-Artisan's Avenue-

Everywhere I looked, stores and stalls selling various items from potions and the like to armor and weapons surrounded me. Adventurers of every type looked around the various stalls.

A smile formed at the sides of my lips. Maybe it's because of my excitement. I looked around once more.

The blacksmith Maria was talking about is a renowned blacksmith. He was a favorite among the rookie adventurers since his wares sell for a cheap price and they're considered durable and sturdy compared to their price.

He sounds like a typical NPC. The kind that gives the player their starting gear after going on some quest.

I continued walking through the bustling street. I took in the smell of fresh produce, sun dried meat, freshly baked goods, and the smell of metal. Yes, I finally reached the area where blacksmiths and tanners practiced their trade.

There were a couple of blacksmiths on either side of the road and some tanners and woodworkers here and there. While I walked around to find the blacksmith called Orthun, something about the workers and artisans caught my eye.

Most of the blacksmiths here are Dwarves but there are some humans that worked along them. Those in the woodworking shops are mostly Elves that made use of some sort of magic by twisting and curving the wooden materials. The tanners are mostly humans and the leather they worked also included unfamiliar hides.

Seeing these scene made me feel curious about Artisinal skills.

"Hey, you there! Boy!"

I turned around to find the source of the gruff and deep voice that called out to me.

"Over 'ere! On yer right!"

I looked towards a small store on my right and found a stout Dwarf with a jet black beard calling out to me.

He wore a black apron and leather gloves. Both of which seem to have been burnt on some places.

"H-Hello sir... I was won-"

"You in need of a good set, don't cha'?"

He scratched the bald spot on his head while he gazed at my clothes.

"Yeah. Are you Orthun?"

"Yeah, Orthun's my name. What do you want?"

"I'm a Swordsman. I was wondering if you have any armor and weapons for me."

Man, I don't really look like a Swordsman, don't I? Still, the place displayed a variety of weapons and equipment.

Orthun paused for a moment.

"Got a set for your size at the back."

He pointed to a set of regular looking armor that was stored at the far corner of the room.

"That would cost ya a 2000 Weis."

"I see. Will this cover for it?"

I handed Orthun the pouch Maria gave me. After he poured the contents of the pouch on the table, he scratched his beard with a satisfied look on his face.

"It would cover for the set, as well as a sword."

He said with a smile as he scooped up the coins.

"Since you're a rookie from the looks of it. I'll throw in a discount, hehe."

The dwarf stood up from his seat and stretched out his arms. Holy hell, his body's pretty bulky for his size but his belly is like that of a heavy drinker. I looked down and noticed that instead of his right leg being there, it was replaced by a wooden peg.

Orthun must've sensed that I was staring at his peg leg. Crap.

"Boy, this is one of the dangers of venturin' out there."

He said with a gruff voice as he patted the wooden prosthetic.

"That's why equipment is important for an adventurer! Hahaha!"

He laughed as he walked over to the armor set that hang on the wall. He dusted it off before he placed it on top of the table in front of us.

I inspected the armor that I bought for any defects. It was nothing more but a light chestplate made out of steel, a pair of steel greaves, a chainmail shirt, and a gauntlet for my left hand. Man, talk about an ordinary set of armor.

"If you want to choose a sword for yer own, just pick one from that crate over there. Give it to me once you're done pickin' and I'll sharpen it for ya'."

The dwarf scratched his head as he waddled towards the counter to ready my change.

The crate he was talking about is just a wooden box filled with steel swords in various shapes and sizes. Some are two handed long swords while others are one handed short swords. I didn't want to be hasty so I was taking my time choosing one when I heard a familiar voice from the front of the shop.

"Good morning, Orthun. Is Arthur finished with his shopping?"

I turned around to find Olivia smiling tenderly at me.

"Oho... It seems Liv finally snagged herself a man! Ahaha!"

"Don't be so rude, Orthun! It is my duty as a follower of the Goddess Illyria to-"

"Yeah, yeah, help those in need. We Dwarves don't want any business with yer Goddess."

