Day Twenty of Not Having Any Contact with Arcelia.
I was at the adventurers’ guild early in the morning, as usual, to take on a quest.
“It’s as crowded as always…”
The adventurers’ guild, bustling with numerous adventurers, naturally reminded me of my previous life. Back then, I also used to compete with other adventurers for the best-paying quests from early in the morning.
The competition is particularly fierce for quests ranked between Grade 8 and Grade 6. Since the area around this city isn’t particularly dangerous, most of the quests here range from Grade 10 to, at best, Grade 6.
Honestly, these quests are boring for me, but since I’m still a Grade 10 adventurer, they’re appropriate for my level. I plan to level up to Grade 8, or preferably Grade 7, soon and head to more dangerous cities or labyrinths.
“Alright then…”
I pushed through the crowd and stood in front of the quest board. The quests I can take have no lower limit, but there’s an upper limit of one rank above my current grade. In other words, as a Grade 10 adventurer, I can only accept quests up to Grade 9.
Most Grade 10 quests are chores or herb gathering, while Grade 9 has fewer chores, but mostly herb gathering and monster subjugation quests.
I’m aiming for monster subjugation. I can’t be bothered with chores or herb gathering. I’ve had my fill of that in my previous life.
I scanned the board for quests. There weren’t many promising ones, but… I guess I’ll compromise.
I took a step forward and peeled off a quest notice with my finger.
“Ah…”
A hand stretched out from the side, stopping short. Someone must have been trying to take the same quest as me.
The man, who looked slightly older than me, gave me a look.
“Sorry, but it’s first come, first served.”
“A-ah, I see…”
While the adventurers’ community isn’t lawless, it’s full of rough and troublesome people. You can’t afford to be looked down on, so it’s best to be overly confident, even if it seems excessive.
I once again made my way through the crowd and lined up in the queue stretching from the reception desk.
In cities with poor security, there are often people cutting in line, which leads to fights, turning the building into chaos. But since this city is centered around an academy, people here are generally well-behaved.
Feeling slightly dissatisfied with the orderliness, I handed my adventurer’s card and the quest notice to the receptionist.
“Here.”
“Grade 10… and a Grade 9 monster subjugation quest. I’ve confirmed it. Please take care.”
“Thanks.”
With the receptionist’s standard farewell, I left the adventurers’ guild.
The air inside the guild felt thin, likely due to the crowd. Stepping outside and taking a deep breath, the fresh air felt revitalizing.
It was a nostalgic feeling. Back in my previous life, the air would often be tinged with the smell of alcohol, making it far less pleasant.
I didn’t have any armor, just a sword for a weapon. Feeling my spirits rise, I left through the city gates, heading toward the forest.
The forest is within sight of the city, so there’s no need for a carriage—it’s close enough to walk.
However, not wanting to waste time, I decided to run, cloaked in battle energy.
“Alright, I’m here.”
I reached the forest in no time and stepped in without hesitation.
Gone was the bustling noise of the city, replaced by the sound of trees swaying in the wind. This was true adventurer work.
The quest this time was to subjugate monsters. And the monsters were goblins, ones I had a lot of experience with.
They’re numerous and weak but found everywhere. In fact, they were the first monsters I killed in this life.
The quest mentioned three or more goblins, so it’s likely one of those routine culling quests.
Goblins tend to form settlements and reproduce at an explosive rate once their numbers reach a certain point. It becomes a huge hassle if left unchecked.
That’s why there are regular culling quests in every adventurers’ guild.
“Time to focus…”
I switched my mindset, preparing for battle. This time, I planned to fight without using my battle energy.
Relying on it too much can cause my basic physical and sword skills to dull. So, for today and the foreseeable future, I decided to fight using just my natural abilities.
I loosened my body so I could draw my sword at any moment, sharpening my senses.
You might think it’s overkill for goblins, but carelessness and arrogance can lead to death. No matter how skilled I am with battle energy, if my neck is cut, I’ll die. If my heart is stabbed, I’ll die. If my head is pierced, I’ll die.
Even a small wound can result in death from blood loss if I’m unlucky. Humans are fragile. We can die from something so trivial.
Still, staying in a heightened state of concentration for too long is tiring. The key is to maintain a steady level of focus over an extended period.
“…They’re here.”
The faint sound of footsteps and a smell in the air. Being downwind, I was able to notice them earlier than expected.
They hadn’t realized I was here yet.
If I just wanted to complete the quest, a surprise attack would be best. But I also wanted to use this as training.
I can always use battle energy if things get dangerous, so I decided to confront them head-on.
I purposely made noise and revealed myself to the goblins.
“I count four. Pretty standard.”
“Gya gya gya!”
The four goblins immediately took up fighting stances upon seeing me. True to their cunning nature, they were carefully observing me, though their observational skills were quite poor.
Besides, their monster instincts outweighed their intelligence.
They were armed with clubs—or rather, sticks.
“Let’s get this over with.”
As if on cue, one goblin, unable to contain itself, charged at me.
Its right hand held a stick, its left was bare. It swung the stick wildly.
“Hah—”
I lightly exhaled and swung my sword upward from the lower left. The arm holding the stick was severed.
Its neck was now exposed. Without missing a beat, I beheaded it.
“Next.”
I moved to the left front, turning as I swung my sword in an arc. The blade cut through a goblin’s skull, down to its jaw, killing it instantly.
As I pulled my blood-soaked sword free, I kicked an approaching goblin in the jaw.
Its exposed neck was swiftly slashed.
With blood spurting out, I stepped forward, cutting from its left side to its right shoulder in one smooth motion.
The goblin collapsed without a sound.
Even though the fight seemed over, I stayed alert.
“…Looks like it’s done.”
There were no more signs of monsters. The battle was over.
“Hmph, still got a ways to go, but… not bad.”
Without using battle energy, my combat ability drops by about 70%.
There’s still room for improvement, but I’d say I passed today’s test. At least, I’m confident I could take down an orc without using battle energy.
Of course, it depends on the type of monster, but anything around Grade 7 or below should be manageable.
“Ugh, I need to cut off the goblins’ ears… disgusting.”
For monster subjugation quests, you need to present proof of your kills. In the case of goblins, it’s their right ear.
But goblins are filthy and stink, so I really don’t want to touch them.
“If Arcelia were here, she’d probably make me do it… What am I even thinking?”
Our relationship should have ended already.
Well, if she came to apologize, it’d be a different story… but that’s unlikely.
“I wanted to fight with just my sword anyway. Who needs comrades… Ugh, gross.”
I cut off the ears of all four goblins and threw them into a bag. Then I sealed it immediately.
That should do it. At least the smell won’t leak out until I collect more ears.
“Alright, alright. I need to keep training.”
Fighting without battle energy turned out to be more fun than I expected.
It brings a sense of tension.
Forgetting all about Arcelia, I set out to hunt down more goblins.
