Liam walked through the city as the sun slowly moved above him. He thought about the things Naro helped him with and about his gains. Thanks to Naro’s teachings he was able to get his Butcher section as well as the ability from his Chef Craft to level ten. The way he explained how to hold the cleaver, what to look for, and how to use the tool helped him understand how to perfectly clear the tasks he was given.
Naro had him practice on small level nine Cockatrites. These creatures were small monsters that looked a lot like chickens, but had a very distinct difference. Instead of a feathered tail, they had a snake attached growing there, head and body.
Another thing working on these small chicken-like creatures helped with was his food handling section in the Chef Craft along with the ability given from that section, Cleanse Material. Cleanse Material was the ability Food Handling gave to help remove weak poisons or other nasty surprises hidden in the meat and skin of the creature being worked on.
He was only able to get the ability raised to level five, but was excited when Naro informed him that if he got it to a higher level then he would be able to extract the poisons or nasty effects out and into a vial to use for alchemy. This once again made him want to help Artem out even more if they were to ever team up again so that way he could ask him to set aside anything he cleansed so he could use them for Alchemy.
Another thing he was taught while butchering these creatures was the Gathering Craft Skinning. Naro had informed him that learning to skin would be essential if he wanted to learn how to cook any beast while he was in the dungeon and couldn’t get out any time soon or while traveling. He thought it was a good idea, although, he didn’t think that defeathering a creature like this would be considered skinning. As much as it didn’t make sense to him, it really did work. He wouldn’t complain about the logic since it helped him get to level five in the craft.
Some other things he was able to level up in the Chef Craft was Mystical Seasoning to level three, Food Prep to level seven, and the overall Chef Craft to level ten.
After some training and reaching his goal he worked on some Alchemy. Through some more teaching of the generous Naro, Liam was able to get his Medicinal Creations to level seven, and both Mana Extraction and Potion Making to level nineteen. He was almost to his goal of reaching level twenty in Potion Making.
During his time waiting for potions to distill, he took some time to do something he had been neglecting for a while…and that was training himself with weapons he wasn’t familiar with.
The first weapon he practiced with was the sword. He used his Crude Bone Blade since he didn’t have any weapons he could use. The weight of the weapon and how he swung was terrible. He knew it was going to be that way, but since he was used to using daggers he could understand some things about the weapon that made it much better.
Those things he noticed were weight and distance. Since the weight of the weapon was heavier than his daggers, he could understand why it could do more damage. While daggers could slash and stab just like the sword, the length of the wound created by the sword was greatly better. Not only that, but the weight also helped when trying to stab or pierce in. The distance also helped with this because he wouldn’t be as close if he used a dagger.
Now learning these things didn’t make him believe the sword was vastly superior to a dagger. No. With this knowledge he was starting to understand that each weapon had a purpose that differed from each other.
While daggers were best to back stab, throw, and maneuver easier it didn’t help keep distance between the user and the enemy like the sword. Nor could they do better damage than a sword, not unless the quality was different.
He knew his logic and knowledge on the weapons wasn’t the best and that he needed to get a better understanding on each weapon, but that was what he came to while training with the sword. Thanks to some practice he was able to get the Weapon Skill – Sword and leveled it to level three.
The spear was the second weapon he wanted to practice with. Like the sword he understood the weight and distance it had was greater than the previous two weapons. As he swung the weapon he kept tilting off to the side thanks to the weight. There was also a couple of times he fell down as he overswung the weapon. He had a hard time practicing it and Naro kept laughing and making fun of him saying he looked like a small child trying to learn how to walk. Thanks to his practice he was able to get it to level two.
He didn’t have much time to practice more but he decided to at least get his bow skill to level one. His aim was horrible and the rate at which he was able to hit the target was so poor he almost considered never using the bow ever again.
He had gained a deeper respect for Mercer who used the weapon and was able to not only hit a target, but hit moving targets as well. He decided he would still practice the weapon, but during the dungeon dive with Cindy.
Before leaving the inn this morning he made sure to pack potions and the weapons he was going to use were in good condition. He was going to go with his armor set he had gotten while in the Tutorial Area, but Eri had talked him into not using it.
He was confused at first why she was adamant about him not using it until she gave him a good reason. She told him it would be wise to have two sets of armor. One for dungeon diving and another for when he went and started doing missions for the Fiddler’s Spider Web.
