Acquiring the Copper Ring.
Needless to say, Ur had no knowledge of how to acquire a Copper Ring. He had only just started his adventurer training a week ago. He knew nothing about it.
So, what could he do? He had to ask someone who knew.
“…That’s the situation.”
So Ur explained the situation to Glenn. As a result,
“…Are you kidding me?”
Glenn was dumbfounded. He was beyond exasperated.
“…Are you stupid? Seriously.”
After remaining silent for a while, Glenn berated Ur as if squeezing out his words.
“You had no time for that.”
“But still… Gold….. Copper in a month…”
Glenn muttered for a while, then unusually patted Ur’s shoulder with a solemn face.
“It’s a shame about your sister.”
“She’s not dead yet.”
But Glenn looked at him with pity.
“It’s impossible. Give it up.”
“Can I hear your reasons?”
“It’s like a newborn saying it’s going to slay a dragon. Copper Ring in a month and then Gold Class? Impossible.”
“It’s impossible,” Glenn asserted firmly.
“The basic conditions for acquiring the Copper Ring include over a year of continuous contributions to the Guild and obtaining magic stones. One year. You understand numbers, right?”
“The numbers are correct.”
“I’ll kill you. You’re seriously annoying.” Glenn struck Ur mercilessly with his fist. It hurt a lot.
“Just to be clear, the Guild won’t show mercy for your sake.”
“Even if someone’s life is at stake?”
“There are plenty who say things like ‘I won’t survive without the ring’ or ‘I need to earn quickly to save my sick family.’ You know that, right?”
“Yeah.”
Ur knew all too well. There were countless pseudo-adventurers with sob stories that elicited every ounce of pity and sympathy. If the Guild showed mercy to all of them, rings would never be enough.
“But there must be a way to acquire it in a month, right?”
“Huh?”
“You said the one-year Copper Ring acquisition condition is ‘[basically].’ So, there must be a non-basic way, right?”
“… …”
Glenn didn’t deny it.
“Glenn.”
“Hey, wait. Don’t look at me with that hopeful face. It’s irritating.”
Glenn flicked Ur’s forehead and sighed deeply.
“To nurture promising newcomers with expectations of glorious achievements, the Guild occasionally grants rings in exceptional cases. Elite treatment. So, are you elite?”
“Just average.”
“You have a decent grasp of yourself, and I’m proud as a mentor.”
At least during today’s training, Ur had never shown any signs of genius. In terms of talent, Shizuku was far superior.
“And how would a pathetic loser like you convince the Guild to say, ‘Please accept this Copper Ring?’ Dream on—”
“Ur-sama!”
Glenn frowned. Shizuku entered the classroom as usual with her smile, handing Ur a piece of paper.
“What’s this?”
“There’s a way to get the Copper Ring! There was one!”
Before Ur could rejoice, he exchanged glances with Glenn, who also looked at her. Looking back at her, Shizuku bowed her head.
“I’m sorry. I overheard Diz-sama and Ur-sama talking in the classroom.”
“You negotiated here?”
“I’m sorry.”
Turning away from Glenn’s exasperated face, Ur read the paper Shizuku handed him. There,
“…Bounty?”
It was a paper listing a so-called bounty. A dangerous monster threatening human activity. Ur had seen similar ones posted on the Adventurer Guild’s request board.
Moreover, the wanted poster that Shizuku handed over depicted a target with the name
“Gem Golem.”
It was the terrifyingly beautiful, giant Golem that Ur and Shizuku had encountered on their first exploration of the Deadly Sin Labyrinth, Greed.
“If we defeat this, Ur-sama’s excellence might finally be recognized!”
“Can we even do it, damn it?”
“Well…”
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Ur reflexively voiced his doubts, though they were genuine. He hadn’t forgotten the disastrous result of their first encounter.
“Besides, defeating it doesn’t guarantee we’ll get the ring, does it?”