"Why you- You better take those words back! There'll be divine retrib-"

"Oho. You dare threaten your drinking parner, you Archpriest?"

The two began to bicker while I was busying myself with picking out a good sword for a cheap price. Most of the swords here don't really look sturdy or durable enough for me.

Just as I was about to pick a random sword just to get on with my adventure, I spotted a short sword at the bottom of the crate. The thing seemed to be covered in rust and had a pretty rough and aged look to it. Still, I couldn't help but feel drawn to it.

I pulled it out and grasped it in my hands. Now that I'm looking at it closely, this sword seemed a lot sturdier than how it looks. Hell, it may be even sturdier that the others in the crate.

"Orthun, this sword... I'll take it."

"Hmm? Ah! That sword boy... Are you sure ya want that one?"

Orthun and Olivia looked at my direction as I held the sword in my right hand. The priestess looked at the rusted sword with curiosity and doubt.

"Erm... Are you sure that's the sword you want to buy, Arthur?"

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Boy, we have other swords here."

"Nope. I think this sword will do fine after some polishing and grinding."

I said as I  looked at the chipped edge of the short sword.

A heavy sigh left Orthun's lips when he reluctantly took the sword from my hand and went off to the back to go polish and sharpen my new weapon. Sure, it may look like trash, but I think there's something special about that sword. 

Speaking of which, I need to name that sword. 

Caliburn? Nah, too generic. 

Maybe-

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I felt a tug on sleeve. I turned around to see Olivia while she stroked her chin with a furrowed brow.

"Arthur, are you gonna do something about your clothes?"

"Ah, right. My clothes make me look out of place, don't they?"

"Well... I know of a shop that could tailor you new clothes."

"Really? Well, I was thinking of getting a cloak to go with my new armor anyway."

"Oh, I see! Well, I could-"

"Ah, don't worry about that. I plan to buy some new clothes once I do my first quest."

"Ah... Right. If you need help, do not hesitate to approach this servant of the Goddess."

Olivia flashed a smile. A cute yet gentle smile.

Ahh, my heart. 

"N-Now that you mention it, I do need some help regarding where I could sleep for tonight."

Olivia looked at me as I averted my eyes from her gaze. I started scratching my cheek as well to help relieve myself of the shame I'm feeling right now.

"Well, the temple of the Goddess is always open to the needy. You could stay there until you are able to support yourself."

She spoke in a calm voice befitting that of a holy woman. 

"Hey, boy! Yer sword's done. I adjusted its hilt and handguard as well as giving it a sheath."

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Orthun said as he placed the sword on the table.

"Woah, that's fast."

I said as I unsheathed the blade.

Its blade looked good as new and had a silver luster to it. The sword's edge now looked sharp enough to cut through something and the grip feels comfortable. 

"Of course it'd be fast! We Dwarves are masters of metal after all!"

Orthun chuckled as he stroked his beard.

"Still, I thought it would take you longer to polish and sharpen this thing."

"Well, Dwarves are known for their Metal Magic as well as Artisinal skills like "Fast Repair" and their powerful smithing abilities."

Olivia said as she looked at the newly polished blade. 

"Here's your change boy. Also, you can strap that blade of yours on yer side."

With a clink, I wrapped the belt attached to the sheath of my sword around my waist. I slid in the sword before I made my way towards the armor on the table. 

The metal rings jingled as I put on the mithril shirt. It's pretty loose, yet its also hot when you wear it. I then slid inside the steel chestplate which looked pretty cool, although its pretty heavy. Still, this chestplate would offer me a lot of protection regardless of its weight.

After I strapped on the greaves and gauntlet, I gotta say, I look like an adventurer.

A rookie adventurer, but an adventurer nonetheless.

Olivia smiled at me while Orthun chuckled to himself while I checked myself out in front of the mirror. Once I was satisfied, I turned towards the blacksmith and the Archpriest that looked at me with anticipation.

"Hmm, not bad for a rookie! It seems the Goddess has blessed this world with a new hero."