She explained if he used his current armor for both then there was a good chance someone could identify him easily. She also took this time to let him know that it was the same reason why she asked him to get two brandings. One for selling in the outside markets and the other for Fiddler’s Spider Web work.
Liam was surprised she had thought of all this, and he didn’t even consider it. He could blame it on the fact he had forgotten about the Fiddler’s Spider Web, but he knew that it was just an excuse.
As he walked towards the Adventurers Association and made it into the area where adventurers normally stayed at he noticed a lot of shops tailored to their needs and wants. He found a shop that sold Poor quality leather armor sets. They wouldn’t sell him anything better because he didn’t have an A.I.D. providing his rank.
The armor set was called the Scout Leather set. The defense was a lot lower than his regular armor, but it did give a small bonus to the sub-stats perception and agility. He really didn’t like that he had to hide his good armor, but he understood why she was making him do this.
The only other thing that he was worried about was his Stat Shatter Debuff. It was still in the second level and halved all of his stats and sub-stats, but thankfully it was close to dropping to the first level only dropping them by a quarter. However, he still didn’t like that his stats were so low because of it. He wasn’t sure how bad it was going to affect his fighting style, but he’ll come to understand that when they got into the dungeon.
Liam was brought out of his thoughts as looked down the road and noticed a tall four story red and brown building made out of wood and metal. The length of the building looked to be almost two medium sized buildings. The design of the building was normal except it had pictures of an armored person wielding a shield, a robed figure with a wand stretched out, a leathered armored silhouette with two daggers, and lastly a robed woman with a staff and a hat with a cross on it spread out along the walls where the windows didn’t occupy.
Liam was astonished by the artistic designs. He was amazed by the details put into each figure as he examined each one. He then saw a sign above the opened double doors. The sign read Adventurers Association. Different types of weapons were used and made to form the word Adventurers, which made Liam think about the Crafters Association sign. That sign too had the letters in the shape of crafter tools.
After admiring the sign, he noticed Cindy standing in front of a four story building next to the open doors looking around as she leaned against the wall.
He quickly made his way over to her, waving a hand to get her attention. When she noticed him she returned the wave with one of her own and gave him a smile.
As Liam made his way over to her he got a good look at the armor she wore. She wore a green hooded cloak that covered almost her entire body. It opened up at the bottom over her right leg allowing freedom to crouch without any issues. A brown leather belt over her waist with a sheath for a sword on her left hip and a sheath for a dagger on her right. Dark leather pants with matching boots and fingerless gloves that ran up mid forearm.
As he examined her armor he noticed how worn down it was in some places showing how much she used it. There were small rips here and there and some tears. He could even see some places had some stitches where old tears once were. It gave Liam the impression she was a veteran at what she did, which made him give her a new sense of respect.
Liam tried to figure out what her class was. It had a rogue ranger like feel, but he wasn’t entirely sure exactly what it was. Even though he couldn’t figure it out he had to admit the armor looked good on her.
“Took you long enough,” Cindy teased as Liam approached her.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Can’t help it. First time coming to this part of the city,” Liam responded with a grin.
“A likely excuse,” Cindy replied before turning around and started for the open doors. “Follow me. I’ll lead you to the receptionist who will help you get the process going.”
As she turned around Liam noticed that the back of the cloak didn’t have a hole for her tail. Instead, it looked like the cloak hid that leaving an indentation where it would be.
“You know its rude to check out a woman’s behind,” Cindy stated as she gave Liam a wry smile.
Liam’s cheeks turned red as he turned his head to the side. “Sorry, I was admiring your cloak and noticed your tail wasn’t sticking out.”
Cindy snickered a bit as she quipped, “Good cover. If you’re really curious about that though, I can say that this cloak came this way. I was thinking about asking a tailor to fix that for me, but for some reason they want to charge me an arm and a leg for it.” She shook her head as she added, “I figured I’d just get used to it instead.”
“Why do they want to charge so much?” Liam asked as they entered the building.
Liam took a good look inside and was impressed with the layout.
Not too far straight ahead was a long L shaped counter with several people standing behind it wearing matching uniforms. Above their heads were different symbols. To his left was an area that had tables and chairs. This area covered majority of the side of the building. People wearing the uniforms walked around with food and drinks bringing them to the people sitting down. Some of them would bring empty plates and cups to the back side of the building in an area he couldn’t see.
