"Sir, where are we heading today?" From the shadow, Rick inquired of Mrit, who was currently checking his status window while sitting in the room. The clock had just struck noon with the sun .

"First, I need to find an inn or somewhere to stay. I can't afford to keep residing in this building," Mrit responded with a serious and determined look on his face.

The previous night had passed without any hitches or threats or any of the assassin’s, which had eased Mrit's concerns, for now. Nevertheless, he remained cautious, well aware of the cunning nature of the guild master.

"Even though the guild master has kept his promise, I can't take any risks. That man is shrewd, and I have no desire to become his companion," Mrit thought to himself. Memories of how easily Soma had deciphered his intentions still made him uneasy, and Soma's intentions remained a mystery to Mrit. No matter how much he tries, he cannot get a read on the guy’s motives at all which puzzles and confuses Mrit more and more as this was one of the rare instances where he couldn’t read the opponent in front of him.

"He's definitely hiding more than he's revealing," Mrit concluded. With this thought in mind, he decided to promptly find an inn that day.

“The more I stay here, the more leverage he has on me. He might be able to find my real identity the more I stay here. And I don’t like to have anyone’s debt on me.”

Stating his plans and intentions, he closes his status window and stands up to prepare for the future.

But before that, he went to bathroom for morning routine.

“Man, I finally am getting a hang of this body.”

For initial days, it was a little difficult to adjust himself with the way the body wanted to excrete in the morning since he lost the feeling of hunger and excretion the moment he died and awakened. Mrit had made a habit of it now, but still he finds the ability to not wanting to eat food or excrete quite useful.

“Well, no sense on crying over spilled milk. Let’s just adjust with what I have.”

But if he has to face these minor problems to be alive, then he doesn’t care about these nuisance routines. After completing his morning routine, Mrit exited his room and descended the stairs to the reception hall, where he was greeted by the lady receptionist.

"Good morning, Saur. How’s you first night in our guild?" the receptionist warmly welcomed him.

"Good morning, uh..." Mrit hesitated as he never gets to know the receptionist’s name.

"It's Dhatri," she clarified as she saw Mrit struggling to say anything that it made her chuckle a little.

"Yes. Good morning, Dhatri. I had a good night. Please convey my thanks to the guild master for letting me stay here," Mrit said as he slightly bowed his head toward Dhatri, surprising both Rick and Gan, who observed from the shadows. Mrit rarely displayed such deference to anyone and remembering his temper, they never expected that Mrit will show respect like this.

"It's nothing, Saur. Please raise your head." Seeing Mrit bowing to her, Dhatri became a little flustered as she requested Mrit to raise his head.

"No, I must..."

While Mrit remained somewhat skeptical, he was genuinely grateful. So far, his life had not been in danger, and Soma had provided him with shelter, very different from the treatment he got from a human of earth when he got summoned into the world. Despite his misgivings, he couldn't ignore such generosity.

"Where I come from, it's customary to repay a debt. You not only saved my life but also provided me with a place to stay. Please allow me to find a way to repay you," Mrit explained.

"Saur, please raise your head," Dhatri urged, her surprise growing. Her face got more flustered as time went by.

Dhatri had a hard time comprehending Mrit's sincerity. She responded, "It's not necessary, Saur. Please, raise your head." Dhatri was flustered by the unusual situation. Seeing that, Mrit complied to her request as he lift his head and shared his agenda of his for which he came to her.

The day before, he had heard about the blessings and the job of being an adventurer, which had piqued his interest, and so, he decided to become one.

"Please, let me enroll as an adventurer," Mrit requested, raising his head and staring into Dhatri's eyes to convey his determination to repay their kindness.

"T-That, Saur, you'll need to discuss with the guild master for this matter." Dhatri said.

"I knew it," Mrit thought. The previous night, after his conversation with Soma, Mrit consulted with Gan.

"Gan, what do you know about Soma or his guild?" Mrit inquired Gan.

Gan in turn shrugged, replying, "Not much, to be honest."

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"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't make a habit of keeping tabs on every guild, and our guild was pretty low-level. We had little interaction with higher-ranked guilds." Gan said, like he has no interest to explain anything to Mrit. But even though, he never wanted to, he explained about the guild system to Mrit.

From the conversation with Gan, Mrit learned that in this world, a guild system existed, something similar like the team or clan that awakened formed back on earth, but with a slight catch. Ordinary people who aspired to be adventurers trained and hunted monsters, even though they might have little power or mana in them.

However, the first hero and the Goddess were the one had established the first guild due to a lack of a structured system for people to start adventuring.

"It's the most powerful guild in the world, said to be on par with the knights of the goddess," Gan explained.

Hearing this, Mrit was impressed, given what he knew about the strength of the knights. He was surprised to learn that a regular guild with common people in their ranks could stand toe to toe with the knights.

