Volume 1 - CH 4

Chapter 4 – I Took The Registration Test At The Adventurer’s Guild

I had just finished trying on the armor and returned to my suit when there was a knock at the door. I answered the door and found the old man’s butler standing there.

“After lunch, the Grand Master will be leaving with his carriage. If it’s alright with you, Kou-sama, we can drop you off in front of the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Of course, there was no reason to refuse. I had just arrived in this city and had no idea where anything was.

After an early lunch, I got into the large carriage with Chrome-san.

As the carriage left the mansion, we soon approached the center of the city.

It was still just after ten o’clock in the morning, but the stores along the street were all packed with people. There were street vendors everywhere, shouting cheerfully.

In the plaza-like area, street performers were putting on a show, and the crowd was applauding.

It’s quite a lively place.

“Is there a festival going on today?”

I asked, and Chrome-san shook his head.

“No, it’s always like this in Aunen. It’s the biggest city in the area. There are rumors that so many people are moving here that they can’t expand the city in time.”

The city was surrounded by thick walls, so I wondered if this meant that they would have to expand the walls. It seemed like a lot of work.

The Adventurer’s Guild was located in the center of the city, near the large fountain square. The building was made of brick and looked very sturdy.

“Thank you very much, Chrome-san.”

“It’s the least I can do. …Oh, yes. Please take this.”

As I was exiting the carriage, Chrome-san handed me a small leather bag.

The bag was heavy despite its size. There was a clinking sound inside.

“Chrome-san, this is…?”

“Yesterday, Kou-sama carried the wagon’s luggage with your [Item Box], right? This is the reward for that. Please use it as a deposit to start your adventure.”

I opened the leather bag and found it filled with gold coins.

“It’s quite a lot of money, isn’t it? Are you sure?”

“Of course I am. You’ve done a lot of work, so you should receive a fair reward. …Well, to be honest, it would be great if you could become a patron of my trading company. I’m sure Kou-sama will eventually become a high-ranking adventurer, so this is an investment with an anticipation toward that time. Hahaha.”

Chrome-san laughed jokingly. He was probably trying to make it easier for me to receive the gold.

“I understand. I’ll try to give as much of this money as I can back to the Scarlet Trading Company.”

“Yes, by all means, please be our patron. Now, if you’ll excuse me. If you have any problems, you can always come to the mansion.”

“Thank you very much. Chrome-san, you can always call on me if you need my help.”

We shook hands as we said goodbye, and I got out of the carriage.

After seeing Chrome-san’s carriage off, I walked to the edge of the sidewalk and looked into the leather bag. There are a lot of gold coins inside, but how much are they really worth?

I activated the [Appraisal] function and immediately found the answer.

The total amount was 80,000 Komsa.

Komsa is a universal currency unit, and it seems that the value is about one Komsa = one yen. In other words, I was handed 80,000 yen out of the blue.

I don’t know whether to be grateful or sorry, but… I’ll try to use the Scarlet Trading Company as much as possible for shopping to repay the favor.

Now that the money issue is over… let’s go to the adventurer’s guild.

I opened the [Item Box] and put on the Armored Bear Armor. I also kept the stuffed head on my left shoulder. It looked incredibly intimidating.

When I touched it, its fur was surprisingly fluffy.

I opened the door to the Adventurer’s Guild and walked in to find a large crowd of adventurers gathered in the lobby.

Some of them had unusually long ears, beast ears, or tails. Apparently, there are elves and beastman in this world.

When I see this kind of thing, I feel like I’m really in a fantasy world, and I get excited.

There was a counter in the back, so I decided to head there.

…Hmm?

I suddenly noticed something strange.

The adventurers, who until a moment ago had been going about their business as they pleased, now kept their mouths shut and glanced at me.

Their appearance was like that of herbivores trying to get past predators.

I was wearing Armored Bear Armor to prevent them from taking me lightly, but I didn’t expect to frighten them.

“Hey, that’s an Armored Bear armor, isn’t it…?”

“Is that the ‘Bear Killer’ they’re talking about? You know, the one that beat up that shitty mercenary at the city gate…”

“I know that story. He showed the mercenaries the lifeless head of the bear and threatened them, saying, ‘This will be you in three seconds,’ right?”

