The sun was setting and there were only a few minutes left before the city bell tolled to signal the evening. Warner's long shift was thankfully about to end, not like it was tiring or anything. He practically spent the entire day lounging on his chair. Proper protocol dictated that gate guards must stand at attention at all times, but nobody supervised them anyway.

“Do you think something happened to him?” Lance asked, the young man's eyes filled with worry as he looked out at the border of the Eluvia Forest.

“Probably,” Warner said as he yawned and lit a cigarette. He lit it with a match and took a deep inhale. “You probably shouldn't worry, though. Did you even see the man? Built like a juggernaut, that one.”

“Never judge a person's strength based on their appearance,” Lance replied with a level tone like he was reading a passage from a book. Considering that the boy graduated from the Shieldhold Academy, Warner thought that Lance's words probably did come from a book.

“Well, even if the man was a level one, he'd beat you in a contest of strength, I bet,” Warner said as he puffed smoke.

Lance frowned at Warner. “We're not allowed to smoke on the job, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Warner replied as he exhaled a lungful of smoke and coughed. “Anyway, how are you doing with that baker girl you're dating? She used to bring you pastries of all sorts on your shifts, but it's been a week since she last came here. I'm starting to miss her sugar rolls.”

Lance stiffened upon the mention of the girl, which told Warner everything he needed to know. “Is it over?” Warner asked.

“None of your business,” Lance said with a tight voice.

“So why did it end?” Warner asked as he continued puffing, his cigarette creating lazy trails of smoke that snaked upwards. “Cheating? Falling out? Her parents didn't approve? Performance issues at night? Oh, I know. She didn't like how you always dictated what she should do or not do, didn't she?”

Based on how Lance flinched, Warner hit the nail right on the head. “And here I thought you only exposed your holier-than-thou attitude to me,” Warner chuckled.

“Can you please stop it?!” Lance shouted. “I get it, alright? I've been arrogant. You don't have to shove it to my face, I know where I went wrong.”

“Just making sure,” Warner said. “So, what did she say when you apologized?”

Lance shifted awkwardly. “We… we haven't spoken with each other yet after the uh... breakup.”

“Then get to it after our shift ends,” Warner said as he finished his cigarette. He dropped it on the ground and stomped it with his heel. “I better be eating sugar rolls by next week, or else I'll tell Camille that you've been slacking on the job.”

“Hey! You're the one slacking all day!”

“Oh yeah? Who's the one who forgot to ask the stranger's name when he arrived at the gate this morning? The man was naked, covered in mud, and dressed in a damn skirt made of leaves while spouting a nonsense story. The proper process would have been to detain and interrogate him, but instead, you let him shower in our barracks and give him some clothes.”

Warner could almost see Lance's embarrassment from behind his helmet. “D-Detaining someone without a criminal record is illegal!”

“It isn't when the man looks like some serial killer living in the woods,” Warner snorted.

“Why didn't you detain him, then, if you found him suspicious?” Lance challenged.

“Easy, he didn't trigger my Bounty Hunter Skill, so he was probably alright.”

“See, so my decision to help him was right,” Lance said.

“No, this is not about whether what you did was right or wrong, kid. This is about why you did what you did,” Warner said with a shake of his head. “What if I wasn't here? The man could have been a real serial killer and you just let him into the city with a free bath and clothes that could implicate you when he's been captured for murder. Remember, your post here was done to test you, not me. You're all alone in this kid, I'm just here to clean up any mess you leave behind.”

Lance glared at Warner from behind his helmet, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. Then he turned away and remained silent. Bah, kids these days. Can't even take a whit of criticism.

“Well, just do better next time,” Warner said with a sigh as he stood up from his chair. Lance looked at him weirdly, probably because he usually never stood up before the bell tolled to signal the end of their shift.

“Is there something wrong?” Lance asked.

Warner had to admit, at least the kid was observant. “Get ready, boy. I sense something coming out of the forest. Feels strong.”

