episode_0017

“Hey, young master! Are you a graduate of Ariel Academy?”

A burly man with tan skin approached me, his wooden clogs clunking on the ground.

I wonder what this is about.

Is he trying to pick a fight? It would be awkward if he sneered at my prestigious background.

I wanted to quietly make use of the adventurer association. If a negative image stuck around from the first day, it would be uncomfortable to frequent the place.

But as if to dismiss my unnecessary worries, the burly man chuckled heartily and spoke warmly.

“Hey, isn’t your younger sibling also attending Ariel Academy? Could it be Varian? He’s famous for being the top student in combat training exams over there!”

He had come to boast about his younger brother.

If he’s a student taking combat training, he must be in the third year… someone unrelated to me, who is now taking basic swordsmanship classes as a first-year.

I smiled amiably, as if engaging in social interaction.

“Haha… I’ve just started as a first-year, so I haven’t heard of him yet.”

“Hmph, even among first-years, he’s well-known! Do you not have any friends, young master?”

“That’s correct. I have few friends, so I don’t hear much gossip… But it seems like he’s quite famous. Being the top in combat training, he must be exceptionally talented and skilled.”

“Hahaha! Exactly! He’s following in my footsteps; it’d be troublesome without me! Young master knows a thing or two.”

…He easily transitions into banter. A simple man.

Should I play along a bit more?

“Just by looking at senior’s robust physique, one can tell. Having experienced numerous life-threatening battles, it’s easy to imagine the caliber of his sibling.”

“Haha! Of course. I’m Victor, the top C-rank adventurer. If people don’t know my name in this field, they’re spies. I’ve captured all sorts of C-rank dangerous monsters!”

Placing his hand on my shoulder, the man Victor continued.

“Young master, no, brother! I like you. At first, I thought you’d be like those arrogant nobles, but you’re humble and quite nice!”

“Haha, you flatter me. Even our family dislikes such arrogant nobles.”

“Hah, if those noble brats were half as good as you, it’d be great. Brother! What’s your name? I’m Victor.”

“My name is Cyan.”

“Ah, Cyan! If you ever need help, just ask me! I welcome your entry into the world of adventurers!”

Calling himself Victor, the burly man patted my back one last time before turning back to his table with a thud!

…Perhaps due to the difference in strength, it hurt even though he lightly tapped me.

Anyway, I was relieved to have left a good impression.

Indeed, one must navigate social interactions well.

Merely excelling in one’s work doesn’t guarantee love from others. Taking care of relationships is essential too.

That’s how someone called an ace lives.

By the time I finished that thought, a female employee handling the counter called out to me.

It was roughly about completing adventurer registration.

Thus, I received the adventurer license card.

It contained the name Cyan, the initial E-rank status, minor personal information, and an emblem.

Am I now a respectable adventurer too?

Though I didn’t like the E-rank designation, I’ll gradually climb the ranks.

Thanks to my knowledge from the old days, I know a lot about getting stronger and advancing ranks.

“I’ve delayed too much.”

I headed towards the request board by the wall.

I must not forget why I came here. The goal is to earn money for furthering my education.

Among countless requests, finding an E-rank task worth the money was challenging.

They were all about finding lost pets or gathering herbs instead.

With these light and stingy requests, one had to take on at least one task a day to have a fulfilling meal of knowledge. However, I didn’t have time for that.

I looked at the slightly higher-level requests.

Visible D-rank requests. Even if you’re an E-rank adventurer, it’s okay to take on requests of a different rank.

The reason there are ranks in requests is so that you can judge dangerous tasks well yourself.

There isn’t a restriction stating that E-rank adventurers must only take E-rank requests.

If you have the ability, you can clear higher-ranked requests to quickly raise your own rank.

However, if you take on a request that doesn’t suit your abilities, your life could be in danger.

So, I carefully searched through the requests.

Soon, one request caught my eye.

“Great Tortus Subjugation Request.”

Among D-rank monsters, Great Tortus is considered weak in terms of combat power.

It’s just difficult to subjugate due to its tough shell protecting its back. That’s why it’s known as a D-rank monster instead of E-rank.

“The tendons of the Great Tortus are strong and tough, used for bowstrings, and its meat is popular due to its high protein content.”

The reward was equivalent to a month’s worth of knowledge because of its high demand.

“Other than this, there’s nothing suitable….”

