63. Adventurer Guild 2
“Huh, never seen something glow so bright white before. And it’s blue-white?” Gregg said, voice tinged with surprise.
"Greg, it's been a while," Albert says, unusually initiating the conversation.
Oh, hey, Albert. You look lively.
"Yes. Thanks to you both. As for those two, please keep this confidential— they’re emissaries of the Goddess Firumia. Sophia and even High Priest Edward have confirmed it," Albert explained.
Gregg and Karen both blurted, “A disciple?!” in surprise.
That’s right. So, can you help us out? Those two are stronger than we are. So, shall we just say we passed the Guild exam?
And Aria took over the explanation.
"Ah, I see... If you're saying so, rank A, then I guess it's fine. Alright, I'll grant you both a mid-tier rank D start via Guild Master authority. Once you've completed a few escort missions, I'll bump you up to rank C."
And Greg says,
"Yeah, about that— I just finished escorting that merchant, Nagato. I rescued him from a monster attack on the highway and kept escorting him back to town. Didn’t you get the request notice?" Aria asked.
"Ah, Nagato came by yesterday. I’ll fetch the documents," Karen said, then handed them to Greg after retrieving them.
"...I see. Eliminated a whole swarm of Giant Boars. Guarded the town too. Then, both of you should start at Rank C. Rank C right after registration? That's pretty rare, isn't it?"
And Greg answered, scratching his head.
“Still here,” Shestia spoke this time.
“Huh? What is it? Miss Shestia,” Greg said.
“Shiro and the others have a huge stash of monster carcasses. They want to offload them to the Guild. Should earn some contribution points,” Shestia said.
“Huh? Monster corpses? Well then, let’s head to the disassembly facility.”
The group made their way to the disassembly shed behind the Guild.
“Lay them out here,” Greg said. The specialists inside the shed had gathered, startled—seeing the Guildmaster himself show up, and the presence of that “Obsidian Frostwind” among them.
“Got it,” Shiro said, and began piling out the carcasses of monsters they’d hunted so far.
““What?!””
Greg and Karen, the staff members, gasped.
The corpses laid on the floor weren’t ordinary.
“This is a Giant Hedgehog? A Giant Black Forest Boa? Dark Forest Wolves, Dark Gray Wolves—this many? And this—Giant Brown Forest Bear?”
The staff erupted in euphoria. Even though the town was near the Great Tree Forest, access to such materials was rare—almost impossible.
“Huh. I see. I’ll admit it—you’ve proven your worth. Can’t deny that after seeing this. Rank B… no, wait. With this much material, contribution points will be astronomical. I’ll grant you Rank A—same as Aria and the others.”
Greg said, shaking his head with a mix of disbelief and awe, letting out a long sigh. Then:
“Welcome to the Adventurer Guild of Sotohaim. Make the most of it. We’ll be counting on you from now on.”
Greg shook hands with Shiro and Mitoka.
Afterward, Karen handled the paperwork. They were officially registered, and received their Guild cards without a hitch.
"Infuse your magic into the Guild card," Karen said. Shiro and Mitoka did as instructed.
Incidentally, Mitoka’s magic was derived from Shiro’s, so both cards could be used by either of them—but Shiro and Mitoka decided to keep that quiet.
"Um, is there a Guild explanation?" Karen asked.
"Yeah, please," Shiro replied.
"Then…" Karen began explaining.
Regardless of which Guild one joined, this world had a set of universal Guild rules.
Rules applicable to all Guilds—adventurers, mages, merchants, and so on.
A Guild was an organization independent of any nation. Joining one meant you’d receive support and protection across national borders, to a certain extent. However, membership required verification of minimum standards—knowledge and ability. Without meeting these, you couldn’t join, naturally.
You had to follow the laws of the country you were staying in, and strictly adhere to the Guild’s behavioral code. This last part was crucial. In addition to the universal rules, each Guild had its own specific rules, which varied from Guild to Guild. The Adventurer Guild, for instance, had its own set of rules.
Becoming a Guild member meant you were considered to have sworn to abide by those rules.
— No conflicts between Guild members. Prioritize mutual aid.
— Prohibited: disruptive behavior within the Guild.
— Obligation to report findings made during adventuring.
— Obligation to accept and complete assigned quests.
— Rank system: G is provisional registration, F to A are standard ranks, and S is the highest. Quests available for acceptance depend on rank and class requirements. C and above allow for named requests.
Rank advancement is determined by a composite score based on the Guild Contribution Value required per quest, the rank of defeated monsters, and the cumulative value of delivered materials. Points are calculated accordingly, and eligibility for rank-up testing is granted based on those points.
Quests can only be accepted at the same rank or one rank above/below.
Canceling a quest mid-way incurs a penalty fee.
Be mindful of completion deadlines.
Party-based quest acceptance is limited to quests matching the highest rank among party members.
Quest types available are: standard quests, regular quests, and named quests.
Named quests are available at rank C or higher, and may be declined.
Forced quests—issued during emergencies or crises—cannot be refused by members of rank C or higher.
Failing a quest, refusing a named or forced quest, or fleeing without paying penalties results in point deductions. Continued deductions lead to rank demotion, expulsion, or a wanted status.
And so on.
“Anyway, for the rest—details and specifics—ask Aria and the others,” Karen concluded.
Afterward, Shiro and Mitoka completed the formalities to join the party “Ebony Icewind,” led by Aria, Shestia, and Albert. All necessary Guild procedures had been finalized.
Incidentally, Aria is the party leader of “Ebony Icewind.” Her strengths in interpersonal interaction, negotiation, communication, and combat prowess make her the most suited for leadership.
Shiro checked his Guild card.
Guild Certificate
Name: Shiro Kamikawa
Party: Ebony Icewind
Adventurer Guild Rank: A
Rewards/Punishments: None
"Um, so, about the payment for the monster material purchase—can I pay once the evaluation’s finished?" Karen asked, so Shiro
Ah, that’s fine. I’ll take it next time.
And so Shiro answered.
◇
"Hey, I heard the number of monsters has been increasing lately," Aria says.
"Yeah, that’s right. It’s not just increasing—more like exploding. Especially from the Great Tree Sea. Still within manageable limits, but we’re currently investigating what’s causing it," Greg replied.
“Also, there’s been a rise in sightings of giant boa clusters near the main road. The caravan attacked by Nagato-san’s group was also a giant boa cluster—so the Guild’s considering the possibility that a giant boa settlement might be forming,” Karen explains.
"Yeah, since you're all back, would you be able to take on a调查—or better yet, a bounty hunt? That’d be a big help," Greg asked Shiro and the others.
"Yeah... for now, just make a request form. Then we’ll discuss it together and decide," Aria replied.
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