The Adventurer's Guild building was made from much larger and rougher logs than the surrounding houses. The heavy double doors were constantly opening and closing, each time letting out a gust of hot air, thick with the smell of ale, sweat, and leather. An took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. He had faced a pack of wolves, had killed to survive. But to him, stepping through this door was much more frightening. In the forest, the rules were simple. Here, they were complex and full of traps.
He pulled his hood lower and slipped through the door.
The inside was noisy and chaotic. Dozens of people were sitting around rough wooden tables, drinking from horn cups, laughing and boasting loudly. Most of them carried weapons – swords, axes, bows – and wore scuffed leather or iron armor, a testament to countless battles. A few pairs of eyes glanced at An, but only with a brief look of indifference before quickly turning back to their ale. A scrawny kid in ragged clothes wasn't worth their attention. That indifference was his best disguise.
He quickly identified his target: a long counter at the end of the room, where a few people were lined up. Behind the counter was a fairly young woman, probably in her late twenties, with her red hair tied up high and an impatient look on her face. She was handling paperwork and dealing with the adventurers with a brisk, no-nonsense efficiency.
An got in the back of the line, waiting patiently. He used the time to activate Basic Analysis on the woman behind the counter.
[Target: Lina, Guild Staff]
[Level: ?? (Undetermined)]
[Traits: Fair but strict. Hates tardiness and braggarts. Appreciates efficiency and concrete evidence.]
This information was invaluable. An knew what he had to do. No beating around the bush, no stories. Straight to the point.
When it was his turn, An stepped up to the counter. Lina didn't even look up, her voice was flat.
"Quest or selling materials?"
"Registering," An replied, his voice as raspy and quiet as possible.
This time, Lina looked up, her green eyes scanning An from head to toe. "Registering? The fee is five silver coins. Or, prove your ability by presenting a spoil of war from a level 2 or higher monster."
An said nothing, simply placed the remaining wolf fang on the counter.
Lina's eyes narrowed slightly. She picked up the fang, examining it under the light of an oil lamp. Her fingers traced its lines and sharpness.
"Forest Wolf," she concluded, a hint of surprise in her voice. "Not bad for a kid your size."
She tapped her fingers on the counter. "The Guild can buy this for ten silver coins. Do you want to sell it and use the money to pay the registration fee?"
"Yes," An nodded.
Lina nodded professionally, scribbled a few lines in a ledger, and then pushed a small wooden tag and five tarnished silver coins towards An. The wooden tag had a number and the Guild's symbol carved on it.
"Name?" she asked.
An paused for a second. "An."
She wrote the name in the ledger. "Done. You are now a G-rank adventurer, the lowest rank. Complete quests to rank up. The quest board is over there." She pointed to a large wooden board hanging on the wall, pinned with many pieces of parchment.
An took the tag and the money, a wave of relief washing over him. He had succeeded. He now had an identity, however temporary, in this world.
He walked over to the quest board. It was filled with requests, from the dangerous to the mundane. He used his skill again.
[Quest: Gather 10 Moonpetal Herbs]
[Description: The alchemist, Master Elara, needs fresh Moonpetal Herbs for her research. These herbs often grow in damp, moonlit forest clearings.]
And then, his eyes stopped on a small piece of paper at the bottom corner.
[Reward: 15 silver coins]
[Analytical Note: Simple, low-risk quest. Suitable for testing knowledge of the forest environment and gathering skills. Can be completed alone.]
This was it. The perfect quest for him. It didn't require direct combat and utilized the knowledge he had accumulated in the forest.
An took the quest paper down and returned to Lina's counter.
She glanced at the paper, nodded, and stamped it with a seal. "Report back here when you're done. Don't die, kid. The Guild isn't responsible."
With the quest paper in hand, An walked out of the Adventurer's Guild. The noise and the smell of ale stayed behind him. He now had a specific goal, a clear path to make a living. His first step in the civilized world had been taken firmly.