Ch.2The Beginning of Adventure (2)

It’s not easy to find a place that operates 760 days a year.

However, the Adventurer’s Guild was one of those rare establishments, and before heading there, I was at the bathhouse washing up with what little money I had left.

Swoosh!

Perhaps because winter had only recently ended, the bathwater felt unusually warm.

As I poured water over myself, grime began to flow off my body, and I started scrubbing away the dirt.

I had already dropped my clothes off at the laundry service attached to the bathhouse, so after soaking in the bath for a few hours, clean clothes would be waiting in my locker.

“Haaah…”

I sank into the hot bath, deflating my lungs.

Despite the early hour, the bathhouse was crowded. Looking at their bodies, I could tell they were adventurers.

Some had bruises, others had stitched wounds, and many bore scars.

There were even some with all three, and they exuded such an extraordinary aura that no one dared approach them.

Eventually, I got out of the bath, dried myself off, and after covering myself with a robe, I lay down in the sleeping area filled with crude mattresses made of straw bundles.

Crackle!

Unlike hardened cotton, the straw mattress had some elasticity. It was prickly but not enough to keep me from falling asleep.

I soon drifted off, with only the ticking of the clock’s second hand reaching my ears.

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“Mmm…”

I can’t even remember the last time I slept so deeply.

Waking up feeling refreshed beyond mere restfulness, I checked the clock.

“3:23 PM…”

Despite feeling like I’d slept for a long time, surprisingly little time had passed.

“They say changing your sleeping environment changes the quality of sleep—that’s exactly right.”

When I think about it, it makes sense.

The quality of sleep in a warm, heated sleeping room is bound to be different from sleeping against a crumbling wall with wind whistling through.

“Nngh…”

I stretched, hearing my bones crack into place, then went to my locker to find my neatly laundered clothes.

Of course, though they were clean, the clothes were so worn out that I planned to discard them after today, but I still appreciated the subtle scent of detergent.

After changing and paying, I realized I had very little money left.

True, I had piles of heavy silver coins in my spatial storage, but those couldn’t be taken out carelessly. The actual money “on hand” was now just a few silver coins. After the Adventurer’s Guild registration fee, I’d have enough left for about a week’s lodging at an inn.

The registration fee for the Adventurer’s Guild was set at one silver coin, so what remained was effectively three silver coins and thirty copper coins. I began looking around the area to find a suitable inn where people were coming and going.

“Ha. I feel like a country bumpkin who just arrived in the capital!”

Though not yet an adventurer, I felt like I was already on an adventure.

If I thought of inns as treasure chests and the complex streets as a labyrinth, wasn’t I like an adventurer wandering through a maze in search of treasure-filled boxes?

With that thought, my steps grew lighter, and I began darting through the streets like a rickshaw puller in a hurry.

*

While running around like that, I discovered a decent-looking inn.

[Armored Trout Inn.]

“…Armored trout?”

As far as I knew, the term “armored” was used for sharks, not trout…

“Is it a typo? Or poetic license?”

No, more importantly, while this city did have a port, it wasn’t a fishing harbor, and I didn’t think either armored sharks or trout were caught here.

Clunk!

“Ah. That was a good meal.”

As I stood there pondering, the door of the Armored Trout Inn opened, and a middle-aged man walked past me, picking his teeth with a toothpick.

“Hmm… the cooking seems decent…”

The aroma of food clinging to his coat was remarkably pleasant.

If they used spices liberally, I’d have to look elsewhere, but judging by the man’s attire, he seemed quite wealthy. A wealthy person would surely have ordered a menu befitting his status.

“Come to think of it… when was the last time I ate at an inn?”

Inn food typically includes the cost of lodging, so it’s quite expensive.

That’s why, despite the inconvenience, I usually made do with crudely baked flour and water mixtures, occasionally supplementing my nutrition with soup that Eileen would bring.

“Eileen’s soup… always had meat in it.”

