Two weeks after signing up as an adventurer, I’ve risen to rank F, though it seemed like that was my ceiling. Despite my efforts, my sword fighting skills were lacking, and the 【Sword】 skill still remained at level 0. I did raise my level to 7, but I wasn’t too confident in my ability to take on harder requests.
“Based on the stats on your card, you are capable enough to take these requests,” Lucille said. “My personal advice is to just give it a shot.”
“Yes, but last time a horned rabbit almost punched a hole through my stomach.”
“That seems unlikely, while a horn from a horned rabbit can indeed be sharp, it still has a hard time penetrating through clothing. At most, it will leave shallow stab wounds.”
“Shallow stab w… I still prefer not getting stabbed at all.”
“Well, an alternative would be to purchase a slave.”
“Yeah, I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that, and aside from that, I don’t think I have the money for that.”
“I get your reservation, trust me, I have them as well, but I wouldn’t be offering this option if I didn’t believe that the slaves being sold are treated properly. You could always just see them as unpaid servants.”
“Those are still called slaves.”
“My point being, it’s still a valid option. Besides, there are still other options that might be in your price range, for example, joining a party, or hiring mercenaries. You could also apply for a merchants guild or an artisan guild.”
“Am I allowed to do that?”
“Why not? We have plenty of adventurers who are also signed in at the merchants guild.”
“To be honest, I don’t think I’m cut out to be a merchant.”
“It’s just an option. You could always just sell materials directly to merchants. Also, if you’re more into creating goods, I think one of the artisan guilds might be a good idea as well. We don’t have a lot of them in this city, but there are a wider variety in the neighboring cities.”
“You know what, that doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.”
In these two weeks, I’ve been taking a look at the skills I had. One skill I wanted to learn more about was 【Item Creation】. This skill allows me to create items as long as I have the base components, or if I don’t, it will expend extra mana to create these as well. It’s a useful skill with some major drawbacks. First, creating items from scratch expends a lot of mana, so all I was able to create were base components, after which I could create said items after my mana was replenished. Second, in order to create an actual item, I have to thoroughly know its creation process and how it actually works. This meant things like how it should be built, what materials I would need, how to assemble it, the likes. So, for now, all I could create were basic wooden items, like cutlery or plates. I was able to save on mana by collecting wood from the nearby forest instead of creating it through 【Item Creation】.
In between waiting items and waiting until my mana was replenished, I would visit the library to read about magic. I figured that learning some basic magic spells would help me out a lot in combat. Reading about magic taught me one thing, and that is that my status screen was pretty flexible. For example, after reading the basics of magic, my skill list essentially split in two parts, with a column for magic spells. Also, by just learning things, for example, by reading about it or practicing it, you can learn skills, or at least have the knowledge of a skill. It doesn’t always appear on the screen, for example, just because you heard of a spell it doesn’t mean it will appear in your list, you’d still have to be able to actually perform it. In my case, though, in the miscellaneous section, 【Fundamentals Lv. 0】 appeared on the list, which changed into 【Fundamentals Lv. 1】 after learning my first spell, 【Conjure Magic】, though, at the time I wasn’t even sure if I was able to use it properly, as it didn’t seem to do much, although it did drain my mana. It didn’t take too long for me to learn how to perform basic fire magic.
I began to miss the conveniences of my old world, like a normal working toilet, or a shower, even luxury items like computers and smartphones, so I began researching possible replacements for technology. I ended up learning about magic stones, and how they are often used in magic tools. If I were to really learn about magical items, I had needed to head to Gatrimma.
Another thing I was looking at was 【Magic Stone Synthesis】. This skill is similar to 【Item Synthesis】. 【Item Synthesis】 works by using the essence of base components, and is actually able to complement it with the mana in the environment to create an entirely new item. Using the same base components always results in the same item, and on occasion, 【Item Synthesis】 could fail, whether the combination was valid or not. This makes 【Item Synthesis】 risky, as the base components would be lost either way, and since invalid combinations would always fail, you wouldn’t know for sure if a combination in fact was invalid or just had a very low success rate. On the plus side, unlike 【Item Creation】, 【Item Synthesis】 doesn’t use your own mana.
【Magic Stone Synthesis】 actually works the same way, except it uses the essence inside the magic stone, and unlike 【Item Synthesis】, when a combination isn’t valid it won’t use up the magic essence, and when it is valid, thanks to 【Item Creation】 it will always result in a success, at the expense of one of the magic stones. It’s basically like those element combination games I used to play.
I had about 23 basic magic stones, which I collected from the horned rabbits. It was almost at the end of the horned rabbits season, so I decided to dedicate the last few weeks on hunting them as much as possible, to earn some extra money, and to get myself some magic stones. Since they were low rank requests, the chances were slim I would increase a rank, but at this point I just wanted to secure a steady income while also fulfilling one of my promises to Elverde.
