[Arden]
My excitement of becoming an Adventurer lasted all of 10 seconds as I made my way towards the Quest Board.
My exultant mind stopped daydreaming when I hit a wall that could only be described as a hunk of muscled flesh.
I looked up to see a man that could only be described as the most stereotypical Adventurer. At least 6 foot in height and an upper body that was vastly more developed compared to his lower..
His face was home to a vein that seemed to perpetually bulge across a forehead that could’ve rivaled the whole length of Artylis.
He had mismatched eyes which, alongside his comically large nose, made it safe to assume that he hit his head when he was a child.
“Alright listen here sonny,” he drawled. “I don’t know why they let a child sign up to become an adventurer but how about ya give me all ya money and I’ll let you go running back to mommy?”
I tried not to show my amusement but a smirk must’ve crossed my face as his pale face lit up red.
I weighed my choices, I definitely couldn’t beat him in a contest of strength as he looked as if he had a Strength Teaching under his belt, however…
“Now look you little scoundrel, don’t you know who I am? I’m Kadich and my family could probably buy you to be my footstool so-.” His monologue was cut off as I drove my heel into his knee.
He cried out and tried to grab for me but I nimbly dove in through his split legs and kicked him in his knee joint.
His legs buckled, causing him to kneel, he turned his head just as I drove a knee into the small of his back, prompting him to crash on the ground.
“Stay on the floor where a dog like you belongs.” I spat before giving a grim smile to the audience our performance had created.
These were the moments where I was grateful for the training Father had made me do, not that I could ever of executed a feat like this against Miri, much less Father.
“He must have a Speed Teaching or something…”
“What Rank is he C? B?”
I ignored the mutterings and made my way over to the Quest Board.
There seemed to be sections which went up in order from left to right, making the ones closest to me being S-Rank Quests.
From what I could see there weren’t any S-Rank quests but there were a few A.
Curiously, I glanced towards the nearest A-Rank quest –
Collect 10 intact teeth from a Prime Wyvern, found in the A-Rank dungeon Glotis.
More information available on request.
My eyes widened a fraction, Glotis Dungeon was situated in our Kingdom’s Capital and was known as one of the hardest and brutal A-Rank dungeons, it was infamously known to take the lives of even S-Rank Adventurers. The only reason it wasn’t classed as S-Rank was because the only S-Rank creature was the boss.
In an actual S-Rank dungeon, there were multiple S-Rank mobs.
Continuing along, I finally reached the F and E-Rank quests.
There were numerous Quests here compared to the A-Rank quests which said a spoke about their difficulty.
Dhijikov had said that if I completed 3 quests above my Rank I would rank up so I made my way over to the E-Rank Board.
At the bottom of the board, emblazoned giant lettering which read-
Kingdom of Aortia Year 113 Reign of King Melbrook Asclepius VI.
The lettering glittered in such a way that only enchanted objects glittered.
I focused on the board and tried to decide which Quests I should take.
I eventually settled on 3 quests that seemed rather easy and took them to Dhijikov.
“Back so soon after that little stunt you pulled huh?” He said as he saw me approaching.
I looked to the floor guiltily but just as I was about to apologize Dhijikov waves my hand cutting me off,
“I don’t want to hear your petty apology, after all Kadich had that coming for him.”
I nodded hastily before giving the Quests to him.
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Why do I feel so uneasy?
Dhijikov seemed to be exuding an aura, something that only Awakened who had reached Above stage could exude meaning that the short dwarf before me was much more than he seemed.
Dhijikov looked at my wandering gaze with a glint in his eye before reaching under his desk and handing me a few papers,
“I’m not gonna stop you lad, but here’s some sound advice, just because I said not to piss off a dragon doesn’t mean you could yank a tiger’s tail. I know you want to reach E-Rank to go into the dungeon but that doesn’t mean you should be taking 3 E-Rank quests as an F-Rank.”
Sighing he muttered, “Kids these days…” before shooing me away with his hand.
I sat down on one of the chairs and brought the papers out; one was to find some sort of rare blue lily, something that seemed a bit too easy for 5 silvers.
Another one was to carry some ingredients from one end of the village to the alchemist’s on the other end. At first glance, the quest seemed to easy for an E-Rank quest but the fine print said that there was as risk of burning among other cautions. It also didn’t help that it said to take a good bath after.
However, I was willing to risk it for 10 silvers.
The next quest was the one I was most worried about; apparently there was a pair of F-Rank beasts spotted in the forest that needed to be dealt with.
