Ch.42The City of Three Magic Towers. Ortus (8)

“Congratulations. You are now a Coal-rank adventurer.”

The Guild Master said this as he issued my new certification.

[Name: Victor.]

[Occupation: Battler.]

[Rank: Coal.]

“Haah…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Just… a bit tired, you’d know why.”

“Ha. Ha…ha.. Well, it was my unreasonable request after all…”

The Guild Master awkwardly laughed as he handed me a cup of tea.

I took a sip of the tea with a mysterious aroma that was neither black nor green tea, then looked at the Guild Master.

The typical appearance of a middle-aged man that one would imagine as ‘the head of an organization.’

But how many scars and muscles were hidden beneath that bushy beard and protruding belly…

“What are you staring at? It’s uncomfortable.”

“Just… wondering if I could win if I fought you.”

“Well, I’d win one-sidedly, of course.”

“As expected.”

One of my bad habits is evaluating others’ combat abilities at inappropriate times.

Of course, whether they’re stronger or weaker than me, I’d treat them equally, but others feel humiliated by the mere fact that I’m sizing them up one-sidedly.

If I weren’t an adventurer, I’d have no defense if a passing nobleman decided to punish me for being disrespectful.

Well, that’s why I became an adventurer in the first place.

“Anyway. I’m planning to leave this city soon.”

“What, have you seen all there is to see?”

“You could say that. I’m heading to Dreisen.”

“Dreisen… why there? Other cities would be closer.”

“I have someone to meet. A friend of Professor Felice.”

“Well, if that’s the case. I can’t stop you. Take care.”

“Mm.”

I gave a simple nod, then left the Guild Master’s office and looked at my adventurer certification once more.

Rising from Straw to Coal rank in less than a year…

Now I’ve reached the final stage of the Wood rank, which progresses from Straw-Tinder-Flint-Firewood-Coal.

The next wall for me is the Metal rank, which goes Bronze-Iron-Steel-Silver-Gold.

And the level above that is the Gem rank, commonly known as Ruby-Sapphire-Emerald-Topaz-Diamond.

Among the fifteen ranks of adventurers, the most populous are naturally the Wood and Metal ranks, and those between Steel and Gold ranks are considered the backbone of the Adventurers Guild due to their numbers and activities.

This is because this range concentrates those with the minimum power to single-handedly defeat formidable enemies capable of destroying an entire city.

And from Ruby rank upward, it becomes possible to become a ruler of one’s own nation (meaning they could establish a kingdom and act as king), which is why most city-states and kings of small nations are extremely wary of Gem-ranked adventurers.

And the highest rank, Diamond…

Those who permanently hold this rank number only about 10,000 worldwide, and without exception, they are individuals who have literally transcended humanity and are destined to become constellations in the night sky or ascend as apostles of the Four Great Gods.

Clearly, I won’t be able to reach that level, but still, I’ve made it to Coal rank in just a few months.

At the very least, I should be able to advance to Bronze rank before turning 20, so there’s no need to be impatient.

“Hoo….ha….”

After taking a deep breath, I left the Adventurers Guild and headed toward the market that sold magical items.

*

“What are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for a spatial storage. The kind that’s inscribed on the body.”

“Ah. You mean an inscription-type storage. Follow me.”

As soon as I arrived at the market, an overly friendly guide quickly attached himself to me, and I began navigating through the vast marketplace following his guidance.

I occasionally saw other adventurers being guided as well, all clutching their purses tightly with anxious expressions.

However, despite holding a money pouch, I wasn’t particularly worried because I wasn’t careless enough to get robbed.

“Here we are, the place that sells the best inscription-type storage.”

“Oho. The atmosphere is certainly different.”

“Hehe…”

The guide lingered by my side with a silly grin.

The reason was simple.

He hadn’t received his tip yet.

“How much do you usually get as a tip?”

“Well, I take whatever is given, but typically about one silver coin.”

