Chapter 3
“…Well, then.”
I dismissed the display in front of me and looked at the fallen goblin.
It was my first time defeating a monster.
And thanks to that, my P had increased, too.
There were plenty of things I wanted to know.
But first, there was something I had to do.
“The proof of a kill is its ear, right?”
For monsters like goblins, you could receive a bounty by bringing their right ear to the Adventurers’ Guild as proof of the kill.
The receptionist had explained it as basic knowledge I needed to know if I was going to become an adventurer.
I drew my small knife.
As I approached, the smell of blood still lingered in the grass.
“…………”
I did feel a little reluctant, of course.
Even if it was a monster, it had been a living creature just moments ago.
Even so.
“This is part of the job, too.”
I cut off its right ear and wrapped it in a piece of cloth I had with me.
That took care of the proof of the kill.
All that remained was the body.
“I can’t just leave it here.”
If I left the smell of blood behind, it could attract wild animals or other monsters.
Adventurers came here to gather medicinal herbs.
I didn’t want to leave behind anything that might cause someone to get attacked.
Using a thick branch and a flat stone I found nearby, I dug into the ground.
“This is harder than I thought…”
After a while, I finally had a hole large enough to bury the goblin’s body.
I put the corpse in and covered it with dirt.
“That should do it.”
I stood up and brushed the dirt off my hands.
I’d only just become an adventurer.
There was still a lot I didn’t know.
But I could learn bit by bit.
“…First, I need to finish the request.”
I still had seven medicinal herbs.
Three more to go.
◇
After walking a little farther, I found one.
Then I found two more.
“All right.”
That made ten.
I checked each one individually.
The shape of the leaves.
The color of the stems.
The white flower blooming in the center.
There weren’t any similar-looking poisonous plants mixed in.
It should be fine.
I put the medicinal herbs in my bag and headed back to town.
On the way back.
“…………”
I looked down at my feet as I walked.
I really was faster.
It had been quite a while since I bought Agility Enhancement.
Even so, the effect hadn’t worn off.
I checked my ability information.
【Name: Allen Valdis】
【Strength: 20】
【Endurance: 20】
【Agility: 30】
【Magic: 18】
【Average adult: 10】
“Agility: thirty…”
It had been twenty to begin with.
Buying Agility Enhancement once had raised it to thirty.
And what’s more…
I could buy it again.
I had 130P right now.
Since one enhancement cost 30P…
“I can buy it four times.”
Four Agility Enhancements.
That would raise it from thirty to seventy.
“…………”
The average adult’s baseline was ten.
What would happen if I raised mine to seventy?
Just thinking about it made me want to try.
“No.”
I shook my head.
There was still a lot I didn’t know about P.
I knew that defeating monsters made it increase.
But I couldn’t count on conveniently running into monsters whenever I wanted.
And Recovery cost 50P.
“Just because I can use it doesn’t mean I should spend it all.”
I should keep some in reserve for when I need it.
That would be better.
I dismissed the display and headed toward town.
◇
By the time I returned to the Adventurers’ Guild, it was a little past noon.
There were fewer people than in the morning.
The woman who had handled my registration was at the counter.
“Oh, Allen-san.”
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back. Were you able to gather the herbs?”
“Yes.”
I handed her the bag.
The receptionist took out the herbs and checked them one by one.
“One, two, three…”
Before long, she had checked all ten.
“Yes, everything’s in order.”
“That’s good.”
“They’re in good condition, too. And there aren’t any similar-looking poisonous plants mixed in.”
“I knew how to tell them apart.”
“You know about medicinal herbs, too?”
“A little. I was taught at home.”
“I see.”
The receptionist nodded as if that made sense.
I’d been driven out of House Valdis.
But that didn’t mean I’d lost everything I’d learned there.
“That completes the medicinal herb gathering request. The reward is 5,000 Jenny.”
“5,000 Jenny…”
Until yesterday, I wouldn’t have thought much of that amount.
But things were different now.
From here on, I had to earn my own money to live.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
I took a cloth bundle out of my belongings.
“I defeated a goblin along the way.”
“A goblin?”
“I have proof of the kill, too.”
I opened the cloth.
The receptionist looked at the right ear inside and confirmed it.
“That’s definitely a goblin.”
“Do I still get a reward if I didn’t take a request?”
“Yes. Goblins are monsters that attack people, so you’ll receive a bounty if you bring in proof of the kill, even if you haven’t accepted an official extermination request.”
“I see.”
“For one goblin, the bounty is 3,000 Jenny.”
The receptionist did the math.
“The herb-gathering request pays 5,000 Jenny, and the goblin bounty is 3,000 Jenny, so…”
She handed me a pouch of coins.
“That comes to 8,000 Jenny altogether.”
“Eight thousand…”
I took the pouch.
It felt heavy in my hand.
The cheap inn where I’d stayed last night cost 3,000 Jenny a night.
I’d need money for food, too.
8,000 Jenny wasn’t a fortune.
If I didn’t work every day, it would be gone in no time.
“…………”
“Is something wrong?”
“No…”
I stared at the pouch.
