Adventurers Guild.
It was where all manner of formidable individuals gathered.
Those confident in their physical prowess, those confident in their magic.
Some wielded swords, some axes, some staffs, and others fought bare-handed.
Those who boastfully proclaimed themselves stronger than the rest, and those who silently mocked them.
Armored swordsmen stood alongside lightly-clad magicians.
Men who looked like pigs, women with serpentine lower bodies, men with wings, women with horse legs.
Every conceivable race had gathered here, jostling for space.
This was the Adventurers Guild of the Demon Continent.
The Adventurers Guild in the Town of Licarice.
Its massive swing door was thrown open with a violent bang.
Every eye turned toward the source of the commotion.
Few people dared to throw open the doors of the Adventurers Guild with such force.
Had some Party returned from a quest?
Had Monsters attacked, prompting a gate guard to call for backup?
Or was it merely the wind playing tricks?
Come to think of it, he'd heard Dead End had been spotted nearby — surely it couldn't be...
And then three figures appeared before their eyes.
Standing at the front was a boy.
Still young. Yet his expression brimmed with confidence. A cloth-wrapped staff, clothes that were slightly worn but clearly expensive.
He strode in without a shred of intimidation, bold as you please, into a room full of adults and hard-faced warriors.
Who was this kid, some of them wondered. He was so out of place here.
Perhaps he belonged to a race whose appearance didn't match their age.
Standing in the boy's shadow, almost hidden behind him, was — most likely — a girl.
Her face was hidden beneath a deeply drawn hood, impossible to make out.
But her bearing and gaze were sharp, far beyond her years.
The sword at her hip was unmistakably well-worn.
Several people in the room recognized her as a skilled swordswoman.
The last of the three was a tall, imposing man.
A red gem set into his forehead, a scar running vertically down his face.
The very features of Dead End. Some looked ready to scream.
But then — that blue hair.
They quickly realized their mistake. Just someone who bore a striking resemblance.
Bizarre.
Truly bizarre.
Not a single one of the three was normal.
An unsettling air hung over them, their purpose utterly inscrutable.
The boy bellowed in a loud voice.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's with those long faces! Do you even know who you're looking at?!"
No, they did not. Who the hell is this guy? everyone thought.
"It's none other than the Supard Race demon — the great
No, that's definitely not happening, everyone thought.
The Supard Race had hair the color of vibrant green.
Not that dark, dirty shade of blue.
"Big bro! Looks like they don't know Dead End's face out here in the sticks! Man, you walk a little out of the way and even though people have heard the rumors, nobody recognizes you."
The boy seemed determined to insist this young man was Dead End.
Thinking about it that way, the boy's high-pitched boasting seemed absurdly comical.
In the blink of an eye, the sense of dread dissipated.
The young man called "big bro."
Sure enough, the red gem on his forehead and the scar on his face did lend the right impression.
But he'd gotten the crucial detail wrong.
*Pfft.* Who was it that burst out laughing?
"What's your deal?! What are you laughing at?!"
The boy heard it immediately and directed his angry glare toward the source.
The gesture was so comical that the stifled laughter throughout the Guild only grew louder.
Then, someone spoke up.
"Pfft... hah... b-because, y'know... Supard Race hair is... green, isn't it?"
The instant those words left their mouth, the Adventurers Guild lobby erupted in roaring laughter.
--- Listening to the laughter, I felt the opening had gone well enough.
The Adventurers Guild.
I'd imagined it, but it was even rougher than I'd pictured.
Was the variety of races due to this being the Demon Continent?
Men with horse-like faces, men carrying sickles like a mantis, women with butterfly-like wings, women with serpentine legs.
They all resembled humans, yet each had something distinctly different.
And even when the non-human parts weren't animal-like, that didn't necessarily mean they looked human.
Some had thorn-like growths sprouting from their shoulders, while others had skin that was entirely blue.
Some had four arms, others had two heads.
They looked human, but every one of them was just a little off.
Come to think of it, the Migurd Race and the Supard Race were probably among the races closest to humans.
"Hey! Don't you go making fun of big bro! Big bro saved us when we were being attacked by Monsters in the wasteland!"
Without letting any of it faze me, I put on an act as I walked inside.
"Did you hear that?! Dead End does good deeds!"