Over to Liam’s right was a wall with several different billboards. People surrounded these billboards staring at papers pinned to them. Above the billboards were the same symbols that hung above the people’s heads over at the L shaped counter.
“Who knows. Some crafters don’t like to do small jobs since it doesn’t pay a lot. So, they will charge more than they should. Why they feel the need to do it when there might be someone else who would be willing at a smaller fee? Your guess is as good as mine,” Cindy stated as she led him to the edge of the counter closest to them.
No one stood in line in this part of the counter, so they were able to just walk right up. Behind the counter was a tall lanky male. He looked human since Liam wasn’t able to see any notable features anywhere on him. He had short blond hair and dark green eyes. He wore the same uniform of white long-sleeve button up shirt, black bowtie, brown vest and black pants that the other people wore behind the counter. A symbol that looked like a stack of papers hung above his head.
“Good morning Cindy,” the man greeted as he looked at Cindy. He then looked at Liam and said, “I don’t believe we have formally met yet. I am Don.”
“Hello Don. I am Liam,” Liam greeted back.
“Don here does the process for everyone who wishes to become adventurers here,” Cindy explained. She then looked at Don and said, “He’s newly integrated to our world so everything is new to him.”
Don’s eyes widened as he listened to Cindy. He then gave Liam a welcoming smile and said, “It’s been a while since I have had someone knew to inform of everything.”
“What does that mean?” Liam asked with a brow raised.
“It means that the only new applicants I’ve had recently were ones that have lived here their entire lives that they choose to skip listening to all the details because they have family or friends who have told them everything,” Don explained.
He then looked at Cindy and gave her a curious expression. “However, you came here with Cindy and she’s pretty knowledgeable on everything here. It wouldn’t surprise me if she has taken the time to tell you all that you need to know.”
Cindy shook her head. “I have explained a bit, but I’m not as rude as to do your job for you.”
“Mmhm sure,” Don said with a slight fake skeptical look.
“It is true,” Liam said. “She gave me some descriptions about some things, but hasn’t told me everything.”
Don turned his gaze back to Liam. After studying his face, he said, “Alright, I’ll believe you.” He then pulled out a small book and a piece of paper. “I’ll go over things as you fill out the application.”
Liam nodded as he grabbed the pen the man provided and pulled the paper closer to him.
“The first section is just basic information you wish to provide,” Don started. “Your name, age, and personal level. If you belong to any clans, parties, or guilds. Your race, your Patron or Matron Deity, and if you had a mentor in any Weapon Skill training. You don’t have to fill any of those last parts if you don’t want to. Those parts are optional due to personal reasons, or they aren’t apart of any group or have a deity. However, I will say if you join a party you will have to inform them of your level for safety reasons.”
Liam nodded as he wrote down his name and age. He left the rest blank and looked back at the man.
“Since you came from the Tutorial Area recently, the next section has to do with your experience there dungeon wise. Where it asks about dungeon you put down what Tutorial Dungeon you were assigned to. The part about group is asking how many people were in your group. The amount of people that were in your group will show if you can work in groups or not. The check box asking what you prefer with the options of groups or individually is asking what you prefer to do when dungeon diving. Groups means you prefer working in groups while individually means you prefer to go solo.”
“Can I check both or is it a one or the other kind of thing?” Liam questioned.
“You can check both if you’d like,” Don nodded. “Although we here at the Adventurers Association recommend group diving, it is not forced since certain specialties are better alone than groups like the Dungeon Guide or Dungeon Exploration.”
Liam waited for the man to elaborate more.
“We’ll get to specialties soon,” Don replied as he notice Liam stare at him.
Liam nodded as he wrote down the information requested and checking both Groups and Individually.
“The next section has two parts to it. The first has to do with what you are currently focused on. For example, weapons, magic, Fields and Focus Points. The second half has to do with future ideas on what you’d like to learn if you have any ideas,” Don informed. “This is so we can get a good idea what kind of fighter you are and what kind of roles you can fill for those looking to make groups to tackle dungeons.”
Liam nodded his head as he understood what he was saying. This section was meant to help both him and the association. If he wanted to join or find a group then the association would have an idea what groups he could be introduced to, to help fill a role they didn’t have. He wouldn’t need to go around asking random people if they needed more people, the association would do that for him.
