Novice Village?

After taking those ten silver coins and the copper adventurer's badge that Ishupe had handed him, he walked over to the wooden board on the first floor that was plastered with quests.

There were many quests listed there. After a few glances, Hades categorized them into several types: escort quests, monster extermination quests, exploration quests, and item collection quests.

Among them, monster extermination was a long-term quest commissioned by the kingdom, though there were also some individual commissions. Hades looked them over and felt that the only ones he could handle right now were the escort quests. As for the others, he was still completely in the dark and simply couldn't manage them.

However, even for escort quests, he didn't meet the qualifications; they had requirements regarding the number of people, needing at least an adventurer party's configuration to accept.

Joining an adventurer party seems to be the quickest way, Hades thought to himself. Since he was a stranger in a strange land, he needed someone to lead the way and help him get familiar with things.

According to Old Burke, adventurers generally didn't linger in the Adventurer's Guild for long. Even if they hadn't accepted a quest, there were long-term quests commissioned by the state. Although the pay wasn't high, it provided at least some income. Unless there were truly no quests available, no one would waste time inside the guild.

However, Old Burke's introduction had pointed Hades in a direction: those who had just become adventurers usually gathered at a cheap inn in the city. The accommodation and meal costs there were very low, and it was a place where one could find adventurers to form a party.

Hades didn't delay for a moment. He bought a map from the receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild, though he hadn't expected a single map to cost 1 silver coin—it was almost as much as his accommodation fee.

Still, having a map made things much easier. The map sold by the guild marked many places that adventurers might use, such as inns, markets, weapon workshops, supply shops, and the Magic Caster's Guild.

This made Hades take a second look. Perhaps by going to the Magic Caster's Guild, he could learn about the power levels of this world.

Now that the YGGDRASIL interface had vanished, all data represented by numbers was impossible to discern. However, unlike a Warrior, a Magic Caster's level and strength were not as difficult to judge.

Since Tier Magic was prevalent in this world, as long as one knew what tier of magic was being used, one could roughly estimate their level, which would also make it easier for Hades to find his own standing in this world.

Furthermore, the number of super-tier spells could also be used to judge general strength; Magic Casters were more suitable for determining strength than Warriors.

This thought stirred Hades. Should he go to the Magic Caster's Guild first to understand his power ranking, or go to the adventurer's inn to find a party?

Hades looked up and saw the sun still hanging high in the sky.

Well, I'll go to the Magic Caster's Guild first. According to Old Burke, adventurers generally don't stay in the guild during the day, so it's even less likely they'd be at the inn. Even if I went to the inn now, it would probably be empty.

Having changed his destination, Hades set off toward the Magic Caster's Guild following the map's instructions, while simultaneously observing the city.

If not for the fact that he knew this was another world, he would have felt as if he had arrived on the set of a medieval European film. Most of the roads were packed dirt, with stones laid down on the occasional main thoroughfare, though they were sparse and still showed the ruts left by carriage wheels.

As for the houses, they were primarily built of stone and timber, and the exquisite tiles on the roofs demonstrated a certain level of craftsmanship.

The residents' clothing looked much better than that of the villagers in the village he had come from. Occasionally, he could see people wearing silk fabrics, and judging by their skin and complexion, they were likely people like him who didn't have to toil for a living.

On the streets, he could see children running about recklessly, their faces filled with a carefree spirit—this was far better than his own world.

In his world, in the outer districts of the Arcology, children often died from hunger or disease on the streets. Even in the inner city, one could occasionally see them—children of stowaways who had risked coming to the inner city because they couldn't survive in the outer districts, only to die miserably and have their bodies dragged to the incinerator by the city cleaners.

Because the government was controlled by capital, these problems were almost irreconcilable. Capital didn't have such a kind heart. As someone who had received a higher education, Hades felt a deep disgust for such social phenomena, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

All he could do was protect himself. Even if one was in the wealthy class, it didn't mean they were entirely safe. Because of that rotten society, he could only look out for himself and avoid meddling in others' affairs.

Seeing that although this place was backward, it was thriving and the environment wasn't polluted, Hades suddenly felt that this wasn't so bad after all.

Feeling refreshed by the thriving scene of E-Rantel, Hades felt the weight of the Sword of Damocles that had been hanging over his head lighten considerably.

Following the map's guidance, Hades arrived at the Magic Caster's Guild. He had expected it to be somewhat grander, but like the Adventurer's Guild, it was just a two-story building. The structure was even a bit dilapidated, which was a bit different from the impression he had of a Mages' Guild in literature.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Hades pushed open the double doors equipped with a doorbell, and a "Welcome" nearly made him think he had walked into the wrong place.

Based on Hades' understanding of a Magic Caster's Guild, it should have been a high-end club where a group of mages studied and discussed magic. But this "Welcome" gave him the illusion that he had truly entered a "high-end club."

After entering the building, what caught Hades' eyes was a massive counter. Behind the counter stood two young girls, and that "Welcome" had come from them. Their appearances were like they had been cast from the same mold—clearly twin sisters. Behind them was a shelf covering the entire wall, stacked with piles of scrolls.

Hades was stunned. Could it be that the Magic Caster's Guild was actually just a place that sold scrolls? Still, that was fine; one could never have too many scrolls, as long as there was a place to replenish them.

"May I ask if you are looking to purchase scrolls?" one of the girls asked with a smile.

Hades nodded. He had to admit, the quality of these receptionists was much better than those at the Adventurer's Guild, both in attitude and appearance.

"May I ask what kind of scrolls you are looking to purchase?" the other girl asked, taking over the conversation.

"What kind of scrolls do you have here?" Hades asked.

"Please wait a moment." As the girl spoke, she pulled a book with a leather-stitched cover from under the counter. She pushed it toward Hades and gave a sweet smile. "This is the catalog of all our scrolls. Please, take a look."

"Mm."

Hades didn't think much of it and opened the book to check. The book felt heavy in his hands, and the paper inside was as white as snow. Familiar magic names caught his eyes.

It really was YGGDRASIL magic. Hades felt relieved, but as he flipped through the pages, his brow began to furrow. The speed at which he was flipping through the pages gradually increased until he reached the last page.

Hades looked up, his brows knitted together as he asked the two girls, "Is this place a newbie village?"