I had the stones appraised. It would cost me one silver per stone, but that would be a small price to pay. From what I’ve learned, 【Appraise】 was a skill that could be learned, but it was hard to learn and even harder to master, and those that could teach it would ask a hefty price. At this point I had no choice but to hire somebody to do it for me.
In the end, I had mostly grade 1 and 2 magic stones, some were grade 3, and I had one grade 4 stone, all filled with basic essence. I decided to use the grade 1 stones to synthesise, but when I tried to use two stones, nothing happened. I guess it’s because two basic essences wouldn’t result in anything at all, and I needed more specialized essences. In order to test that, I decided to try a simple experiment and use 【Item Synthesis】 on a magic stone and a piece of wood. Unfortunately, it failed, and I was basically left with nothing. Even though this might have been a fluke and it was possible that it was a valid combination, I didn’t want to risk wasting too many magic stones.
My next experiment was trying to use 【Magic Stone Synthesis】 to combine a magic stone with a piece of wood. However, instead of it succeeding, I learned a new skill called 【Magic Stone Infusion】, a low level common skill that basically anybody could learn, even at a very young age. With this skill you can infuse any kind of magic stone with certain essences. The higher the quality of the magic stones, the higher the quality of the essence it could contain. That doesn’t mean the essence would automatically be of a higher quality, that’s still up to the skill user and the essence you’re trying to infuse.
For now though, these wood infused magic stones were useless. Unless I would use a significant amount of wood, the results would be an impure magic stone. Using 【Magic Stone Synthesis】 on two of these stones would lower the impurity, but it would still destroy one magic stone in the process. It would take approximately twenty magic stones to drop the impurity to a low enough level so that the magic stone would correct itself and make it a pure stone. This was going to be harder than I thought. For now, I’d have to find these magic stones myself. A lot of magical beasts and monsters contain magic stones that are infused with a certain type of magic essence, but for that I’d need to actually find those creatures.
So far I’ve only wandered through the fields, where the threat level is fairly low. Most of the time I would stumble across a horned rabbit, though on occasion there would be a fieldhog, pig-like creatures that aren't really hostile, and actually can fetch quite some money if caught alive. Sure, they’re still worth something if killed, but they make better farm animals. They also don’t have a magic stone, so they aren’t classified as monsters.
For now, I decided to just wing it on my own. This time, I wanted to check the forest. Even though the monsters there are a bit stronger, they’re still a recommended hunting spot for new and low level adventurers. Eventually my goal was to reach the goblin village that was deep inside the forest, though I knew that with my current experience, it wouldn’t be wise to venture too deep. Unlike in most fantasy stories, the goblins in this world aren’t considered monsters, and most aren’t hostile. Goblins actually fall under a certain race group called mobes, and this kingdom actually forbids hunting goblins or any of the races that fall under the mobes group. However, despite it being illegal, they do sometimes get hunted due to the high quality magic stones they produce. Some poachers actually do get away with it, either by claiming that the goblin was a bandit, which is valid grounds for killing someone in the first place, or that the stones belonged to another creature that has the same kind of magic stones. Since goblins are relatively weak, they make an easy target, often easier than other kinds of animals or monsters.
My main goal in this forest was to gain some levels fast, and to find a way to earn money quicker. Magic stones, especially high grade ones and infused with an essence other than basic, would fetch a lot, and apparently the goblins in this forest were pretty knowledgeable about magic stones. I just had to get stronger so that I could confidently reach the village.
It didn’t take me long before I had an encounter with a wild boar. Even though it seems to be closely related to the fieldhog, the wild boar is actually a monster, as it contains a magic stone. The wild boars in this forest generally are of a low level, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to kill one, but it did take some effort. For one, I had to dodge its attacks, mainly its dashes. One of the safest strategies was to remain behind them, and dodge as late as possible, preferably while standing in front of a tree. Fortunately its tusks weren’t big, and they weren’t sharp yet, but an animal as heavy as that would still hurt if I wasn’t careful, and it could still possibly crush my bones against the tree.
However, I stumbled upon a problem. The boar was now dead, but I still had to transport it. Unlike in many isekai series, using 【Storage Box】 isn’t as straightforward, and my above average strength in this world still had its limits. You’d still have to manually put the object inside the box. It wouldn’t have been a problem if I was able to place the opening horizontally, but unfortunately, it remained vertical. I decided to place the opening as close to the ground and push the boar through the opening. I even had to lift it up a little, which was a real pain, but eventually I had it stored. I only had to worry about taking it out again at the guild, but that was a problem that could wait until then.
After a few hours, I decided to return back to the guild. While my experience went up faster than before, it did wear me out quickly. Since it was still early in the afternoon, I planned on stopping by the guild, to ask where I could sell the boar and its materials. Since there weren't any requests for boars, I wasn’t sure what to do.
“You can sell them through the guild,” Lucille said. “We’ll always offer a steady price. You can also pay a fee to dismantle the boars, and sell the materials directly to a merchant willing to purchase them, in which case you can barter.”
