Chapter 292: 292 "Adventurer
What is adventure?
Engaging in an activity that is extremely liberating and fraught with risks regardless of danger, that’s what adventure is.
So, what is an adventurer?
In the Earth Mistake World, adventurers refer to armed personnel who engage in the exploration of underground cities.
In some other worlds, however, adventurers are considered a popular occupation.
With the adventurer guild acting as intermediaries, issuing tasks to explore treasures around the world and pursue unknown entities, adventurers venture into all sorts of places, earning substantial rewards to support themselves, stock up on equipment and supplies. In the eyes of many who understand otherworldly cultures, adventurers represent beings filled with dreams.
Yet, in this world, adventurers are more real than one might imagine.
This world is somewhat similar to Earth Mistake World and vaguely reminiscent of the Akasha continent.
As a world with a medieval fantasy backdrop, it shares the existence of magical creatures with the Akasha continent and, like Earth Mistake World, is home to many intelligent races.
Dwarves, elves, goblins, orcs, ogres, and so on--this world is full of groups beyond humanity, even including nations established by sub-humans and tribes formed by non-human beings, creating a melting pot of races.
In this world, the adventurers, to put it simply, are mercenaries who combat magical creatures for a fee.
Although a portion of them engage in uncovering relics and exploring secret realms to seek unknown entities, most are essentially monster hunters, regarded by others as experts in dealing with magical creatures.
Their status is not high because they are not favored by those in power.
They have a strong presence, but outside of combating monsters, they are seen by others as nothing more than violent armed groups.
The so-called "adventurer guild" is even considered an intermediary for monster hunting, viewed by others as a place that only introduces dangerous work, not one where one might become rich overnight and embark on mysterious missions.
That said, in the human-established kingdom of "Ri·Yes Tiedje," there are still quite some people who make a living through the activities of adventurers.
Therefore, in "Ye·Lan Tier," a fortress city at the border, the adventurer’s guild bustles with such lively scenes.
Here, one can see warriors in full armor pausing in front of the notice board, perusing the sheepskin scrolls posted upon it.
Here, one can witness agile, lightly armored archers persuading a team to take them on.
Here, one can also observe magic profession practitioners in priestly garments and robes, holding magic wands, being surrounded by a group of enthusiastic adventurers.
Of course, there are also adventurers who continuously drink, eat meat, jest and tussle, yelling loudly, treating the guild as if it were a tavern.
The young ladies at the counter, ignoring the noisy scene, serve the adventurers who come before them as usual, either handling their quests or conducting their business.
This spectacle is almost a daily occurrence at the adventurer guild, very common indeed.
However, today the adventurer’s guild welcomed an unusual person.
"I want to become an adventurer."
When these words rang out in front of a young lady at the counter, the guild employee, who appeared to be in her twenties, was surprised to find that a person had appeared before her without notice.
That was a very peculiar person.
Unlike other adventurers who bore arms, he didn’t even have a single weapon, and his attire was also quite ordinary, not at all like someone who could work as an adventurer.
He was young, not yet twenty, with rare black hair and black eyes. Despite his good looks, his presence was extraordinarily low, making it hard for people to notice him.
Yet his tone was calm, and his gaze was extremely profound; even surrounded by the coarse-armed individuals, his expression didn’t change in the slightest, as if he were stepping into an ordinary business platform rather than a gathering place for thugs.
This was a young man with a very expensive-looking emerald pendant hanging around his neck, which lent an air of mystery to his otherwise ordinary appearance.
An ordinary yet extraordinary young man.
That was what made him feel so peculiar and strange.
The counter lady was so captivated by this sense of wonder and contradiction that she found herself staring at the young man, speechless for a long time.
"I want to become an adventurer."
Seeing this, the young man repeated his statement.
"Is there a problem?"
His overly calm voice finally roused the counter lady.
"No, no problem,"
The counter lady hastily shook her head, drew out a quill pen and sheepskin parchment, and began to prepare the document for the youngster’s application to become an adventurer.
To become an adventurer didn’t require any strict conditions; basically, anyone could be one, as long as they applied through the guild.