I tried to find a lower-risk D-rank request, but there was none.

Is it right to accept this?

In games, defeating a Great Tortus would be a piece of cake with just one blow….

“Hmm.”

I’ve faced tougher opponents like Ogres before, so maybe it’ll be fine.

There aren’t any other decent D-rank requests available anyway.

Nor are there any good E-rank requests.

“…I’ll take it.”

Having made my decision, I tore the request from the board and took it to the counter.

“I’d like to take on this request.”

“Huh?”

The female employee at the counter looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Are you sure? A D-rank request right after becoming an adventurer….”

I’m not sure either.

If things go south, I plan to run away without hesitation.

“It’s okay. Please give me this.”

“Alright. Have you formed a party yet?”

“No. I plan to go alone.”

That’s when it happened.

“Sian! Are you planning to go subjugate the Great Tortus?!”

Victor, who had been drinking with his companions, suddenly got up from the table and walked over to me.

“Yes. I’m thinking of setting out tomorrow.”

“Haha, are you sure? Even if it’s the lowest of D-ranks, it’s still a D-rank. I don’t know how confident you are in your skills, but it might be tough alone.”

“If it seems impossible, I plan to run away.”

“Tsk! Running away, as a man, that’s not acceptable-!”

He then shouted to his companion, who seemed to be a wizard drinking with him.

“Hey, Andrei! Is there a spot left in the Giant Ent party?!”

“We need one more guard!”

“What kind of guard-? A front guard?”

“No! A rear guard to assist with spellcasting!”

“Hahaha! Okay! If it’s spellcasting assistance, that’s perfect!”

Victor turned back to me and said, “Sian! How about joining our party for a while? We’re heading to the Ant Colony Labyrinth to defeat the Giant Ent in two days. As a wizard guard, you won’t be in much danger! The profit will be split among four people, so if you join, it’ll be divided by two. What do you say?!”

A sudden proposal.

The Giant Ent is three times more dangerous than the Great Tortus.

But… it’s a party of C-rank adventurers with four members.

It might be much safer to tackle the Giant Ent with them than to face the Great Tortus alone.

Although the profit sharing of 2 to n sounds less appealing, dealing with the higher-ranked Giant Ent will leave more gains.

I might be able to secure twice as much as taking down the Great Tortus alone.

There’s no need to hesitate.

I accepted.

Indeed, one must navigate social life well. Thanks to that, I received such a good offer. “I am truly grateful. If you let me join, I will do my part!”

“Okay! It’s settled then. Let’s meet at the entrance of the Liana Empire until just before sunrise in two days! I’ll be waiting, so make sure to come.”

*

The following day.

It was the last remaining weekend. I extended my day off to skip classes and went to the Academy administration to apply for field training processing.

“Here it is.”

I handed over a statement with a mix of truth and lies to the computer administrator.

I’m currently fifteen years old. And a freshman in high school.

If someone like me were to go after a C-rank top-tier Giant Ent, the Academy would be turned upside down.

A prestigious institution like Ariel Academy that governs the safety of students. If there were accumulating fatalities, the Academy itself would suffer, so it was obvious they wouldn’t allow it.

That’s why I wrote in the statement that I was going to work as an adventurer, but listed it as going for a D-rank request.

“Yes. I’ve confirmed it.”

The administrative officer acknowledged my statement and completed the application.

After exchanging nods, I headed straight back to the dormitory.

I needed to polish my armor and sharpen my sword for tomorrow’s extermination request.

I also had to stock up on healing potions on the way.

Even with a veteran party of five, you never know what might happen. This world is Arielle.

With high freedom and detailed adventure elements, the character death rate is also high.

Let’s consider all possibilities as much as possible.

Now that it has become reality, if I were to lose my life recklessly here, I don’t know what would happen.

With those thoughts in mind, I continued to devise plans in the dormitory to prepare for unexpected situations,

I didn’t let my guard down even until I fell asleep.

And swiftly arrived the next day of decision.

It was precisely the time just before sunrise, bridging dawn and morning.

I arrived at the entrance of the Liana Empire, heavily armed more than usual.

In front of me, there was a wizard I saw in the adventurer group yesterday, Victor standing with a relaxed attitude, arms crossed.

And two individuals who seemed to be a swordsman and an archer that I hadn’t seen yesterday, gathered at the entrance around a carriage, waiting for someone.