"Heh, not bad for a rookie. That look suits ya', boy."

I let out a chuckle as I took the change from the table and pocketed it.

"Thank you. We'll be on our way then."

I waved goodbye to the dwarf before me and Olivia made our way out towards the bustling street.

Next is the issue regarding my clothes. The easiest solution for me would be to buy a cloak for now to hide it. 

Olivia pointed me towards a store that sold high quality cloaks. It was just a few stores down the street from Orthun's shop so we decided to head there next.

I bought myself a brown cloak as well as some sturdy boots and gloves. My blackshoes would probably tear the moment I get into a real fight. Although, I decided to keep my shoes since they hold some sentimental value to me.

Lastly, using the remaining money Maria lent me, I bought a bow and some arrows from a nearby fletcher as well as some rope and daggers. Although Olivia told me that it wouldn't be impossible to learn the skill Archery for my class, I won't have the bonuses like increased Accuracy and the Skill "Precision" to buff my arrows.

That was fine, since I only bought this as a last resort anyway, I wouldn't need to master it.

----------------------------------------

Olivia and I reached the guild at around noon. I noticed that even at this time of day, there were already people drinking to their heart's content and some adventurers just flat out drunk or passed out in their seats.

We looked around and found Zel sitting alone at the far corner of the tavern while she ate her meal.

"Zel! Zel! We're back!"

Olivia called out as we approached her table. She glanced at us and immediately wiped her mouth.

"I see that our Swordsman finally looks like a swords man now. It suits you."

Her compliment made me blush a little and her smile made my heart skip a beat.

"T-Thank you."

I managed to blurt out the words before taking a seat beside Olivia.

"Anyways, order something. We're gonna be going on a quest this afternoon after all."

"Oh? Which one?"

Zel handed Olivia a sheet of paper. After she took a close look at the paper, she let out a small sigh.

"Dire Wolves in the forest south of here. What a pain in the ass!"

The Archpriest beside me had a look of resignation on her face as she slumped in her seat.

"Dire Wolves? Are they troublesome?"

"For rookies, one bite could cause a lot of damage as well as the various effects their bite inflict like Necrosis or some infection. Their fur is also resistant to slashing attacks so only thrusting attacks are effective."

Zel said as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Magic would be the most effective but it may damage the high value fur of the Dire Wolf."

"Speaking of Magic, where's Maria and Jin? Shouldn't they be here?"

Olicia said while she looked around the tavern.

"They went out for a walk. Maria said that she needed to pick up some order and Jin went to accompany her. They'll be back later. By the way, are you hungry, Arthur?"

"Ah, y-yes... But I don't have any more cash on me."

Zel giggled as she pulled out her wallet. Her bright, crimson eyes looked at me with amusement.

"It's fine. I'll treat you to some stew and a pint of beer."

"Really? Thank you so much."

"Guess I'll order something as well. Ah, Trish! Trish, can you take our orders?"

Olivia called out to a girl with brown hair walking around with an empty tray.

The girl wore the guild's uniform along with a white apron and her long brown hair was tied into a neat bun.

She walked towards us and pulled out a small tickler from her pocket along with a pen. She flashed us a smile and spoke in a high-pitched voice.

"I see that you've taken the Dire Wolf bounty. Anyways, what are your orders?"

Trish looked at the three of us as she readied to write down our orders.

"I'll be having some grilled frog steaks and two pints of beer."

"I'll also be ordering another order of boar stew for the Swordsman. Please add that to my tab."

"Yeah, yeah. Anything else?"

"A glass of water please."

I said as I looked at the girl. Her pale skin and petite frame made me wonder how she would look like in a maid costume, but I noticed something strange about her ears. It was long and pointed.

Ah, she was an Elf.

"Okay, well, I'll just serve you guys the order when it's ready. It'll be ready in around 15 minutes."

"Thanks, Trish!"

Olivia smiled and waved her goodbye as she walked away with our orders.