"Hyahahaha! That's — that's awesome! What a guy!"
"No way! I wanna be saved too! Gyahahaha!!"
Normally, hearing that kind of mockery would make my legs tremble, but whether it was because I was acting, or because the laughing people didn't feel real to me, or perhaps because I'd actually grown as a person...
No, no.
Let's not get ahead of myself.
Besides, the laughter right now was directed at Ruijerd, not me.
There was no reason for my legs to tremble.
I'd let myself get carried away once I could actually handle any hostility directed at me.
For now, I scanned the room.
Confirmed that not a single person here believed Ruijerd was the real deal.
Time for Line A, the one I'd prepared in advance.
"I can't forgive these guys! Big bro! Teach 'em a lesson!"
"Hmph. Those who wish to laugh may laugh all they like."
For the record, Line B — for when they didn't laugh — also existed.
"It's fine... (making a sour face)... but still!"
"A-already acting like a big shot?!"
"M-man, I'm about to apologize!"
If these guys ever found out Ruijerd was the real deal, they'd probably be crying and begging for forgiveness...
"Hmph! You'd better be grateful for big bro's generosity!"
I delivered that parting shot and looked around.
To my left, a huge bulletin board plastered with papers.
To my right, four counters lined up, with staff members watching us with stunned expressions.
Right side, then.
I walked over with the two of them... man, these counters are tall.
I gave Ruijerd a look, and he lifted me up.
"Hey, staff! I want to register as an adventurer!"
I said it loud enough for the gallery to hear.
Behind us, a massive eruption of laughter.
"D-d-dead End is — is a new recruit!"
"Geha, geheh... my sides hurt!"
"Incredible! I — I'm gonna be Dead End's senior!"
"T-that's totally something to brag about!"
Good. That should be enough.
"Shut up already! You're drowning out the staff!"
When I shouted that, the adventurers kept their grins but fell silent.
"O-okay, okay..."
"Y-yeah, first impressions are important, right... pfft"
"Heh heh heh."
Stifled laughter still rippled through the room, but good.
This should work.
--- Now then.
After some forty-four long years, I had finally set foot in the job center of my dreams.
With the qualification of Water
A man's gotta work to eat — but let's set that aside for now.
"Well then, miss. Sorry for all the commotion. Thank you for your help."
The female staff member had orange hair and fanged teeth.
Her outfit was open deep at the chest, naturally revealing her cleavage.
Though with three breasts lined up, she technically had two cleavages.
Add one and you double it. Figure that out.
"Eh? Ah, yes. Adventurer registration... right?"
She seemed flustered by my sudden shift in demeanor.
Well, I couldn't keep up the act forever — cracks would start showing.
It was okay as long as the performance served its purpose of not getting underestimated.
"Yes. After all, we're newcomers."
"In that case, please fill out these forms."
She handed over three sheets of paper and a thin stick of charcoal.
They were all the same form.
There was a space for name and occupation, along with a list of terms and conditions.
What about people who couldn't read?
Just as I was wondering, "If you can't read, I can read it out loud for you?"
Apparently that was an option.
"No, that won't be necessary."
I'd read it aloud myself and let
Here's a summary: ======================== 1. Use of the Adventurers Guild.
By registering with the Adventurers Guild, you gain access to the Guild's services.
2. Services Provided Adventurers Guilds worldwide provide services including job brokerage, reward disbursement, material purchasing, currency exchange, and more.
Service contents may be changed without notice due to changes in the world situation.
3. Registration Information Registered information is managed by the adventurer themselves via their Adventurer Card.
Lost cards may be reissued, but rank will reset to F.
A fine specific to each region will also be assessed.
4. Leaving the Adventurers Guild.
Withdrawal is possible upon request to the Guild.
Re-registration is also possible, but rank will reset to F.
5. Prohibited Acts The following acts are prohibited: (1) Acts that violate the laws of any nation (2) Acts that significantly damage the Guild's reputation (3) Acts that interfere with other adventurers' quests (4) Buying or selling of quests If prohibited acts are discovered, the offender will be fined and stripped of adventurer status.
6. Penalty Fees If a taken quest is failed, a penalty of twenty percent of the reward must be paid.
The deadline is six months. Failure to pay results in revocation of adventurer status.