I needed weapons to even stand a chance against F-Rank Beasts and with the meager amount of money I had, I’d probably be lucky to even get a single strip of leather.
The weapon was probably going to be the most expensive item on the list, if I managed to finish both of the easier quests I might be able to get some sort of weapon.
I stood up and stretched my arms, it was time to get a lily.
[Andromeda]
My maid, Shelly, had just finished brushing my hair when Raph burst in, a huge grin split his face, half-hidden by his long crimson braids.
Shelly jumped, her professional countenance slipped for just a few seconds before returning.
“Mistress, may I take my leave?” Shelly asked.
I considered it before merely nodding; silently, Shelly made her way towards the door and gently closed it.
I stared at Raph and furrowed my brow,
“What have I told you about just bursting in unannounced Ralph, I might’ve been bathing!”
Ralph did not seem ruffled in the slightest and his huge grin didn’t subside,
“I believe you won’t mind in the least when you find out what I have,”
If it were possible, he grinned even more before procuring 2 cards from seemingly nowhere,
“Spatial Teaching,” he said, noticing my confused look, “That’s why I couldn’t come to Brisbane with you and was late.”
My befuddlement quickly gave way shock and then joy for my friend,
“That’s amazing! Your first Teaching is quite a rare one!”
“How do your horses Ameda, I can only put things that aren’t alive in it and it’s really small as well.”
“Yeah, but as you get stronger it should become bigger right?”
“Well it should but enough about that, here you go Laurent Alexander, brand-new Adventurer.”
My momentary confusion was assuaged when I saw the writing on the card,
Laurent Alexander 5’8 Blue Eyes Brown Hair
E-Rank
“How did you get all this information? And how are am I E-Rank, I thought Adventurers started at F-Rank?” I questioned.
Ralph didn’t even bat an eye to my question, merely showing his card which displayed that he was also E-Rank.
“Well, the King’s seal does wonders ya know?”
I gasped, the stupefaction evident on my face,
“If Father found out you could be executed Ralph!”
“Relax, he won’t know, plus how was I gonna make you a fake identity anyway, I mean, you can’t just show up to the Dungeon Office and say that Princess Andromeda Asclepius wants to become an Adventurer can you?”
I sighed in defeat, his response held truth,
“Anyway, when I are we going to go into the dungeon?”
“In about 4 days as that’s when our equipment will come. Anyway what sort of weapon do you want?”
“Weapon? I don’t really know. I guess you can just get a weapon for me. But not some sort of girly weapon ok?”
Ralph only smirked mischievously.
[Arden]
I took some time to sit down and wipe the sweat from my brow.
I mean, who knew that finding a goddamn lily would be such a hassle, and that didn’t help when he had to lug gigantic bags of Volcano Cow dung from one end of the village to the other.
I looked down and mentally said sorry to my legs, but the state of my legs looked like bliss compared to my nose and hands.
My hands had been splattered with dung causing burns to appear and my nose had had to endure the awful smell every step of the way.
Now, sitting down on one of the benches in the Dungeon Office, I was given a rather large berth which was a small blessing in itself.
Hauling myself upright, I casually made my way towards Dhijikov ignoring the wrinkled noses and stares the other Adventurers gave me.
Dhijikov turned towards me and stared at me for a second,
“Well lad, you’ve completed the Quests but it looks like you’ve been dragged through a pigsty by a horse. I’ve received confirmation that you completed the Alchemist’s quest but where’s the lily eh?”
I grimaced at his description of my appearance but rummaged through my satchel, which was somehow still intact, and gave Dhijikov the lily which was wrapped in a bundle of tissues to protect it.
Dhijikov gently took it, spun around on his chair and stowed it into a cabinet.
“Well lad, that gives you about, hmmm, ah yes, 15 silvers, here you go.”
I reverently placed the 15 silvers in my bag.
“Thanks Dhijikov, now I gotta take care of those beasts.”
“Take a break lad, I know you wanna get to E-Rank but you shouldn’t kill yourself trying to reach it. You know what take this.”
Dhijikov rifled around his drawers until he grasped his hand around a flask,
“This right here is a Potion of Healing, it’s low grade but it should be enough to take care of those burns.”
I thanked Dhijikov profusely and downed the flask in one swig, by the time I had set the flask on the counter, I could feel my burns disappearing.
Dhijikov smiled at me,
“It feels good eh? Anyway directly to our right there’s a rather good inn where for 1 silver you get hot water and a hearty dinner and breakfast.”
Thanking him yet again, I made my way towards the inn, the beasts could be resolved tomorrow, as of now, I deserve a nice long night of rest.