After taking the paper, Connor headed inside the Adventurer's Guild. From what he observed, to take a quest on the bulletin board, one had to take the paper inside to the clerk, give the paper to them with their token and register themselves as the person who took the quest. Connor moved to the nearest and vacant spot and gave the clerk the paper with his badge. The clerk professionally took the paper before speaking.

“Welcome sir… lets see… F rank quest. Let me check your token real quick.” The clerk said as he put Connor’s token on top of the magical desk Connor had observed before. Similar to what happened, his glass token suddenly lit up and a hologram appeared. The clerk glanced over the hologram before looking at the paper once again.

“Sir Ironheart, Adventurer's Guild would like to remind you that this quest is potentially dangerous. We were unable to determine the issue from the initial report, hence the posting for this quest. We would like an adventurer to talk to the villagers and scout the cave as shown on the map. Every season, we receive similar reports. Most of the time they are usually nothing, just some scared villager having nightmares and stuff. Sometimes its either a wolf or a coyote. Nevertheless, it is important to be on the lookout. Are you sure you would like to take this quest?” The clerk explained the quest and the circumstances around it to Connor before asking for a final confirmation.

Connor nodded. “Yes, I am sure. I would like to explore the cave.” He said towards the clerk. The clerk smiled and touched the hologram as he put the paper for the quest on the drawer on the desk.

“Thank you. You have been assigned to this quest. We are looking forward to your report.” The clerk said as he handed the token back to Connor.

Quest Accepted!

- Start of An Adventure

Nearby villagers have reported that there is a sound coming out of the cave located in the Sethra Mountains every night. Explore the cave.

Duration: 3 days

Required Adventurer Rank: F

Rewards: 100 XP, 2 silver

WARNING: This quest is potentially dangerous.

‘Awesome looking quest name for sure.’ Connor thought as he observed the screen. The contents of the text were similar, however, the system had assigned the quest a name. A name that certainly befitted Connor’s current situation. Unfortunately, getting the quest did not give him access to a map or something and the paper was taken by the clerk.

‘How the hell am I supposed to find the village and the cave then?’ Connor questioned just before he spoke up.

“Thank you, I do have a question. Do you have a map for the village and the mountains?” Connor asked the clerk.

“Yes we do sir. However, due to the materials and the effort used in the making of these said maps, we have to ask for our adventurers to pay a small fee.” The clerk responded, smiling.

“And how much would this be?”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“2 gold.”

“2 gold?”

“2 gold.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Throughout the conversation between Connor and the clerk, the latter was smiling while the former was questioning his life. ‘2 gold? For a small map?! That is… a lot of coins that could be spent on meat…’ Connor contemplated his choice on whether or not buying a map actually made sense. If he pushed it hard, he could ask around for someone to guide him towards the village and the cave. He glanced at the clerk, who was still smiling, before feeling a vein popping on his forehead. ‘Future investments, future investments, future investments.’ Connor thought as he put his hand in his pockets and withdrawn 2 gold from the shop.

Balance: 1 gold 94 silvers and 40 copper

After finishing the exploration quest and looting the mugger, he had obtained about a silver and a half. Considering his expenses, his income was basically nonexistent. Even after a potentially dangerous quest he was about to take, all the reward was only 2 silver. While he had to spend 2 gold on the map itself. Connor sighed. ‘I just hope its detailed enough to help me in the future. Future investments… Future investments…’ he kept repeating to calm himself. He was getting poorer every day. Connor looked at the clerk finding it infuriating as he kept smiling with a smug face as if he knew that Connor was going to pay for the map no matter what. Connor took out the coins in his pocket and dropped it on the counter.

“Here you go, I would like a map. Thank you.” Connor said with a meek voice.

Suddenly, the coins on the counter disappeared altogether, taken by the clerk with immense speed and was replaced with a rolled-up parchment paper. “Here you go, Sir Ironheart. This is our latest edition. Unfortunately, as our cartographers are not as skilled as the ones in the main Kingdom of Aure branch, this map only covers Sethra and the nearby villages and points of interests. I recommend you to always keep some coin with you to spend on maps as you visit other cities. Maps are the lifeblood of every adventurer.” The clerk told Connor as he continued smiling.

Connor, as if all his blood was washed over him thanked the clerk, took the map and quickly left the Adventurer's Guild hoping that he would not have to spend an enormous sum like this in the near future.

As soon as he left the building, Connor realised that the sky was darker than before. Some buildings had lights resembling lightbulbs on them while some of them had the torches, thinking about the technology used in the Adventurer's Guild, it definitely meant that it was all about the budget. Connor retraced his steps back to the Sleeping Oak Inn, the inn that he stayed at. Wandering around the town at night was an interesting experience. In comparison to the lively atmosphere in the morning with the hawkers and shop owners yelling for customers. The streets were silent. Most parts of the street were barely lit. Guards were patrolling with torches in their hands with several townspeople scurrying along the street.

Just a short time after and without any mishaps, Connor arrived at the Sleeping Oak Inn. The inn surely had a lot of customers at night. He walked in, inadvertently drawing attention to himself with his attire and features. ‘I really need to get a helmet or something.’ Connor thought as he realised that people were all looking at his hair and eyes. He added getting sunglasses, or tactical glasses and a helmet on top of his to-do list.

Jeanne saw Connor coming in and quickly approached him. “Welcome, my lord! Would you like to eat dinner?” she asked with gleaming eyes.

“Uh… bring some meat to my room please.” Connor answered and immediately left to head towards his room. Not wanting to draw unnecessary attention from all the people inside the inn. From what he observed by glancing at the people looking at him, there were a few kinds of people in this place. Ranging from a regular citizen, a relatively rich citizen to an adventurer. But those were all assumptions anyways.

Shortly after Connor went into his room, Jeanne brought some food. Some meat and mead.

“Thank you.” Connor said towards Jeanne as he took the tray from her.

“Is there anything else you need my lord?” Jeanne inquired.

“No, that would be all. I will bring you the tray once I am done eating.” Connor said as he was about to close the door.

“No no n- mhm *cough* You do not need to bring it my lord. Just leave it in front of the door. I will collect it.” Jeanne said as she bowed towards Connor.

“Okay.” Connor nodded as Jeanne left.

With his food being delivered, Connor turned around and put the tray on the desk and opened the shop. It was time to betray himself and his words, and spend more gold on the shop that loved scams. Just because his hair and eyes were drawing too much attention.