Chapter 1: That’s It, I’ll Become an Adventurer

On the very next day off, I found myself heading toward the Adventurer’s Guild in the Royal Capital alongside Idiot.

“Sorry for dragging you along, Idiot,” I said as we walked.

“Think nothing of it, Hugh. Having you with me is quite a comfort.”

After school on the day I’d talked with Lily in the cafeteria, I had gone to Alyssa-san to request permission for adventurer activities, only to run into Idiot there for the exact same reason.

Apparently, he’d also been planning to seek permission through her. Since we were both headed the same way, we figured we might as well register as adventurers together.

It took about an hour by stagecoach from the academy. The Royal Capital branch of the Adventurer’s Guild was located almost exactly on the opposite side of the city from the Royal Academy. Atop the three-story brick building flew the guild’s flag—a pair of crossed swords and a staff set against the backdrop of a shield.

The metallic ring of hammers echoed from the distance, likely the sound of nearby blacksmiths refining weapons. This district seemed to be defined by its high density of equipment shops, magic tool boutiques, and, above all else, taverns. It was wrapped in a boisterous, chaotic energy that stood in stark contrast to the quiet, dignified atmosphere surrounding the Royal Academy.

The people passing by were the quintessential image of "adventurers." Huge men with greatswords strapped to their backs, women in forest-green robes carrying staves (there isn't really any "magic" that just anyone can cast in this world, so they probably just used the staves to bludgeon monsters), and all sorts of other rough-and-tumble types filled the streets.

Among them, I spotted several students wearing the Royal Academy uniform.

I didn't recognize any of their faces, so they were likely second- or third-year upperclassmen. It seemed I wasn't the only one; quite a few academy students were active adventurers, even if I hadn't known it until now.

The interior of the guild was far cleaner and quieter than I’d imagined. It didn’t seem to have a tavern attached to it. Seeing the rows of staff members working at desks facing one another behind the counter reminded me of the city hall back in my previous life.

There was a line of about five people at the window marked for registration. For the time being, Idiot and I took our place at the end of the line and waited our turn.

Looking toward the counter, I saw a crystal magic tool used for Skill evaluation—the same kind I’d seen during the entrance exams. I was glad I’d switched my active Skill to 【Pyrokinesis】 beforehand. While acting as an adventurer, it would be safest to keep it locked to 【Pyrokinesis】.

“Next, please.”

After waiting for about ten minutes, our turn finally came.

Prompted by Idiot, I stepped forward to register first.

“Please place your hand on this crystal. Your name and Skill will appear inside. Please confirm them once they do.”

“Understood.”

The procedure was identical to the entrance exam. At the receptionist’s instruction, I touched the crystal, and both my name and the Skill name 【Pyrokinesis】 floated to the surface. Good. My 【Brainwashing】 Skill was successfully hidden.

“Hugh Pnocis. Your Skill is 【Pyrokinesis】. Since it is an offensive type, your adventurer rank will start at E. Do you require an explanation regarding the ranking system?”

“Yes, please.”

“Certainly. Adventurer ranks are categorized from G to A, with S being the highest tier. Your rank increases by completing the requests we post on the quest board. Each request has a designated difficulty level corresponding to an adventurer’s rank. Please note that you can only accept requests within one rank of your own. For example, an E-rank adventurer can only accept requests with a difficulty ranging from F to D. Do you have any questions so far?”

“Uh, yeah. What criteria are used to determine the difficulty of a request?”

“It depends on the content and the location. For instance, herb collection in the forests near the capital would be G, F, or E-rank. However, if the herbs only grow inside a dungeon, the rank would be anywhere from D to S, depending on that dungeon's difficulty. Monster subjugation within a dungeon is, at minimum, C-rank or higher.”

“I see...”

In other words, at E-rank, I couldn't just dive into a dungeon and start hunting monsters right away.

“Are there any other points you’re unclear on?”

“No, I think I’ve got it for now.”

“Then please, take this. This is your adventurer tag, Hugh Pnocis. Please wear it around your neck so it's visible while you’re active.”

She handed me a small, blue-tinted metal plate. My name and Skill were engraved on the surface.

“The color of the tag changes as you rank up—from blue to red, then bronze, silver, and gold. S-rankers are issued a special tag made of emerald. We hope you’ll aim for the top!”

“Ah, right. I’ll do my best.”

I probably could have skyrocketed to S-rank if I made full use of my 【Brainwashing】 Skill, but that would definitely draw too much attention. I didn't plan on making this a full-time career anyway; I just needed enough to buy Lugue’s birthday present.

I hung the tag around my neck and stepped away from the counter. It was Idiot’s turn next.

“Your name is... Idiot... Hortness?”

The receptionist faltered as she saw the name on the crystal. A ripple of whispers spread through the surrounding adventurers who had overheard. ...It seemed the Hortness family's bad reputation had reached even the guild. Given how many adventurers were of noble birth, that wasn't exactly surprising.