Yet upon seeing this peculiar youth, the counter lady couldn’t help but hesitate.
"Um... are you really planning to become an adventurer?"
It’s no wonder that the counter lady asked such a question.
After all, an adventurer is a combatant, and having a certain level of fighting capability is the most basic and only requirement for this profession.
Whether as a warrior or a Magic Singer, as long as one possesses the ability to fight, one can become an adventurer.
The young man before her didn’t seem completely helpless, but he was unarmed, his hands empty. His attire was extremely ordinary, with the only exception being a green emerald pendant that hung around his neck, without any other visible gear. He didn’t look like someone capable of combat, more like a young master out on a discreet stroll.
The reason he didn’t seem to be a commoner was because he was just too clean.
Most commoners typically engaged in some kind of manual work, leaving their skin, hands, and clothes with a "dirty" feel of hard labor, but not this young man. He was spotless and dust-free, not at all like someone who had experienced toil.
If it wasn’t for the fact that his expression remained too calm the entire time, the receptionist might have thought he was in the wrong place.
To this, the young man had only one thing to say.
"Is there a problem?"
His concise query somehow made the receptionist feel subdued.
"No, there’s not!"
Poor guild receptionist, she had seen many dramatic scenes in the past, able to withstand the bellowing of the fiercest adventurers with an unwavering face and even a professional smile. Yet today, she lost her composure in front of an unarmed young man, a sight both ludicrous and endearing.
Next, the receptionist quickly processed the young man’s application and took out an item.
It was a small copper tag that could be hung around the neck.
"This is an identification tag used to gauge an adventurer’s abilities and determine their rank," the receptionist explained to the young man.
"There are eight types of identification tags, each made from a different metal."
"Copper, iron, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, mountain copper, and fine steel, the later the metal used for the tag, the higher its rank and value."
"Possessing a higher-ranked tag not only signifies a rise in status but also improves the treatment one gets. Specifically, it means being able to choose more difficult jobs and receiving higher compensation."
In other words, if the rank of the identification tag is too low, one wouldn’t be able to take on difficult tasks, limited to menial work, and the income would not be high.
"You are now at the lowest rank with the copper tag, a copper-ranked adventurer."
"By completing a certain number of tasks and improving your own evaluation, you can upgrade your identification tag."
"We look forward to your impressive performance in the future."
After these formalities, the receptionist handed the small copper tag to the young man.
"Thank you."
The young man received the copper tag, not hanging it around his neck but putting it directly into his pocket, then made a new request to the receptionist.
"Could you prepare a map of the surrounding area and a distribution map of the monsters for me?"
It was only when he said this that a hint of enthusiasm crept into his voice.
The impression given was as if this were his true purpose for coming here, becoming an adventurer was just incidental.
That was indeed the case.
The young man’s desire to become an adventurer was not to earn a living wage but to easily obtain necessary information through the guild’s services.
Although a map was secondary, what he truly wanted was the distribution map of the monsters.
He wanted to find powerful monsters.
He wanted to find as many enemies as possible.
Given such intentions, the adventurer guild, acting as an intermediary for monster hunters, would naturally fulfill his needs.
This was the first thing that Reiger, who had arrived in this world just under half an hour ago—as he had once arrived in the Earth Mistake World—thought of upon landing in the middle of the Yelan-tier district.
"Maps and monster distribution maps, is it?"
As expected, the receptionist was not surprised by this request but cautiously asked a question.
"How detailed would you like them to be?"
There was no need for hesitation in answering this question.
"As detailed as possible, preferably the most detailed maps and monster distribution maps you have."
Reiger replied without a second thought.
"The most detailed maps and distribution charts have to be purchased," the receptionist said. "We can only provide adventurers with the most basic map and monster information for free."
"Is that so?" Reiger nodded and said, "Then, this should be enough to buy the most detailed map and monster information, right?"
As he spoke, Reiger tossed a gold stone onto the counter.
With a "thud," the fist-sized gold stone landed on the countertop, leaving the receptionist frozen in place.
And all around, a sudden silence fell.
All the adventurers were staring at the gleaming stone, struck dumbfounded.