Newbie Village?

With the ten silver coins and the copper Adventurer's Guild tag Ishupe had given him, Hades headed to the wooden board on the first floor, which was covered in posted quests.

There were plenty of quests. After scanning them, Hades sorted them into a few categories: escort missions, monster extermination, exploration, and item gathering.

Monster extermination was a long-term quest commissioned by the Kingdom, though there were also some individual contracts. After looking them over, Hades felt that escort missions were probably the only ones he could handle right now. As for the others, he was still completely in the dark and had no idea how to go about them.

But even escort missions were beyond him. They had requirements for the number of participants, and at minimum, he needed a full adventurer party to accept one.

"Joining an adventurer party seems like the quickest option." Hades considered this. He didn't know his way around here at all, so he needed someone to show him the ropes.

Old Burke had told him that adventurers generally didn't linger at the Adventurer's Guild. Even if they hadn't picked up a quest, there were long-term contracts commissioned by the Kingdom. The pay wasn't great, but at least it provided some income. Unless there really was no work, no one would waste time hanging around the Guild.

But Old Burke's explanation had given Hades a lead. People who had only just become adventurers usually gathered at a cheap inn in the city. Lodging and meals were both inexpensive there, and he could find adventurers to form a party with.

Hades didn't waste a moment. He bought a map from the receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild. He hadn't expected even a map to cost one silver coin—almost as much as his lodging.

Still, having a map made things much easier. The one sold at the Guild marked many places adventurers might need, such as inns, markets, weapon workshops, supply shops, and the Magic Caster Guild.

That caught Hades's attention. Maybe he could learn about the powers of this world at the Magic Caster Guild.

Now that the YGGDRASIL interface had disappeared, all the data once represented by numbers was beyond his reach. But unlike a Warrior's, a Magic Caster's level and strength weren't difficult to gauge.

Since Tier Magic was used in this world, knowing the highest tier of magic someone could cast would give him a rough idea of their level. It would also help Hades figure out where he stood in this world.

The number of Super-Tier spells someone knew could also provide a rough measure of their strength. Magic Casters were easier to assess than Warriors.

The thought tempted Hades. Should he first visit the Magic Caster Guild to find out where he stood, or go to the adventurer inn to look for a party?

Hades looked up at the sun. It still hung high in the sky.

All right, I'll go to the Magic Caster Guild first. According to Old Burke, adventurers generally didn't hang around the Guild during the day, which meant they were even less likely to be at the inn. Even if he went there now, it would probably be empty.

Changing his destination, Hades followed the map's directions to the Magic Caster Guild, taking in the city as he went.

If he hadn't known this was the New World, he would have thought he'd stumbled onto a film set depicting medieval Europe. Most roads were packed dirt. A few of the wider streets were paved with stone, but the stones were sparse, and wagon ruts still marked the surface.

The houses were built mainly of stone and timber. The beautiful roof tiles showed that the city had a certain level of craftsmanship.

The residents seemed much better off than the villagers in that other village. Now and then, he even saw people dressed in silk. Judging by their skin and complexions, they were probably like him—freed from the need to work for a living.

Children ran carefree along the streets, their faces bright with innocence. It was so much better than the world he'd come from.

In his world, children often died of hunger or disease on the streets of the outer districts of the Arcology. He saw it even in the inner city: the children of illegal immigrants who couldn't survive in the outer districts and had risked everything to enter the inner city, only to meet a miserable end. City cleaners dragged their bodies off to the incinerators.

With the government in the hands of capital, these problems were almost impossible to solve. Capital had no such thing as a conscience. Hades had received a higher education and was deeply disgusted by this state of affairs, but he could do nothing about it.

All he could do was protect himself. Even the wealthy weren't entirely safe. In that rotten society, he could only look after himself and stay out of other people's business.

Seeing this place, though backward, full of life and unpolluted, Hades suddenly felt that maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

The sight of E-Rantel flourishing lifted Hades's spirits. The Sword of Damocles that had always hung over his head seemed to weigh a little less.

Following the map, Hades arrived at the Magic Caster Guild. He had expected something grander, but like the Adventurer's Guild, it was only a two-story building, and it looked a little run-down. It was quite different from the image of a mages' guild he'd formed from works of fiction.

When in Rome, Hades pushed open the double doors, which had a bell attached. The cheerful "Welcome!" that greeted him nearly made him think he'd come to the wrong place.

As Hades understood it, the Magic Caster Guild was supposed to be an exclusive club where mages gathered to study and discuss magic. But that "Welcome!" gave him the strange impression that he really had walked into an exclusive club.

Inside, Hades saw a huge counter. Two young women stood behind it; they had been the ones to greet him. They looked exactly alike—obviously twin sisters. Behind them stood shelves that covered an entire wall, piled high with scrolls.

Hades froze. Was the Magic Caster Guild actually just a place that sold scrolls? Still, he didn't mind. You could never have too many scrolls, as long as there was somewhere to restock.

"May I ask if you're looking to buy scrolls?" one of the young women asked with a smile.

Hades nodded. He had to admit, the receptionists here were much better than those at the Adventurer's Guild, both in their manners and their looks.

"May I ask what kind of scrolls you're looking for?" the other young woman asked.

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

"Just a moment." She reached beneath the counter and took out a leather-bound book. Sliding it across to Hades, she gave him a sweet smile. "This is a catalog of all the scrolls we have. Please take a look."

"Okay."

Without a second thought, Hades opened the book. It felt heavy in his hands, and its pages were as white as snow. One familiar spell name after another caught his eye.

They really were YGGDRASIL spells. Hades relaxed, but as he continued to flip through the pages, his brow furrowed. His pace gradually quickened until he reached the last page.

Hades looked up at the two young women, frowning. "Is this some kind of newbie village?"