The main street of the city of Gilm was currently buzzing with a cacophony of noise and voices.

Actually, that much was completely normal, as there was nothing strange about the bustling atmosphere itself. What was different today was the person at the centre of the buzz, though ‘boy’ might be more accurate, and the massive Griffon walking right beside him.

「Gurururu~」

Sensing the worried glances from the surrounding crowd, Set gave a low, rumbling cry. The moment the sound echoed out, the entire street fell dead silent, though the nervous murmuring quickly started up again.

Their reaction wasn’t unreasonable. An A rank monster, a Griffon, was casually strolling majestically down the middle of the street. One of the two necklaces worn around its neck clearly indicated that it was a legally tamed or summoned monster. If it had been a wild Griffon, all the commoners on the main street would have scattered in terror, and the local adventurers, knights, and soldiers would have already surrounded it with weapons drawn.

「Don’t worry about them, Set. As long as you don’t do anything, they won’t do anything either.」

Rei said softly, scratching Set’s head. Judging by the intricate patterns woven into the fabric, Rei appeared to be wearing an expensive, high-quality robe. Furthermore, he was casually carrying a massive scythe with a 2m long handle and a 1m long blade. Honestly, even if Set wasn’t with him, Rei’s striking appearance alone would have easily made him the centre of attention.

Additionally, although the robe he wore was actually a top-tier magic item called the Dragon Robe, crafted by the legendary ancient alchemist Esta Nord, most people lacked the ability to recognise it as such. Because of that, it didn’t immediately stand out as a priceless magical artifact to the untrained eye.

The nervous murmuring followed them for about ten minutes as they walked down the street. Finally, a large building with a prominent sign reading ‘Adventurers Guild’ came into Rei’s sight, exactly where Ranga said it would be.

「Set, there’s a designated waiting area over there for animals and horse carriages, so just wait for me there. Make sure your tamer’s necklace is clearly visible. If someone actually tries to do something stupid to you, you have my permission to injure them.」
「Guru~」

Set nodded at Rei’s command. The people standing nearby felt their cheeks cramp when they overheard Rei’s casual instructions.

After sending Set to the designated waiting area, Rei headed straight for the Adventurers Guild’s entrance.

「Now then, where should I go?」

With a loud creak, he pushed open the heavy wooden doors. An unexpected view immediately entered Rei’s eyes. He had assumed it would be packed with rowdy people drinking cheap ale, arguing loudly, and occasionally bursting into vulgar laughter. ……While that classic fantasy scene wasn’t entirely wrong, the reality was quite different from his expectations. There was definitely a tavern area attached to the guild, but there were only about five people who actually looked like adventurers sitting there drinking. A few other patrons were scattered around, but the vast majority of the seats were completely vacant.

「Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. What business do you have here today?」

While Rei was curiously surveying the interior, a bright voice suddenly called out to him. Turning his gaze towards the source, he saw several receptionists working behind a long counter, and one of them was looking directly at him.

As expected of the receptionists, who essentially served as the public face of the Adventurers Guild, they were all beautiful women with excellent figures. There were Beastkin with dog ears and cat ears, as well as a woman with long, sharp ears who looked exactly like an elf. Naturally, there were human receptionists as well. Among them, a human woman with brown hair tied up in a neat ponytail was the one who had called out to Rei.

「I would like to register with the guild……」

Just as Rei stated his business, a loud, obnoxious voice abruptly called out from the group of men drinking in the tavern area.

「Gyahaha! This ain’t a place for a scrawny kid like you! Shouldn’t you be hiding behind your mommy’s skirt?」
「Oi oi, Vargas. Don’t tease the kid so hard. Look, everyone’s staring. You’ll scare him off if you keep yelling like that.」
「Boy, it might be a bit early for you to register as an adventurer at……what, 10 years old? No, maybe 15? Do you seriously think you can survive out there with that frail little body?」
「That’s right. That weapon you’re carrying is just big, so trying to bluff monsters with a flashy toy won’t keep you alive.」
「Oi, Calum. Don’t cause an unnecessary commotion. We’re supposed to be celebrating.」

Although the sole sober member of the five-man group tried to de-escalate the situation, the other four were already heavily intoxicated. Completely ignoring their friend’s advice, they continued to loudly jeer at Rei.

