Morning sunlight filtered through the wooden gaps of the stable walls.
When I opened my eyes, Robert was already outside.
"Hey! You're finally awake!" he shouted.
I stepped out of the stable, still stretching my sore body.
Robert tossed me a piece of bread.
"Eat first. We'll head into the forest after that."
I caught it awkwardly.
"Forest again?"
Robert laughed.
"You said you wanted to learn how to make money in this world, right?"
I nodded.
Robert began walking toward the forest path.
"There are many ways to earn money around here."
He raised one finger.
"First, hunting."
Another finger.
"Second, gathering medicinal herbs."
Then another.
"And third, raising livestock."
He shrugged.
"But since we live outside the kingdom's inner walls, things are a bit more dangerous."
I looked around the forest carefully.
"What do you mean?"
Robert scratched his beard.
"Monster attacks."
"Oh."
That made sense.
Robert continued walking.
"You see, our village isn't protected by the kingdom's main army."
"So monsters sometimes wander close."
I suddenly remembered the group from last night.
"Wait."
"The people at the feast yesterday…"
Robert sighed.
"Yeah. Those guys."
"They're adventurers."
He pointed toward the village behind us.
"The kingdom assigns one adventurer squad to guard villages like ours."
I tilted my head.
"Then why did we leave the village so early?"
Robert gave a small bitter laugh.
"Because those idiots love acting important."
I remembered the loud voices and drinking.
"They like being treated like nobles."
"So villagers prepare food and drinks for them every day."
Robert shook his head.
"I'd rather stay away from them."
We continued walking deeper into the forest.
After a few minutes, Robert pointed ahead.
"You know something interesting?"
"What?"
"There are six villages outside the kingdom."
"And we live in one of them."
He paused dramatically.
"The village of **Ravenwood**."
The name sounded fitting.
Tall trees surrounded us everywhere.
Robert continued.
"This area is dangerous."
"There are many wild beasts and monsters here."
Then he suddenly looked at me.
"By the way."
"The tiger you killed yesterday?"
I felt slightly nervous.
"Yeah?"
Robert nodded slowly.
"That was a **D-rank disaster beast**."
I blinked.
"A disaster rank?"
Robert raised an eyebrow.
"Wait… you don't know monster rankings?"
I shook my head.
Robert sighed.
"Alright."
"Let me explain."
He picked up a stick and started drawing letters in the dirt.
"Monsters are ranked from **F to S**."
"F is the weakest."
"E and D are still manageable."
"But once you reach **C-rank**, things become dangerous."
I pointed at the ground.
"So the tiger was rank D?"
Robert nodded.
"Exactly."
"Usually one trained adventurer can handle a D-rank monster."
I frowned slightly.
"Then what about the stronger ones?"
Robert continued writing.
"C-rank monsters usually require several fighters."
"B-rank monsters can destroy small villages."
"And **A-rank monsters**…"
He paused.
"Those are disasters."
My stomach sank slightly.
Robert pointed south.
"The southern region of the kingdom has the most monsters."
"And guess what?"
I sighed.
"Let me guess."
"We live there."
Robert grinned.
"Exactly."
He shrugged casually.
"If you're unlucky, you might even encounter an **A-rank monster** out here."
I stopped walking.
"...That doesn't sound comforting."
Robert laughed loudly.
"Relax."
"As long as the adventurer squad is stationed in the village, we're usually safe."
He stretched his arms.
"But like I said…"
"They expect a lot of respect."
"And free food."
I sighed.
"So the villagers feed them every day."
Robert nodded.
"Exactly."
Suddenly he stopped walking.
His eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
I looked ahead.
"What is it?"
Robert slowly pointed forward.
"Look."
Something moved between the bushes.
A creature stepped out.
It looked like a large reptile with thick scales and a long tail.
Its claws dug into the ground as it hissed.
Robert grinned.
"Perfect timing."
"What is that?"
He whispered.
"That's a **C-rank monster**."
My heart skipped.
"C-rank?!"
Robert pulled out a short hunting spear.
"Relax."
Then he smiled.
"That thing tastes amazing."
He looked at me.
"And we can sell some of its parts."
Robert stepped forward.
"Looks like today we'll eat well."
"And earn some money too."