Lance's posture suddenly turned rigid as he readied his spear with both hands, his eyes focused on the dark treeline ahead. By this time of the day, the wide field ahead of them was mostly covered in shadows.

A few moments later, a silhouette of a large creature emerged from the treeline. Its shape was weird, and its gait was even weirder. Warner furrowed his brows. Is that…

“It's coming!” Lance cried beside him. “W-What the hell is that?! Sound the alarm!”

Lance moved to ring the bell that signaled a monster attack, but Warner whacked his hand with the shaft of his spear. “Calm down, boy. It's a false alarm,” Warner said as he sat back down on his chair. However, he was far from bored now. What the hell did that man do in the forest?

The silhouette approached the light of the torches, soon revealing the giant of a man who had come to the city this morning naked and covered in mud. This time, he returned pretty much the same: his clothes were all ripped and ruined, and he was covered in mud and blood.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

However, the main difference between then and now had Warner smiling. “Well now, what do you have there?” Warner asked as Bob walked into the light dragging something behind him.

“Evening,” Bob greeted as he paused in front of them. “Managed to hunt some big game in the forest. How much do you think this bastard's gonna sell for?”

“Is… is that an Eluvian bear?” Lance asked with a confused expression. “Where did you find the corpse? It looks so fresh.”

“Find?” Bob asked. “No, I killed the damn thing. Bastard beat me up real good, too. Too bad he couldn't survive having his tongue ripped out. Hah!”

“Y-You hunted this all by yourself?” Lance asked incredulously. “Without weapons and armor?”

Bob looked down at himself. “Yeah, I was probably underequipped for my little trip. Doesn't matter, with this, I can now earn some money and have a roof over my head tonight.”

“You do know that there is a shelter for the homeless, right?” Warner asked. The way Bob's face fell had Warner laughing loudly. “You damn idiot!”

“Oh fuck off!” Bob exclaimed as he started dragging his prize into the city.

By the time the huge man was out of sight and the bell was tolling, Warner was still laughing.

“Hey, stop fooling around, isn't this concerning?” Lance said worriedly. “There's a new powerful guy in town. Camille had standing orders to inform her of powerful people entering the city.”

“Oh now you're suspicious about the guy,” Warner scoffed as he wiped a tear from his eye. “Nevertheless, you're right. Camille's gonna want to hear about this. It's not every day you see some random guy hunt a godsdamned bear without any sort of gear.”

After sealing the Northern Gate, Warner and Lance started making their way to the City Hall to meet Governor Camille.

•••••

My Class sounded ridiculous and embarrassing, but goddamn was it amazing. I practically jogged the entire journey back to the city while dragging an entire bear behind me, and when I finally entered the city, I did not feel even a single ounce of fatigue.

It. Was. Fucking. Amazing.

My good mood took a bit of a hit though when Warner told me about the homeless shelter. Why did he not tell me that sooner? Wasn't it obvious that I was damn penniless when I entered the city? I wouldn't have risked my life in the forest if I'd known about that!

Well, at least I reaped a lot of rewards from this single trip. One could almost say that I should just become a full-time slayer. But a life of death and killing was not for me. I've already seen enough of that in my previous life.

Right now, I was walking along the North Highway as I made my way to the Guild Plaza. Fortunately, the bear had long bled out as I dragged it through the forest, so it no longer left a trail of blood. Staining the yellow brick road with monster blood could get me fined.

As I walked, people would stare as they pointed at the huge bear behind me. Was it really that weird a sight? I figured that with people in this world having levels, everybody would be used to the sight of people lugging heavy objects with their sheer muscle strength.

I endured the intense scrutiny all the way to the Guild Plaza, and when I finally arrived in front of the Slayer's Guild, I left the carcass in a vacant space at the front before entering the building.

If the Laborer's Guild caught the drabness of a government building perfectly, then the Slayer's Guild captured the ambiance of a history museum. The lobby was decorated with all sorts of monster skeletons and ancient relics, some of which were even glowing with what I assumed was magic. Honestly, though, I think it was fake lighting.