Idiot didn't seem particularly bothered by the commotion. He simply motioned for the apologetic receptionist not to worry about it. Shortly after, he walked over to me with the same blue adventurer tag around his neck.

“Forgive me for the scene,” he muttered.

“It’s fine with me, but... are you okay?”

“Do not trouble yourself, Hugh. There would be no end to it if I let every little reaction like that get to me.”

If it had been the Idiot I first met at the entrance exam, he might have been seething with irritation. I couldn't tell exactly what he was feeling deep down, but at the very least, he had enough composure to maintain a calm facade.

“More importantly, let us go see the quest board at once. You are to buy a gift for Lugue, are you not? Considering the time until the field exercise, we must accept requests with the highest possible reward.”

“True. Hopefully, there’s something good...”

The field exercise was coming up the week after next. Between now and then, I only had two days—including today—to act as an adventurer. Alyssa had warned us that academy students were only allowed to engage in guild activities on their days off, and that any violation could lead to expulsion.

Factoring in the time needed to actually go shopping, I wanted to earn as much as possible by the afternoon of next week’s holiday. That would give me more options for the gift.

Ignoring the unpleasant stares of the other adventurers, we headed toward the quest board. If my active Skill were 【Ninja】, my enhanced hearing would have picked up every nasty whisper.

Even without it, I could still hear the occasional sneer—remarks like "Another noble’s hobby." Even though the adventurer scene had its fair share of nobility, the vast majority were commoners, and the resentment toward the upper class seemed to run deep.

As Idiot said, there was no point in letting it get to us.

I pretended not to hear and scanned the postings.

Contrary to my expectations, there were very few requests. Out of the F through D-rank quests we could actually accept, there wasn't a single E-rank posting to be found.

That left only F and D. The F-rank quests paid pennies and were mostly odd jobs like cleaning out gutters or finding lost cats—more like a handyman service than "adventuring." The D-rank quests were all located in distant areas and would take more than a single day to complete.

“I had heard rumors, but I didn’t think it was this bad...” Idiot sighed.

“Rumors?”

“Yes. There has been talk for some time that the adventurer population in the capital has grown too large for the number of available requests. There are few dungeons near the capital, and we are far from any major harvesting grounds for rare herbs. It is said that the number of daily requests posted here is only half of what you would find in regional guilds. Despite that, the capital’s population is immense. Whether they aim to be full-time adventurers or simply seek side work, the numbers here are incomparable to the provinces.”

“Ah... I see. Because there aren't enough jobs, the low-rankers are getting backed up in a bottleneck.”

“So it would seem.”

Idiot scanned the room, sighing as he looked at the adventurers watching us from a distance.

“They are likely waiting for new requests to be posted.”

“I mean, the ones left right now look like a real pain,” I admitted.

The F-rank jobs took too much time for too little pay, and while the D-rank ones paid well, they were long-term expeditions. E-rank was probably the "sweet spot," which was exactly why they’d all been snatched up.

“What do you want to do, Idiot? Should we just go look for a lost cat? I bet we could finish that pretty fast.”

If I switched my Skill to 【Chaser】, it wouldn't even take an hour. I could just claim I’d found it by luck. As for the gutter cleaning... maybe I could try 【Sweeper】? Though that sounded more like an assassin Skill...

“I suppose we have little choice.”

There was no telling when an E-rank quest would pop up, and getting into a scrap with the other adventurers over a posting was a headache we didn't need.

Idiot and I nodded to each other. Just as I was about to reach for the lost cat request—

“Excuse me, would you two like to take on a request with us?”

A pair of teenagers—a boy and a girl about our age—had approached us.

“Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly. I’m Ryug, and this is my sister, Tina.”

The boy, who was tall with dark brown hair and deep green eyes, introduced himself first before gesturing to the girl beside him. They weren't wearing uniforms but were dressed in light gear similar to the other adventurers, so they clearly weren't students.

“Hey there, hey there! Nice to meetcha!”

The girl named Tina closed the distance instantly, reaching out as if for a handshake. When I offered my right hand, she grabbed it with both of hers, pulling her face in uncomfortably close to mine.

Her shimmering, silvery-blue hair was tied in a half-up style, and her features were as perfectly sculpted as a goddess. There was a beauty to her that felt vaguely familiar. Her large, navy-violet eyes peered intensely into mine.

“Uh... yeah?”

“Do your eyes hurt?” she asked.

“My eyes? No, not really... Why?”

“Oh! Okay! That’s good then!”

Satisfied with my answer, she gave a bright smile and let go of my hand, stepping back. What was that all about?

“Now, now. Don't go bothering them, Tina. I’m sorry about my sister.”

“Ehehe, sow-wy!”

“No, it’s fine, but...”

