Chapter 27
Partner
Yorin set another rule when I came back with a bronze badge: No taking any quests above Wood rank without at least one other Bronze rank adventurer with me. Apparently, she's worried I might do something reckless since I still know so little about this world.
And, y'know what, I can absolutely understand that. Unfortunately, there ... aren't any other Bronze rank adventurers in Dabun.
"Sorry, kid," Zeiya had empathized when I complained about it to her. "Price of greatness. Serazin's a pretty peaceful province in general. When you jumped straight to Bronze, you priced yourself out of good company. Everyone you're gonna find around here is either too low to take Bronze quests or too high to bother."
Like I did then, I sigh as I stare down into my cup before taking a pull of the dark amber within.
Yorin also tried to ban me from coffee, but that's one rule I will not be following. If she doesn't like it, she can come make me, herself.
... Which, ah, she ... probably could, actually, now that I think about it, considering Xuhitana thought the priestess' stats so much more impressive than her own. Lucky me, she seems to have a powerful aversion to setting foot anywhere near the guild office.
Besides, if I can get my hands on some unroasted beans, I could probably even grow my own. Then she'd have a real time stopping me.
I must be making some kind of face, because my inner monologue is interrupted by the bartender's laughter, and I look over at her in confusion.
"Whatever monster you're pumping yourself up for, Yellow," she explains without having to be asked, "keep it up! Puff those cheeks big enough and maybe you can convince it you're too scary to mess with!"
I frown as I pat my cheeks. I'm sure I was doing no such thing. But this just makes her laugh again as she heads down the bar to tend to another adventurer.
I very deliberately do not pout and instead turn my attention to the quest board across the room. Like in the stories, it's essentially a bulletin board, but unlike those stories, it's a far cry from a chaotic mess of papers pinned in the first open space.
The board doubles as a rough map of the province, less detailed than the proper cartography displayed on another wall, but instead drawn in generalities so that there is more room within each space. There are then a series of well-organized papers the size of post-it notes, each with a brief blurb describing a quest, mission or assignment, and sorted by the type of pin holding them there.
An adventurer seeking a quest would look over the notes in their desired bracket of difficulty, then take that note over to the receptionists to hear more. If they like what they hear, they can register for it. If they don't, they put the note back where they found it.
Overwhelmingly, wooden pins dominate the area around Dabun. It's not really that there's a lack of work to be had, but the tasks available are all tedious with horrible pay.
I got desperate enough yesterday that I actually went on one. It was literally a, "Chop X Logs," type quest. The System even tracked it for me, albeit with a very mocking summary of the objectives. I spent the entire afternoon at it, getting stared at by rabbits the entire time like even they couldn't believe I was stupid enough to take such a quest, and then only made a couple tins for all of my work.
Dina had been the receptionist when I turned in the completion notice, and she marveled that I had gotten it all done in a single afternoon. I had already thought the pay was awful, but I just couldn't mentally process that the equivalent of four apples was meant to be due compensation for several days of physical labor.
I have absolutely zero interest in doing another Wood-rank mission. I'd get more points and better pay working for the blacksmith or the wheelwright in town. I know, because I did that, too. They were both shocked to see how quickly I picked up whatever they put me on. I didn't tell them that was because I bought the relevant skills as quickly as the System offered them.
... Not telling Yorin that, either ...
It was supposed to just be trading labor for the parts I need for the Noodle Spitter and the upgrades to the carriage's suspension. By the end of either gig, though, they both insisted I did more than the trade required and paid me on top of agreeing to do the jobs. I got a dozen tins between the two of them, and that was after accounting for what I wanted from them.
And as usual, I came out positive on points, too. A good portion of it was rewards for doing things for the first time, sure, but that just makes it all the more tempting to buy new skills. After all, now that I've made back more than I've put into it, anything extra is practically free points!
I did have to upgrade my strength again, though. Some of the tools were really heavy, or required a lot of force to work. Still, it was fun to see their reactions to a tiny thing like me doing that kind of labor.
I'd upgraded my other stats, too, to maintain my spread, and that brought me up to level 5. I feel like I could jump really high really fast if I wasn't throttling myself, with how easily that number seems to go up, but it's probably also because I started at level 1. I doubt it'll stay that easy, and I like having a cushion of points for emergencies since I always need resources like bullets and machine oil.
I even unlocked my first new trait, along with another bundle of points for the achievement.
I pull it up with a couple thoughts and glances to read it over again, just to celebrate the accomplishment a little more.
----------------------------------------
JACK OF ALL TRADES (GENERAL)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have mastered general
skills across a shockingly
wide range of fields and
displayed your mastery in
at least ten (10) of them.
Those around you recognize
your bewildering ability
to do nearly any task
required of you and you
gain the following benefits
when using General Skills:
- Increases Knowledge
- Increases Quality
- Increases Speed
- Increases Point Gain (50%)
- Enables Auto-Mode
Benefits to Quality and
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Speed increase with Skill
Proficiency.
