Chapter 33: An Adventurer’s Welcome

The sensation of blades clashing was more satisfying than I expected.

“Up until now, I’ve only fought monsters.”

After swinging my sword to the limit and collapsing on the ground, I said that to Lady Arnburrow.

“There was never any reason for weapons to clash. Actual combat between adventurers is forbidden at the guild level.”

Well, even without such a rule, fighting someone with real weapons was already off-limits in many ways.

Unless it was a special circumstance, I think it was banned by law or something.

“…I’ve actually never cut down a monster. To be precise, I’ve never experienced real combat.”

The lady sitting beside me hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Oh, really? Ah, well, I guess that makes sense. Someone of your status wouldn’t exactly be going around hunting monsters.”

Being an adventurer paid well compared to other jobs, but that was because your life was always on the line.

Even if you didn’t die, you’d often end up injured one way or another.

More importantly, there weren’t that many people with the skills to take on monsters.

Even in this kind of world, there were far more people who couldn’t stomach the idea of killing something with a sword—even if that “something” was a monster.

“So, my hands… don’t carry any traces of real battle like yours do.”

“Huh? But when we shook hands last time, I could’ve sworn your hands had the calluses of a proper swordsman.”

“Just calluses, nothing more.”

Hmm… does she really need to downplay herself so much?

I thought for a moment, then suddenly sat up.

“Siwoo.”

“Hmm?”

I called out to Siwoo, who had, once again, only observed our training without participating.

He looked surprised—maybe he wasn’t expecting to be called out like this.

“Would it be okay if we brought one more person along for monster hunting this weekend?”

Siwoo glanced toward the lady.

“Ah, I mean, I…”

Her gaze wavered nervously, and I spoke up.

“I’ve learned how to fight from you, so I could teach you how to hunt monsters in return.”

I said that, sneaking a glance at Siwoo.

After all, I was eventually going to give up being a Hero.

No matter how much I improved, I didn’t think I could ever defeat the Demon King.

Lately, it did feel like my body was lighter, and I was in a better state to learn—maybe because Siwoo’s abilities had started to blossom even more—but even so, I still wasn’t strong enough.

So at the very least, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pass on some techniques to the naturally gifted “three-star” students around me.

Right?

To face the Demon King, we’d have to enter his domain—meaning we’d be up against monsters constantly.

I didn’t miss the spark of curiosity that flickered in the lady’s eyes for a brief moment at my suggestion.

“We’ll split the reward equally, per head.”

Her eyes lit up even more at the mention of a “reward.”

Of course, right?

The reason the lady’s eyes sparkled wasn’t because of the reward money—obviously not.

For someone like her, that kind of money wasn’t even worth considering.

But still, you know how it is.

Just like every pirate story comes with a treasure hunt, tales of adventurers are always accompanied by stories of rewards and monster loot.

Though being an adventurer is publicly regarded as a dangerous profession, the word itself carries a certain romanticism.

And the phrase “we split the reward evenly” has a kind of gallant charm to it—enough to make a lot of kids dream of that world.

In reality, most adventurers settle down in a village and rarely go on “adventures,” and the one with the highest stake in the team usually ends up taking most of the reward.

But still.

No need to force those harsh truths onto someone who’s not going to be doing this long-term anyway.

“Siwoo, what do you think? She could be a real asset to the team, don’t you think?”

The word “asset” made her cheeks flush red.

I already knew she’d spent most of her life not being acknowledged by her family.

Hearing that word directly from the mouth of the Hero must have meant a lot to her.

Hopefully, she’ll grow into a full-fledged five-star and take down the Demon King in my stead.

Siwoo closed his eyes and crossed his arms, thinking for a moment—then let out a small chuckle.

“Well, if the team leader is vouching for her that much.”

Of course, the one who contributed the most was Siwoo, but his abilities were a well-kept secret from the public.

“Then let’s talk it over with the others tomorrow. They’ll probably agree. They’re all good people.”

Not to mention, we’ve got plenty of money to go around.

Normally, adventurer parties are reluctant to accept new members because they don’t want to split the pay further, but again, no need to bring that up either.

At my words, the lady nodded stiffly, her expression tensing up again.

Really, she didn’t need to worry so much.

Last time, she’d rushed into the forest out of the blue wanting to “try fighting monsters,” but today was different.

Since we had a party member who was here for the “adventurer experience,” we started by visiting the Adventurer Guild headquarters.

“Ohh…”

Upon stepping into the building that looked like a literal embodiment of “Adventurer Guild,” the lady’s eyes darted around curiously.

Unlike the uniformed knights all dressed in identical armor and weapons, the adventurers here all had their own colorful, individualistic styles.

The place reminded me of the inns I used to visit in my village.

Of course, this was the capital, so it was much larger and busier.

It wasn’t exactly “magnificent,” but it did have a certain charm.

As we entered the guild hall, eyes began to turn toward us.

Mixed-gender adventurer parties weren’t uncommon, but a party with only one man and the rest women was rare.

