CH 1

Chapter 1: 18th Counter

There wasn’t any form of entertainment in my village.

I just repeat the same pattern every day, taking care of livestock and doing fieldwork.

It’s not that I don’t like doing it, but I wanted to do something just a little bit more exciting in my life.

One day, a traveler came to the village.

The traveler had a floral pattern on the back of his hand and he was something called an adventurer.

“Uncle, what’s an adventurer?” (Jade)

“Kid, you don’t know what an adventurer is? You see, being an adventurer is the most dangerous job in the world.”

T/N: Side characters (with no names or who have yet to be introduced don’t get name tags until they do)

“The most dangerous in the world?!” (Jade)

To the curious me, the uncle happily told me everything I wanted to know.

In this world, there are things called monsters and adventurers risk their lives to fight these monsters.

A dragon that breathes fire.

A giant as big as a mountain.

And a sea dragon living under the ocean.

He fought deadly battles against such terrible monsters, was praised by a lot of people, and exchanged drinks with his comrades.

“Adventurers are scary…”

”Let’s never leave the village…”

My friends who were also listening to the story next to me were trembling in fear, but I was different.

“I’ll become an adventurer too! I’ll become one right now!” (Jade)

I couldn’t help but be excited about the adventures I could never experience in this village.

As an adventurer, I want to travel around the world, engage in thrilling battles with monsters, be known as a hero, and engrave my name—Jade—in history!

“Hey, brave kid, do you really want to become an adventurer that badly?”

“Yes, I do!” (Jade)

“How old are you, kid?”

“Ten!” (Jade)

“Then, you have to wait two more years. After that, you can become an adventurer.”

It appears that anyone at the age of twelve can become an adventurer.

The problem is… convincing my family.

Sure enough, my father and mother were vehemently opposed to my wanting to get a dangerous job like an adventurer.

“Fine, fine. I won’t be opposing your decision anymore.” (Father)

“You must make sure to survive, okay?.” (Mother)

After two years of convincing them, I finally managed to get their approval.

Between that day and the time I had to leave, time seemed to pass so quickly.

You can be an adventurer once you’re twelve but I wanted to become an adventurer so badly, even a day sooner, so I left the village before I turned twelve.

I arrived in the capital on the day of my 12th birthday.

I didn’t actually need to go to the capital to become an adventurer. There was also a guild in one of the towns on the way here.

But, no matter what, I wanted to get my first request from the country’s best guild.

“Excuse me…!” (Jade)

I entered a majestic, towering building.

As expected from the best guild in the country. I could already tell from the outside, but the inside is also quite spacious.

The counters were positioned by the wall and strong-looking adventurers were lining up in front of them.

I want to hurry and get my request too!

But before that, I have to register, right?

“Excuse me, I want to become an adventurer!” (Jade)

I called out to the onee-san (big sister) at the front counter.

It looks like I was right. The onee-san looked at me with a smile.

“Hello, little adventurer. There’s a registration fee of 10,000 Gol to become an adventurer, do you have it?”

“Yes, I do!” (Jade)

To me, 10,000 Gol is a lot of money, but if I can become an adventurer, then it’s a cheap price to pay.

By paying 10,000 Gol to the onee-san, I was left with only 3,000 Gol.

The price of the inn where I was staying before coming here was 3,000 Gol per night. It may be more expensive here in the royal capital.

If I don’t clear a request by the end of the day, I may end up having to sleep outside.

Sleeping outside is just another common thing for an adventurer so it doesn’t really matter to me.

“Then, can you please write your information here?”

“Yes! Um…” (Jade)

Name: Jade Finks

Age: 12 Years Old

Birthplace: Cassado Village

Floral Crest:

My hand stopped at the Floral Crest (Flower Rune) (フラワールーン) field.

I still don’t know what my Floral Crest is.

When I was troubled, the onee-san took out a crystal ball.

“Can you place your dominant hand on this?”

I did as I was told. I felt something hot on the back of my right hand and a pattern emerged.

It was a flower-bud-like pattern.

“This shape is… the crest of the Reinforcement System (Balancer) (強化系バランサ).”

“Reinforcement…” (Jade)

T/N: The manga states his class as just “balancer” (バランサ) in the raws, but the translators put it as “enhancer” for anyone coming from there, it makes more sense but I’ll just stick with the official name.

“I’m sorry it’s not the attack system…”

The sister tried consoling me.

The Floral Crest which is the proof of being an adventurer has four systems: The “Attack System (Attacker) (攻撃系アタッカー)”, “Defense System (Guardian) (防御系ガードナー)”, “Reinforcement System (Balancer) (強化系バランサー), and the “Auxiliary System (Support) (補助系サポーター)”

T/N: It actually says Defense System (Gardner) but consulting with other people, they agree it’s just a typo since being a gardener wouldn’t make sense so I just made it something closer, though Defender also works.

And so, the adventurer’s flower shape decides what kind of attack they can use. The attack system can do some really flashy magic.

As the onee-san said, my ideal is actually the Attack System.

But, it’s not like I dislike the Reinforcement System.

“About this Floral Crest… if I defeat monsters, then the flower will bloom, right?” (Jade)

“Mhm. That strong-looking onii-san (big brother) over there and that strong-looking onee-san over there were also in the same bud class as you at first.”

There were four petals on the onii-san’s hand and amazingly, there were five petals on the onee-san’s hand.

“Wow… So those are experienced adventurers…” (Jade)

To make the Floral Crest bloom, you have to defeat monsters.

