3: Chapter 3: Adventurers

Chapter 3: Adventurers

1

The two had finally reached the guild, it was unexpectedly quiet, and yet they felt intimidated for some reason 

Ariel who stood behind John, while she grabbed onto his clothes. Looked like a younger sister. 

"Are you nervous?" John asked. 

"a bit..." Ariel replied as she nodded. 

"Don't worry, you'll be fine, They're adventurers, not brutes." John said. 

"Okay..." Ariel nodded as she let out a sigh. 

[Looks like we're really doing this...] John wondered. 

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The two had walked throughout the city, looking for ways to get food, but found nothing. 

John had attempted his plan on stealing from one of the food vendors, but they were unexpectedly strong. So strong, that he was surprised he managed to get away with just a few bruises and no broken bones. 

With no other choices left, the two had given up before they overheard a few adventurers talking about quest rewards. 

They then followed the adventurers and ended up in front of the guild. 

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[What a strange way to end up in one of these places.] John thought.

They walked inside and headed towards the receptionist. They could feel quite a few gazes on their back. But it was expected, it wasn't every day that you see two kids walk into a guild 

Either way, John was unexpectedly excited. The guild looked normal, just like you'd expect from something of the era. There were wooden tables and chairs around the guild. People were drinking and sitting in groups, making one think that they were most likely people of the same party. 

Naturally, when you think of adventurers, you think of a party; forming a party, conquering quests and going on an adventure with your comrades. 

After they reached the receptionist. John curiously gazed at Ariel to see how she was acting, but she was rather calm. 

[Good.] 

The receptionist stared at John, and Ariel before she asked. "How may I help you?" 

"We'd like to register as adventurers within the guild." John answered.

"You are aware of the risks, right? The guild holds no responsibilities for death of the members," she declared 

"Yes, would you please give me a list of the rules and how the ranking system works?" John asked. 

The receptionist let out a short sigh before her expression changed from a cold one to a soft one. "Are you sure you want to be adventurers?" 

John then understood that the receptionist was worried about them.

"Yes, besides, we don't have a choice," John replied. 

Understanding what they meant, the receptionist let out another sigh as she said 

"Alright, Fill this form in." 

The lady handed John the form and, in an instant, he froze up. 

He couldn't read it, much less understand the letters. Hell, they didn't even look like anything like the ones he knew. 

John hadn't considered the possibility that he wouldn't be able to read. He had thought that since they managed to communicate, the language writing would be the same as the one in his previous life. 

"Um... I haven't been taught to read or write, so could you write the details down on my behalf?" John nervously asked. 

"Ah, of course. How old Are You?" The receptionist questioned.

John wasn't sure of his exact age. He wondered if he should go for 12 or 13. 

Ariel, who noticed that he was struggling to answer the question, replied. 

"We're... twelve" 

"Okay" The receptionist replied.

After the receptionist wrote that down, she asked other personal questions, which John answered to the best of his ability. She then repeated this process with Ariel. 

"Alright. That's all I needed. Your form has been submitted, your guild cards will be ready in 2 days. Before that, you are still allowed to do quests, as long as they aren't above F rank. I'll explain the rules." The receptionist stated.

"Please do," John said.

"As an adventure, you are required to complete quests. If you don't complete a certain number of quests within the time frame, your guild membership will be revoked." The receptionist explained.

[That makes sense... There's no point in having inactive members within the records] John thought.

"The quests you are limited to are dependent are your ranks. For example, the lowest rank is currently G, and the Highest is S. Someone of Rank G is only able to do quests up to rank E in difficulty. In other words, only 2 Ranks higher at maximum." The receptionist explained further.

[I guess it's so that newbies won't try accepting a quest which is impossible for them to complete.] John guessed.

"And lastly, fighting between members is prohibited. They are only allowed with the consent of both parties. For example, a duel. However, self-defence is another thing, if you're attacked you're allowed to fight back." The receptionist spoke.

[That means it's possible to get framed, as long as the attacker knows how to control the evidence.] John concluded.

"I see. Thank you for the explanation." John respectfully replied.

"I'm only doing my job. You're quite well-mannered." The receptionist praised.

"Thank you... Um, if you don't mind.. I have a few more questions..." John said.

"Sure, what are they?" The receptionist asked.

"Does magic exist in this world? And if possible, how does one use it?" John questioned. 

[If I was going to survive in this world, then something like magic would be a necessity. In most books that I've read, fantasy-type worlds tend to have magic in them.] John remembered.

Magic existed, This was naturally due to the existence of monsters which could manipulate elements. If monsters could, then it would only be fair if humans could have adapted to such an ability. 

"Yes, but it's strange... Even if you haven't received an education, you should have heard about the existence of magic..." The receptionist muttered with a worried expression. 

"Haha... I actually lost my memories and have no idea of who I am.." John answered.

