Chapter 83: F-rank Part 1

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Translator: Soafp

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After having a slightly early breakfast, El and I change into our full gear.

Our brigandine armor is the same, but I wield two short swords, while El carries a sword and shield.

Thanks to body enhancement, we don’t feel the weight of our equipment.

With all preparations complete, we head towards the Adventurers Guild, our designated meeting place.

Actually, I have something I want to consult with Naga-san, the Sub-Guild Master. Although it’s a bit early for the meeting, we arrive at the Adventurers Guild.

I immediately start scanning the guild for Naga-san… and I spot her working as one of the receptionists.

I join the line, but strangely, there are very few people in Naga-san’s line… while the lines for the other receptionists are quite long. It seems that Naga-san only handles adventurers who are considered troublemakers.

I can’t help but wonder if I’m being considered a troublemaker by those around me for lining up here.

However, I need to discuss matters regarding Lewis and Nero. But is it really okay to just wait in line like this?

As I ponder alone in a contemplative pose, I suddenly find it’s my turn.

“Aldo-kun, it’s been a while. I heard you went back to the Blue Ring territory for a visit. I also heard you’ve been getting close to slaves lately. You mentioned before that you felt like ‘you might end up falling for me,’ so I’ve been eagerly waiting for your invitation…”

“That was rude of me. Well, how about having a meal sometime?”

Oi! Why are you blushing like that! Stop acting so embarrassed!

“I actually have a little something to discuss.”

“I don’t mind if it’s a small house, as long as it’s detached… I’d like to have two children, even though they might end up being elves…”

Are you seriously planning your future with a 13 year old? Please focus more on your job!

“I’m sorry, it’s actually about Lewis and Nero.”

“Arara, let’s stop with the jokes and get to the point, shall we?”

“In fact, my family in Blue Ring received a request, and me, Lewis, Nero, and my brother Elphus all became F-rank.”

“You have a brother? He must resemble you.”

“We’re twins. Our fighting styles are different, but our strength is about the same.”

“About the same as Aldo-kun… Could it be that he can single-handedly wipe out a group of Wind Wolves?”

El responds to Naga-san’s question.

“I’m not sure how many are in a group, but if it’s around 20 or 30, then I can take them on alone.”

“Is that so… I understand…”

For some reason, Naga-san seems to be glitching out.

“El is fine. He doesn’t overdo it and is usually stronger than most enemies… It’s about Lewis and Nero. By teaming up with us, they’ve only increased in rank, but they might end up taking on requests that are beyond their capabilities…”

“I see. I understand what you’re saying, Aldo-kun.”

Naga-san is seriously considering it. She doesn’t have such responsibility to the guild. As I thought initially, she’s really a kind person.

“From Rank C, there’s a promotion test, so it should be fine… The problem lies within the lower ranks.”

“Is that so?”

“By the way, how strong are Lewis and Nero?”

“Well… I think they’re considerably weaker than Joe. They can barely hold their own in a fight when they team up.”

“Joe refers to Joeguna-san, right?”

“Yes.”

Naga-chan starts rubbing her temples.

“Joeguna-san is Rank C. Aside from Aldo’s rank fraud, even if two F-ranks team up, they shouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Was Joe that strong…”

Naga-chan lets out a huge sigh.

“Haa… Aldo-kun, you were first-year students at the academy, right?”

“Yes.”

“Please train Lewis and Nero until they graduate. Then there won’t be any problem with their strength.”

“…”

“And it’s about adventurer knowledge too. That’s something you’ll need to learn from seniors.”

“I see.”

“I’ll consult with Joeguna-san for a moment.”

“With Joe? What for?”

“To act as a mentor for adventurers. Camping methods, how to evade enemies, how to spot enemies, and even how to identify edible wild plants in interesting places… These are all techniques you normally learn from your seniors by forming a party with them.”

“I see…”

“I’ll ask Joeguna-san to teach you things other than combat.”

“Thank you very much.”

Naga-san smiled as I expressed my gratitude.

After finishing the discussion about Lewis and Nero, El and I moved to the tavern on the first floor.

Although it’s early in the morning, the tavern is sparsely populated with customers.

Of course, they’re not drinking alcohol in the morning; they’re probably waiting for someone, just like us.

As I take my seat, I loudly order drinks.

“Two glasses of milk, please!”

“…Sure.”

The waitress seems momentarily stunned at being asked for milk in a guild tavern, but she quickly responds. However, my loud voice reverberates throughout the guild, attracting the attention of some people.

“Oi, oi. What’s a kid doing in the guild?”

“If you want milk, go get it from your mom at home.”

Other mocking voices can be heard, but they’re quickly silenced by those around them. Some even get punched.

“Idiots. Do you want to die?”

“He’s the shura. Don’t involve us.”

“I’m getting out of here. You idiots…”

I… I just ordered milk… Is it okay if I cry?

With tears welling up, I drink my milk, and then Lewis and Nero arrive.

“I saw everything from start to finish. What are you doing so early in the morning?”