Not pork or beef, but chicken, rat, nutria, rabbit, and whatever meat she could get her hands on—all chopped up and thrown into a soup with an indescribable taste. But for a growing boy like me, it was like rain in a drought, and I remember licking the bowl clean in the blink of an eye.

Now… I wouldn’t have to do that anymore.

Probably.

I opened the door of the Armored Shar—no, Armored Trout Inn and noticed several employees inside.

“Welcome! Please sit here!”

A waitress with freckles and a warm demeanor guided me, and as I sat down, I looked over the menu.

“Tsk… as expected.”

Being close to the Adventurer’s Guild and located next to a main street, the prices were quite high.

Not that I couldn’t afford it, but with each menu item costing at least five or six copper coins, I vividly remembered how I’d once made a single copper coin’s worth of bread last an entire week…

“Sir, what would you like to order?”

“Um… do you have any recommendations?”

Having already entered, it would wound my pride to leave without ordering, so I asked the waitress for recommendations, and she smiled while suggesting two menu items.

“These two are our most popular dishes!”

“Oh, I see.”

One was meat marinated in spicy seasoning and then grilled, while the other was a stew with plenty of chicken breast.

“What will it be?”

“The chicken breast stew.”

“Alright~! Please wait a moment!”

The spicy marinade was tempting, but stimulating food can be hard on the stomach. Especially since I’d been eating poorly until now—suddenly eating something spicy might upset my stomach.

Besides, the combination of chicken breast and stew is practically foolproof, isn’t it?

While I was thinking this, the stew arrived, and I picked up my spoon to begin eating.

*

“I’d like to stay at this inn. How much for a week?”

After finishing my meal, I asked the staff at the counter.

“With meals included?”

“Is there a price difference?”

“With meals, it’s three silver coins. Without meals, it’s two silver coins.”

“What meals are provided?”

“Nothing special. A loaf of bread with some butter, and a bowl of oatmeal topped with sour cream for breakfast. The same for dinner. Lunch is not provided.”

“Well, that should be fine.”

I handed over three silver coins, and the employee took out a notebook.

“Your name?”

“Viktor.”

“Viktor… one week stay… meals included…”

After writing my name in the notebook, the employee pulled a key from a drawer and tossed it to me.

“Room 203…”

“If you lose the key, there’s a compensation fee of 10 copper coins.”

“Understood.”

I stuffed the key into my pocket and headed for the Adventurer’s Guild.

*

Jingle~ Jingle~

The bell decoration on the door rang noisily, and the guild receptionists’ eyes turned toward me before quickly looking away.

“Hmm… it looks like a bank.”

The guild’s reception area, which felt like a bank combined with an employment office, was crowded with people.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Why is the settlement amount so little?!”

“I’m sorry, but you only completed part of the quest conditions…”

As is the case everywhere, these people didn’t hesitate to raise their voices when it came to money matters.

As I stood awkwardly near the door, wondering where to go, someone who looked like an employee approached me.

“How can I help you?”

“I want to get an adventurer’s license…”

“Please go to counter number 5.”

I moved to counter 5 as instructed, but since the previous person’s registration wasn’t finished, I had to wait for a few minutes.

When my turn finally came, I sat down and faced the receptionist.

“How can I help you?”

“I’m here for an adventurer’s license…”

“What is your name?”

“Viktor.”

“If I may ask, what is your occupation?”

“Battler.”

“Here’s your license.”

I took the license and sat down in one of the guild’s seats.

[Name: Viktor]

[Occupation: Battler]

[Rank: Straw]

“Straw, huh…”

I had vaguely heard about the Adventurer’s Guild’s ranking system.

Straw was definitely the lowest rank among adventurers. In civil service terms, it would be equivalent to the lowest entry-level position.

While getting the license was simple now, as my rank increased, I would face more stringent evaluations.

Thump! Thump!

Yet, my heart was pounding like it might burst.

Half of my dream had come true.

I stood up on shaky legs and headed toward the quest bulletin board where people were gathered in clusters.