The receptionist let out a brief sigh before explaining,

 "Magic is the foundation of this world. It's everywhere. Those with an aptitude are able to feel it as long as they concentrate. I'm not able to use magic, so I'm not too sure about the details. But from what I've heard, magicians gather the mana within their body. Imagine the spell that they want to cast and complete a chant for a specific spell before casting it. That is what people refer to as magic." 

John was rather impressed. Magic worked in a rather simple way. He had thought it'd be more complex, and he'd have to draw runes or circles on the floor. 

"Mana is a person's life force and the magical energy that is found within them. Each person's amount differs and it can be trained." The receptionist added.

[Magic huh...] 

"Hehehe..." John unintentionally let out. 

"Um.. are you okay?" The receptionist asked with concern. 

"Hm? Ah, I'm fine, sorry imagining how fun it would be to use magic." John replied.

"About that... You shouldn't get your hopes up. In our kingdom, finding people that can use magic is uncommon. That is because to find someone to teach you, you'll have to have a lot of money. That's why it's usually only nobles who are able to succeed in the profession of magic." The receptionist whispered. 

[Damn it... If I can't use magic, how will I complete Quests...? Surely not with this body...] John thought.

"However, most Swordsmen and adventurers who do have an aptitude, use mana to strengthen themselves." The receptionist explained further.

[So, anyone can use mana to strengthen themselves, but using magic is different because they need to learn the actual spell. If strengthening myself through the use of magic is possible. Then if I'm able to do that, I should be able to fight monsters despite having such a small body.] John inferred.

John seemed rather content with the overall information. Before entering the guild, he had no idea of how he was going to survive in such an environment, but now he had an idea in mind. 

"There are 6 types of elements: Light, Darkness, Water, Fire, Wind, Earth. Most people can only use 1 element, let alone 2. There also exist unique types of magic but those are very, very rare." The receptionist spoke.

John was curious about the city but decided to keep it in. 

"I see... Thank you very much for spending your time to explain this all to me." 

"You're very welcome. If you look to your right, you'll see a board at the end of the building. That's the quest board. If you're interested, you can search for a quest you'd like to complete. Since you can't read, just search for anyone containing these letters on the top." The receptionist spoke.

The receptionist then showed him 2 different letters, which appeared to represent F and G in writing. 

"Thank you" John said 

John was relieved that he had been able to become an adventurer without any difficulties. He thought he'd be discriminated against or wouldn't be allowed to become an adventurer due to his age and clothes, but luckily, that wasn't the case. Or maybe it was unlucky. 

"Let's hope everything goes well..." John quietly muttered as he looked towards Ariel. 

"Yeah..." She muttered 

While they walked towards the board, they took a few looks around. The adventurers are sitting at tables with what appears to be members of their party. Most of these parties were pretty balanced. 

They each had at least one-person that was in full body armour and carried a shield, most likely a tank while the others were swordsmen. 

It was to be expected, they were adventurers after all. 

[I need to make a party and that too fast. As for the positions, I'd probably go as a mage if I was lucky enough.] John thought.

They didn't have a party, and John wasn't betting any chances on either of the party's here allowing them in. 

[Damn it... If you're going to reincarnate me, at least give me some sort of handicap.] John cursed inwardly.

After They arrived at the board, John looked around for sheets which had the letters he had been shown and he picked one from within those. 

He then took it over to the receptionist and she showed a relieved look. 

"This is a quest to go collect medicinal herbs on the forest outside of the city" 

[Sounds simple enough. Despite being big, it was quite easy to find your way around this city. And most likely after I exit I'll get to see new things.] John thought.

As if she had read his mind the receptionist said "The quest may be simple, but the reason why it's a quest is that there are monsters in the forest. Don't drop your guard and stay alert." 

"Yes. I'll take these warnings seriously," John replied promptly.

"The reward for this quest is 1 Silver per herb. This is a drawing of what they look like, and they're pretty common throughout the forest. The reason the reward is high is because of the danger. Don't forget!" The receptionist spoke. 

"Understood, Ariel, let's go." John said. 

Ariel nodded, and John took the sheet which had the drawing. 

"Well then, let's go complete our first quest." John declared.

"Okay." Ariel said as she nodded. 

Ariel was quiet, but John didn't particularly mind that, in fact, he preferred it if she remained quiet rather than complaining all the time. 

[It's good that she found her resolve. However, heading into a forest without a weapon is suicide. What should I do?] John pondered. 

As John turned around to head to exit the building, he was stopped by the receptionist. 

"Take this. I'm sure it'll be of use." The receptionist spoke. 

She then handed them a Short dagger. It appeared to be made out of Iron and was light so John had no trouble holding it. She gave one each to the both of them. 

"Are you sure?" John asked 

"Yes, it's just a few daggers. They're cheap and easy to find at any blacksmith' inn." The receptionist replied. 

"Very well... I am very grateful." John thanked wholeheartedly.

"Make sure you pay me back." The receptionist said with a bright smile on her face. 

[I guess this was her way of telling me to come back safely?] John thought.

Seeing this, a smile was formed on John's face as he muttered. 

"I'll be back to return this, don't worry." 

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