7. Rank Adventurers are ranked in seven tiers from S to F, based on their ability.
In principle, adventurers may only accept quests within one rank above or below their own.
8. Promotion and Demotion Promotion is possible by successfully completing a set number of quests appropriate to one's rank.
However, if one feels their ability does not match, they may remain at their current rank.
Additionally, failing quests consecutively a set number of times results in demotion by one rank.
9. Obligations When requested by a nation due to Monster attacks or similar circumstances, adventurers are obligated to comply.
Furthermore, in emergencies, adventurers are obligated to follow the orders of Guild staff.
======================== Eris had started making a bored face partway through.
She wasn't one for this kind of stiff, formal writing.
I wasn't particularly fond of it either.
But this was the kind of thing you needed to read carefully.
At first glance, nothing seemed problematic.
But before that — "Miss, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"This writing — can it be in any language?"
"Any language — for example...?"
"Human Language, say."
"Ah, that's fine."
"That's fine."
So some special script used by minor tribes probably wouldn't work.
Japanese was obviously out of the question too.
I wrote mine in Demon God Language.
It would be more convenient to be seen as a young-looking member of the Demon Race than as a human.
"Eris, you should write yours yourself too."
I told Eris to write her own.
With contracts like these, it was better to write your own.
Incidentally, all conversation within the Guild was in Demon God Language.
The only reason Eris was tolerating this quietly was because she didn't understand what everyone around her was saying.
If she'd actually heard the mockery firsthand, she might have drawn her sword and attacked.
"I have no intention of doing so, but what happens if someone uses a pseudonym?"
"There's no particular penalty. It's simply the name you're registered under."
"Criminals sometimes change their names too, right?"
"The definition of a criminal differs between the Demon Continent and other continents, so as long as you don't cause trouble for the Adventurers Guild, there's no issue. However, if your adventurer status has been revoked once, consider it impossible to register a second time on this continent at least."
"Is that really enough?"
"There are issues, but on the Demon Continent, there are many people who don't have names at birth. So if we banned pseudonyms, a great many people would be unable to register."
I see.
The Adventurers Guild's jurisdiction might differ from continent to continent.
I'd considered using the pseudonym Lois in case being Supard Race meant Ruijerd couldn't register at the Adventurers Guild, but it seemed there wasn't a problem after all.
"If we register here and then go to another continent, would we need to re-register?"
"No."
As expected.
"Once you've finished writing, please place your hand here."
What she produced was a transparent board about the size of an eroge box.
A Magic Circle was etched into its center.
Beneath it lay a metal card.
Hmm. What was this?
"Like this?"
First things first — me.
I placed my palm flat against it.
The staff member confirmed it, then tapped the edge of the board with a finger.
"Name:
The staff member read the contents of the form in a flat voice, then tapped it once more.
The Magic Circle glowed a soft red, then quickly faded.
"Here you are. This is your Adventurer Card."
An unremarkable iron plate.
On it, in softly glowing letters: ------------------------------ Name: Rudeus Greyrat Gender: Male Race: Human Age: 10 Occupation: Magician Rank: F ------------------------------ That was what it said. In Human Language.
So that's how their magical tools worked.
Come to think of it, couldn't this make writing books a lot easier?
If it was being used in a public place like the Adventurers Guild, it should be more widely available...
Or maybe this plate had its own mechanisms built in.
It seemed the staff manually entered the name, occupation, and rank, but the gender, race, and age were somehow read from the hand...
This was bad.
I'd wanted to keep his human race a secret, but the age and race had been revealed.
Oh well. It'd work out somehow.
------------------------------ Name: Ruijerd Speldia Gender: Male Race: Demon Race Age: 566 Occupation: Warrior Rank: F ------------------------------ Wait — would this show "Supard Race" instead?
But Ruijerd's card simply read "Demon Race."
Incredibly vague, but a relief.
The age had still shown, but the staff member didn't seem to care.
Maybe Demon Race members weren't all that rare here.
The name "Ruijerd Speldia" didn't seem to raise any eyebrows either.
Did they think it was a pseudonym?
Ironic, considering we'd just said we wouldn't use one.
Or maybe they simply didn't know that Dead End's real name was Ruijerd Speldia.
Come to think of it, they'd been saying "Dead End" all this time but never "Ruijerd."