Thanks to the《Hearing Enhancement A》granted to my armor, I can hear the whispering.

I heard that yesterday’s incident has already become a rumor among adventurers, but what is a ‘Bear Killer’?

Please don’t give me a strange nickname.

I mean, isn’t the story developing in a strange direction?

I indeed showed the bear’s head, but I didn’t threaten the mercenaries.

It’s just a rumor.

“What does the ‘Bear Killer’ want with the Adventurer’s Guild? Is he trying to beat us up?”

“If so, we’d all be dead by now. …Is he an adventurer by any chance?”

“If that’s the case, is his rank A or S…? Ugh, I’m curious.”

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m a new adventurer. The guild had three reception areas, but the middle one was empty.

There was a man sitting at the counter on the left, but he said, “Oh, I have a chronic illness…!”

I wondered if it wasn’t a chronic illness but cowardice.

All that remained was the counter on the right, where a petite girl was sitting.

She was probably in her late teens. Her chestnut brown fluffy hair was pulled to one side in a honey braid. Her golden eyes sparkled, giving her an impression of being lively. Her face was a little young, but she looked well put together, and she had an amiable smile on her face.

“Welcome to the Aunen Branch of the Adventurers’ Guild! Onii-san, you’re looking fabulous!”

Apparently, this receptionist is quite a big deal.

I wish someone who ran away from me because of a chronic illness or cowardice would learn from her.

I looked at the receptionist’s name tag and saw that it said, Milia.

“This is the general counter. What can I do for you?”

“Yes, I need to register as an adventurer…”

As I was about to ask her for help, I remembered Chrome-san’s advice.

Oops, I forgot that adventurers don’t use polite language.

“I’d like to register as an adventurer, is that okay?”

“You want to register?”

Milia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, I’m sorry… I thought you were an adventurer who had been active in another country.”

“No, I’m just a rookie. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“No, no, I just misunderstood you myself! Please don’t worry about it!”

Milia said and took out a sheet of paper from under the counter.

It says “Adventurer’s Guild Registration Application” on it.

“The first thing you need to do is fill out this form. After that, you will have to take a practical test.”

“Okay. Can I use the pen?”

“Sure. You can use it all you want.”

I took the pen and quickly filled out the necessary information. In addition to my name, age, and gender, I had to fill out some checklist options, such as “Do you have any chronic diseases” and “Do you have a criminal record?”

At the bottom of the form, there was an “Appeal” section, where you could freely write your best weapons and skills.

I thought about it for a while and then wrote down that I was not good at rough stuff.

“Is this okay?”

“Yes, let me check.”

Milia then read the application form and tilted her head at the last part.

“You’re not good at rough stuff… Um, you’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m serious. I don’t like to fight much if possible.”

“I-is that so…? I will accept this for now. The next step is the practical test. The instructor’s schedule is… Oh, he’s free at this time. What would you like to do?”

“What does the practical test do?”

“It’s a mock battle with the instructor. It is just…”

Milia thought about it for a moment and then told me awkwardly.

“The person in charge of today’s test is a former A-ranked adventurer. He always says he’s stronger than an Armored Bear, so it might be a little tough.”

* * *

Milia led me to the underground training ground.

Then, for some reason, a large group of adventurers followed behind us.

Hmm? What the heck is going on…?

As I tilted my head, I overheard the chatter of the surrounding crowd.

“‘The Bear Killer’ is taking the registration test?”

“Huh? Are you kidding me? A monster who can take down an Armored Bear one-on-one is a rookie?”

“Young people these days are so far from being human…”

“Since we’re here, let’s go observe the test. I’d like to see what he’s capable of.”

“Today’s instructor is… Oh, Gise-san?”

“He’s the self-proclaimed ‘stronger than Armored Bear’ guy, right?”

“But he’s really killed an Armored Bear, hasn’t he?”

“Let’s see who’s stronger…!”

“Since we’re here, how about a bet? I bet on the ‘Bear Killer.'”

“I think he’s gonna win, too!”

“Hey, hey, we can’t make a bet if we both have the same choice.”

I let out a small sigh as I looked at the excited adventurers.

