Chapter 18: Quest 9: Earn Money [Part 1]
“There are quite a lot of requests, huh.”
Makoto stared closely at the church bulletin board.
There were escort jobs for caravans, herb gathering, exterminating pests that damaged fields, and even requests to find lost cats.
Having plenty of ways to earn money was good.
But on the flip side, it also meant the lord, Christine, was unreliable enough that the townspeople had to pay out of pocket for help.
“Hey, hurry up and decide which one.”
“Give me a minute.”
Caravan escort seemed reasonable.
They would have to handle their own food and water, but 200A per day was attractive.
They were recruiting quite a few people, so squeezing in might be possible.
Still, the requirement said Rank C.
Looking closer, other requests had ranks too.
From what he could see, there were B, C, and D.
“Guess I should just ask.”
Makoto walked to the reception desk.
A girl in a simple robe sat there.
She wore a veil, perhaps by custom.
“Mind if I ask something?”
“Ahā¦ yes, of course.”
She looked up abruptly.
“I want to take a request. Whatās this rank system?”
“Ranks areā¦ ranks go from S, A, B, C, D, E. Umā¦”
She repeated “um.”
Probably new.
Being new did not excuse poor explanations.
Customers saw her as a professional.
But demanding perfection from a beginner was harsh.
Everyone started as an amateur.
“No need to panic.”
“…Okay.”
She exhaled in relief.
“You start at E rank. If you pass evaluations, you rank up.”
“What are the conditions?”
“Number of completed requests and character.”
“I see.”
So important jobs went to trustworthy people.
“I didnāt see S or A rank jobs.”
“Those are mostly assigned directly.”
She shrank apologetically.
“So Iām E rank.”
“Um, there are no E rank jobs. You could join higher ranks, butā¦”
She spoke softly.
“Me and thatā¦”
Makoto glanced at Yuuka standing with arms crossed.
“Sheās high level. Still no?”
“Please wait.”
The girl pulled out a monocle.
“May I view your status?”
“Go ahead.”
“–!”
She trembled.
Understandable.
A level 100 human was more monstrous than a bear.
“Um, Iām sorry. But your rank is still E.”
“Hey! Whatās taking so long?”
“Eek!”
Yuuka stormed over.
The girl nearly screamed again.
A monster stronger than a bear approaching angrily would do that.
“I-Itās a rank issueā¦”
“Huh?”
The girl sweated profusely.
Makoto understood.
Small mistakes felt fatal when you were new.
“Hold on.”
“You already made me wait.”
Yuuka snapped.
“So?”
“Itās the system. We canāt take one immediately.”
“Then letās clear a dungeon. Thatāll make more money.”
She was not wrong.
“I want to wait on dungeons.”
“Why?”
“Too risky without more strength.”
Like the Corpse Kingās dungeon.
If he had allies, he would not have had to jump to escape the ghost.
They survived once.
No guarantee twice.
“Then what?”
“Weāll hunt monsters in the forest.”
“Some first step.”
“Yeah. Shouldāve researched better. Let me gather more info.”
“…Fine. Itās not like I did any research either.”
She still could not just admit fault.
“Iāll sit and wait.”
“Thanks.”
She walked off.
“Sorry for scaring you.”
“No, itās my fault.”
“You did set expectations.”
He muttered.
Customers interpreted things conveniently.
“Just be careful next time.”
“Thank you.”
Her ears were red.
“So about hunting monsters. Any good spots?”
“I know adventurers hunt in the forest, butā¦”
“Yeah.”
He had asked a dumb question.
Hunting grounds were livelihoods.
No one shared freely.
“Sorry.”
“No need.”
He should have researched.
“Does the church buy monster parts?”
“No, we donāt.”
“Figures.”
Supply and demand.
Without demand, inventory piled up.
“Is there an entry fee to the city?”
“…?”
“I entered with Christine before.”
“With the lord?!”
“Yeah. Just acquaintances.”
“If you know the lord, you wouldnāt needā”
“I said just acquaintances.”
“…Youāre serious.”
“I want to be seen as decent.”
He shrugged.
If he asked favors, he would seem troublesome.
Gratitude required restraint.
“With a travel permit, entry is free.”
“But expensive, right?”
She giggled.
“Itās 100A for a month.”
Makoto and Yuuka walked along the road.
Their permits, metal plates with names and expiration dates, swung at their chests.
They could be abused if stolen.
The guards could see status.
Though thieves sometimes had concealment skills.
“How far are we going?”
“We havenāt walked much.”
“Yes we have.”
The city wall silhouette was still visible.
“Not that far.”
“So what now?”
“Walk around until we meet monsters.”
“…There arenāt any.”
In games, monsters attacked.
Reality was not that convenient.
Creatures that attacked blindly would go extinct.
“Canāt you sense them?”
“Nothing yet.”
He did not even know how to try.
“Does Presence Detection work?”
“I got it.”
“I was busy.”
She pouted.
“What skills did you get?”
“Check.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Status Resistance, Physical Resistance, Magic Resistance, Night Vision, Presence Detection, Improved Healing, Appraisal. Pretty normal.”
“No point being flashy.”
“True.”
“What about you?”
“…Physical Resistance?”
“Youāre a mage.”
“If the tankās reliable, I wouldnāt.”
“Sorry for being unreliable.”
He snapped.
Spirit User and Martial Artist were not tanks.
Still, he protected her.
“Feels pointless.”
“Think of it as learning the terrain.”
“Like an arranged marriage couple.”
“That makes no sense.”
“…Finding good points daily.”
She muttered.
“You think weāll be okay like this?”
“I had a plan. It failed.”
She sighed deeply.
“Better than starving in the dungeon.”
“True.”
“Right?”
“That was sarcasm.”
She raised her voice slightly.
“If weāre improvising anyway, letās enter the forest.”
“No.”
“Why? Weāre strong.”
“What if we get lost?”
Their enemy was ignorance.
“Did you know bodies in Aokigahara are found within fifty meters of the path?”
“…We shouldāve bought a compass.”
She stared at the forest gloomily.
“Feels like a picnic.”
“We brought lunch.”
Makoto looked up at the sky.