Incidentally, his card was written in Demon God Language.
------------------------------ Name: Eris Boreas Greyrat Gender: Female Race: Human Age: 12 Occupation: Swordswoman Rank: F ------------------------------ With Eris's card done, registration was complete.
Hers was in Human Language too.
"Our cards seem to have different scripts compared to his?"
"Yes. The script changes depending on the race."
So humans got Human Language.
"What about someone who's half and half?"
"It can go either way, but it generally displays based on the dominant bloodline."
"There are humans who can only read Demon God Language, right?"
"In that case, press the center of the card with your finger and say the language you want."
I tried pressing the center of the card and saying "Beast God Language."
The display changed.
Interesting.
"Demon God Language." "Fighting God Language."
When I kept switching through them, the staff member gave me a warning.
"If you do that too much, the card's Mana will drain faster, so please be careful."
"What happens when it runs out?"
"You'll need to have it replenished at the Guild."
So the card itself had mechanisms too.
Was there a small Mana crystal embedded in it?
"When the Mana runs out, does the information disappear?"
"No, it does not."
"If you use the same card for a long time, does the... battery drain faster?"
"Bat...tery? If you mean Mana, no. Mana typically lasts about a year, but since it's replenished each time a quest is completed, it normally never runs out."
"How much does replenishment cost?"
"There's no charge, but..."
I wondered why she'd bothered warning me, but there were probably plenty of people whose cards ran out of Mana and who came storming into the Adventurers Guild to complain.
Every world had its complainers.
"Understood. I'll be careful."
Rechargeable, of all things...
I didn't know who'd come up with it, but it was quite the system.
If you could harness this, you'd think of all sorts of possibilities...
Was the Adventurers Guild monopolizing the technology?
Well, better not to think about it right now.
"Nhm hm hm."
Eris was looking at her own card with a wide grin.
I could tell she was happy, but don't lose it.
"Would you like to register a Party?"
"Party registration? Ah, yes please."
The staff member's question caught me off guard.
I'd forgotten — it wasn't mentioned on the forms.
I'd planned on forming a Party from the start.
"Before that, may I ask about the details of Parties?"
"Of course."
And so the staff member explained.
- A Party may have up to seven members. - Members may only join a Party if their rank is within one above or below the Leader's. - Available quests are determined by the Party's rank. - Party rank is the average of its members' ranks. - Promotion points from successful quests are awarded to all Party members. - Even while in a Party, individual quest acceptance is possible. - Joining requires approval from both the Leader and the Guild. - Leaving requires only the Guild's approval. - The Leader has the authority to force members out of the Party. - Upon the Leader's death, the Party is automatically disbanded. - Two or more Parties may form a Clan. - Outstanding Clans receive various benefits from the Guild.
The Clan part wasn't relevant.
It probably wouldn't matter for a while.
"So, what would you like to name your Party?"
"Dead End, please."
The staff member's face twitched.
But she was a true professional. She quickly recovered her smile.
"Understood. Please hand over your Adventurer Cards."
We produced the cards we'd just stowed away and handed them over.
The staff member took them to the back and returned a short while later.
"Here you go. Please confirm."
------------------------------ Name: Rudeus Greyrat Gender: Male Race: Human Age: 10 Occupation: Magician Rank: F Party: Dead End (F) ------------------------------ Good.
Still, seeing "Dead End" written out like that was embarrassing.
When you heard it spoken aloud, it sounded so menacing...
The (F) must be the rank.
"That concludes your registration. Thank you for your patience."
"Thank you."
"When accepting a quest, please take the posting from that bulletin board and bring it to the counter."
"Yes."
"Item purchasing is handled at the back of the building, so please don't go to the wrong place."
"The back. Got it. Thank you."
Phew. Was that finally over?
--- We headed straight for the bulletin board.
The quests we could take were Rank F and E.
There wasn't much of note at those ranks. Most were jobs you could do around town.
Warehouse cleaning, cooking assistance, bookkeeping, finding lost pets, pest extermination.
They all looked easy, and they all paid terribly.
Incidentally, the quest postings looked like this: ========================= F - Job: Warehouse Cleaning - Reward: 5 Stone Coins - Description: Moving heavy objects.
