“The guild’s official rings are gold, silver, and bronze. But these rings are outside that classification. They show that you’re adventurers, so you get minimal support, but you’re not guild members. It’s a kind of compromise.”
“That sounds like a lot of excuses,”
“Yeah, I’ve got no comeback for that!”
The receptionist laughed, playfully smacking her forehead. She seemed like a cheerful person.
“But with these, we can operate as adventurers, right?”
“Yes, if you answer one last question,”
It was a man’s voice, different from the receptionist
Ur and Shizuku turned to see an elderly man with white hair and deep wrinkles standing behind them. He is obviously old, but on the other hand, he is robust and exuded vigor radiating from every part of his body, which made him have no sign of old age.
“Ah, the branch leader. You always come for the ring handovers,”
“I believe in being there for the start of every adventurer’s journey,”
“I wish Glen could be as diligent,”
The branch leader approached Ur and Shizuku, his gaze thoughtful and piercing, clearing away any preconceived notions Ur had about adventurers.
He gave a small smile.
“I’m Jiro. Don’t worry, I won’t ask anything too difficult. This isn’t a test,”
He looked at Ur first.
“What’s your name?”
“Ur. I’m a nameless, so I don’t have a surname.”
“Ur, why do you want to become an adventurer?”
” ……It’s a special circumstance. I need to get my sister back. For that, I need a lot of money. I want to earn some.”
Without mentioning the spirit’s involvement, Ur answered honestly. Jiro nodded thoughtfully.
“Being an adventurer might seem lucrative, but most adventurers just chase monsters in the shallow parts of labyrinth, earning only enough to get by each day. Do you know this?”
Ur nodded. Of course, he knew.
The adventurer-like people around Ur were all like that. Ur himself had done similar things. He had no illusions about the adventurer profession.
“Without high ambition and persistent effort, you’ll end up like them. I don’t think that’s bad, but you won’t achieve your goal. Are you prepared for that?”
“I won’t give up on my sister.”
Ur declared firmly. Jiro nodded at Ur’s determination and then looked at Shizuku.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Shizuku. I don’t have a last name either.”
“Shizuku, why do you want to be an adventurer?”
“To become stronger.”
“And what will you do with that strength?”
“I will accomplish my goal.”
Shizuku’s answer was short and clear, though it lacked specifics. However, there was extraordinary resolve and will in her words. Jiro nodded to Shizuku as well, then stood up and raised his palm before the two.
“Under our beliefs and oath, we welcome the birth of new comrades.”
At that moment, a small light showered down on Ur and Shizuku. They saw a faint humanoid figure spreading its arms before them.
“A spirit…”
Shizuku murmured quietly.
In this world, spirits are magical beings superior to humans. They dwell in all things and sometimes grant their power as blessings to humanity, serving the sun god Zeuradia.
“This is the blessing of Pris, the spirit of oaths. As long as you adhere to the guild’s rules, you are promised a slight peace… it just means you’re less likely to get sick.”
“So the guild master is a priest?”
Only priests of the temple can obtain the blessing of spirits. Even city residents cannot achieve this. But Jiro shook his head with a wry smile.
“I have a rank equivalent to a priest, but I’m not one. I just borrow the power of the spirits from the temple.”
“I see,” Ur nodded in understanding, and then Shizuku raised her hand.
“I don’t intend to break the guild’s rules, but what happens if I do?”
“The blessing will disappear. If it’s severe, you’ll be punished.”
Jiro’s vague response served as a significant deterrent. Hearing this, they had no desire to break the rules. The power of spirits is immense, far beyond what humans can handle. No one would want to face punishment from such beings.
“Well then, welcome to the world of adventurers, new comrades. I wish you success.”
With those final words, Jiro left the room immediately. He must be busy. Only Ur, Shizuku, and the receptionist remained.
“Now, you are authorized to explore the labyrinth. You are now free to go.”
“Free…”
“You can go to the labyrinth to earn magic stones or complete the requests posted in the guild. Just make sure to report back when you’re done, okay?”
“……So, what should we do?”
“Aren’t we going to the labyrinth?”
