NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37
37. First Job?
“These shameless guys from the crack of dawn. Trying to forcibly invite reluctant women.”
A girl with golden twin tails looked sharply at the men.
“What? We’re the great adventurers, aren’t we? And yet—”
“Hey, cut it out.”
One frowned, but another hurriedly intervened.
“The twins with golden and silver hair… weren’t they the daughters of Count Lafiel?”
“It’s dangerous if the count is around.”
“Damn, relying on their father’s influence.”
Whispering to each other, they hurriedly left.
“Thank you, you saved me.”
Meriel lifted the edge of her skirt and gracefully bowed.
If she had been serious, of course, they would have vanished in the blink of an eye.
But in the current situation where she wanted to minimize ‘harm towards others’, their help was appreciated.
“I can’t just ignore people like that. Were they bothering you? Are you okay?”
The blonde girl asked with concern.
“No, they didn’t lay a finger on me.”
“Thank goodness.”
The silver-haired girl smiled with relief.
“These kinds of people tarnish the reputation of adventurers. Disgusting, indecent.”
“Not all adventurers are like that, Lilith-chan.”
“I know, but…”
“Oh, you were thinking about Haruto-san, weren’t you?”
“N-no, I wasn’t! What are you saying, sis? Geez!”
A teasing smile from one girl, and the other blushing.
Indeed, they seemed like sisters.
“Sorry, but are you two also adventurers?”
Meriel asked, watching their exchange with amusement.
“Oh, sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I’m Meriel Brownie.”
“I’m Lilith Lafiel.”
“I’m her sister, Alice.”
As Meriel introduced herself, the two replied in turn.
“It’s perfect timing. Actually, I’m also aiming to become an adventurer.”
According to the fragmentary footage left by Gyrasvrim, those with the power of gods were called adventurers.
So, to get closer to the target, the quickest way was to become an adventurer myself.
Being unfamiliar with the human world after a hundred years, there were many things I didn’t understand, so first, I wanted to join the same profession as them to gather information…
That was Meriel’s plan.
“If you don’t mind, could you tell me how to become an adventurer? I’m from the countryside and don’t know the procedures…”
“Then, let’s talk while having tea somewhere. I know a nice café.”
Not realizing that Meriel was a demon, Lilith kindly suggested.
(You’re facing a tough situation. You’re trying to cooperate with your enemies, human.)
While inwardly smirking, Meriel followed them.
※
That morning, I arrived at the guild branch in the capital.
According to yesterday’s explanation, adventurers’ jobs are generally arranged by the guild or received personally from nobles, wealthy individuals, etc.
I don’t have connections with nobles or wealthy folks, so the former pattern was my only choice.
Lilith and Alice are noble daughters. So they might have connections, but those two seem to have complicated family situations.
It’s probably best not to delve into that area.
So, using connections was out of the question.
“Is this my first job?”
Alright, let’s give it my all.
I entered the guild branch building and headed to the reception on the first floor.
There were 6 counters, each separated by a simple partition.
Luckily, it seemed empty because it was early in the morning.
I sat at one of the counter windows.
The receptionist was a woman in her mid-twenties.
She had black hair tied up in a bun. Giving her a serious look.
Not as stunningly beautiful as Lilith and her companions, but she had a dignified, and well-groomed appearance.
Her nameplate read ‘Jeanette Salud’.
“Are you here for job placement? May I see your guild card?”
Prompted by the receptionist—Jeanette, I handed over the guild card I had just received.
It was a palm-sized metal card with my name, date of birth, adventurer rank, etc., recorded on it.
Apparently, it used to be about thirty cells (about thirty centimeters) square in size, but recently, with advances in magical technology, it has shrunk to this size.
“I’ve confirmed it. Rank E adventurer, Haruto Riva-san.”
Jeanette returned the card with a smile.
“What kind of job are you looking for? We can introduce you to new requests from dungeon exploration to item retrieval, escorting, and mercenary work.”
“Um, actually… It’s my first time taking on a request.”
I replied hesitantly to her fluent explanation.
Honestly, I had no idea what kind of job I should take.
“Then, let me explain the basics as well.”
Jeanette’s attitude was polite.
So, according to her explanation.
First of all, there are various types of jobs for adventurers.
For adventurers with intermediate or higher combat abilities—generally, rank B or higher—tasks like exterminating magical beasts or demons become the main jobs.
On the other hand, adventurers with lower combat abilities, around ranks C to E, tend to handle jobs like exploration rather than combat.
For now, should I try a non-combat-related job like exploration or retrieval?
I asked Jeanette to show me a list of non-combat-related requests.
“Item retrieval requests often involve fetching items from dangerous places like habitats of wild monsters that regular merchants can’t access. Please understand that the higher the difficulty rank, the higher the danger and difficulty.”
As I listened to the explanation, I glanced over the list.
At the top was a request like this:
Difficulty: A (Free)
Request: Collection of magic crystals
Reward: One silver coin per crystal
“What does ‘Free’ mean in the difficulty section?”
“Regular requests have rank restrictions. For example, only rank A adventurers or higher can accept rank A requests. Also, assistants can only be adventurers one rank below.”
Come to think of it, there were such restrictions for missions involving magical beings.
“On the other hand, adventurers of any rank can accept ‘Free’ requests. Including you, Haruto-san.”
“Then, should I take this one…?”
“No, even though it gets labeled as ‘Free’, rank A is too difficult. Since Haruto-san has just become an adventurer, it’s better to start with lower-difficulty requests and gradually work your way up.”
“Is this request really that difficult?”
It only said ‘collection of magic crystals’. So I don’t know what it entailed.
“Of course. To acquire magic crystals—”
As I listened to Jeanette’s explanation, I internally cheered.
Sure, it might be a high-difficulty request for regular adventurers.
Being rank A would naturally come with a corresponding level of danger.
But for me, it was different.
Isn’t this job perfect for me?
“I’ll take it. This request—”