- Location: Town of Licarice, 12th Block, Warehouse with the Red Door - Duration: Half a day to one day - Deadline: None - Client: Dogam of the Orte Tribe - Notes: Got too much cargo and not enough hands. Somebody help. The stronger, the better.
========================= ========================= F - Job: Cooking Assistance - Reward: 6 Stone Coins - Description: Washing dishes, delivering meals, etc.
- Location: Town of Licarice, 4th Block, Ashifumi-tei - Duration: One day - Deadline: Until the next full moon - Client: Sinitra of the Kanande Tribe - Notes: A large group of reservations came in. Help is needed. Tasting feedback would also be appreciated.
========================= ========================= E - Job: Finding a Lost Pet - Reward: 1 Scrap Iron Coin - Description: Searching for and capturing a missing pet.
- Location: Town of Licarice, 2nd Block, Kiribu Nagaya, Room 3.
- Duration: Until found - Deadline: None in particular - Client: Meisel of the Houga Tribe - Notes: Our pet has gone missing and won't come home. I'm using up my pocket money for this. Please, someone find it.
========================= None of these seemed like quests you'd take as a Party.
At low ranks, was it basically solo?
Promotion points from quest completion were apparently shared among all members, but at low ranks, the mainstream approach might be to take several quests as a Party and split up.
"I guess we should start with something that looks easy..."
But why was pet-finding a Rank E quest?
Oh — was it because the town was so large?
And speaking of which, "until found" sounded rough.
The pet could be dead, after all.
But the client was spending their pocket money on this — surely some adorable young girl. Someone ought to go help... it'd be a shame not to...
"Are there no quests to fight Dragons or something?"
"There are, at Rank S. Here."
"Really?! ...I can't read it."
"It says a stray Dragon has taken up residence to the north."
"Think we could beat it?"
"I'd advise against it. Dragons are strong."
"True. But I'd like a subjugation quest..."
"Subjugation quests start at Rank C."
"Only from Rank C?"
"Apparently so."
"I heard you fight Goblins and the like at the start?"
"There are no Monsters that weak on this continent."
Eris was having Ruijerd read quest details to her and saying alarming things.
Ruijerd was good with people.
"Hey, hey — pfft — so, everyone from Dead End. Isn't, heh heh, just a bit — ha ha — isn't your rank a little too high for that?"
One of the ones who'd been laughing earlier approached the two of them with a smirk.
He had the head of a horse on a body of pure muscle — a macho man through and through.
In an instant I was in front of him, inserting myself between the two of them and the horse-faced man.
"Shut up! We're taking Rank F and E quests, like we're supposed to!"
"Whoa, whoa, don't get mad. I was just trying to give you some advice."
"What'd you say?"
"Here, this quest. Finding a lost pet."
He'd torn off the exact posting I'd been looking at earlier.
"This one's hard because the town is too big."
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Your big bro is 'Dead End,' a member of the Supard Race, isn't he?"
"So what?!"
"Is that eye on his forehead just for show? With those eyes, even a big town shouldn't take more than a day."
Hmm.
He had a point.
Now that he mentioned it, that was true enough.
Any quest involving finding a living creature would be a breeze with Ruijerd.
Even if the target was a cat, he could...
Wait — what "advice" was this guy talking about?
He was just trying to provoke us, thinking we were fakes.
"Shut up! Leave us alone!"
I brushed him off, but the lost pet quest would actually put Ruijerd's abilities to good use.
I should keep it in the back of my mind.
"Big bro! Let's go!"
"Hmm? We're not taking any quests?"
"It's fine! Taking quests in this state won't end well!"
Either way, I'd only planned to show our faces and register today.
I just wanted to see what kind of quests were available.
Serious activity would start tomorrow.
"Let's go."
The moment we stepped out of the Adventurers Guild, another roar of laughter erupted from inside.
"Hey, hey! You're leaving without even taking a quest!"
"Dead End sure is cool under pressure!"
"Gyahahahaha!"
Ruijerd had a confused expression on his face.
Was this really okay?
It was okay.
For now, this was a success.
Upon hearing the name Dead End, there was no wariness, no tension — only laughter.
It might not have been ideal.
But it was, without question, a step forward.
At least, that was what I was certain of.
--- And just like that, we became adventurers.