“Is that so?”

I took out ten silver coins from my money pouch and placed them in his hand, causing his eyes to widen.

“Now the average will go up a bit.”

“Th-thank you, sir! May Moneta’s blessing be upon you!”

I watched as the guide scurried away.

He would probably close shop for the day, brag to his colleagues about earning ten silver coins, and on his way home, buy street snacks to feed his wife and children.

Having money is such a wonderful thing.

“Well, we have a generous customer here.”

“Ah…”

Oh dear, I was so absorbed in watching the guide that I kept the shop owner waiting.

I shook hands with him briefly, then began explaining the specifications of the storage I wanted.

“I have two gold coins to spend, and I’d like to buy the best inscription-type storage I can get with that amount.”

“My, two gold coins… not just generous, but loaded.”

The shop owner laughed heartily, then looked at the inscription devices on display.

“With that much, a custom order would be better. The most expensive one here costs only one gold coin.”

“Then I’ll take that. I don’t intend to be that extravagant. Is it alright if I pay in silver?”

“That would be most welcome.”

I handed the shop owner a heavy pouch containing 1,000 silver coins, and he began heating up the inscription device until it glowed red.

“By the way, I already have one that I’ve been using, so I need to remove it first…”

“Ah… come here.”

I loosened my shirt to reveal the defective storage inscription on my heart, and the shop owner skillfully extracted a de-inscription device matching the inscription and placed it in a magical furnace.

“Did you remove everything from inside?”

“Of course.”

“Then this will be quick.”

Tssss!!

The de-inscription device touched the skin near my heart, and with the sensation of something being removed, the spatial storage was eliminated without leaving a scar.

Now all that remained was to inscribe the new spatial storage worth one gold coin.

“…Not ready yet?”

“It’s such a large one, you see. To inscribe it properly, we need to wait longer.”

“I see.”

So I waited for about five minutes with my chest indecently exposed, until the perfectly heated inscription device touched my skin and began creating the inscription.

“Whoooo….”

Needless to say, even magical fire is still hot when heated.

Not enough to make me writhe in pain, but enough to make me gasp for air.

Shuuuu….

Finally, the spatial storage inscription was complete, glowing blue before the light gradually faded.

“It’s settled well. Try opening it.”

“Let’s see…”

I called forth the spatial storage, and a space incomparably larger than my previous one appeared before me.

“Wow. This is amazing.”

“Well… after using such a defective product, I’m not surprised. This one has good finishing at least. There are many out there with poor finishing that could eat your heart.”

He said this while detaching the now unusable inscription from its handle.

“It’s been a while since I made such a profitable sale. Take care, young man.”

“May Moneta’s blessing be upon you.”

*

The subsequent process doesn’t need much explanation.

First, I looked for a direct route to Dreisen…

“There is no such route. Well, I won’t stop you if you want to create one.”

And learned that no such path existed.

Instead, I found the fastest route, which involved passing through three small villages.

“Hmm… if I go through villages, I won’t need to buy as many provisions…”

The journey to Dreisen would take two weeks.

With a week being 10 days, that meant 20 days of travel—half a month spent just moving.

“Somehow… it seems like I spend more time riding horses than completing quests…”

Thinking this, I began purchasing all sorts of items, freely spending silver coins while praising the greatness of my spatial storage that had grown dozens of times larger.

“Paying in full.”

“Here you are.”

A real man doesn’t do installment plans.

If you don’t have money, you pay with your body; if you have money, you pay with money.

This was a life truth I learned from Parcival.

Even though I didn’t freeze to death wearing short sleeves and shorts in minus 20 degrees covered in snow, meaning I could endure quite a bit physically, it remained an eternal truth that investing money brought peace to both body and mind.

After loading up on items that would enhance the quality of my journey, I made a final stop at an inn to refresh myself, fed my pack horse well, and set off toward my destination, Dreisen.