This wasn’t money my father had given me.
It wasn’t House Valdis’s money, either.
I’d taken the request myself, gathered the herbs myself, fought the goblin myself, and earned this money myself.
“This is… the money I earned.”
It was the first money I’d earned toward making a living on my own.
“That completes your request.”
The receptionist said it.
At that moment.
【Your request has been completed】
“…!”
Letters appeared in front of me.
【You completed the F-rank request: Medicinal Herb Gathering】
【You acquired 20P】
“…………”
More messages appeared.
【First Request Completion Bonus】
【You acquired 100P】
【Your points: 250P】
“Two hundred and fifty…”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
“Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”
The receptionist couldn’t see it.
I focused on the display again.
There was no mistake.
My points had gone from 130 to 250.
“So requests make them go up, too…”
Defeat monsters.
Gain P.
Complete requests.
That gained me P, too.
“…………”
Now that I thought about it…
Wasn’t this an incredible match for adventurers?
I could earn Jenny and P from requests.
Defeating monsters earned me even more P and a bounty.
Then I could use that P to get stronger and take on higher-ranked requests.
“…I see.”
Adventurers and Membership.
They were an incredible match.
I couldn’t help smiling.
I’d been driven out of my home.
I’d become an adventurer so I could support myself.
At first, that was all there was to it.
But if I kept adventuring, I could become even stronger.
“Allen-san?”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Would you like to take another request?”
“Yes. That’s what I had in mind.”
“In that case, please wait a moment.”
The receptionist began looking for a request form.
While she did, I stepped away and opened Membership in a less crowded spot.
【Your membership rank: Bronze】
【Your points: 250P】
【Strength Enhancement: 30P】
【Endurance Enhancement: 30P】
【Agility Enhancement: 30P】
【Recovery: 50P】
“Two hundred and fifty…”
That gave me a lot to work with.
I could raise just my Agility over and over.
Or I could raise just my Strength.
But my abilities right now were…
【Strength: 20】
【Endurance: 20】
【Agility: 30】
【Magic: 18】
“I should start by balancing things out.”
I thought back to my fight with Gareth.
Even if I could move fast, my attacks wouldn’t land if I didn’t have enough strength.
And if my Endurance was low, taking a hit could be dangerous.
“One Strength Enhancement.”
【Purchase Strength Enhancement?】
【Required: 30P】
【Your points: 250P】
“Buy it.”
【You used 30P】
【Your points: 220P】
【Strength: 20 → 30】
“…Whoa.”
Power surged from deep within my body.
I could feel the difference from before just by clenching my fist.
“Next, Endurance.”
【Purchase Endurance Enhancement?】
【Required: 30P】
【Your points: 220P】
“Buy it.”
【You used 30P】
【Your points: 190P】
【Endurance: 20 → 30】
I checked my ability information again.
【Strength: 30】
【Endurance: 30】
【Agility: 30】
【Magic: 18】
【Average adult: 10】
“Thirty, thirty, thirty.”
Everything except Magic was now at thirty.
The average adult’s baseline was ten.
Compared to that, my numbers were quite high.
And I still had 190P left.
If I wanted, I could enhance myself even more, as many times as I liked.
“But I’ll stop here for today.”
I didn’t know what might happen.
At the very least, I wanted to keep enough P to use Recovery whenever I needed it.
I had just dismissed the display when it happened.
“Please. Could you look one more time?”
“…?”
I heard a voice from the counter a little ways away.
It was a girl’s voice.
When I looked over, I saw a girl clutching a staff in front of her chest as she spoke with another receptionist.
Her silver hair fell against her cheeks whenever she lowered her head.
Was she a little older than me?
She was dressed like an adventurer.
“Felicia-san.”
The receptionist looked troubled.
“I understand how you feel. But it would be dangerous to take on this request by yourself.”
“I know.”
“In that case…”
“That’s why I’m asking you to introduce me to a party.”
The girl called Felicia gripped her staff tightly.
“Three groups have already turned me down.”
“…………”
“But I’m an offensive mage. I can fight.”
“It’s not that I doubt your abilities, Felicia-san.”
“Then why…?”
The receptionist didn’t know how to answer.
Felicia lowered her head.
“…It’s because I don’t have enough firepower, isn’t it?”
“…………”
“I know.”
Her voice grew quieter.
“If they’re going to bring an offensive mage along, they’d rather have someone who can use stronger magic.”
“…………”
I found myself looking at her.
She reminded me a little of myself yesterday.
People judged your worth by the abilities you possessed, not by who you were.
“But…”
Felicia lifted her head.
“I want to take on higher-ranked requests, too.”
The receptionist let out a troubled sigh.
“It would help if you could team up with someone who fights on the front line, at least…”
“The front line…”
I looked at my waist.
I had a sword.
And I’d been looking for another request myself.
“…………”
I walked toward Felicia.
“Um…”
“…?”
Felicia turned around.
“Yes?”
“If you don’t mind teaming up with me…”
I took a breath.
“Would you like to take on a request together?”
“…Huh?”
Felicia’s eyes widened.