Still, looking at her made me curious about this guild. Why the hell does an Adventurer's Guild run a tavern? I looked at Zel while she ate the last of her stew.

"Zel, I was wondering about this tavern. Does the guild own this place?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. They do this to acquire more funds for their bounty payouts as well as to fund their operations."

"The Adventurer's Guild is a government funded organization after all and they also receive some donations from the various churches in the kingdom."

The two of them spoke with a slight smile on their face. It seems they enjoy explaining things to me.

"I see... So the guild is funded by taxpayer money?"

"Yes, but the budget for each branch is decided by how many adventurers are active in the town as well as the amount and threat of monsters in the vicinity. But each branch can also run businesses to provide more funding for their operations."

"Ah, I see. Since the monster's around the town aren't that powerful, the funds allocated to this branch isn't much. So the tavern is a way of both raising funds for the guild as well as a wway to relieve the adventurer's stress."

"Yup. As expected of someone with a high intelligence stat, you catch on pretty fast."

Olivia chuckled as she nudged me with her elbow.  Zel smiled at me while she nodded her head.

"Ufufu, so this man isn't just a muscle brained Swordsman. I'm impressed."

Her compliments made me blush a little and her proud smile is pretty cute.

"T-Thanks."

Man, I'm so lucky to be in this party. To be surrounded by cute and beautiful girls,

Thank you God!

The three of us decided to talk about various things regarding the town like the various shops, the other adventurers, as well as the areas outside town like the forest and plains around Lorren. The most important thing I picked up from the conversation is that somewhere in this town, there is a certain shop to buy slaves and blackmarket goods.

It sounds bad, but I might go there...

Someday.

"Boar Stew, Grilled Frog, and two pints of beer, and a glass of water. Order's complete!"

Trish said as she placed down the tray on our table. Zel and Olivia paid up before Trish left and we immediately ate up the food in front of us.

Still, it bothers me...

"Is frog delicious?"

"Hm? Oh, this? *gulp* Yeah, it's pretty good! It's fresh too, Blake and his group just took down this Giant Frog this morning so it's pretty good."

"I... I see."

Giant Frogs? What the hell? 

This world is pretty scary.

Still, the Boar Stew tasted pretty delicious. It has that gamey flavor to it but the spices and tomato compiment its meat pretty well. Shit, it's delicious, so delicious I can't help but eat it all up. 

"Oh, looks like someone's enjoying himself."

"Ara, ara... It seems Arthur put my money to good use."

I paused for a moment and glanced around me. 

Behind me is the small Thief and mature looking Archmage. 

"Oh. Maria, Jin, you're back. Have you eaten already?"

Zel gestured to the space beside her while she smiled excitedly at her companions.

"Yes, we picked up some Elf Buns on the way here. Anyways, what's the bounty for today?"

"Dire Wolves in the forest. Sounds good?"

"Dire Wolves? Hmm... That's pretty troublesome for me. It would be hard to target such nimble creatures with my magic."

Maria said with slight pout.

"Don't worry! We just need to buff Arthur here and he'll take care of the rest."

"I-Is that so?"

"Yes, I've already devised a strategy to take out those Dire Wolves. It mostly relies on you doing most of the damage as well as Jin's traps."

Crap. I don't really know how to fight. 

"Well, I'm in a good mood today so once you guys are done eating let's go and finish this quickly."

Jin had an excited look in her eyes when she said that. She must be really looking forward to kill this wolves.

Still, Dire Wolves are probably wolves but slightly bigger and tougher, right?

Dire Wolves probably won't be such a tough opponent for us since they're just low level monsters.

How bad can taking on a pack of Dire Wolves be?

----------------------------------------

 -Southern Forest-

"Holy shit! I'm out of arrows! I'm out of arrows! Hieeeee! O-Olivia! Olivia! Cast Heal! Cast Heal!"

 We found ourselves surrounded by a pack of Direwolves, a large pack of Dire Wolves.