“I want to, but…”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
For adventurers, labyrinth exploration is the primary goal. It’s common knowledge in this world. Defeat monsters, absorb their magic, and gain strength. If you can’t do that, you can’t even start. Completing requests also begins with that.
However, Ur had realized that he knew less about the adventurer profession than he thought. Running around blindly would be pointless. He needed advice.
“Lost boy and girl, not knowing where to go.”
“Here we go again with the farce.”
Shizuku clapped again, so Ur followed suit.
“For newbies like you, the Adventurers Guild has a ‘Training Hall’.”
Apparently, there is a Training Hall in Greed, where semi-retired veterans or adventurers between activities teach newcomers.
The hall offers lessons on the basics of labyrinth exploration, how to fight troublesome monsters, and how to use the Adventurers Guild. It’s perfect for beginners, she said.
“But we have no money.”
“Don’t worry. It’s free under certain conditions! While you’re enrolled, you get free accommodation and waived city fees!”
“That’s incredibly generous.”
It sounded like everything Ur needed, almost too good to be true, making him suspicious. He asked cautiously.
“What’s the benefit of doing this?”
“Well… you see…”
“See what?”
“Newbies tend to die.”
“Straight to the point.”
There’s no point in hiding it. Ur and Shizuku nearly died during their first labyrinth exploration.
“But if they die easily, we can’t get magic stones, right?”
“So training them a bit is necessary.”
“We want to avoid new adventurers dying pointlessly. They get the knowledge built up by their predecessors for free. It’s a win-win. Understand?”
It made sense. There didn’t seem to be any hidden pitfalls.
Ur looked at Shizuku, who nodded. He then turned back to the receptionist.
“We’d like to join the training hall. Is that okay?”
“Okay! Just one last thing.”
She smiled brightly at Ur and Shizuku.
“Good luck!!!”
Suddenly, they felt nervous.
Greed City-State Adventurers Guild – Greed Branch Training Hall First Floor Classroom
Instructor Glenn grumbled as he stood in front of the podium.
“……This is a pain.”
About thirty people sat at the tables before him. They varied in gender and race: humans, beastmen, dwarves, and gnomes.
All of them were new adventurers. But none of them looked fresh. They all had bored expressions, and some were even glaring at Glenn.
“Ah, as usual, they’re all lively… I wish they’d die soon.”
“That old man says whatever he thinks…”
The newbies were slightly taken aback but ignored it.
This was typical. Most people sent here were usually no good, almost thugs or outright thugs.
They were brought here because someone recognized they were likely to get cocky and die. Rarely did anyone come voluntarily. Glenn lamented his fate of dealing with the lowest of the adventurer scum.
“Ah… let’s just get this training over with quickly. Brace yourselves, you brats────”
“Glenn, we have additional trainees.”
“Die.”
The receptionist Marli interrupted, bringing two children before him, and Glenn cursed outright.
The training classroom for new adventurers. Though Ur had eagerly joined this convenient system, he began to regret his decision soon after entering the classroom.
“Such rough characters.”
“Is everyone here sleep-deprived?”
The fellow trainees all looked rough. Discontent emanated from them, as if they were thinking, “Why do we have to be here?” Ur wanted to leave immediately, but he also felt a strange sense of acceptance and reassurance that “Yes, adventurers are like this.”
He noticed lecherous gazes at Shizuku, so he moved her to the wall and sat next to her, observing the man at the podium.
“Ah, what a pain…”
The man who spoke unsettling words right away was a middle-aged man, about forty or fifty. He had a scruffy beard and messy reddish-black hair, with lifeless eyes that showed no enthusiasm whatsoever. Honestly, he didn’t look like an instructor at all. As the unease grew, he spoke up.
“Welcome to this damn training camp. I’m Glenn, your instructor. You idiots who aspire to be worthless adventurers.”
Does this guy really intend to instruct us?
Others probably thought the same. A murmur of caution spread. The only one who seemed unfazed, quietly applauding Glenn’s arrival beside me, was Shizuku. But even she seemed a bit odd in her response.
“This training camp isn’t obligatory or anything. If you want to wander into labyrinth, go right ahead. But being here means you’ve been duped by the receptionists, idiots.”
“Have we been deceived?”
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