By noon, the trees gave way to rolling hills, and beyond them—rooftops.
A town. Smoke drifted lazily from chimneys. Wooden gates stood tall, flanked by simple watchtowers.
"Woah," Izaru muttered, staring at the view. "Now that looks like a nice town."
"It's Valnir Town," said Clara, our cute healer. (Keep your eyes off her or I'll poke them out.) "It's the third biggest settlement in the Kingdom of Rosaliana."
"They say the founder of the kingdom loved roses, so he named it after them," added Dani, the axe-user.
"That aside," Mark, the leader, frowned. "What do we do when Sir Izaru gets stopped at the gate?"
"Why would I be stopped?" Izaru asked, genuinely confused.
"You're covered in blood."
"Oh. Right. Forgot about that."
And, of course, it happened. They were stopped at the gate.
"Excuse me," Mark said quickly, stepping forward. "Could I speak with Sir Arian?"
Right then, a calm voice came from behind them.
"Oh? If it isn't my friend Mark and his party." It was Arian himself.
"Arian! Man, I need your help," Mark pleaded.
"What's the matter?"
"Sir Izaru here is lost." Mark gestured toward Izaru. "He fought monsters in the forest and got covered in blood. The guards want to investigate. Could you vouch for him?"
"I see," Arian said, scanning Izaru from head to toe. "You do reek of blood… but yes, it smells like monsters. Very well. You may pass."
A guard stepped forward. "But sir! What if he's—"
Arian's gaze silenced him instantly. That shut him up.
A few moments later, Izaru was inside the town.
"Sir Izaru," said Mark.
"Just call me Izaru. Being called 'sir' feels weird," Izaru replied.
"Alright. Izaru, then. What will you do now?"
"First, I need to sell materials to a blacksmith. Know anyone?"
"Yes. Follow me."
Mark led the way, and soon they reached a smithy. The scent of metal and charcoal hung thick in the air.
"Karu!" Mark called.
A tall man emerged, wiping his hands. "Oh, Mark-boy! Been a while. How've you been?"
"I've been good," Mark said with a smile.
Sara peeked from behind him. "You're tall as a pole. Step aside already!"
"Oh, Sara. Still small, I see," Karu teased.
"I'm not small!!!" Sara shouted, her face red.
Everyone burst into laughter. Izaru only smiled—though, for a second, the scene reminded him of his students. His smile faltered before he quickly hid it.
"Karu, Izaru here wants to sell his loot."
"Nice to meet you," Izaru said, bowing slightly in Japanese fashion.
"What've you got for me, boy?" Karu asked, eyes already gleaming. He had noticed Izaru's gauntlets and boots—they were clearly high-grade.
And his hopes didn't disappoint. Izaru pulled out:
Two Silver Centipede cores.
Three Crimson Wolf cores.
Crimson Wolf hide.
Crimson Wolf fangs.
Golden Bear spine.
Five Golden Bear cores.
The shop went silent. Everyone stared in shock.
"Did you stumble upon a monster tea party or something?" Karu asked flatly.
He had never once gotten his hands on Silver Centipede cores or a Golden Bear spine. For an ordinary blacksmith, these were once-in-a-lifetime materials.
"Something like that," Izaru shrugged. "Monsters kept coming, so I kept killing."
Within minutes, the deal was done. Izaru earned about forty gold coins.
"A decent haul for things I didn't need," Izaru said, satisfied.
"What now?" Mark asked nervously.
"What else? I'm gonna register at the Adventurer's Guild."
Moments later, Izaru stood before the guild doors.
The inside was loud, packed with rowdy adventurers. Shouts echoed, mugs slammed, arguments about bounties filled the air. A quest board overflowed with papers.
Izaru walked to the counter. An elf girl looked up from her paperwork.
"Hello. My name is Lily. How can I help you?" she asked politely.
"I want to register as an adventurer," Izaru said.
Behind him, Mark's party chatted with some acquaintances.
Lily pulled out a form. "Alright. Please write your class and preferred weapons here."
Izaru filled it out.
Name: Sakatu IzaruClass: NoneWeapons: Gauntlets
...
...
After finishing, Lily nodded. "Next, I'll need to appraise your stats. It prevents false information during registration."
"Neat," Izaru said.
She pressed the tool against him.
Appraisal Results:Name: Sakatu IzaruLevel: 42Class: NoneTitle: NoneSkills: EXP Multiplier (×29), Blood Instinct (Passive)
"Wow…" Lily breathed. "Those are incredible skills. You're amazing."
"Really?" Izaru asked, a little amused.
"Of course!" she replied, still wide-eyed.
And just like that, with a bit more paperwork, Izaru was now officially an adventurer.
Thus, his life as an adventurer had begun.