Idiot and I were both staring at the adventurer tags hanging from their necks.

They were silver. According to the receptionist, silver was three ranks above our blue tags—the mark of a B-rank adventurer.

Why were B-rankers talking to us? ...Oh, right, we hadn't introduced ourselves yet.

“I’m Hugh. Hugh Pnocis. And this is...”

“Idiot Hortness. A pleasure.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Hugh, Idiot.”

“Nice to meet ya~!”

Neither of them showed even a hint of a reaction to the name "Hortness." Whether they didn't know the house or they’d approached us knowing exactly who we were, I couldn't tell. They didn't seem like bad people, but I couldn't quite figure out their angle.

“It’s a bit awkward talking in the middle of the room. Why don't we sit down?”

Idiot and I decided to go along with Ryug’s suggestion. We moved to a nearby cafe and sat down at a four-person table. Ryug ordered iced teas for everyone when the waiter came over.

“The capital is nice,” Ryug remarked. “The guild is quiet and clean, and there are even stylish cafes like this nearby. You’d never see this at a regional guild.”

“I see. So you’ve only just arrived from the provinces, then?” Idiot asked.

“Yes. We’ve been hired for a request from the Royal Academy. I assume you two are participating in the field exercise starting the week after next? Every year, the academy recruits adventurers through the guild to accompany the students.”

“And that is why you spoke to us?”

“Oh, no, that’s not the only reason.”

Ryug reached into his tunic and pulled out a sheet of paper. It was the proof of contract issued by the guild.

I scanned it quickly. It was a B-rank request to subjugate monsters that had appeared in the forests near the capital and to investigate the cause of their appearance.

“About two weeks ago—right in the middle of the Royal Academy’s class tournament—monsters reportedly appeared out of nowhere. We thought we might be able to get some useful information from two academy students, which is why we approached you.”

“I see. So that’s why...”

“Yes. Do you happen to know anything?”

At Ryug’s question, Idiot and I exchanged a glance. Forget knowing "anything"—we were the ones who had been closest to the incident when it happened. Technically, I’d entered the forest later to join the others, but Idiot had been the very first to encounter and fight the monsters.

I was pretty sure the Kingdom Knights were also investigating the forest. I hadn't seen Prince Lucas lately, so I didn't know the details, but Ryug’s request was likely from a different source.

The client listed on the contract was "The Kingdom of Reese." It didn't specify who exactly in the kingdom had placed it... I’d have to be careful about what information I shared.

“We actually fought the monsters in that forest,” I said. “I don't know the cause, but I can tell you what the monsters were like.”

“Really? That would be a huge help. Please, tell us everything.”

Idiot and I began describing the characteristics of the monsters we’d encountered. Bears, rabbits, foxes... thinking back, it was a bizarre mix of species, yet each one possessed the traits of the wild animals native to the forest.

Once we finished, Ryug folded his arms and rested a fist against his chin, deep in thought.

“Dungeons house a wide variety of monsters, but it’s rare for such a random assortment to appear like that. The fact that monsters which should only exist inside a dungeon were in the forest is an emergency in itself... What do you think, Tina?”

“Hmm~ I guess we won't know for sure until we get there. If there’s an undiscovered dungeon in the woods and monsters are spilling out, maybe a 'Big One' was born deep inside.”

“A Big One?” I asked.

“She means a Dungeon Boss,” Ryug explained.

“Yep-yep! Usually, a dungeon’s ecosystem is self-contained, so monsters almost never come outside. B-u-t, every once in a long while, a super-duper strong baby is born among the monsters. If that baby throws the whole ecosystem out of whack, it can trigger a monster outbreak or a mass migration of monsters being driven out of their territory.”

“I see. And that’s why they show up outside the dungeon.”

“Uh-huh! That’s what Tina thinks is happening this time!”

“Our request is to investigate the cause of the outbreak,” Ryug said. “It would be very reassuring to have people who have actually fought the monsters on the scene accompany us. I can promise you a reward equal to—or greater than—a D-rank request. What do you say?”

“Sounds good to me... Any objections, Idiot?”

“None. It would be my honor, Idiot Hortness, to lend you my assistance!”

Ryug laughed off Idiot’s haughty tone, and for some reason, Tina was just beaming with a big smile. They were surprisingly patient.

Regardless, getting a D-rank reward just for helping with an investigation was a huge win. With that kind of money, I’d be able to pick out a proper gift for Lugue.

Speaking of Lugue, I wondered what she was up to right now.

I’d expected her to insist on coming with us, but she’d sent us off with a surprisingly breezy, “Sorry, I’ve got plans with Lily and the others!”

"Lily and the others" probably meant Lecty was with them too. I’d asked Alyssa to handle the guard rotation, and with Lily and Lecty around, there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

...And yet, I had this strange, nagging feeling in my chest.

I hoped everything was okay.