The most immediate task was clear: the Adventurers’ Guild.
It was there that I needed to obtain an adventurer’s license.
If I were to declare myself a slum-dweller anywhere, I would be fortunate to escape without being pelted with stones.
Yet, if I were to announce myself as an adventurer, while I might still face ridicule, there was a definite difference in treatment—at least I wouldn’t be stoned.
My primary objective was to acquire the status of an ‘adventurer’ here, then proceed to another town or city to shed the stigma of being a ‘slum-dweller’.
Following Leon’s grandfather’s advice, I kept my gaze fixed on the ground as I arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild, which reeked strongly of alcohol.
It seemed to double as a tavern.
From this point onward, being underestimated would prove troublesome in many ways, so I straightened my back.
The female receptionist seated at the counter did not possess the striking beauty often attributed to game characters.
Not that she was unattractive; rather, the term ‘unassuming’ suited her perfectly.
With a confident stride, I approached the reception counter.
Fearing that direct eye contact might provoke disgust and lead her to refuse my application, I feigned looking elsewhere.
Then, I spoke.
“I’ve come to apply to be an adventurer.”
“…Kid, this isn’t a playground.”
‘Kid.’
Indeed, my current appearance was that of a young girl.
I was a child, barely tall enough to reach the counter, even standing on tiptoes.
Yet, despite my appearance, I was an adult male, and this was no childish prank; I was a genuine aspiring adventurer.
“…I really am here to become an adventurer.”
“Then you know the procedure, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
I pulled a silver coin from my pocket and handed it over; after inspecting it, the receptionist provided me with a sheet of paper.
To become an adventurer, a simple verification process was required.
The Adventurers’ Guild, after all, had no desire for just anyone to brazenly claim the title of adventurer.
To qualify, one either had to complete at least five quests issued by the Guild to build trust, or be vouched for by another—it was one or the other.
In my case, it was the latter.
I presented the letter of guarantee that my grandfather had prepared for me.
My grandfather had truly done everything for me.
Therefore, I had to ensure I wouldn’t become a burden to him.
It was an obvious truth, and I etched that resolve deep into my heart.
“Leon’s grandfather’s guarantee…?”
Though the receptionist showed a fleeting expression of surprise, she quickly took the guarantee as if it didn’t concern her greatly, proceeded with the verification, and shortly after handed me a plaque certifying me as an adventurer.
“Alright, I’ll only explain this once, so listen carefully.”
“Yes.”
“If you lose it, you must be able to clearly state how it was lost, and a reissuance will cost three silver coins. Also, your current plaque is made of wood, isn’t it?”
As the receptionist stated, the plaque I received was indeed made of wood.
The Adventurers’ Guild’s seal was stamped on the lowest part of the wooden plaque.
“It signifies the lowest rank of adventurer—in other words, a common errand runner. So, don’t go around proclaiming yourself an adventurer. We’ll record your completed missions and promote you when the time comes. There are a total of four adventurer ranks.”
“Wood, Bronze, Silver, Gold.”
“Oh, you know them well, don’t you?”
Her overly enthusiastic tone, as if I had done something commendable, was quite irritating.
“If you ever want to boast ‘I’m an adventurer!’ to anyone, you’ll need to be at least a Silver-rank adventurer.”
Her tone was akin to earnestly cautioning a child who merely wanted to play at being an adventurer.
Yet, as I listened, I realized these were, in fact, quite useful pieces of information.
In other words, only Silver-rank and above were considered true adventurers.
As I nodded, the receptionist gazed down at me intently, let out a small chuckle, and uttered her final words.
“Then, I wish you a joyful and romantic adventure.”
“Thank you.”
Even though I had deliberately avoided eye contact, the aura I exuded must have been utterly unpleasant.
It was remarkable enough that she had explained everything with a smile until the very end.
“Well then… Ah!”
“If you’re done, move aside.”
Someone muttered indifferently and shoved me, and though the force was immense, nearly sending me sprawling, I immediately cast my gaze to the floor instead of looking up at them.
Unable to comprehend the situation, I froze in place, and in doing so, overheard the conversation between the man who had pushed me and the receptionist.
“…Ahaha. Sir Dex, what quest can I offer you today?”
“…Subjugation.”
“There are no more subjugation quests suitable for a Silver-rank adventurer like Sir Dex… The one you handled last time was the final one.”
“…Then, as promised, hand over your body. You promised, didn’t you? That if I dealt with all the monsters in this vicinity, you would offer yourself.”
“Th-that was just something I blurted out because the situation was so dire…”
“Are you lying? To me?”
The atmosphere grew ominous.
Even though the menacing aura wasn’t directed at me, I instinctively recoiled.
To think he asked for her body as payment for subjugating nearby monsters.
Could the Adventurers’ Guild truly be so impoverished that it couldn’t even afford to pay for subjugation bounties?
While I wasn’t sure, I sensed that nothing good would come from lingering, so I quickly exited the Adventurers’ Guild.
Stepping out onto the street, I was once again met with stinging stares.
The people inside the Adventurers’ Guild hadn’t paid me any particular mind, and while I couldn’t grasp what was truly happening, I decided to overlook it for now.
Now that I had secured my identity, there was no reason to remain in this city.
The people in the outer district of this city knew I was from the slums.
Thus, any actions I took here would be severely constrained.
