Many hours have passed since I met with those elves. I'm currently in my room in an inn that I found. I would have been living in my parent's house; however, it's presently seized by the guards. Luckily, I kept a low profile during the years of living in the house, so none of the guards were able to identify that I lived there. So, sadly, I had to leave the house without saying bye. But I didn't have much of a choice...

I did get a good look at the house before leaving. You see, I teleported to my room and was about to go to bed when I heard all of the guards talking downstairs. I activated my Stealth skill and peaked downstairs to find many guards investigating a large crater and the many holes in the walls. It seems I destroyed the downstairs when I took that step. Human-size holes are through the back and front walls. Also, my parents' bodies, which were in the center of the room, are now gone. I don't know if the guards took them or if they were kicked to non-existence during my step...

Sadly, I didn't have the time to question where they went and had to leave the house immediately. I collected my tablet (So they couldn't get my name) and teleported outside the house. I didn't grab anything else. I didn't have much stuff, to begin with. All that was in my room were books from my father's study. I did grab all of the letters that were left behind, just in case someone from the family comes and does their own investigation. Anyway, I left the house and immediately explored the town in hopes of finding a cheap inn.

Lucky for me, this didn't take that long. After about ten minutes of walking, I found an inn that only cost one silver coin. However, I didn't care about the board yet, so I only paid for the room. Then, I head inside and instantly fell asleep... Once I woke up, it was no longer morning but late afternoon. Originally, I wanted to get signed up with the guild in the morning; however, I overslept due to underestimating my powers and being sent into the forest.

Anyway, that is where I am now. Hungry, I head downstairs and walk to the receptionist.

"Hello, Mister! How was your sleep?"

"It was nice, thank you. Anyway, I would like and pay ahead for three nights. Also, I would like to pay for the board with those days, including today."

"Alright, that's no problem, but do you really want to pay for the board for today? You have already missed breakfast, so the only meal you could get will be in the night."

"Yes, that'll be okay. I can grab something from a stall for now and eat dinner in the halls at night."

"I understand. For you, I'll make one day for half price. Anyway, the price for three days of room and board is ten silvers and twenty coppers. Adding half of the board, the total price is twelve silvers. Just for you, I rounded the costs."

The receptionist smiles at me. Although I don't mind paying this much, there are clearly some problems. First, the board should be less than the room cost. Most inns charge half the price of a room for their board, while others make it cheaper. In truth, it depends on how well they can cook food. That said, no inn should be charging board for double the price of a room! That even more than the nearby restaurants and vendors.

"Uh, may I ask why the board is so high?"

"Surely! Our board isn't usually this pricey; however, we happen to have a famous chef staying in the inn. He had asked if we would let him work in the kitchen while he stays here. His cooking is fantastic! We couldn't have him working here for the same price as our other workers, so we had to raise the price to pay him. Nevertheless, many of our guesses have been paying extra to get more of his delicious foods. You'll understand when you have dinner tonight."

"Oh, uhh, okay, I guess? Alright, here."

I have no idea why a high chef is taking the time of his day to work for a cheap inn, but I also don't care. It might cost a tad bit more, but I might get to experience some good quality food that nobles eat... Wait, didn't I master my cooking skill? I should be able to cook way better food than that guy... Oh well, it doesn't really matter. I'm only staying here for a couple of nights anyway.

I hand her a gold coin, getting thirteen silver coins in return. I then left the inn and went to the nearest vendor and bought some simple food for some copper coins. After eating my breakfast, I head towards the guild. Although I haven't been everywhere in this town, I do know where the guild is. Actually, it is near the library that I always go to.

With the two gold coins that I got from Junko, I could leave the town immediately and head to the Royal city; however, attending the Royal Academy isn't free. It's rather expensive... One year at school is two gold coins. This does not include the cost of special classes, supplies, and food. If you add those to the mix, the real total would be around three or four gold coins! Also, school lasts for four years. This means the total attendance cost can be as high as 16 gold coins!

