye.”
With our money secured, Fran turned around to leave the guild.
“Now you wait just a minute!”
That was when one of the adventurers blocked her path.
“Hm.”
“Get back here, punk!”
Fran ignored the man and went past him. He didn’t expect this little girl to ignore him after such an intimidating display. The man turned around and reached his hand toward Fran, but she still didn’t stop.
“Hm.”
“I said get back here! Do you hear me?!”
“You’re in the way.”
“Just stop!”
Wow. Even the way she was calmly handling the situation was clichéd. Regardless, the man had blocked our way out of the building.
Fran, we’re gonna have to deal with this guy either way. Let’s hear him out.
“Hm? Fine.”
“As long as you understand.”
The rando smirked, thinking Fran was finally addressing him.
The man’s shoulder pads had spikes coming out of them that looked like they might stab him, a clear indication of style over function. He had black leather armor which I didn’t want to smell to save my life, and his chipped battleaxe was slung over his back. With his bald head and intense expression, he looked like someone who was cosplaying a bandit. His four friends looked more or less the same. They were really starting to annoy me, and they hadn’t even begun.
“Hey!”
“Yes?” Nell replied with a clear exasperation in her voice to the rando’s call.
“You’re clearly biased against us!”
“Excuse me? Biased?”
“Yeah! We turned in a Twin-Headed Bear the other day and only got 2,000G for it! What gives?!”
Nell sighed deeply at the accusation.
“Ah, yes. I remember. The Twin-Headed Bear whose pelt was all beat up, whose head was needlessly cracked, and whose entire carcass you brought to us, correct?”
“What, you didn’t like it? It was still the same Twin-Headed Bear!”
“No, it wasn’t. Yours was in such a terrible condition when you brought it to us that the materials were barely of any value upon assessment.”
“Assessment—what?”
“Ugh, this is the problem with these meatheads. They think their strength can carry them all the way to high ranks. Well, it won’t. They don’t know the slightest thing about being an adventurer. Ugh, just die.”
Nell, I know you’re whispering, but I can hear you loud and clear. I’ll have to make sure to tell Fran not to talk back to her. Even as a sword, I thought it was terrifying how she could curse someone with a smile on her face.
“You killed the Twin-Headed Bear by surrounding it then stabbing it to death, correct?”
“That’s right. It took our bait then all five of us piled on top of it. I don’t see why F-Rank monsters were supposed to be difficult for newcomers. We killed it in no time flat, so I guess those other adventurers were just weak.”
Oh, I get it. There was a subtle distinction in the word “difficulty.” Killing a given monster wasn’t necessarily “difficult,” but killing it in a way that preserved most of its carcass was. These schmucks must’ve thought it didn’t matter how they killed the monster so long as they got money for it.
I knew I wasn’t one to talk, because I cheesed it with Disassemble, but this was why you needed it! Neatly carving monster pelts and preserving them was tough work! Even with the skill on we still had to physically carve the monsters we killed, and Fran did most of the hard work. Of course you’d get docked for bringing in a whole monster!
“Allow me to explain. The pelt was in such terrible condition when you brought it in that we couldn’t craft anything out of it. At best, the products made with it would be of inferior quality. We were able to stuff only one of its heads, and even then it was heavily damaged, further reducing its value. The claws you brought in were cracked, making them worth considerably less. You even somehow managed to damage the creature’s innards which we could’ve used to make medicine. I guess you waited a while before you brought the bear’s carcass to us, because the meat was in such a decomposed state that we couldn’t use it for food. Basically, you brought us garbage. It wouldn’t be fair of us to pay you so much money for garbage, would it? Also, you brought it in one piece, which meant we had to carve it up for you. We took the liberty of deducting the carving fees, along with the disposal fees, from your total amount. You said we paid you 1,600G? You’re right. That’s far too much in your favor.”
The man was dumbstruck with the speed and succinctness of Nell’s words.
What she said sounded acceptable to me, but I knew these guys wouldn’t concede. I wasn’t sure if they understood what she was saying, but they didn’t seem the type to back down from an argument.
“Shut up! You can talk fast and put up all the smokescreens you want. We know our rights and we have the right to get paid the same amount as that girl there!”
“Yeah, he’s right!”
Well, this was horrible.
I understood then that these were the type of people who wouldn’t listen to reason and would kick and scream until you gave in to their demands. They were an unpleasant bunch to begin with, but now I was beginning to get pissed off.
“We paid you exactly what the materials were worth.”
“Stop lying! No you didn’t!”
“Ugh. Maybe you need to reexamine your hunting procedure before you come complaining to us about it. Unlike soldiers whose sole duty is to fight, adventurers need to master other skills as well. Looking at you now, I don’t think you’re cut out for this adventuring business.”
“Whazzat
? We’ve seen adventurers too scared to go out hunting! You think we can’t do their jobs better than them?!”
I was sure we weren’t the only ones who were getting upset over these punks’ behavior. I could feel the other adventurers around us glare at the group as their profession was being made a mockery of.
How stupid could these people be? Mocking adventurers while inside an Adventurer’s Guild?
And considering how much of a looker Nell was, she must’ve been quite popular. The adventurers must’ve been stewing with rage at how these bozos were picking on her. These guys were dead meat. Their stats weren’t even close to the rest of the adventurers in the lobby:
Name: Damun
Age: 27
Race: Beastman; Red Dog Tribe
Class: Fighter
Status: Enraged
LV: 13
HP: 48; Magic: 20; Strength: 33; Agility: 23
Skills: Transport 1; Sword Mastery 1; Steal 2; Intimidate 1; Axe Mastery 2
Title: Sore Loser
Equipment: Pig Iron Battleaxe; Pig Iron Breastplate; Scratched Deer Leather Armor; Armband of Strength (Fake)
Pitiful. And he was the strongest of the bunch. I could take him down in less than five seconds.
As I wondered what to do with them, the group turned their attention to us. They must’ve figured out blaming Nell was only making them look stupid.
“Look, it doesn’t make sense that this kid could have so many materials to sell off!”
“So?”
“So, she must’ve stolen them or something!”
“So what? Let’s say she did get them through dishonest means. What does that have to do with you?”
“Uh… W-well, here’s the thing! That means you gave her money that you were supposed to pay us!”
Wha… How did that even make sense to these people? These guys were delusional!
“The girl is strong enough to take down mid-rank monsters and carve them for parts. Killing and neatly carving a Twin-Headed Bear must’ve been no problem for her.”
“Pssh! You expect us to believe that?! You’re a Black Cat, aren’t you?”
“Hm.”
“Black Cats are the weakest among the Beastman tribes. You expect me to believe a little girl from that tribe of weaklings could kill monsters that strong? There has to be some foul play here!”