----------------------------------------
I have to be honest, those are some really sweet bonuses. They don't seem to in any way be lacking compared to the Hero skills I started with. I'd like to have been able to try out the Auto-Mode when gathering that lumber, but, bad luck, I didn't actually unlock the trait until after I did it.
Apparently, doing all of that chopping in the forest didn't count because no one was around to see the results. Or maybe the System gave it to me as a pity reward for actually going through that waste of time in the first place.
I cycle back to my Skill page and check the new entry the Trait added there.
----------------------------------------
AUTO-MODE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have completed a
particular task so many
times that you can now
perform it without need of
conscious thought.
This is a Hidden Skill and
cannot be acquired by any
means except by meeting the
necessary conditions. No
points are expended upon
acquiring this skill. It
is granted automatically
upon meeting the
requirements.
Allows you to queue a list
of qualifying tasks and
then executes them
automatically according to
your current Skill
Proficiency.
Automation will cease in
the event continuation
presents a danger to the
user or another threat is
present, or should
continuation become
impossible.
You gain the following
penalties while Auto-Mode
is active:
- Decreases Proficiency Gain
- Decreases Point Gain (25%)
----------------------------------------
The idea of Hidden Skills fills me with happy little bubbles of excitement and sends my mind racing over what other skills might be hiding within the system and how to unlock them.
... Pity that's another thing I can't show Yorin.
Auto-Mode sounds truly game-like in a way most things have only hinted at so far, though the way it's written makes it sound like I'll still actually be doing all of the work. Maybe I just zone out while I do it?
I do notice that the penalty for using it is less than the bonus the Trait gives, so I'd still be at a positive multiplier even disregarding the bonus points I get for being a Hero. I can't figure out what the actual benefit to the skill really is, though. A quarter drop in point gain, and presumably about the same in improvement of the actual skill, seems incredibly harsh just for being able to be oblivious while you still do the work.
On the other hand, there's no mention of any drop in quality or increased failure rate like automated crafting always has in stories. Is it possible that the benefit is the removal of human error from the equation? Would I always simply exercise the skill as optimized as possible for my familiarity with it?
That ... that would be worth a lot more. In fact, it could even be disgustingly overpowered.
... I keep saying I don't want to be a crafter, but I sure seem to be getting obscenely good at it.
A girl I'm certain I haven't seen in here before - all of the week I've been a member - passes through my field of vision as she comes into the guild hall and makes her way to the reception desks. She looks about my age - my physical one - and has blue-cream hair in a bouncy bob cut.
Because of the cut, I can clearly make out her elongated, pointed ears, and she's got an ornate hunting bow snapped to a harness on her back that's so nice it has my Carpentry general skill squeeing.
Despite the stereotype of an elven archer donning the raiments of the forest or something, her clothes are actually really cute and urban. Well, urban for this world, anyway. It makes me wonder if Medieval Chic is a thing. If not, whoever this elf is, she makes a strong argument that it should be.
I'm caught by surprise when the receptionist points her attention to me, but then my eyes light up when she turns fully toward the bar and I can see her badge.
Maybe Yorin is right about the coffee, because I'm off of my stool before my cup hits the counter, and I shoot through the eatery like a dart before I even consider my actions, including vaulting right over the dividing wall.
I manage to remember myself before I tackle her right off of her feet and instead skid to a stop in front of her. I give an incredibly stupid-feeling smile in apology as she recoils so hard she nearly topples herself over, no need for me to have done it at all.
"Ahaha," I laugh weakly as I try to buy myself time for my brain to catch up with the rest of me. "Sorry about that. I've been here a week and you're the first other Bronze I've seen! I've been so bored that I let myself get carried away."
"She's also on her third cup of coffee!" Zeiya tilts her head around a display to tattle on me from the bar with a big grin on her face. "Best brew in the province!"
... Have I really had that much? I frown in thought as I consider it. I vaguely remember Zeiya topping me off a couple times, but did it amount to that much?
The elf girl, meanwhile, wrinkles her nose at the news. "Eww, you actually like that stuff? I thought only monks drank it."
I give another weak laugh as I continue to rub the back of my head. "I know it's an acquired taste, but back home, it's basically been acquired by everybody. I was actually really excited to find they had it here. I'm in here every morning for it!"
"And every noon, and every afternoon," Zeiya piped up again despite being halfway across the guild hall. "If I was open overnight, she'd be in here till dawn!"
Now I know she's stretching the truth, and I give her my best scowl as I call back, "That's not true, Zeiya!"
... I immediately suspect the scowl was not as intimidating as I intended from the chuckles that rise up from the regulars, including the redhead, herself.
She concedes, though, and gives her hand a wiggle. "Okay, only some days! But considering you've only been here a week, Yellow, that's still a lot!"
I turn away from her with a huff and give my attention to the elf once more.
"So, it looked like the receptionist was pointing you to me? Are you looking for a partner to team up with?"