The school is filled with commoners and nobles. Although Nobles should have no problem, commoners might struggle to come up with such money, especially in a short time and alone. Because of this, students are allowed to work as adventurers while attending classes. This way, they can do quests to earn money for school while also attending classes that they're there to do. Anyway, I don't have enough money to pay for the first year of class, so I decided to earn money for a couple of days as an adventurer. With my powers, I definitely won't have any problems...

After walking for a couple of minutes down the road, I find myself in front of the guild building. The enormous building gives up a sort of dignified feel to it. It's two stories high with clean, brick walls and a blue-scaled roof. There are four doors in the front of the building, two entrances, and two exits.

Some people, who I assume are adventurers, are walking in and out of the building, dozens at a time. When I went to the library, whether it was day or night, the guild was always busy with people. This town is a minor city in the kingdom; however, there's are three nearby forests with many monsters inside. Also, there's a dungeon within one of the forests. Because of it, this city has become a major city for adventurers. I guess that's why the guild is so busy...

Anyway, I find a gap within the crowd and enter the guild. Inside, there are four desks near the entrance with beautiful elves receptionists standing behind them. Each one of them has a line with ten to twenty adventurers behind them. With the light wooden floor, the desks and girls stand out, helping new adventurers find the correct place faster than normal.

Also, unlike my parents' house, there are no candles or candle-holding chandeliers. Actually, the church and the library I went to don't use candles either. Instead, they use Light Crystals—all monsters process crystals within their bodies. The amount of crystals and their power is random, however. Lower-ranked monsters will have low-ranking crystals, while higher-ranked monsters will have high-ranking crystals. The same goes for their power. So if you want a good crystal with lots of power, you'll have to get it from dangerous A-rank or higher monsters. That said, there aren't many uses for those crystals. Mostly blacksmiths or the kingdom's mages use them.

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The ranking for crystals goes from F-rank to S-rank. Any crystals you get from S or higher ranked monsters are considered just S-rank crystals. The power of the crystal doesn't affect the rank but is considered the crystal's durability. As the crystal is used, its power decreases. Once fully depleted, they are nothing more than transparent rocks.

Light Crystals are considered C-rank; however, they are actually F-rank. They are the easiest to find, as most monsters drop them. That said, most of the ones that buildings use require lots of power. The power from the low-ranking monster isn't enough. At most, they can be used for an hour of light. The crystals used in buildings need to be from C-rank monsters or higher. Still, from a C-rank monster, the duration isn't that much... At most, it will light an area for about a month. Most buildings, especially businesses, use ones that come from A-rank monsters since those can stay lit for about a year.

Now, their power can be used differently, too. Crystal Technicians are workers whose main job is to rewrite crystals. They adjust their power so they can be used for longer or fit the situation that's needed. For instance, if people need brightness rather than duration, technicians can change the workings of a crystal. It's similar to programming it... The better the technician, the better programming they can do. Sadly, I didn't get the skill that allows you to code a crystal. Instead, I got Imbue which is similar. I can imbue power from a crystal to a sword or weapon, making it even powerful. I should get that skill next when I get more EXP... Oh, and if you were wondering, I did ask my parents why we used candles instead of crystals. Apparently, the house, which is quite old, had a ton of them in stock. Light isn't that important in homes since there are many windows. I guess the family didn't care if we had light or not. Also, they couldn't afford any since good ones are pricey... The same is with the books that were in my father's study.

Anyway, to the left and right of the desk are a large area with many posted boards on the walls. Each board has many pieces of paper, which I assume are different quests. In addition, there are painted wooden letters above each board labeled with one of the ranks. I bet the quests underneath the letters are the same rank as one another - like the board with the C has C-rank quests...

The left side has the lower letters (F, E, D), while the right side has the higher letters (C, B, A). Each side has multiple posted boards for each of the ranks. The boards ranked D and C have the most boards, while A and F have the least number of boards. Although there are many F and E adventurers, most low-ranking quests can be done by non-adventurers, so there aren't many of them. This might be why low-ranking adventurers have a hard time making money. That said, one of the forests only has low-ranking monsters, which are perfect for them. Well, maybe not F-rank, but perfect for E and D-ranks...