It’s not a freak show, you know.

However, the “‘Bear Killer’ vs. the self-proclaimed ‘Stronger than a Bear’ guy” sounds like an interesting matchup, and if I were an adventurer, I would have probably joined the bet as well.

Before the instructor arrived, Milia told me about the practical test.

“Oh geez! You don’t have to beat the instructor in the practical test!”

Milia began to talk with the tension of a late-night shopping show. She’s amusing, isn’t she? I never get tired of watching her.

“As long as you can show the minimum level of competence as an adventurer, it’s okay to lose to the instructor. …Well, I have a feeling that Kou-san will win this one.”

“Well, I’m not going to let my guard down. I’ll give it my all.”

I took out the Hikino wooden hammer from my [Item Box].

It was a giant hammer. If I hit it correctly, it would crush any adult into a pulp.

I gripped the hammer, which was very heavy. It probably weighed over a hundred kilograms.

However, thanks to the Armored Bear Armor’s granting effect…《Monstrous Strength S+》, I was able to lift it with ease. Because I have the [Dexterity], I can use any weapon for the first time like an expert.

Nevertheless, I wanted to try out the weapon at least once.

I held the hammer over my left shoulder and took a full swing… like a baseball bat.

Whoosh!

The wind pressure was quite strong, and the adventurers in the surroundings began to make a lot of noise.

“Wow…! How can he swing such a heavy-looking hammer so lightly…!”

“That’s the ‘Bear Killer’ for you, isn’t it?”

“Today’s instructor is dead…”

The next thing I knew, the mood in the training area was like that of a wake.

That was when the instructor appeared.

He was a middle-aged man, wearing silver-rimmed glasses.

“So you are the ‘Bear Killer’ everyone is talking about, huh? I hear you’re pretty strong, but you’re still young. I’ll show you that there is always someone better than you.”

As he said that, the instructor took off his glasses and picked up a wooden sword that was placed at the edge of the training area.

He looks like a seasoned veteran, and I’m sure he’s quite skilled. This is an opponent I can’t let my guard down against.

The instructor and I faced each other at a distance of about five meters.

We were surrounded by a crowd of spectators.

“Then you two, are you ready!”

Milia shouted excitedly.

“Let the test begin!”

As I lifted the hammer, I looked at the instructor. The instructor held his wooden sword in front of him and said with a relaxed expression on his face.

“This is not a contest, but a test. You can attack me whenever you want.”

“I understand. Then I’ll take your word for it…!”

I kicked the ground and started to run, and with the momentum I had, I swung the hammer full sideways. However, the instructor jumped back and avoided the attack by a paper-thin margin.

“Your attack is too wide. There are too many gaps.”

The instructor grinned and swung his wooden sword down as a counterattack. But that’s exactly what I’m aiming for.

I activated my [Item Box] and stored the hammer.

Since I let go of my weapon, my body became lighter. I jumped sideways and quickly avoided the instructor’s slash.

“…What?”

The instructor’s eyes widened in surprise.

Now is the chance.

I took out my hammer again from my [Item Box] and took a second full swing.

Smack!

With a pleasant sound, the instructor’s wooden sword snapped in the middle. The top half of the sword flew into the air and fell to the ground.

“That’s it!”

Milia’s voice rang out energetically.

“This match was won by Kou-san!”

The testing room was silent for a while, but then it was filled with loud cheers.

“Wow! That rookie has beaten the instructor!”

“Not bad. As expected of the ‘Bear Killer’!”

“That was an interesting match!”

The instructor put down his broken wooden sword and approached me with a smiling face.

“I’m completely defeated. Nice work, Kou-kun.”

“Thank you, sir. You are not hurt, are you?”

“Of course. By the way, the skill you used was [Item Box], right? I never thought there was a way to use it like that. The world is really a big place. I learned something. Thank you.”

The instructor said that and held out his right hand. I extended my right hand to shake his.

“You have passed the test. I expect great things from you in the future.”

“Congratulations, Kou-san! You were very cool!”

Milia shouted, and the rest of the crowd applauded and congratulated me on my success.

And so…

In this lively welcoming mood, I took my first steps as an adventurer.