Liam filled out this section placing down all the weapons he had practiced as well as majority of the Magic Fields he was working on. He left out his Field of the Shadows, Lunar, and Sin magical ability he had; not entirely sure it was a safe idea to have it known.
After filling in the next part, Liam looked at the man awaiting for the next explanation.
“This last section has to do with interests on specialties,” Don began. “Specialties are something we have adventurers place down to help narrow what kind of quests is best suited for them. The specialty you pick will help shape what kind of adventurer you will become or are.
“To list a few, there are Dungeon Exploration, Dungeon Guides, Gathering, Monster Hunting, and Treasure Seeking specialties. There are more, but these are the basic ones. You are allowed to have three specialties at a time. You won’t have to worry about actually picking one till you hit D Rank. I’ll go over Ranks after you get you’re A.I.D.”
Don placed a hand on the book that he had set on the counter earlier and informed, “This is a handbook that goes over all the types of specialties there are and if they synergize with any other specialty. Once you have a specialty picked you can go to the billboard that matches your specialty and pick a quest amongst them.”
Don pointed to the line of billboards many different people were standing in front of. “After picking a quest you will go to a receptionist with the matching specialty symbol so they can mark you down for taking the quest. After you complete it, you will go back to the same line with the symbol and report to them. You also report to them if you failed the quest as well. Remember this, if you don’t report a failed quest it can do damage in the long run. It can range from a fee, a demotion or your A.I.D being revoked. So always remember to report no matter what.”
Liam nodded his understanding before asking, “I have a question about quests and specialties. Say you grab a quest and you’re in a group where no one shares the same specialty. Can they also get rewards for your completion, or would you need to find others with the same specialty?”
“That is an excellent question,” Don smiled. “Party members in your group do not need to have the same specialty as you to participate in a quest. As for rewards for the other members you were grouped with when taking on a quest it will depend on the specialty and the contribution everyone gave. For example, if an Adventurer picked up a Monster Hunting quest and there was an adventurer who didn’t pick the specialty but helped take down the monster, then they are entitled to a small portion of the reward.
“However, it is different if there was an adventurer doing a Gathering quest. The only way for the other members to gain any reward from that quest would be if they helped harvest or gather any of the items on the quest form. Does that make sense?”
Liam nodded as he believed he understood what he was talking about. As he listened to the explanation, a new question formed. “How is it known how much an adventurer contributed to a quest though? Is it based on an honor system or is there a way to help determine it?”
“Another excellent question,” Don said as he pointed to a man talking to a receptionist close by them.
Liam listened as the male gave the woman a few names. She was writing them down before rolling up a piece of paper and handing it over to the man.
“When you take a quest up to the receptionist, they will ask if there are others in your party or if you are by yourself,” Don started back up. “After providing the list of names, they will write it down on a copy of the quest before handing you the copy of the quest. When you go into the dungeon to take on the quest, any contributions you make will show up on the piece of paper. Yours and everyone else in your team that you said was a part of your group.”
“What if someone new joins your group before entering the dungeon? Does their contribution show up even though you never informed the receptionist beforehand?” Liam inquired.
“Sadly no,” Don shook his head. “Any contribution to a quest taken by someone who was not listed in the party will not show up. At that point you will need to make a deal or give them a portion you and the person agreed upon at the time. However, please be wary of shady deals being made. There have been several reports of people scamming others to help them finish a quest without providing any rewards for the help.”
Liam nodded as he understood. He would need to be careful of people trying to take advantage of him.
Liam looked over the section the man had explained to him. There were a lot of symbols and names under them letting him know what each symbol was. While he didn’t know what majority of them were or did, he did know what the gatherer one was. He circled that one and handed the paper back to Don.
Don looked it over. He had a curious expression as he went over the certain parts of the paper while also nodding approvingly on other parts, but never said anything to Liam. After looking it all over he looked back at Liam and announced, “Alright, this looks in order. I will be right back and start getting your A.I.D. ready. After I come back with it I will go over a few more things.”
“Alright sounds good,” Liam nodded as he watched the man walk to the door close behind him and disappear.
Liam looked at Cindy and was about to ask how long this would take, but before he could say anything a couple of familiar voices he hadn’t heard in so long called out, “No way…is that you Liam?!”