Unlike the Laborer's Guild, the Slayer's Guild also had more people present. These people were dressed in various gear and armor, and most of them were seated at a tavern connected to the lobby.

I approached the counter which I quickly noticed was completely manned, or should I say womanned, by bombshell women who wouldn't look out of place in a supermodel magazine.

It honestly felt intimidating, though based on their reactions when they saw me approach, I think it worked the other way around. When I chose a receptionist to go to, the others gave her a pitying look.

What the fuck was up with that?!

“Welcome to the Slayer's Guild, sir,” the receptionist I chose said with a strained voice. She had flowing blond hair that fell to her waist and beautiful blue eyes that seemed to stare into my soul. It was honestly creepy. Also, her name tag said her name was Hera.

“Good evening, Miss Hera. I heard you guys bought monster corpses?” I asked as I pointed my thumb at the exit. “I've got a whole Eluvian bear corpse outside.”

“We do buy monster materials, sir, but I'm afraid we could only purchase them at a low price if the seller is not a member of the Slayer's Guild,” Hera said.

“I'd like to register, then,” I said.

All of a sudden, Hera's eyes lit up. “Certainly! You'll just have to fill up this form.”

“I can't read or write.”

“No worries, I can fill it up for you,” Hera said without missing a beat.

I proceeded to tell her the basic information I also gave to the Laborer's Guild, except for my level and Classes. Apparently, the Slayer's Guild valued their members' privacy immensely and simply settled with asking what my Class was good at.

“My Class is good at soaking up damage and fighting a battle of attrition,” I said after a brief consideration.

“Alright, that should be all the information we need, Mister Dinkle,” Hera said as she put what I assumed was her signature at the bottom of the document. “Now, this should be enough to register you as a probationary member of the Slayer's Guild pending approval. But if you choose to participate in our combat exam, we can immediately assign you a rank and make you a fully-fledged member right away.”

“Just call me Bob. And can I sell my Eluvian bear at full price as a probationary member?”

“Yes,” Hera answered. “But I highly suggest you take the exam, Mister Bob. A probationary member can only take unranked quests, while full members are granted access to all quests appropriate to their rank as well as many benefits, including—”

“No thanks, lady. I'm sure being a full member is great and all, but it probably comes with strings attached,” I said. “I just want my bear sold.”

Hera looked deflated after that, but she still nodded as her professional look quickly returned. “I understand. I'll be sending someone over to examine the bear you brought and put a value on it.”

Judging by how Hera really wanted me to become a full member, I bet the receptionists receive a commission for it. What if I told her I'll become a full member if I get a cut…

No no no. I already told myself I'd be an upstanding citizen in this life. Under-the-table deals were a no-go.

“Oh, by the way. Do I have to pay for any registration fees?” I asked.

“Oh, no. Registration at the Slayer's Guild is free, Mister Bob,” Hera said.

“Alright, thanks for the assistance, Miss Hera.”

I went outside to check on my bear. There was a group of four people, slayers by their appearance, checking out my product. When they saw me approach, a man in his early twenties kitted out in full plate armor that looked extremely expensive stepped forward to address me, his scarlet hair shining in the light. “Peasant, are you the one who owns this bear?”

That was a rather rude tone to take with someone you just met, but maybe it was his quirk of speech. “Yeah,” I said.

“I want to buy the entire thing. Ten gold,” the man said.

I honestly had no idea how much that money was, but I had a feeling it was quite a lot. My gut instinct when it came to money was usually correct. Too bad he didn't come earlier. I already sold this thing to the Guild. “Sorry, bub, but I already sold this furry bastard to the Guild.”

The young man glared at me for some reason, and one of his companions, a middle-aged man also geared in full plate armor, stepped forward with a furious look. Actually, all of his companions wore full-plate armor. “You must have a death wish for calling the Young Master in your crude naming sense, peasant. We will take the bear as compensation for your rudeness.”

I blinked in confusion. What the hell was this fucker talking about?