When you defeat monsters, they release this black smoke called “Ether”. The smoke gets sucked into the Floral Crest and makes it grow.

At first, it’s just a flower bud, then one petal will grow, and then two. The power of the Floral Crest increases with each petal.

If you manage to get eight petals, then you’ll become a hero.

After a fierce and bloody adventure, I’ll become a hero too!

“Do your best and make your flower bloom, little adventurer.”

“Yes! I will do my best!” (Jade)

After receiving some encouragement from the onee-san, I could finally head to the counter.

As expected of the best guild in the country, there were so many counters. I don’t know which one to go to.

Well, the quest’s contents are pretty much the same, aren’t they? I also want to go on an adventure as soon as possible so let’s go to the fastest one.

Let’s see… The shortest line is here.

I lined up at the 18th counter.

The line kept moving so my turn arrived pretty quickly.

I’m finally about to start my bloody and exciting adventure!

“Nice to meet you, I’m Jade! I’m here to receive a quest for a bud-class…” (Jade)

I took a deep breath. I was doubting my eyes.

…She was insanely cute, the receptionist onee-san.

Her blue hair and her sleepy eyes.

Her skin was white like milk and she had a youthful beauty.

The moment I saw her, the word “Adventurer” disappeared from my head.

At the same time, the “bloody and exciting adventure” also disappeared.

Furthermore, the words “Hero”, and “Rise” have vanished without a trace.

T/N: He actually narrates this as “three syllables, bo-ken-sha, two syllables, ei-yuu, etc. but it won’t work in English so I just omitted it.

Right now, I can only think of her—Garnet-san (that was the name written on the nametag on her chest.)

“These are the quests for the bud-class.” (Garnet)

Garnet-san showed me the list.

She talked with a clear voice and a calm expression.

My face is heating up and my heart is beating so fast.

It’s the first time I’ve ever felt this nervous…

“Ah.. Um… Then, h-how about this?” (Jade)

“A slime subjugation quest. When you complete the quest, please bring the slime’s magic stone to this counter.” (Garnet)

“I got it!” (Jade)

I want to clear this quest as soon as possible!

I also want to talk with Garnet-san more!

You can only have work conversations at the counter, but we should be able to get along with each other as we meet more and more!

I ran out of the guild and was running through the streets of the royal capital.

“Oh, right.” (Jade)

I just got a Floral Crest so I can use magic now.

I want to clear the quest as soon as possible so I’ll try to strengthen my physical ability.

I want to strengthen my legs!

When I thought about it so strongly, my legs felt hot. There weren’t any big changes, probably because I was still a bud-class, but I definitely became faster than usual.

It wasn’t anything exaggerated like being as fast as the wind, but I was definitely running at the speed of an adult.

While I was running on the road outside of town, there was a translucent fluffy thing in the grass a little ways away from the road.

It was a slime.

I pulled out the dagger that my father gave to me and slashed against the slime’s jelly-like body.

Puyon~

T/N: For anyone with recommendations for onomatopoeia, feel free. JP onomatopoeia is hella broad so I just type them as is.

My attack was repelled.

Hmm… I don’t feel like my attacks are working.

“Huh?” (Jade)

Looking closer, I could see a stone about the size of a fist inside the slime.

Ah, right. monsters have a core inside them, a magic stone, and if you destroy it, they’ll die instantly.

If I damage the magic stone, the reward will decrease but money doesn’t matter right now.

I just want to hurry up and chat with Garnet-san!

“Take this!” (Jade)

This time, I didn’t try to slash at it like I did before. I stabbed at its core with my dagger. The dagger pierces the slime and hits the core.

At that moment, the slime became all bubbly before disappearing. Black smoke also came out of it.

Ether.

T/N: I couldn’t find a good translation for it 魔素 so I just used what they did in the manga.

The ether is a source of power for the monsters. They’re invisible to the eye, but they definitely float around in the air.

The more powerful the monster, the more ether they’ve taken in their body. The powerful monsters typically dye black when they’re defeated but because the slime is weak, only a little bit of the ether came out.

Anyway…

“Alright! I can talk to her now!” (Jade)

The request has been fulfilled! I can talk to Garnet-san with this!

I picked up the magic stone and headed back to the guild’s 18th counter where Garnet-san was stationed.

“T-this! I’ve brought it back!” (Jade)

“Name please?” (Garnet)

“It’s Jade!” (Jade)

“Please wait for a moment… It’s a slime subjugation quest. May I see the stone?” (Garnet)

Garnet-san grabs the magic stone with her right hand.

There was a floral pattern floating on the back of her hand.

It looks like the Auxiliary System is used to judge whether the magic stone is genuine or fake.

The appraisal ended after just a few seconds, and she placed a coin on the table.

“This is the reward. Since it is damaged, the reward will be half of the original price. According to the rules of the guild, it will be 500 Gol.”

“Thank you very much! N-now, I’d also like to accept another quest.”  (Jade)

“These are the requests available for the bud-class.” (Garnet)

“Then, I choose this!” (Jade)

I took the same slime subjugation quest as before, cleared it, and returned back to the 18th counter where Garnet-san was, received the same quest, cleared it again, and then went back to the 18th counter.

The next day, and the day after that, I continued taking quests without taking a break.

In order to get along with Garnet-san better, I keep taking quests whether it’s rainy or windy.

Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter. Receive the quest, clear it, and go to the 18th counter …

Before I knew it, 10 years had passed.