An Adventuring Party

Grayrock Town's Adventurer's Guild was a three-story stone building.

Walking straight down the town's main road to the end, the brightly red-painted building directly across from the square was the Adventurer's Guild's local headquarters.

Above its pointed porch, the sword, shield, and staff banner representing the Adventurer's Guild fluttered in the wind, while adventurers constantly passed beneath it.

In over a year since arriving in town, Gauss had never gone inside. At most, he had sneakily cast an apparently casual glance through the doors whenever he passed by.

The reason the Original Body had not dared enter was not because the Adventurer's Guild imposed any identity restrictions on visitors, but simply because of his inferiority complex.

He had always felt that only capable adventurers and professionals could enter. He worried that casually stepping inside would invite questioning or strange looks from others.

Under the watchful eyes of two guards wearing fine light armor at the entrance, Gauss walked in as calmly as any other adventurer.

The first floor was a public hall, similar to the service halls of public institutions from Gauss's previous life.

The hall was crowded with people. Adventurers carrying all sorts of weapons and armor gathered in small groups, chatting among themselves.

"Nothing worthwhile today?"

"Last time I chopped at that Gnoll, it dulled my sword. The reward wasn't even enough to repair my weapon. What a loss."

"Goblins may look weak, but once there are more than three of them, it's a completely different matter. Be careful."

Gauss turned his head and surveyed the hall.

He even spotted quite a few non-human races, including Half-orcs, Gnomes, and Dwarves. Naturally, human adventurers were still the most numerous.

After moving his gaze away from the crowd, he looked over the surrounding facilities.

A semicircular counter wrapped around the hall, with several receptionists seated behind it.

Besides the consultation counters, the notice boards along the walls were covered with all kinds of quest information.

[Common Material Quest]

Submit: Ooze Core, obtained from Ooze monsters.
Reward: 3 silver coins per 5 Ooze Cores.
This quest is available long-term.

[Common Material Quest]

Submit: Bloodfang Fern. The plant must remain alive when submitted.
Reward: 50 copper coins per plant.

The quests covered several walls, leaving Gauss dazzled. He decided to head straight for the counter and ask about the procedures and requirements for accepting quests.

The young receptionist behind the counter was sweet-looking and stood with perfect posture.

"Hello. I'm receptionist Petra, employee number E21051. How may I assist you?" she asked brightly, her smile just right. She was clearly well trained.

"It's my first time here. What requirements do I need to meet to accept quests?"

"A new adventurer? Then you'll first need to register as an individual adventurer. Oh, right."

"The registration fee is one silver coin. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes." Gauss took a silver coin from his pocket, secretly relieved that he had sold the Goblin trinket a few days ago. Otherwise, he would not even have been able to afford the registration fee. That would have been embarrassing.

"Very well. Then please fill out this adventurer registration form."

"Thank you." Gauss took the form Petra handed him and quickly scanned it.

Besides his name, age, basic physical information, and permanent address, he also had to list the weapons or skills he was proficient in.

After filling it out truthfully, Gauss handed the form back to the receptionist.

"Then I'll register you now."

She quickly worked with both hands beneath the counter. A few seconds later, she took out a white badge.

"This is proof of your identity as an adventurer and your adventurer rank. You must present this badge when accepting or submitting quests in the future, so please keep it safe. If you lose it, it will cost one silver coin to have a replacement made."

Gauss accepted it and turned it over for a careful look. The diamond-shaped badge was made from a kind of white metal, its surface engraved with elegant plant patterns. The craftsmanship was quite decent.

"Miss Petra, I'd like to take on some combat quests involving Goblins. Preferably ones with fewer monsters." Having completed the formalities, Gauss got straight to the point.

The reason he continued to target Goblins was, first, that ordinary Goblins were among the most common low-level monsters. Second, it was simply a matter of familiarity. He had already killed one Goblin, so he felt more confident facing them again.

He had never fought other monsters before. Just from their names, he had no idea how strong they actually were.

"Goblins? Let me see." The receptionist pondered for a moment, then pointed Gauss toward one of the walls.

"There are some Goblin-related commissions posted on that wall, but their numbers are generally in the double digits or more. If there are too few of them, villagers usually won't pay to post a quest."

What Petra meant was that too few Goblins did not pose a threat to a village for the time being, so naturally there was no source for such quests.

After thanking the receptionist, Gauss headed to the area she had indicated.

Sure enough, this wall was covered with combat commissions, and the Goblin-related ones had thoughtfully been posted in an adjacent section.

[Common Bounty Quest]

Quest Reward: 10 silver coins.

Quest Description: The sheep pen in Stoneclaw Village has been attacked by a group of Goblins. Help the villagers kill the Goblin group lurking near the village. Their numbers are estimated at around 10–15.

Required Quest Item: Intact Goblin left ears.

Time Limit: 5 days.

[Common Bounty Quest]

Quest Reward: 50 copper coins per Goblin.

Quest Description: Assist the guards in clearing out and killing Goblins wandering along the main road from the town to Emerald Forest. This quest is available long-term.

Required Quest Item: Intact Goblin left ears.

Time Limit: Long-term

There were quite a lot of Goblin-related quests.

That was only natural. As the only Adventurer's Guild in the surrounding region, it received quests from every village and outpost within its jurisdiction.

And Goblins were among the most common of all monsters. Attacking villages and robbing caravans were their usual activities.

After looking through them all, Gauss could not help frowning.

Just as the receptionist had said.

There were no quests for lone Goblins that he wanted. Other than a few long-term quests with no exact locations, the Goblins causing trouble were generally groups of more than ten.

And at present, even though he had mastered a 0th Ring cantrip, Mage Hand, he still could not handle more than ten Goblins.

Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard a hushed conversation nearby.

He had not meant to eavesdrop. He had simply happened to hear the word Goblin as well.

"Birch Village is pretty far."

"Can we handle seven or eight Goblins?"

"Relax. Ordinary trash like Goblins? One arrow each."

The party speaking consisted of one man and two women, all of whom looked around eighteen.

The woman with long, curly brown hair wore fitted light armor, carried a bow on her back, and had a dagger tucked into the side of her tall boots. She had a sharp, capable air about her and seemed to be leading the conversation. With her hands on her hips, she encouraged her two companions.

The other girl looked far less imposing. She had short black hair with bangs level with her brows, shifty eyes, and two daggers at her waist.

The last member, a young man, leaned against a pillar with his arms folded and a blank expression. A longsword hung at his side.

Judging from their equipment alone, all three looked more impressive than Gauss. At the very least, they wore bright leather armor and light armor, and their weapons looked new and polished.

Though perhaps a little too new. There were practically no signs that they had seen long-term use.

Were they newcomers too? Gauss noticed that detail and silently wondered.

Had they already accepted a Goblin quest?

The Archer had a commission sheet in her hand.

Seven or eight Goblins was fewer than any of the quests on the wall. And if he joined a party, while his share of the reward would be smaller, it would also be relatively safer.

As a Mage, he definitely needed someone on the front line.

After thinking for a moment, Gauss stepped forward and took the initiative to greet them.

"Hello, my name is Gauss. I'm a new adventurer. Does your party still need another member?"