The sound of bell in the city signs the start of a new day for the people of the Athros and its the same for me but unlike yesterday where I am hurrying to go to the guild, now I just close my eyes again helping myself to sleep, I then slept until the sunshine enter in the gaps of curtain landing on my closed eyes waking me up from my sleep, I got up from the bed and walk towards the window opening it for me to see and smell the new day.

I stretch my body a little before going out of my room heading to the dining hall in the ground floor.

“Good morning, do you wish to eat breakfast?”

Climbing down the stairs the innkeeper lady asked.

“What can I get for a bronze?”I asked not knowing the menu.

“Two breads, an egg, a smoked meat and a fruit juice, Its my recommendation.”

“Here, I'll take it.” I said as I put the bronze coin in the counter and turn my feet towards the dinner hall.

After eating the breakfast which was delicious (especially the fruit juice) I move at the back of the inn to get a bucket of water I then head back towards my room, passing the counter I thank the innkeeper lady for the recommendation she gave me and got a smile for a reply.

Arriving at my room I started cleaning myself with the cold water that I took, after washing I dressed myself and prepared to go to the guild strapping the sword in my waist but as I opened the door I remembered that I will get a quests about gathering herbs and I need a bag to carry the harvested herbs so I took my backpack, putting all the things inside it to the cabinet.

I reached the guild after doing all that, most of the people finished getting their quest so there's few people left inside, instead of heading towards the lady receptionist like I did yesterday I immediately made my way towards the request boards where the quests are pinned.

Standing in front of the board I look at it and found out that things are organized by their ranks, I look at where the diamond rank quests are and there are three quests in it, one of them is killing a dragon, another one is to explore the Kanta mountain range, and last is to reach the end of the dungeon in the Dante city.

'Exploring a mountain range is for a diamond rank mercenary only huh, it must be a dangerous area, I hope one day I can go there.' I thought as I look towards the one for the copper rank quest and saw much more quests than for the diamond mercenary.

I read the quests one by one many of them are about goblin and kobold while others are gathering of different plants and herbs, I search for the most common plants according to the book among these gathering quest but remembered that I don't know how to take a quest so I go back again to the lady receptionist's counter to ask.

“You're here, how can I help you?”

Maybe she saw me coming to her from the request board because of how she's trying to hide her laughter from me.

Scratching my cheek I ask her about my query.

“There are two types of quest, the limited type and unlimited type, limited type is a quest that only a one person or party can take, to take the quest like this you can get the poster and submit it in the other counters together with your guild badge while the unlimited type have a red guild sign in them which you don't need to take the poster and just show your guild badge and tell them the quest you choose. Did you get it?”

“Yes, Thank you very much receptionist lady.” Hearing her explanation I'm about to head back to the request board when I heard her saying-

“You can register your quest here instead since you're new and don't call me that nickname I have my own name, its Zana.”

I looked at her, who is the second person that given me their name and smiled as I thank her again.

“Thank you very much, Zana.”

Hearing my thanks recep-no, Zana's cheek redden a little.

I get back to the board and picked the quest about harvesting a herb called 'asille' which the book says it looks like a normal grass but have a longer and smoother leaves it also has a strong fresh flavor, this herb can be found near the trees that are in the outskirts of the forest, I picked this quest because of it being easier to find, not needing me to go deeper in the forest where monsters lurks.

I told Zana what quest I want to take which is an unlimited type of quest and she gave me a map, the pay is pretty little just 2 copper coins per grams which I don't know how to many asille it is so I'll just get as many as I can.

Leaving the guild I followed the map towards the east gate, the city have four gates in a cardinal direction I entered here through the west gate and the forest is in the eastern gate. After couple of minutes of walking in the bustling road I arrive at the east gate then exited it, what filled my eyes when I stepped out the gates are a green grassland with a road in the middle of it made of bricks and a forest in the horizon.

I walked in the bricked road while looking at the carriages that are drawn by horses passing me, there are many people coming and going as I watched them and noticed that some of them have browner skin unlike the people I saw inside the city except adventure or merchants who are mostly brown due to them being out in the heat a lot but normal people does not go out a lot, I got curious so I asked someone who's walking in the road like me about it and he said that those people came from Bernt Port where they are close to sea with most of them are fisherman who are here to sell their catch.

'Sea...I heard its salty and blue water that expand beyond the horizons, if there's a quest about it in the guild I should go.'

Thinking that I reached the forest so I veered of the road and headed towards the trees searching for my quest item, asille herbs.

I searched couple of trees before finally spotting an asille herbs grouped together, I squatted down and touch the leaves which feels smooth, I didn't have a proper items to harvest it properly so I used my sword to cut the grass which is so hard because how long the sword is, I can pull it together with the roots but it will make asille herbs not grow again in this place.

'I should probably buy a cheap knife or a dagger tomorrow.'

I thought as I take a string in the sleeves of my shirt and tied the herbs together.

'A leather armor would be nice too.'

I continued my quest until noon, I ate the last bread that I have left, after a quick rest I started harvesting herbs again until the sun is starting to set. I look at my bag which is about a half full bundle of asille herbs, some of them are cut perfectly while some either have roots left or cut in a wrong way, still its my first time without even a proper equipment so I'm satisfied with this work.

On the way back I met other mercenary who came from the forest but I did not see Uncle Carl maybe he's in the western side like when I saw him last time. I arrived near the gate so I showed my guild badge to the guard and he let me in like other mercenaries then I head back to the guild, I lined up to Zana's counter and after waiting for a couple of minutes my turn came, I put the bag in the counter together with my guild badge and Zana called for someone to appraise the herbs in the bag while taking my badge putting it into a box and closed it after a second later after Zana click something on the box it light up a little and she opened it giving me back my badge which have a 'l' sign below my name.

“Here's your card, congratulations for completing your first quest if you completes a total of fifteen quest you can rise up to Iron rank.” she said to me with a smile covering up her tired look.

“Thanks”

I replied, then after about a minute later the one who took my bag of herbs came back now with a small pouch and a small paper that he put in to the counter, I took the bag, small paper and the pouch and left after saying my thanks again to Zana.

Reaching the inn I said my greeting to the innkeeper lady and also told her that I will be eating the dinner already, after eating a at the bustling dining hall I go towards the back of the inn to get a bucket of water and wash myself in my room.

Sitting at the desk with coins stacking together, I counted the money I have left together with the money I gained after the quest, I then separated the money that I need for buying both dagger and leather armor tommorow, putting them back I stretched both of my hands up in the air

“I am...a mercenary now.”

I said it out loud proclaiming my beginnings to no one.