“Sounds like hard work.”
“It is, but you often do get a lot more out of it. Even if you subtract the dismantling fee, the net gain would be significant. I’d recommend you give it a try.”
“Is it right for you to give me this advice? Won’t you lose from it?”
“Not really, most of our income comes from requests and donations from nobles. We do earn some from reselling the goods, but they often go to the various artisans first, since they also provide the equipment for our adventurers. Also, most merchants have no real use for raw materials, other than to sell it in other cities.”
Lucille explained to me that goods that are ready to be sold on the market are the things merchants look for, like meat or herbs. That’s not to say that merchants have no use for hides or magic stones, it’s more that there is just higher demand for certain products. It did seem tempting, but in the end, I decided to just leave it with the guild, since I didn’t feel too confident about going this route.
For now, I had to find other methods, one of which was visiting the goblin village. The best course of action for that was to just ask for directions. I could just head into the forest blindly, but then it’d take me a long time before I’d finally find it, if I’d even find it at all. For that, though, I did need a map of the area.
But even with a map, there was no way of actually getting there. Even with my higher constitution, it was still mentally draining. If I ever would want to stand a chance, I had to find companions to travel with, and since I didn’t feel like asking any of the other adventurers at the time, I decided on hiring a mercenary.
According to Lucille, the best place to get mercenaries was the slave trader, because of their good working conditions and treatment of their slaves and mercenaries. If anything were to happen to them, partial or full responsibility would fall on the customers. This might sound like a detriment, but in actuality it made the mercenaries a lot more motivated.
The owner of this establishment is named Elincia Celwind, a kind-looking lady. Even though she had the appearance of a woman in her twenties, she was actually around seventy years old. I would later find out that the average lifespan in this world was actually long, with most only showing signs of aging around 300 years. In fact, even if my life wasn’t reset to the age of 18, chances were that my body would still age back to my teen years anyway.
“Welcome to The Residence, we have slaves at your disposal, mercenaries for hire, and the finest equipment for sale.”
“You sell weapons?”
“Yes, of course. Customers who hire mercenaries often leave part of the spoils behind as extra compensation, for example, when our men, and women of course, get injured during a fight, though we only accept the best. Wouldn’t have any use for regular bronze swords, right?”
There was something about the way Elincia talked. It almost seemed like one of those women in these old detective movies. Not that I’ve seen them, but I do get the general idea of those stories. She looked really refined, yet also had an innocent look. She wasn’t some seductress, and there was a genuineness that made me trust her. There was also something mysterious about her, though I think that was merely how she would present herself in general. It was in the way she talked and the way she moved. It made you trust her, and gave you the impression that she’s innocent, cute, alluring and sexy at the same time.
“I bet you’d look a lot more sexy with glasses on,” I whispered to myself.
“Oh really?” she said. Her response surprised me, and I felt a bit embarrassed. “Well, that’s the first time I heard it. Lucky for you I do have a pair.”
As she put on her glasses, I immediately understood where her vibe came from. She was squinting a bit.
“What do you think?” she said.
“It looks good on you,” I said, a bit flustered.
“Well, I’m glad you liked it. It’s a bit hard to see without them, though I generally keep them off. Now, onto business, you want to hire a mercenary, am I correct?”
“Yes.”
“Lucille already told me about you, and I think I’ve got the perfect candidate for you. Rya, would you please come in?”
Not a moment later, a girl stepped into the room. She looked like a mix between a panda and a human, with panda ears and even a bit of a snout, though, most of her features were still that of a teenage girl. It was apparent that she was a slave due to the slave collar she wore.
“This is Rya Tedin. She’s a beastkin warrior who primarily does unarmed combat. She also has basic skills in dismantling.”
“Nice to meet you,” Rya said.
“Nice to meet you too,” I replied.
“Rya is the best warrior you can find within your price range, which is still pretty good, in fact, if she weren’t a slave she’d be in a higher range. Also she looks like a panda, isn’t that cute?”
“Aw geez, Lady Elincia,” Rya said while blushing.
“What’s the difference between a slave and a regular mercenary?” I asked.
“Slaves are cheaper to rent, because we only have to provide for their needs. They don’t need to get paid a salary, as they don’t have any property of their own. Of course, this can mean that they might lack in experience, but we always make sure that the slaves who do want to act as mercenaries are capable enough to do the job.”
“Lady Elincia takes good care of us,” Rya added, “so we don’t mind giving back to her.”
“So, Rya is a slave right? How come she hasn’t been bought yet? Are slave mercenaries not for sale?”
Elincia sighed. “Well, you got me with this. You see, normally we don’t have slaves this good as mercenaries, as there’s always a buyer for them. The problem with Rya is that she’s good enough to be a mercenary, but not seen as good enough as a slave.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, let’s leave it for another time. Who knows, maybe we’ll find a buyer for her pretty soon.”