episode_0024

*****

The next day, when I went to the guild, there was widespread news that I had given up on clearing the dungeon and had been demoted to block rank. I also found out about this because adventurers whose faces I knew asked me how I was doing.

Strictly speaking, it’s not ‘yet’, but the reason I stopped by the guild today was to give up on the request, so the rumor soon becomes true. There’s no way the guild leaked the information. When I asked him how he knew, it seemed like there are things you learn when you become an adventurer for a long time.

The higher the rank, the narrower the adventurer society becomes. As word of the Succubus Dungeon spreads and the guild does not recruit adventurers on a large scale, guess who will attack it. Among them, I was the one who most suited the timing of leaving the city.

In that case, it was understandable that Schweitzer’s attitude was suspicious. Since he was Silver Rank, he must have heard about the Succubus Dungeon, and with his skills, it wouldn’t have been difficult to guess my destination.

Even now, the gazes of men looking at me were three times more suspicious than usual. A mysterious girl failed to conquer the erotic dungeon and ran away, so your imagination may be rich. … In reality, something like that happened to me.

Normally, I would throw a tantrum at the adventurers in the tavern or brag about something to the people who approach me, but today is not a good day. Plus, I need to find a new place to stay, so I’ll just give up on the request and head back quickly.

“Ah, TS!”

As I was waiting for the receptionist to call me, ignoring the gazes of those around me, Ranian spotted me and came running towards me.

This person is probably the person I can feel most comfortable with in this city right now. From what I’ve seen so far, he’s not the type to betray others.

“Hey, over there. Are you okay!?”

“… What do you mean by that?”

“Oh.”

As you can see, I look completely fine on the outside. Asking me how I was doing was likely to cause some confusion in the current situation.

He must have picked up a strange rumor somewhere. Ranian’s face turned bright red and he panicked, not knowing what to do.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to… . No, that’s not it… .”

“That’s okay, I know, so don’t worry about it. And ‘I didn’t do anything in the dungeon’. ‘Because it seemed dangerous on the way, so I ran away.’ If something happened to you in the first place, there’s no reason to fall to block rank, right?”

Still, I thought it was a good opportunity, so I raised my voice slightly so that people around me could hear. Of course, this alone won’t completely quell the rumors, but it won’t be as blatant as it is now.

I didn’t want people to know that something had happened, so I decided to give up on the request rather than fail, but it would be meaningless if strange rumors spread.

“That’s what I heard. I heard that the penalty period is significant, especially when you reach Silver rank. How long have you been suspended? hmm. Since it is your first offense and it is not intentional, will you spend about a week?”

“No. It’s been 3 weeks.”

“Wow… .”

Ranian seemed to have understood my intention and agreed with me appropriately, but as soon as he heard the term, he looked like he was truly fed up, not acting.

What makes it worth it is that if you reach the Silver rank, your income will be significant. Although it is not as difficult as mine, it is not uncommon for monthly income to exceed 10 gold.

If it’s 3 weeks, 75% of your monthly income will be cut off. Considering that people who make an average income spend a lot of money, this can be seen as a fairly large financial loss.

“TS, you’re having a hard time too… . There is no other way to think of this as a long vacation.”

“Huh? Isn’t it? There is no specific work prohibited.”

With so much money flowing out of Haeju, leisurely vacations are as good as gone. Even if you can’t receive quests, there is a possibility that you will become even busier if you want to earn living expenses and level up a little at the same time.

However, looking at Ranian’s puzzled expression, it seemed like there was some difference in consciousness in this area.

“Hmm. Did you get work from somewhere else in advance?”

“Not really. why? Is there any problem?”

“Well, day jobs that are consistently in demand in the city are assigned to low-rank adventurers. I think it would be quite difficult for TS to work during the penalty period.”

Culturally in the kingdom, most work is usually passed on to people you know, such as family members or training from childhood. In the case of other simple labor jobs, they are said to be exclusive to low-rank adventurers so that high-rank adventurers cannot steal them.

Perhaps there is an intention to prevent high-rank adventurers with high combat power from doing anything other than subjugating monsters. It seems impossible for an adventurer to find a job that he can do without going through the guild’s intermediary unless he has some connections.

At the same time, it was like a lightning strike for me, who had to earn three weeks of living expenses.

No, really, what should I do about this?

“But you worked hard for over two months. Wouldn’t it be okay to rest for a little while? If you are TSC, you won’t have to worry about your life.”

“Huh!? Well, that’s it! … But I’m really just asking out of curiosity and without any other intention. Is there nothing you can do with block rank?”

“Okay. Umm. Is this possible if there is a sudden vacancy in escort missions for long-distance travel, or if there is a severe manpower shortage within the guild due to frequent high-rank requests? Neither of them have a chance at the moment. Other than that… , there are also non-rank requests.”

“Non-rank request?”

” Since there was no one willing, I sent a job request to the guild as if I had to make up for it. Of course, low-rank adventurers also avoid it, so we categorized it into a completely different range. If you want to do it, it’s probably possible.”

No one would do that willingly. Ranian added those words with a wry smile.

It seems like something really serious for him to say something like that. For now, let’s remember this. Given the current situation, there is a high probability that something like that will have to be done.

“Then you really need to rest for three weeks.”

