Chapter 11

I left Chief’s smithy and made my way to the guild house. You just needed to follow the road in front of the smithy towards the north in a straight line and you’d get there. My feet felt a bit heavy knowing the kind of atmosphere that would await me once there, but I couldn’t hold onto these herbs forever. Their freshness was important.

“Ahhh…I’m tired…I hate this time of day…”

I grumbled without thinking. But this life as an adventurer was how I supported myself, it was necessary in order to live.

And more than anything, this whole deal about moving to another world had been something I had dreamed of.

Of course, there were things concerning killing that gave me pause. My life had been quite peaceful back in Japan. And so it wasn’t too surprising that there would be a resistance to fighting. But after having to survive in the forest without civilization and then the plains, I realized that it was important to be rational in terms of where you were. Or so I told myself. But that was why I had no intention of changing the way I lived. Though, it still made my heart feel a little heavier.

I stand in front of the guild. You could hear the drunken clamor of the bar from outside. I force a lid over my heart and walk inside.

“Ho, Asagi. So you’re back then.”

“Gardo. I didn’t know you were back.”

My luck seemed pretty good today. Gardo was here. The adventurers around us glared at me viciously but that was easily ignored. Apparently, they didn’t like how frankly I spoke to Gardo.

“Just a minute ago, really. You too?”

“Yeah. I picked some herbs.”

“Hehe. What a liar you are.”

“It’s a not a lie. I have the herbs right here.”

“I’m sure you do.”

Shit. Even Gardo knew now. Oh, well. This was necessary.

For instance, had I only been picking herbs and raising my rank, my level wouldn’t match my rank. If I went out to the forests or plains in that state, I’d just get trampled. In that case, I didn’t see any harm in raising my level and learning how to fight in advance. I had speculated that this sort of thinking was what would separate the ‘Rocks’ from the ‘Gemstones.’

After Gardo waved his hand and left, I went over to ‘Rewards’ and untied the sack that was attached to my waist and placed it on top of the counter.

“I’m Asagi. I’ve just returned from the Medicinal Herbs quest.”

“Well done. I’ll take the herbs and your status card now.”

I took the card out of my pocket and handed it over. The thing was really light.

“Yes, I see. Please wait here one moment.”

After this, they would check the state of the plants and determine the price. I’d have some time until they were done, so I might as well have a light meal here at the bar. The stares of the bastards would be annoying, but they would at least be quiet today. Now that I think of it, Ness wasn’t here.

“Excuse me, do you have anything light I can eat?”

“Sure.”

I sat down at the bar counter and ordered something to chew on from the master. A few looks were turned towards me but I barely noticed. Ness really wasn’t here, huh.

“Ness ain’t here.”

Gardo called from the table. It seemed that he had noticed my little search.

“Looks like it. That’s kind of rare.”

“Well, the bastard had a good payout today. So it’s off to the brothel.”

“Hmm…you have such places here then.”

“Aye, he was quite determined today too, something about ‘winning her over today’… Well, I’m sure he’ll be back before you know it.”

I see… I was a little interested in this person Ness seemed devoted to, but not in the brothel itself. Diseases were no joke. It was a world of magic, so perhaps there were contraceptives and magical remedies, but I didn’t know how trustworthy they were… Plus, it seemed like trouble. Getting involved in the troubles of others seemed like a rule in itself when it came to these stories about other worlds. Well, I didn’t receive any special conditions as a protagonist, so perhaps I was safe. Still, being extra cautious was the trick to survival.

“Here you go!”

“Thank you.”

I received the food from the master. Today’s dish was chicken roasted with herbs, huh… I quite liked this one. It was easy to eat because of the bone. It was also softer than wolf meat and very juicy. The sharp spices stimulated my tired and empty stomach. I finished it in no time.

“Mr. Asagi. Your reward is ready. Are you here?”

I could hear the guild worker calling me, and so I quickly wiped my hands and mouth and left some money on the bar counter.

“Mr. Asagi.”

The guild worker had come all the way over to the bar and was looking left and right before seeing me and calling me over. We walked back to the counter.

“Mr. Asagi. You’re pretty close to your next rank.”

“Am I really?”

“Yes, you gain one rank after finishing fifteen G rank quests. So, that is six more quests. Though, there is also another method.”

“What kind of quests will be the most prominent in the next rank?”

I was curious about what this other method was, but that could wait. I wanted to be more efficient once I reached F rank. And weeding was getting a little boring.

“The most prominent quests in F rank are goblin slaying. The goblins are fond of the mana around the southern part of the forest. You will be permitted to go out much further than before.”

After saying as much, she looked at me and smiled mischievously. It was cute, but there was ‘I know everything’ meaning behind it. I couldn’t say anything so I just smiled awkwardly and scratched at my cheek.

“Hehe. Well, I will bring your reward now, so please wait a moment.”

“Ahaha…thank you.”

How uncomfortable. I waited restlessly until the guild worker returned with a tray that carried my status card and the reward.

“Here, this is the reward for completing the quest. All of the herbs you’ve collected were in excellent condition. The owner of the druggist is always happy with them, so I’ve added a little bonus for you.”

“Thank you very much. I intend to collect herbs again next time, so I’ll keep their quality in mind.”

“That would be great. The other G rank adventurers only bring back shriveled and torn plants…”

How can I bother to pick herbs! That’s probably what they’re thinking as they gather them… Idiots. It’s much better to do these kinds of slow jobs carefully.

“Thank you for coming in today. We hope to see you again soon.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The reward was forty pieces of copper and one silver as a bonus. I put them in a purse and left the counter.

Well then, I had nothing left to do today. Perhaps I should return to the inn… That was what I was thinking as I left the guild house before I was immediately surrounded.

“Hey, Black Rabbit. Aren’t you getting a little arrogant lately?”

A tall adventurer with a scar on his cheek said as he glowered down at me.

“I’ve gotten used to questing and I suppose I’m proud of it. I can’t wait to go picking herbs again tomorrow!”

“Are you making fun of me you little shit!”

The bastard’s arm stretched out to grab me right there. He was slow. ‘Jack of all Trade’ taught me self-defense against people as well. I dodged the arms just like the image that played in my head showed. Then I rushed behind him planted my foot in his back and kicked him to the ground. After that, I turned around and ran towards the town.

“Wait! I’ll get you!”

“Damn, he’s fast…!”

He may have been asking me to wait, but there was no idiot in the universe who would do that. I ran through crowds of people as I made my way back to the inn.

While I was running, I thought I saw a teary-eyed Ness walking on the road, but it was probably just me.