It’s Lewis’s harsh criticism first thing in the morning.

“I just ordered milk…”

“That’s why I was watching. Geez.”

After that exchange, it’s time for greetings.

“Good morning, Lewis, Nero.”

“Good morning, Lewis, Nero.”

Lewis and Nero return the greetings to me and El.

“Good morning. Aldo, El.”

“Good morning. Aldo, El.”

All four of us are dressed in matching brigandines. El has a sword and shield, Lewis has a two-handed sword, Nero has a dual-wield of a hand axe and a sword, and I have dual short swords.

First, the four of us go to check the requests posted on the board. Since we’re F-rank, the requests we can take are up to E-rank.

G-rank requests involve chores within the capital, F-rank requests are for herb gathering or miscellaneous tasks outside the capital. Since we’re here, we want to take an E-rank request.

The E-rank requests include hunting wild boars, gathering higher-level herbs, and something interesting like capturing goblins alive. I wonder what goblins are used for…

I leave the task of accepting requests to the other members while I check the constantly available requests.

Currently, there were three of them: goblin extermination, orc extermination, and Wind Wolves extermination. The proof of subjugation for goblins and orcs is their right ear, and for Wind Wolves, it’s their tail.

I return to Lewis and the others to ask what request we should take.

“Since the wild boar delivery requires meat, we have to come back for each one we defeat. Since Nero is here too, I think we should take the higher-level herb gathering. And then there’s the constantly available request.”

I’ve thought this before, but I believe Lewis is suited to be the leader. He pays close attention to others’ strengths and weaknesses and rarely lets his emotions get the best of him.

He’s still only 13 years old, so there’s still a lot of room for improvement, but if he continues to grow without deviating, he might even aim for a high position in a knight order someday.

“Higher-level herbs, huh? Let’s ask Naga-san where they grow.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Lewis and I head towards Naga-san. As usual, there aren’t many people in line in front of her.

When it’s our turn, we hand her the request sheet we peeled off.

“Naga-san, where can we find the higher-level herbs?”

“Higher-level herbs… If you don’t mind a few monsters, I think Scarlet Forest, which I explained to Aldo-kun before, would be good.”

“Scarlet Forest… I wonder if there are herbs there…”

“There are. There are lower-level herbs on the outskirts of the forest, and as you go deeper, you can find higher-level herbs.”

Naga-san explains while looking at her documents.

“Well, someone here went straight into the depths of the forest and defeated a pack of Wind Wolves, though.”

She brings up the story of our first request with a laugh.

“Lewis, I know the place. Let’s go.”

“I try to leave the scene as if I’m running away…”

“Hey, did you defeat the Wind Wolves in the first quest?”

Although Lewis says something, it’s like, “Aaaaaaaah, I can’t hear yooooouuuuuuuu…”

If it’s Scarlet Forest, it’s about an hour on foot. I think we should head there calmly.

An hour passes as we leave the guild and walk. We arrive at the outskirts of the Scarlet Forest.

Looking closely at the outskirts, I see jagged aloe vera plants growing. I failed the request before because I couldn’t find them… They were growing in a place like this?

“You mentioned the higher-level herbs were deeper in, right? Did you research their appearance?”

“Yeah, while we were accepting the request, Nero and El were researching in books.”

“El, what’s the appearance of the higher-level herbs?”

“The shape is the same as the ones here, but the color seems to be different.”

“Color?”

“Yes. The herbs here are green, but as you go deeper into the forest, they change from green to yellow, and from yellow to red.”

“Easy to understand.”

“Although the shape of the herbs is the same, the color changes depending on the amount of magic contained.”

“I see. So, the color changes because the magic concentration is higher in the depths of the forest…”

From there, we all search for herbs while entering deeper into the forest.

The grass reaches up to chest height. I really want to use Space Kick to move around, but Lewis and Nero can’t use it. I should teach them next time.

I think our walking technique in the forest has improved a lot compared to before. But it’s probably still far from what Joeguna would consider proficient. Today, we explore with our own improvised walking style.

There were a few battles along the way. However, everyone handled them calmly and we proceeded without any major danger.

Today, the biggest group we encountered in battle was a pack of seven Wind Wolves.

During the battle with the orcs, we were surrounded for a moment and I briefly considered going all out to wipe them out.

However, even while dealing with the orcs, Nero noticed the Wind Wolves and informed Lewis.

“We’re surrounded by Windwolves. There are more than five of them.”

“Got it. Everyone, gather together. Let’s take them down individually with our backs against each other!”

Honestly, El and I could handle it alone, but that would only hone our individual combat abilities.

I wanted to learn group combat tactics through battles with Lewis and the others.

I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask for a lenient battle and focus on learning group movements.

Lewis and Nero probably understand that.

They were trying to deal with the situation relying as little as possible on El’s and my combat abilities and more on the combat strength of the group.

Even so, if any enemies appear that are too difficult to deal with, I and El will fight them.

It’s about time for lunch. I approach Lewis to suggest taking a break.