“That would be best. … Well, Mr. TS, if you have time this time──”

“Oh, sorry. I think it will be difficult to participate in training for a while. I have some work to do on my own.”

“Is that so… .”

Phew. When he flatly refused the invitation, Ranian’s ears flattened and he became depressed.

I’m a little sorry, but I can’t help it. I’m going to be quite busy for a while due to living expenses and leveling up.

Perhaps Ranian will help me if I tell him the situation, but I don’t like that. To me now, Ranian feels like a familiar younger brother who follows me well. A man’s pride is something he doesn’t want to show as much as possible.

“Then let’s have a meal together next time──”

“If that’s the case then──”

Anyway, thanks to Ranian, I was able to realize that I had been complacent in my expectations. You shouldn’t just do anything.

Revising the plans in my head one by one, I chatted moderately with Ranian until the receptionist called my name.

***

Since coming to Turkan, the place I have stayed so far has been accommodation provided by the Adventurer’s Guild. As expected from being the facility of Turkan’s largest force, the accommodation boasted impeccable quality in all conditions, including crime prevention, soundproofing, and location.

Of course, the cost of lodging is that high, but discounts apply to Bronze rank and above, so I, a Silver, was able to stay at a fairly low price. Of course, that was until yesterday, and I had to pay the full amount from today, so I ended the contract halfway through.

“Ha~… .”

All I had in my hand was a pouch containing all my belongings. Every time I feel that meager weight, I want to hold my head and wonder why this happened.

But what really makes you sigh is that even after wandering around for half a day, you can’t find accommodation. Since I don’t know how much my future income will be, I want to go to a place where I can survive as much as possible with my current money. So far I haven’t been able to find a single one.

Once you go to an area with less security, you can find a house at a cheaper price. Although it is not as big as the Divid Autonomous Territory where there are slums, there are some differences between Turkando districts.

Even if it was in perfect condition, I didn’t want to stay in a place with poor security while under the tentacle curse. Considering that there was a sex tree mode in this world, this was not a luxury but a necessary expense.

“If you ask Ranian, it’s one shot.”

At most, it lasts about 3 weeks. Borrowing money is a bit much, but if you’re sharing a room, there’s nothing to be reluctant about. I seriously thought about asking for it.

The reason I canceled the plan was because I saw Spitz’s crying face. It would be difficult to hide room sharing from the same party members if it lasted not just a day or two, but three weeks. If we get caught, this time either me or Ranian will really get stabbed by Spitz.

“Where is next?”

As I was walking and thinking about nothing, I arrived at the next accommodation on the list. It wasn’t as bad as the accommodations in the city, but the clean exterior wasn’t too bad. The people walking around nearby also look reasonably normal.

Excluding this one, there is only one place left in the list of accommodations written by Dean’s friend and guild member. If I fail here and here, I have no choice but to find a suitable place and pray for an income.

Please stop here. With that hope in mind, I opened the door to my dorm.

“Huh? Are you a guest?”

“Yes. I’m looking for a room.”

The landlord was a middle-aged man with a slightly grumpy appearance. It’s a bit off-putting for him to grin as soon as he sees my face, but it’s within an acceptable range as long as the rent is cheaper.

Unfortunately, the landlord’s smile hardened as soon as he heard the price I suggested.

“Ah, it must be a little difficult at that price. I’d like to give it a discount, but… . For prices like this, you have to go to the outskirts.”

“I see. Excuse me.”

Sure enough. I once again heard something I had heard twice before coming here. At this point, rather than being discouraged by the rejection, all I can think is, ‘There it is again.’

Perhaps the last accommodation will also be rejected with this feeling. The moment I was about to say hello and leave with a thought similar to resignation, the landlord called me and I turned around again.

“Wait a minute. Is it true that the young lady is trying to go to the outskirts?”

“… I’m thinking about it for now.”

“No, that is not a place for a young lady to go. Umm… .”

Actually, I have no intention of going there at all. The landlady nodded with a sad expression that seemed slightly resolved, and the landlord began to think about something.

It’s something to do and see. Is this an attempt to take pity on me and reduce my rent?

“First of all, I can give you a room at the price the lady said, no, half that price.”

“Are you serious!? Thank you!”

“Listen to the story until the end. There is a room in our inn with the door closed. There… , it’s coming out.”

Guests may feel mysterious gazes, be pressed by scissors, or have something buried in their sleep. The landlord said that even a room with frequent problems like that could be offered at a low price if it was okay.

Of course, I am very welcome. Even though he looks like this, he still has the body of a paladin. I am confident that I can instantly transform even strong evil spirits, as well as ordinary miscellaneous spirits.

When I was asked if I was really okay with it, I nodded and even wrote a note saying that I would not make any complaints about the problems that would arise there, and the landlord gave me the room as if he was reluctant.

With this, the problem of residence during the penalty period is completely solved. I opened the door with the key I got from the landlord and entered the room with a smile.

“Ugh, the smell.”

Is it because it hasn’t been maintained for a long time? As the landlord warned, the room had a slightly strange smell. … This smells like a widower.

Still, considering the rent is less than half of that of nearby accommodations, I can tolerate this much. If you ventilate frequently, the smell will disappear.

Let’s just stay like this for 3 weeks. With such enthusiasm, I opened the window of my room wide.

*****