The Haldor Kingdom was a minor kingdom sandwiched between Verdant Oakwoods and the Demonic Forest, the forest separating human territory from that of the demons. Consequently, Haldor had built an economy that was mainly based around the trade of monster materials.
This was the reason why adventurers were so valuable in Haldor and why adventurers in Haldor carried themselves in such high esteem. They understood their worth. Noah understood that they did, and it was the reason why he was covered in mud, stood outside the doors of the adventurer's guild with an excited glint in his eye as he opened the door.
The night before-
Having sat in a local tavern with his Siren voice disguising him as an ordinary foreign adventurer and keeping Emma hidden, who he slumped over on a tavern table, he managed to gather some information about vital locations, such as that of the adventurer's guild and inns, and also about important events that were going on in the area.
Other than increased monster frequency in Verdant Oakwoods for some reason, there wasn't really anything else going on. Following that, he threw Emma in an inn and used the First Circle - Clean on her.
After sleeping on the bed beside her and waking up the next day, he poured some vampire blood he had extracted from himself as a vampire into her throat, which was calorically and nutritionally adjusted with a vampire's blood control to suffice as a meal for a full day. He then walked into a nearby second-hand store to purchase clothing.
Why did he buy clothing? He certainly did not need it. The outfit he was wearing was enchanted by Mia, with perfect temperature control and a self-repair function. It was incredibly durable and comfortable. So, why did he buy clothing?
Put simply, it was a nerd's fantasy.
When the protagonist walked into the adventurer's guild, he would be met with two big, burly adventurers who would say something like:
"Hey, kid, you ain't built for this."
And the protagonist would say,
"I want to live my life freely!"
And as the protagonist is about to get the shit kicked out of him, he would reverse the tables! Suddenly, the adventurer's guild would go silent at the protagonist's power!
Something like that.
That's all it was. Haldor was the perfect place for something like that to happen. After all, adventurers here were practically worshipped by the locals, who survived off of the materials that the adventurers brought back. The environment of egoists circle jerking each other was perfect to re-enact the cliché. Just to ensure that it would happen, Noah also bought second-hand clothes that he then dirtied with second-circle earth magic.
Opening the door and stepping in, expecting to be met with a wave of sweaty air in his face, he was pleasantly surprised to smell a soft citrus, as if the place had been recently cleaned. The place was spacious, and the interior was made primarily out of wood with only hints of brick, hinting at the affluence the guild carried.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
In Haldor, the adventurer's guild placed heavier emphasis on the western part of the nation, which faced the Demon Forest. This was due to the Demon Forest being more profitable and dangerous than even Verdant Oakwoods. As a result, to see a branch of the adventurer's guild in eastern Haldor already so well-off further cemented the importance of adventurers in Haldor in Noah's mind, which served to excite him even more, as adventurers would be more narcissistic, heightening the chances that he could re-enact the cliché.
Slightly hunching his back and casting his gaze downward to make himself look weak and anxious, he walked up to one of the five receptionist desks, ready to give an Oscar-winning performance.
And...nothing happened.
Still chatting with the receptionist, he started darting his eyes around, looking for the big burly men. He had ensured everything would go perfectly! Where were they?
"Alright, sir, as for ranks, they go from F to SSS rank, with an F rank being something like a small child and an SSS rank being something like the Demon Lord. SSS ranks are really never really seen, though SS ranks would be maybe the four heroes. You'll be starting fr-"
"Sorry to cut you off, lady, but where are are the big burly men?"
"...Sorry?"
"You know what I mean."
"..."
"..."
"I don't think I do."
"Aren't some C ranks supposed to come and try and intimidate me? I look like a twig that just survived a mana hurricane."
"...I see. What you're referring to may be common in other branches, but the City Lord and his wife, the branch guild master, have adopted a hard stance on such adventurers here since they were inaugurated."
In this fantasy world without the internet, the man of the modern age, Noah found entertainment in living through re-enacting such clichés. It was difficult in the past year due to how busy they were, only being possible every couple months, but now that he was no longer burdened by mission, Noah had been looking forward to trying one of the most common clichés around.
Right now, he could see it. The fleeting, superficial joy he could have attained had just sprouted legs and escaped him. Needless to say, the receptionist was left very confused at the man who asked for big burly men, and started shedding tears with a dramatic expression when he was told there weren't going to be any.
Now that she thought about it, she had heard stories from a few people. People like the man in front of her, men who yearned for men, were, what was it called, gay?
Well, adventurers lived stressful and dangerous lives. It made sense if they did one or two things out of the norm.
As a person who held great respect for adventurers, she wanted to help the man in front of her. In her heart, she resolved to try to get other gay men together with him.
Nodding to herself, the diligent receptionist continued to help the man register with a hardened resolve. The man in particular, Noah, suddenly felt a mysterious shudder run down his spine as he felt the gaze of the receptionist.
A short while later, Noah held a copper badge in his hand that had a large letter 'F' engraved in it in the universal language of the Calysta continent. Pocketing the badge in the shoddy pockets of the dirty, dull grey second-hand clothing, he looked up at the bulletin board he was standing in front of, which detailed quests for various ranks.
At the F rank he was assigned as a new adventurer, he was looking out for quests that had a dull copper-coloured corner on the top right of the request form the requests were written on, nailed to the bulletin board. These were the only quests he could currently apply for, and most of them were about gathering small medicinal herbs or delivery quests.
Unknown to most, the adventurer's guild actually offered an insane discount for quest issuers that issued such quests for the lowest rankers, and this led to the transaction being done at a loss. However, the former hero Noah was aware of the loss they took, and was also aware that it was a brilliant business manoeuvre.
By doing this, the adventurer's guild would be able to train the lowest rankers with essential skills they needed for more dangerous quests higher up the ladder, while also building good ties with the alchemist's guild and the common populace, which would allow their higher rankers to be able to purchase potions at a lower price and for the public to issue more quests overall when they faced troubles, increasong profits as more work would become available. There were several other reasons, but these were some of the most prominent effects of simply taking a small loss on quests that weren't even worth much to begin with.
Noah ripped a few delivery quests off the bulletin board, then walked over to the receptionist he had been talking to in order to register for them with a small upturn of the corner of his lips.
Stepping outside, he looked around for a moment, then calmly approached a nearby alleyway he spotted. The moment the darkness of the alleyway hid him from the sun, he was gone.
At least, that was what it looked like. To observant eyes, such as those of the middle-aged yet breathtakingly beautiful woman with flowing shoulder-length white hair, she saw a man's skin turn into the pale of a vampire, then melt into the shadows. She narrowed her bright green eyes and allowed her expression to morph into a smirk that resembled Noah's when he took the quests on the bulletin board.