(This is such a cliché development in novels. I didn’t get the chance to save any nobles or merchants from bandits on my way to Gilm, but I suppose getting tangled up with drunks at the Adventurers Guild is the next best thing. Come to think of it, if I had saved a party from bandits, I might have gotten a reward. But dealing with a bunch of drunk adventurers……no, wait. That sober guy just mentioned a ‘celebration’. They’re drinking in the guild tavern during the day, so there’s no doubt they just finished a request and came here to celebrate their payout. In that case……)

「Heh.」

Rei directed a look of absolute disgust at the jeering men, treating them like literal rubbish, before giving a quiet, scornful laugh and turning his full attention back to the receptionist.

「You little shit! Did you just laugh at us!?」
「Brat! You don’t know your damn place! You’re just a novice who came to register, so show some respect! Aa!?」
「Oi oi, calm down Vargas, you too Zorito. Come on, like Zorito just said, he’s just a clueless novice here to register. Stop being so unreasonable.」
「Hah, teaching clueless novices their place is the job of their seniors!」

The four drunk men continued shouting aggressively, while the lone sober member hung his head in defeat. Ignoring the entire group, Rei calmly spoke to the receptionist.

「So, is it possible for me to register with the guild right now?」
「E-eh? Ah, yes. Please fill out your name, age, and any special skills you can use in combat on this form here. Do you need me to write it out for you?」
「No, it’s fine. I can write it myself.」

Declining the receptionist’s offer, he picked up the provided pen.

(The spoken language here seems the same, but the written characters are different. Thank god for the fusion with Zephyr’s soul, or I wouldn’t be able to read or write a single word.)

Thinking that, he quickly filled out the form with his name as Rei, his age as 15, and his special abilities as fire magic, tamer, and close combat. He then slid the piece of paper back to the receptionist.

By the way, in the world of Elgin, only nobles possessed family names. A commoner could occasionally be awarded one, but only if they accomplished a truly monumental achievement. Therefore, Rei, having literally just arrived in this world, simply wrote ‘Rei’ on the paper.

「Yes, thank you. It will take a little time to prepare your guild card, so I’ll use this opportunity to explain how the guild operates.」

With a polite bow, the receptionist began her standard explanation.

Adventurers registered with the Adventurers Guild are strictly ranked. The ranks go from H up to A. Although there is technically an S rank above that, the requirements are absurdly difficult to meet, and currently, there are only three S rank adventurers in the entirety of Elgin. Incidentally, one of the Mireana Kingdom’s S rank adventurers is based right here in the city of Gilm.

H rank is the absolute lowest rank. H rank adventurers are restricted to receiving minor requests located strictly within the city walls. You must reach at least G rank before you are allowed to accept requests that require you to leave the city. However, it is possible to rank up from H to G on your very first day if a designated guild combat examiner officially assesses that you possess sufficient combat ability.

Available requests are posted on the guild’s request board. Once you select one, you must bring the form to a receptionist to formally accept it. The compensation amount written on the request paper has already had the standard guild taxes and city housing fees deducted, meaning you will receive the exact amount specified upon completion. Be warned that if you fail to complete an accepted request within the specified time limit, you will be penalised and forced to pay a fine equal to 30% of the request’s original reward value to the Adventurers Guild.

Additionally, adventurers are allowed to accept requests up to one rank higher than their current official rank. There is no lower limit, so for example, a G rank adventurer is perfectly free to accept F, G, and H rank requests.

Your official rank will automatically increase after you successfully complete a set quota of requests. However, promoting from E rank to D rank, or from C rank to B rank, requires you to pass a specific, practical exam administered by the guild.

To summarise the general skill levels, G to E ranks are considered novices, D and C ranks are considered experienced veterans, and B and A ranks are considered true masters.

When you form a party with other adventurers, the party’s official rank is determined by averaging the individual ranks of all its members. This party rank is clearly recorded on everyone’s guild cards. Furthermore, if you are operating as an official party, you are permitted to accept requests up to two ranks higher than your party’s average rank.

Registering as an adventurer for the first time is completely free, but be careful, as if you lose your guild card, it costs a steep 5 gold coins to have it reissued.

An adventurer is free to sell harvested monster materials directly to private customers at their own discretion. However, if any financial disputes or trouble arises from such private transactions, the Adventurers Guild will not intervene or offer any support.

If you choose to sell directly to the Adventurers Guild, or to affiliated weapon, armour, and magic item shops within the city, be aware that their purchasing prices are generally 1-2% lower than the open market. Despite the slightly lower price, there are significant advantages to selling to the guild, as the assessment process is incredibly fast, and even if there is a massive oversupply of a specific material flooding the market, the guild guarantees they will still pay the standard, fixed rate.