The reverse was more typical.

And our party members were all pretty, just like proper “heroines.”

…Well, one of them was a bear, but she’d turn humanoid once she reached three stars, so whatever.

Amidst the murmuring from nearby parties, I headed straight for the request board.

“Most quests are posted on bulletin boards like this. You just pick something that looks doable—or something with decent pay—and bring it to the counter.”

“I see.”

The lady nodded and began to read through the notices carefully.

“Out there, they say there’s a complex difficulty rating system, but in reality, not really. Even if you assign levels to monsters, there’s so much variation between individuals. So instead, we just classify them roughly as low, mid, or high-tier monsters, and write detailed conditions on the request instead. Like this.”

I pointed to one of the flyers with my finger.

The request for hunting low-level kobolds was packed with detailed information: the location of the mines, estimated numbers, the size of the presumed leader, witness accounts, and so on.

“However, it’s important not to blindly trust this information.”

“Hooh.”

At my words, the lady nodded again.

“Then… how about this one?”

“Kobolds? Hmm, I’m not sure.”

I put my hand on my chin and tilted my head, and I could see the confidence fade a bit from her face.

It seemed like she thought she’d made a mistake, so I quickly waved my hand.

“No, it’s not that you’re wrong. It’s just that this is your first time in actual combat, right?”

“Y-yes.”

“Then you should avoid humanoid monsters at first.”

Sasha, who had been listening to the conversation, chimed in with her advice.

“Kobolds are similar to goblins in appearance. Unlike goblins, who are almost hairless, kobolds are covered in fur, but they’re still humanoid. They have arms and hands like humans, and they use them to wield weapons and fight.”

I nodded and added to her explanation.

“That’s why the initial sense of aversion is pretty strong. The goal in monster hunting is to make sure the monster is definitely killed, right? But when you see an enemy wriggling and flailing after being struck with a sword, most beginners panic. They even feel guilty. But the monster doesn’t have any of those feelings—it’s just a monster.”

“I see.”

The lady nodded at my words.

“So, in the beginning, it’s better to pick monsters you can hunt more comfortably and gradually work your way up in difficulty.”

I rested my chin in my hand and looked at the bulletin board again, then pointed to one of the requests with my finger.

“How about this one?”

“Water Reapers?”

Sasha said with a horrified expression.

“Why? Is it bad?”

“Well, Water Reapers themselves are fine, but fighting them in the water is a different story.”

Ah, that’s right.

Sasha’s a cat beastkin.

“Should we pick something else then?”

As we continued discussing, I noticed the lady’s eyes shining with curiosity.

Honestly, I felt a bit proud. It was like I had become a veteran.

“This one then.”

Matagot.

“Seems like someone’s been feeding it again.”

Siwoo frowned as he spoke.

“I’ve heard of Matagots before.”

The lady also frowned as she spoke.

“I’ve heard that some nobles try to raise them as pets.”

And apparently, some are successful, though most fail.

“This should be fine.”

Sasha and Narya agreed.

“Seems like it’s not too dangerous,” Chloe, who had been silently listening, nodded as well.

“Alright.”

I tore the request off the board and headed toward the counter.

As we made our way to the counter, the stares from around us didn’t stop.

It was our first time here, and more importantly, Rebecca Arnburger, who looked extremely noble, was with our party.

Adventurers tend to look down on those who wear “clean armor.” They don’t usually outright say anything, but they may try to avoid letting them join their parties.

It wouldn’t matter since we were going to be with her, but the reason why many adventurers who try a quest for the first time end up getting seriously injured or killed is because of that very issue.

Usually, the veterans don’t let beginners into their parties, so new adventurers end up banding together with other rookies.

As for me and the other members of our party, our armor had some damage from our last encounter in the forest, but the lady’s armor was spotless.

The Arnburrow’s family was a noble family with their own territory.

This was the lady’s first time stepping out of the academy, and to the adventurers here, it probably looked like a noble girl from a prestigious family was foolishly coming into the guild.

“We’d like to take this request.”

I placed the request slip on the counter, and the receptionist scrutinized my face. It seemed like she recognized me as a Hero, as she briefly looked shocked before quickly regaining her composure and speaking.

“Then I’ll register you. Could you please tell me the names of those in your party—”

Before she could finish, a loud thunk was heard as a rough-looking man slapped his hand on the counter.

I turned my head to see the man standing near us.

“Hey, girls. Are you here to take a request?”

He glanced at the request slip in the receptionist’s hand.

“Matagot? Is the reward too low for six people to take on? If you come with me, I can get you a much better quest than this.”

His words were so stereotypically villainous that I almost couldn’t help but laugh.

His posture as he leaned on the counter with his legs crossed looked like something straight out of a thug’s handbook.

He looked at least ten years older than us.

I was thinking about what kind of expression he’d make if I revealed that we had a noble with us, but before I could, the lady spoke up.

“Hooh, so you’re saying that your party is stronger than ours?”

“Ah, well….”

