Mill Town

Walking along the country road, Rain could already make out the outline of Mill Town.

To the north of Mill Town stretched a range of mountains. To the northwest stood the famous Lancot Snow Mountain, its peaks towering into the clouds. Even on the hottest summer days, everything above its slopes remained covered in snow.

It was said that rare herbs grew across Lancot Snowfield, which was also home to Snowmen and Winter Wolves.

Southwest of Mill Town lay rich copper deposits. Among them, Azure Mine Cave was the Soradin Kingdom's largest source of copper. But after a century of mining, its tunnels had grown so complicated that miners vanished there every year.

Rumor had it that more than one Kobold tribe had settled deep inside Azure Mine Cave.

That was why Mill Town had so many Adventurers despite being far inland.

With monsters, herbs, and minerals in abundance, plenty of Adventurers naturally came to earn gold and complete jobs.

Oak Village was not far from Mill Town—about two hours on foot—so Rain had decided against taking an ox cart.

The Adventurers' Association outpost in Mill Town was the closest one to him.

As a small town in the heart of the kingdom, Mill Town had no defensive walls to speak of.

Following his predecessor's memories, Rain walked down the main street. He had meant to go straight to the Adventurers' Association, but one look at the pitchfork in his hand made him reconsider.

Instead, Rain headed to the Oak Inn first.

Before long, a spacious three-story building came into view. The words "Oak Inn" stood out above its entrance.

Inside, Rain found a counter straight ahead. The hall to the right appeared to be a dining area, where quite a few travelers were enjoying breakfast.

Behind the counter stood a kindly woman of around forty, wearing a white apron.

"Hello, I'm looking for Ms. Rona," Rain said, getting straight to the point.

"Hello, young man. I'm Rona."

"Hello. I'm Rain from Oak Village. Village Chief Kyle sent me."

"You're from Oak Village? Rain... I remember you. You're Old Henry's..." Delight flashed in Rona's eyes.

After all, she had come from Oak Village herself.

After they exchanged a few pleasantries, Rain secured long-term use of a room with a large bed at the Oak Inn for the bargain price of just sixty copper coins a month.

At first glance, that was not much cheaper than a standard room at two copper coins a night. But Rain's rate included three meals a day.

That made it quite a bargain.

With his food and lodging settled and his luggage put away, Rain stopped by a blacksmith's shop on his way to the Adventurers' Association.

The weapon shop offered a wider selection, including some high-end goods brought in from elsewhere, but Rain's budget was limited.

After a glance at the rather upscale-looking weapon shop, he turned instead to the cheaper blacksmith, whose wares were only slightly lower in quality.

For now, it was his best option.

Half an hour later, Rain emerged from the blacksmith's shop looking like a new man.

The pitchfork was gone. In its place was a spear with a sharp-looking iron tip.

A one-handed sword hung at his waist, and he carried an iron-rimmed round shield in his left hand.

He looked rather more like an Adventurer now.

The purchases had cost him most of his money, though.

The iron-rimmed round shield was the cheapest. Apart from the iron around its edge, it was oak, and cost only seventy copper coins. The spear was pricier at two silver coins and seventy copper.

The one-handed sword cost the most. Old White had asked seven silver coins and forty copper, and Rain had spent a good while talking him into dropping the extra forty copper.

Otherwise, he would have left the blacksmith's shop fifteen minutes earlier.

He now had seven silver coins and twelve copper left.

Rain had already mastered a Zero-Ring Spell. Out in the world, he could probably even call himself an Apprentice Mage.

But after testing it the night before, he knew his temples began to throb after he cast the spell just twice.

Was it the same for other Apprentice Mages?

There was another problem: he had to land the killing blow on a monster to obtain its bloodline.

If he joined an Adventurer party as an Apprentice Mage, he would likely be standing at the back, with little chance to finish off a monster. That would leave him unable to obtain its bloodline.

Rain also needed a few other things, such as bandages and hemostatic powder. He would have to check a general store or an herbalist's shop for those.

But they could wait.

The Adventurers' Association was only a few hundred meters ahead. Rain planned to register as an Adventurer first, then find out more about the place.

For instance, where—or from whom—he could learn swordsmanship, Combat Techniques, or even spells.

Soon, a tall, three-story building faced with white stone blocks appeared before him. "Adventurers' Association" was written in large cursive letters above the entrance.

It looked like a reproduction of something written by an important figure.

Beneath it was a smaller line: "Mill Town Branch."

The moment Rain stepped inside, a clamor reached his ears.

"Goblin-clearing job! We need one archer! Anyone interested?"

"Job to kill a Pincer-Mouthed Alligator Turtle upstream on the Mill River! We need a teammate with experience setting traps..."

"What a headache. Finding an Apprentice Mage who knows Fire Bolt is next to impossible."

The hall was packed, as lively as a market from Rain's previous life. Most of those shouting were recruiting teammates.

Those speaking in hushed voices were mostly small groups of two or three discussing something among themselves.

The noticeboards on either side of the hall drew the largest crowds, with people packed several rows deep as they searched for suitable jobs.

The counters at the back of the hall, by contrast, were not very busy.

Rain joined the shortest queue, looking around with curiosity as he waited.

Toward the back on the right, a staircase with a handrail spiraled upward. Two guards in light armor stood watch at its foot. Perhaps only Adventurers above a certain rank could go up.

Or perhaps it led to a restricted office area. Rain could only guess.

Toward the back on the left, a corridor appeared to lead to an inner courtyard.

I wonder what the courtyard is for.

"Hello. How can I help you?" Rain's turn had come, and a young, pretty woman stood to greet him.

She wore a pale-green silk top with long sleeves, apparently the standard uniform for Adventurers' Association staff.

"Hello. I'd like to become an Adventurer."

"A new Adventurer? Certainly. Registration costs one silver coin, and the annual membership fee is twenty copper coins. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes."

"May I have your name? It will be engraved on your Adventurer's badge."

"Rain Farrell."

"Very well, Rain. Who would you like to list as your contact and beneficiary? That's for special circumstances, such as when we can't reach you..."

The receptionist put it delicately, but Rain understood what she meant.

It was like insurance: there was a beneficiary.

And with the risks Adventurers faced on their jobs, such a provision made sense.

Still, the question caught Rain off guard for a moment. "Kyle, the village chief of Oak Village."

"Very well, Rain."

"By the way, where can I learn to use different weapons?"

"Do you see the corridor on the left? Once you pay the fee, you can receive basic warrior training from Humbert Stonebeard, the warrior trainer."

"Of course, Humbert only teaches. Whether you master it depends on your own talent."

"Oh, a warrior trainer?" Rain caught the distinction in her wording.

"Yes, a warrior trainer. If you want training in Combat Techniques for Rangers or rogues, you'll have to go to Dorn City."

"Our Mill Town branch is actually quite fortunate. Humbert is willing to stay here and teach newcomers. Many town-level branches don't even have a dedicated Professional trainer," the receptionist explained.

I see... Rain fell into thought.