The last thing I remember before we found ourselves in this situation was Maria saying something about a cute puppy then Jin yelling at her to let it go before she got tackled to the ground by a Dire Wolf bigger then me. The next thing I knew I was being chased by 5 Dire Wolves.

"M-Maria! Cast something to help Arthur!"

"I... would love to... but- Frost Shot! I'm occupied with these two."

"D-Damn it! My attacks do no damage!" 

I threw a knife at one of the Dire Wolves and I managed to kill it with that attack. 

"Shit. Olivia, cast some buffs on me! I'm gonna use Bind on the wolves chasing Arthur!"

"You got it! Huh? Ah-"

"Olivia is there- Gah?!"

Just as she was about to cast some buffs on Jin, a Dire Wolf bigger than the others we were currently facing picked up Olivia with its jaws. Tears rolled down Olivia's cheeks as she hovered three feet above the ground. An expression of fear can be seen on the poor girl's face.

"Holy shit! Somebody fucking help me! H-Help! It's gonna fucking eat me! It's gonna eat me! Waaah! Zel! Arthur! Help! I don't want to see my Goddess just yet! Waaah!"

Olivia bawled out her eyes as we looked at her in shock. Her cries were filled with fear and it echoed out across the forest.

Jin was able to put a dagger in one of the Dire Wolves chasing me, but her focus immediately shifted towards Olivia. The Dire Wolf that grabbed her by her robes began to sway its head from side to side and it looked as if it was about to eat the poor Archpriest.

Fuck, can I do something about that thing?

"D-Damn it! Fine!"

"Huh?"(x 3)

I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a shot.

I turned around to face the four Dire Wolves behind me. I could hear their growls and snarls clearly.

Shit, I'm about to piss myself out of fear. I could clearly see their snarling faces as they bared their fangs at me.

"H-Here I go!" 

I yelled out as I charged head-on towards the Dire Wolves. I pulled out my sword from its sheath and clenched it tightly. This is different from the RPGs I'm playing, I could actually die if shit goes wrong.

Yet... somehow...

I feel...

Excited.

"Eat this, you damn mutts!"

In a single flash, I sliced through the heads of two Dire Wolves before I brought my sword down on the third Dire Wolf on my right. It yelped as the blade made contact and died instantly while its body spasmed one last time.

The last one leapt into the air with its jaws open wide, ready to tear my head off of my body. Moments before it could clamp down on my neck, I manage thrust my blade down its throat, killing it instantly.

I wiped off the sweat and blood on my face as I panted for air.

"Haa... Haa... Shit, that was close. Wait, Olivia!"

I turned around and found Olivia still in the jaws of the huge Dire Wolf. Daggers protruded from its shoulder and its back is covered with burn marks. Zel stood before the beast with her shield raised and her short sword ready.

Without hesitation, I dashed towards the beast with my sword over my head.

"Let go of her!" 

I shouted at the top of my lungs as I brought down the blade onto the monster's back. With the force of my whole body as well as my momentum behind it, the sword cut deeply into the monster's back. 

"RRRROOAAAR!"

With a deafening roar, it dropped Olivia to the ground. With that, I pulled out my sword from its back and grabbed onto its ear. 

"Arthur!"

"Be careful! That's dangerous!"

"What are you doing you fool?!"

"A-Arthur! I'll cast some buffs right now! Eep!"

The Dire Wolf fell to the ground when I pulled down its ear towards the ground. It trashed a few more times, trying to grab me in its jaws, but I managed to dodge all of its attempts.

I held my sword tightly in my right hand as I straddled its neck to try and restrain it. Still, I could feel the power of this creature just by its attempt to break free. I need to finish this now or the entire party could be in danger.

"T-Take this!"

I held up my sword with both of my hands above its head. The creature tried to shrug me off of its neck but Maria managed to bind its legs with Earth Magic while Jin used Bind on its snout to prevent it from snapping its jaws. Olivia casted Divine Blessing on me as I prepared to thrust down my sword between its eyes.

After a few more moments it finally stopped moving.

I, Arthur Pendragon...

Finished my first quest on this new world.