Because all branches of the Adventurers Guild are connected across borders via rare magical communication items, your guild card and rank are valid in any country, and you can rank up at any branch.

Finally, if an adventurer gets into a personal dispute during a request, or gets into an altercation with other adventurers, the Adventurers Guild will absolutely not intervene. You are expected to handle your own problems.

「That concludes the explanation.」

When delivering the final warning regarding personal disputes, the receptionist pointedly shifted her gaze between Rei and the rowdy adventurers in the tavern area.

Taking the hint, Rei carefully shifted his gaze. The four drunk men were glaring at him, visibly impatient for his guild registration to finish. Meanwhile, the one sober member who had tried to stop them earlier had clearly decided he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the situation, having moved his drink to a table much further away.

As for what the four drunkards were planning, the receptionist’s warning that the guild wouldn’t interfere in personal disputes explained everything. Until his registration was finalised, Rei was technically still a civilian. The guild imposed strict penalties on adventurers who used unprovoked violence against civilians. But once Rei became a registered adventurer, any fight between them would be treated as an internal dispute, which the guild would completely ignore.

「Do you have any questions regarding the explanation?」

Prompted by the receptionist, Rei waited a few seconds before speaking.

「For example, what happens if an H or G rank adventurer manages to defeat a monster that was the target of a C or B rank subjugation request?」
「While it would certainly be an impressive feat, the guild will not officially recognise the subjugation achievement if the adventurer had not formally accepted the request beforehand. However, there are no restrictions on harvesting and selling the materials from the defeated monster.」
「Gyahaha! Listen to this idiotic brat! He literally just registered, and he’s already talking about defeating C and B rank monsters! Let’s go put an end to this irresponsible nonsense before he gets himself killed!」
「Yeah, yeah, he must be sleep-talking to spout such arrogant garbage in a place like this!」

Hearing Rei’s hypothetical question, Vargas, Zorito, and the rest of their group immediately seized the opportunity to pick a fight again. Ignoring their barking, Rei continued speaking calmly to the receptionist.

「I understand. I don’t have any other questions. How long until my guild card is ready?」
「Um……yes, it’s actually ready right now. Here is your card. Please confirm that all the details are correct.」

Taking the metal card from the receptionist, Rei verified the engraved information. The guild registration location was listed as the Gilm Branch, with his name as Rei, his rank as H, and his age as 15. Finally, the listed combat skills were Fire magic, Tamer, and Close combat.

「Everything looks correct. By the way, can I ask one last question?」

He asked the receptionist while tucking the guild card securely into his robes.

「Yes, what is it?」

At her response, the faint smile on Rei’s face twisted into a mocking grin. He intentionally raised his voice so the hostile adventurers behind him could hear every word clearly.

「That pathetic group over there trying so desperately to pick a fight……they’re ungraceful, ugly, and incredibly annoying. What exactly is the guild rank of those noisy drunkards?」
「You little shit!」

Perhaps it was the alcohol fuelling their rage, but the blatant provocation, thinly veiled as a question, instantly drove the men into a furious frenzy.

「……Ah, those men belong to a D rank party called Claws of the Hawk.」
「Hou~. Claws of the Hawk, huh? With how remarkably ugly their faces are, I was absolutely certain their party name was ‘Goblin’s Drool’.」

The moment the insult left Rei’s mouth, a loud Bakii~ echoed through the guild. It was the sharp sound of splintering wood. Turning his gaze towards the noise, Rei saw that the massive man called Vargas had just smashed his heavy battleaxe straight through their table in a fit of rage.

「For a scrawny brat who just registered, you’ve got a lot of nerve. I’m coming over there right now. I’m going to personally teach you your damn limitations.」
「Okay. It’s a good opportunity to stretch my legs, anyway. I’ll take on all of Goblin’s Drool at once.」
「Aah?! Did you hear what this brat just said?!」
「I’ll beat some goddamn manners into him!」

Grabbing their weapons, the four furious men began stalking towards Rei as he turned and calmly walked out of the guild.

Just before stepping through the doors, Rei stopped and glanced back at the receptionist.

「Oh, right, didn’t you say it was possible to promote straight to G rank on the first day if I can prove my combat ability?」
「Eh? Ah, yes. That is correct.」
「Then, could you please send an authorised examiner outside the guild? I’d like to officially apply for my G rank rank up test.」
「Y-yes! I understand!」

Leaving the stunned receptionist with that message, Rei stepped out of the guild and into the street.

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