The receptionist, who had been fidgeting nervously, tried to intervene, but I raised my right index finger to my lips to signal her to be quiet.

It seemed like the lady was thoroughly enjoying the situation.

As for the man, he was either unaware of who we were or just clueless about the academy’s uniform.

It was clear he wasn’t familiar with this system, at least not for long.

The reason no one had directly approached us until now, despite all the gossip, was likely because they knew that half of the academy students were from noble families.

“Miss, judging by your armor, it looks like you don’t have experience in this kind of thing. When it comes to monster hunting, experience is the key. It’s far better to learn by mixing with experienced people than trying to handle low-level monsters with a rookie party.”

“Hey, don’t you agree, guys?”

From a table in the distance, two men, likely from the same party, raised their wooden mugs and shouted in agreement.

Their faces were flushed, so they were probably already quite drunk.

“We’re much more capable and experienced than some guy who’s just trying to act all tough, right?”

The man continued to talk loudly, oblivious to the sudden silence in the room.

Watching him, I subtly placed my hand on the hilt of my sword.

If things escalated, I’d be ready to jump in.

Siwoo was about to step forward, but I lightly nudged him with my elbow and gestured toward the lady.

The lady, although we could only see her back, exuded confidence and seemed to be enjoying the situation.

Rough adventurer stories often come with this kind of scenario.

And, indeed, it happened frequently.

Though most adventurers don’t flirt with female adventurers like this, it was clear that this guy wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

“If something happens, we’ll deal with it then.”

I subtly moved my lips, and Siwoo, who seemed to understand, gave a small smile.

“Sorry, but even considering your skills, your face is just too much to handle.”

Ha ha ha!

Some adventurers sitting further away burst into laughter, obviously enjoying the situation.

The lady turned her head towards them, and the female adventurers at the table raised their mugs in a toast to her.

She gave them a slight nod and then turned her attention back to the man confidently.

At that moment, the expression on her face was one of pure satisfaction, and I had to suppress the urge to laugh.

“This little brat…”

The man reached out towards her, but the lady quickly grabbed his arm and twisted it sharply.

“Ugh!?”

The man, unable to prevent his arm from being twisted, stumbled and fell to the right, hitting his head on the counter corner.

Thud.

The man collapsed to the floor, blood trickling from his head.

The lady smoothly turned around, still holding her chin high, and said, “Sorry for the disturbance.”

She took two silver coins out of her pocket and placed them on the counter.

“That’s for the inconvenience and for the counter repairs.”

Then, she coolly turned and walked out of the guild.

Someone whistled, and others clapped exaggeratedly.

“Well done!”

“So cool, so cool!”

I could almost picture the smile on her face as she received the applause.

“Well, uh… didn’t the counter get damaged or anything?”

The receptionist called out to the lady, but I stopped her by tapping the counter with my hand.

“Do you know me?”

“Uh, yes? Oh, you’re the Hero, right?”

“Then please take care of the request for us. We need to follow our ‘companion.’”

“Ah, yes…”

I winked at the receptionist, who nodded, and I quickly led the party out of the guild.

Thump-thump, thud-thud.

The expression on the lady’s face as she waited for us outside could only be summarized as that feeling.

She had just pulled off something that would be a tale for the adventurers.

“How was it? Didn’t anyone inside say anything?” she asked, looking a little shy now that she was asking.

“Don’t worry. Didn’t you hear the sounds when we left?”

The whistles, the clapping, the slapping of tables.

Of course, it wasn’t so much that they truly respected her but more like a warm welcome for a newbie adventurer they thought was impressive.

And the fact that she was a pretty noble girl in academy armor probably played a big part in their reaction too.

Even though there were some exaggerated aspects to it, the lady’s actions were definitely a commendable stance.

Adventurers also manage their own image in a way.

No matter how much they talk about the law of the jungle or survival of the fittest, in the end, it’s still a place where people live.

At times, they cooperate, and at other times, they compete—that’s just the nature of the relationships there.

When people like that troublesome guy from earlier start mixing in, it becomes a huge problem.

It’s fine when new people come from outside, but when they start acting like they know it all without understanding anything, it’s necessary to put them in their place once in a while.

Well, to be honest, from this perspective, we were also the “newcomers.”

“Well done. Well done.”

I patted the lady on the back, and her face turned bright red.

“Those kinds of guys deserve a good lesson!”

“I was wondering when I should step in, but thanks to you, I didn’t need to.”

“Ku-eung!”

When the three other women chimed in, the lady’s face flushed even more, and she couldn’t stop it.

“You’ve definitely made a good first impression. Now, every time you come around, people will definitely recognize you.”

“Well, that’s… a bit much, though…”

At Siwoo’s words, the lady finally covered her face with both hands and squatted down.

But, we were still standing right in front of the guild.

Some of the people who had been cheering for her earlier were passing by, now smiling warmly as they glanced our way.

I didn’t want to make her even more embarrassed, so I didn’t say anything about it, but I was pretty sure the lady’s face was about to burst from all the redness.