He instinctively sought agreement from Glen. However, Glen, frowning and serious, stared intently at the wanted poster Shizuku held.
“…It’s not a bad idea.”
“You’re serious?”
The unexpected words slipped from Glen’s mouth.
“I mentioned elite treatment, but the guild doesn’t evaluate purely based on physical abilities. In the end, it’s all about achievements.”
“And this bounty is one of those achievements?”
“If a bounty’s been placed, it means it’s a troublesome monster that nobody would hunt without a reward. And this one, in particular… well, never mind that for now.”
Glen cut himself off, but it was clear that defeating the Gem Golem was directly linked to Ur obtaining the ring. Glen wasn’t one to speak without reason.
“…Then, tell me how to defeat it.”
“I ask for your guidance too, Glen-sama.”
Upon hearing their words, Glen let out a deep, heavy sigh.
“What a hassle…”
It wasn’t a statement of refusal but rather a complaint about the increased workload.
“…You need to keep two promises. If you can’t, give up.”
Glen raised two fingers and then folded one down.
“From now on, enter the labyrinth twice a day. Go in the morning, train in the afternoon, and then enter again. Start this from today.”
“Wha…?”
The sun had already set, and darkness covered the sky. Glen was suggesting they dive into the labyrinth again at this hour.
“Don’t worry. The labyrinth is open 24/7. No one will complain no matter when you go.”
Ur’s face tensed. He was already exhausted from the current exploration and training. Going back into the labyrinth would be suicide. However, Glen’s expression was serious.
“If you want to face this thing in three weeks, you need both money and strength. Compressing time is your only option.”
“…Understood.”
Ur clamped his mouth shut to keep from whining and nodded. He understood. He had asked for something unreasonable. Now it was his turn to meet Glen’s demands.
“And one more thing. Clarify your ‘goal.’”
Glen folded down the second finger.
“My goal… It’s…”
He was about to say it didn’t need to be stated, but Glen shook his head.
“For your sister? That’s not enough.”
“It’s not?”
He thought there couldn’t be a stronger motive, but Glen continued.
“Do you know the difference between silver and gold rank?”
“The difference?”
“Silver-ranked adventurers have the strength to be called heroes. But they don’t reach gold.”
Why? When asked, Ur tilted his head in confusion.
“Talent? Effort?”
“Neither.”
It wasn’t talent or effort. The difference was,
“Determination.”
Glen stepped back a little, then dramatically pulled open his shirt.
“A mad determination to throw away everything, even your fate and those around you, is what makes silver into gold.”
Glen’s body was chiseled, with a black scar running from his right shoulder to his left side, as if it had split his body in two.
The scar was unusual.
It ran from his right shoulder straight down to his left waist, as if a bolt of lightning had struck. It didn’t look like a straightforward cut but more like he’d been bitten by a massive monster.
Seeing Glen with such a horrendous scar and still alive, Ur understood.
“You’re a gold rank, Glen. Aren’t you?”
“That’s right. I’m the ‘Scarlet Fist King’… It feels weird saying that myself.”
Ur had heard the name ‘Scarlet Fist King’ before. About a dozen years ago, there was a party called ‘Crimson Mountain King,’ who defeated numerous calamities and finally vanquished the ‘worst fiend’ in the depths of the Deadly Sin Labyrinth, Greed.
To think that the legendary hero of that party was this scruffy, unshaven man…
“A grumpy old man with a scruffy beard…”
“I’ll punch you.”
“You’ve already hit me.”
Ur rubbed his sore head. He’d heard that many retired instructors were successful adventurers, but he hadn’t expected a golden rank to be this close.
“You made it to gold rank.”
“Yes.”
“And the reason you reached gold was because of ‘purpose’ and ‘determination’?”
“That’s right.”
“What was your purpose?”
“Revenge.”
Ur gasped at the fierce expression Glen wore as he uttered that word. It was a look more intense than the scar on his torso, full of immense and tragic determination.
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