Anyway, I quietly stood behind the line with the fewest people and waited till it was my turn. While I was waiting, I notice that some people in other lines and those behind me were staring at me. Actually, they were staring at my head. I guess there aren't many people who have two different color hair... I quickly ignore them, however, and continue to wait in line. Finally, after about ten minutes of waiting, I step up to the receptionist, being my turn. The elf greets me with a smile; however, her eyes are a tad grim.

"Hello and welcome to the guild. There are a lot of quests being sent in from various factions. If you are here to create a quest, make sure that it is vitally important. If it requires low-ranking adventurers, you can ask them yourself. They'll bring you a paper after the quest is complete for confirmation."

"I see; however, I'm not here to create a quest. Instead, I would like to register as an adventurer."

The elf swinks her eyes. As she does, my thoughts of them all being beautiful might be wrong... They all of their long ears pointing out and are mixed with brown and blonde hair. The one I'm at has long blonde hair with green eyes. Most elves have green eyes; however, there are various exceptions. For instance, Miyu the elf has non-green eyes. It could be that she's mixed or might be the effect of a skill. There are too many possibilities to guess but it doesn't really matter.

Nevertheless, all of the elves are somewhat pretty... That said, I say Miyu is way better looking than them... Even Junko is better looking than all of them. Anyway, after hearing my response, she grunts while taking an annoying voice and talks as if speaking to a child.

"I understand; however, Sir, that won't be possible. I'm sure that you heard that we are short on adventurers. This is due to the lack of common sense that new adventurers possess nowadays. Every time we get someone new, they are found dead within a week. For this reason, the guild has increased the age limit to 17 years old, the age where one finishes school."

"School... There aren't any schools nearby other than the Royal Academy. Plus, don't most students pay for classes via being adventurers?"

"In the past, yes; however, schools, including the Royal Academy, have started banning their students from taking quests at the guild for the same reason that I've said. Well, the Royal Academy will allow some of their best students to accept quests commissioned by the guild. The rest will have to take up special quests given by the school. Anyway, this is because monsters are getting more dangerous by the second. Due to this, the number of students and young people is decreasing. I hope you understand."

"I see... Wait, what about other newbies who are decent or who've already signed up as adventurers?"

"For those who have already registered, we had to put a ban on their card. That said, by completing a simple test, they could get unbanned and resume accepting quests. Now, we have already thought about those who do have common sense and are pretty decent at the beginning quests. That simple test is also for them. Once they complete it, they can complete their registration. Do you wish to take the test?"

"Yes, I do."

The elf frowns while pulling a large form from under her desk, which shows many quests on it. She then points to them.

"Alright... Before the test can begin, you must complete one of these twelve quests. They are hand-picked by the guild and were determined easy and safe young and new adventurers."

All of the quests labeled on the board are F-rank. Half of them are labeled Gathering-Type while the others are labeled Hunting-Type. Below each quest is a location meter that tells you where exactly the quest item is.

"Can I complete multiple quests and do they give any monetary rewards?"

"Uh... I guess but you are required to bring one of these quests back completed by the end of the day. If you don't or forget to return, you will be banned from the guild for a year. After a year passes, you'll be able to retry. Also, you won't be getting the money of the... first quest. That money will go into your guild card. Usually, the card costs a silver coin; however, we give new adventurers a heavy discount. So, for you, it will be free for the price of the quest."

"Alright, I understand."

I bow to the elf and begin to leave; however, the girl shouts something else at me.

"Oh, I forgot one thing! If you attempt to cheat or buy the contents of the quest by a merchant, you will automatically fail and be banned for three years."

"Okay, thanks for the warning. I'm off now."

I give the elf another bow and continue to walk towards the exit. As I do, I overhear the elf moan...

"Ugh, finally..."

The elf lets out an ugly sigh while silently congratulating being rid of me. It seems like either she hates me or dislikes working as a receptionist. I found the answer real quick... After leaving, I watch as the next person approaches the elf. Unlike her attitude with me, she speaks cheerfully and even flirts with the adventurer. I see; I'll choose a different receptionist the next time I come in...

...