"After the guild's establishment, many adventurers flocked to join, but..."

"The management couldn't keep up," Mrit finished Gan's thought.

"Yes, precisely. That's where the adventurer's guild came into play," Gan continued.

With an overwhelming number of applications and too few people to manage them, the adventurer's guild was thus founded.

"The first hero recruited various individuals who became the core employees of the adventurer's guild. Their descendants still work for the guild as of now."

Over time, some freelancers formed their own guilds too, inspired by the first hero. "In terms of management, the adventurer's guild is like a small nation. They have offices in every kingdom, with the headquarters located in the Holy Kingdom. For small towns like this, it is guild master of the guild presiding in the town who is responsible for recruitment and passing of adventurers. He acts as a proxy for adventurer’s guild."

With this information in mind, Mrit decided to become a freelance adventurer. He wanted to avoid being tied down by guild matters and the watchful eyes of others. He believed that as a freelancer, he could freely become stronger.

And so, on Dhatri's advice, Mrit stood outside Soma's office. When he entered, he found Soma sitting in a chair, leaning on the table in front of him while working on some documents.

"Oh, Good Morning Saur? What's going on?" Soma inquired, rising from his seat to approach Mrit.

"Did someone say something to you or something happened?" Soma's concern was evident as he placed his hands on Mrit's shoulders and examined him for injuries.

"No, nothing like that," Mrit replied, brushing off Soma's hands. While Soma is genuinely showing concern, Mrit felt a little uncomfortable. Understanding that, Soma retreated back and waited for Mrit to speak.

"I want to become an adventurer."

Soma was taken little aback by the declaration. His friendly demeanor shifted, and his voice turned serious.

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Said Soma.

Mrit's tone in turn remained resolute as he responded, "I know exactly what I'm saying. I need to become stronger so I can protect those who will enter my life in the future."

"You don't need to become stronger for that. Stay here. Our guild, the knights, and all adventurers will support you." Soma exclaimed as if he doesn’t want Mrit to enter into the path of adventurers.

"Where were you when my family was massacred?" Mrit's voice carried a hint of accusation.

Soma was at a loss for words. Even though Mrit's story of invasion was fabricated by Mrit himself, it felt real to Soma. He couldn't refute Mrit's words and had no excuses. A lone man with no help had survived and reached their village. Soma was moved by Mrit's courage and determination and so, he genuinely wanted to help him in a safer way.

"Soma, I appreciate your help and your concern for me. But if I stay like this, I won't be able to move forward." Mrit said, acting as if he is dead serious about the choice he is going to make.

To Soma, it seemed like Mrit was referring to the massacre of his village, but for Mrit, it was about his own planet, Earth.

The two of them fell into a contemplative silence before Soma finally spoke. "Fine then."

He returned to his chair, took a deep breath, and looked at Mrit. "So, what have you decided?"

Soma's serious demeanor remained, but he seemed more accepting.

"What do you mean?" said Mrit, remaining oblivious to anything Soma is throwing at him.

"Do you not know?" Soma retrieved some papers from his desk and unfolded them on the table. "Listen, there are two paths for an adventurer. First..."

Soma pointed to the paper on the left side of the table and began explaining, "The guild. As you already know, there are many guilds like ours. You encountered Boulders in the forest is an example."

Mrit nodded, "Yes."

"The guild operates as a single entity. Every member is equally important. Though I speak from the perspective of my guild, there may be differences in other guilds. But the cornerstone of any guild is teamwork and trust. All members are like family, looking out for each other."

Soma then gestured to the paper on the right. "This is a contract, not with a guild, but with the Adventurer's Guild."

Soma's expression displayed his reservations about this contract. "You work as a freelancer, taking on odd jobs and most of the times hunting alone for rewards. While it may sound appealing at first, this contract has several drawbacks."

Mrit leaned in with curiosity, even though he had discussed this with Gan earlier. "What are the drawbacks?"

"First, there are registration fees. Registering as a freelancer is more expensive compared to joining a guild."

Mrit reached into one of his pockets and cleverly produced a gold coin from his storage ring, placing it on the table. "Will this be enough?"

"A gold coin?" Soma appeared surprised. "I looted some Boulders while they were rampaging. I have more gold coins as well." Spoke Mrit, this time, seriously not knowing anything about the conversation going on as he forgot to ask about the currency system of this world.

Soma shook his head and sighed. "Do you understand the currency system in this world?"

Mrit admitted, "No."

Soma put a hand to his forehead in exasperation. "I thought as much."

Soma then gestured for Mrit to sit down. "Sit down. I have a lot to explain to you."

As Mrit took a seat, Soma spread some coins on the table and began explaining the intricacies of the world's currency exchange system.

***