My grandfather had told me it would be more peaceful to head somewhere entirely new and start fresh.
Taking his words to heart, I paid for a spot on a cargo wagon bound for another city and climbed aboard.
****
After two days of travel, we arrived at a neighboring city.
The city walls were lower than those of Diran, the previous city, and there was no clear division between outer and inner districts.
Though a small city, roughly half the size of Diran, it possessed everything one might need.
Naturally, the Adventurers’ Guild was my first destination.
This time, it seemed they didn’t operate a tavern alongside it, as there was no scent of alcohol.
Approaching the counter, an older woman presented me with two quests.
Herb gathering and rat extermination.
Herb gathering was a perpetual quest, always available because herbs were constantly in short supply, no matter how many were collected.
Rat extermination, on the other hand, was a simple request to eliminate rats infesting the basement of a certain mansion.
The former could be undertaken at any time, but the latter was a problem that someone else might solve if I didn’t act immediately, so I naturally chose rat extermination.
The reward was 60 copper coins.
Equivalent to 60,000 won (TL Note: A Korean currency unit, often used in web novels to contextualize fantasy currency values for readers.).
It wasn’t a lucrative quest, but I wasn’t in a position to be picky.
I had only one silver coin left, and securing lodging would leave me utterly penniless.
After accepting the quest, I crossed a hill and arrived at the mansion, which exuded an antique charm.
Taking a deep breath as I admired its appearance, I then knocked on the mansion’s door.
With a creak, a neatly dressed man emerged, scanned me, and then confirmed the quest paper clutched in my hand.
“Have you come for the rat extermination quest?”
His tone was polite, his voice low.
Instead of speaking, I nodded, and the man led me to the storage building.
“There are many rats in the basement. They are quite aggressive and numerous, so cats couldn’t handle them. We’ve brought you, an adventurer, for this task, so we kindly ask for your assistance.”
Having received nothing but hateful glances and condescending remarks for months, save for those from my grandfather,
I found myself unaccustomed to such politeness, leaving me feeling rather awkward.
“Do you have any questions?”
“…Why were the rats left unchecked like this?”
I only asked because he invited questions.
As I voiced my doubt, wondering why measures hadn’t been taken before the infestation grew so severe, the man slightly furrowed his brow.
Fearing that he might be angry, I trembled slightly, but the man soon realized his expression was intimidating, quickly composed himself, and explained the reason.
He revealed that he wasn’t originally from this place.
He had recently purchased the mansion and moved in, only to discover belatedly that the previous owner had neglected the storage area, leading to the current situation.
“The previous owner was awful, then…”
“Indeed. In that case, I ask for your assistance. Once the quest is complete, please knock on the mansion door again.”
“…Thank you.”
I was grateful, as I hadn’t expected to be treated with such respect.
Walking through the streets and speaking with the man, I noticed something.
As long as I avoided eye contact, the sense of discomfort seemed far less pronounced.
But then, why had it been so bad in Diran?
Were the people there simply ill-tempered?
No, it was more likely that the people in Diran’s outer district knew I was from the slums.
This led me to the thought that perhaps the unreasonable treatment I had endured until now wasn’t due to my unique characteristic, but simply because I was a slum-dweller.
“Hoo…”
I drew my sword.
Opening the storage door, I saw stairs descending below.
The stench of rotting food, maggots, and excrement permeated the air.
“…Ugh.”
Just how long had it been neglected?
The squeaking of rats echoed from all directions.
There seemed to be dozens of them… 60 copper coins hardly seemed worth the trouble, but perhaps that was precisely why the quest remained available for me to accept.
With that thought, I descended the stairs.
The wooden steps groaned unpleasantly with each footfall.
Among them, a sickening splat- sound occasionally echoed.
I chose to ignore what I had stepped on, not wishing to see, and as I reached the bottom, the rats began to appear.
First, I lit the lantern hanging from a pillar.
As the light illuminated the area, my vision expanded, and I immediately brought my sword down upon the back of the nearest rat.
Squeak! it shrieked its death throes.
A sticky sensation on the sword’s tip made my stomach churn.
Barely suppressing the urge to vomit, a sharp, excruciating pain shot through my ankle, causing me to collapse.
“Agh!”
As I tumbled to the floor, odd filth smeared onto my body, but rather than dwelling on the unpleasantness, assessing the situation was paramount.
I swung my sword to drive away the surrounding rats, then looked down at my injured ankle.
A rat was clinging to my ankle, biting fiercely.
I grabbed the rat and slammed it against the wall, killing it instantly.
“…They said they were aggressive, but did they mean they’d attack people?”
Truly, this didn’t feel like a 60-copper-coin job.
I bit my lip and clenched my sword so tightly it creaked.
Dozens of rats stared at me from the darkness.
I stared back at the swarm.
The battle, which had begun around lunchtime, finally concluded as the sun began to set.
Though I had sustained bites all over my legs, I had managed to subjugate them.
I worried about infection from the wounds, but what mattered was that I had accomplished the task.
That evening,
I received the original reward of 60 copper coins.
They even added 10 more, for a total of 70, saying I had handled the job well.
However, I ended up using silver coins for treatment and to clean myself.
The result of my first quest, accompanied by a foul odor that wouldn’t easily wash away, was a deficit.
“…Shit.”
It was unfair.
