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An Invitation to Another World – Part 06

“You said having a four-character Blessing makes you a top-class adventurer,” Hikaru said, “but what about three and below?”

“What?! You have one?!” Freya exclaimed.

“No. Just asking.”

“O-Of course… Sorry for being loud. That was embarrassing.”

Freya cupped her cheeks and wriggled about. Hikaru looked away. Her breasts were jiggling. Not good for the eyes. No wonder the adventurers were so crazy about her.

“Well, three characters and below are super rare. Two characters is legendary, and one character is mythical.”

“I see.”

Hikaru had two-character Blessings. Two of them.

“In your case,” Freya continued, “it would be something like Metropolitan Residents, Townspeople, and Villagers Relief God: Civilian, or Wealthy Citizens Relief God: Money Maker. Am I right?”

“So it seems.”

Hikaru was sure that he shouldn’t let anyone see his Blessings. His Skill Tree must have had something to do with it.

Hikaru selected Civilian and showed it to Freya, who only gave it a glance.

“Moving on,” she said. “There are commissions posted on the bulletin board. Please choose one that’s within your abilities, and then accept it by tapping your guild card on the form. For supply commissions, please check the guild’s library for the necessary materials. Also—”

“H-Hold on a minute. I just tap the card, and I get the job?”

“That’s right.” Freya nodded easily.

“…”

Wow. What kind of technology are they using? Do these things have IC chips embedded in them or something?

“As for the adventurer rank, G is the lowest,” Freya added.

“And that’s me.”

“Correct. The highest rank is A, and if you achieve something extraordinary, you can rise to Rank S. To get promoted to a higher rank, you need to complete specific kinds of commissions. Once you get promoted, you can take on more difficult commissions.”

Sounds simple enough.

“Adventurers often specialize according to their areas of expertise. Plant Hunters mainly gather plants. Jewel Hunters search for special gems. Monster Hunters specialize in killing monsters. Explorers specialize in dungeon exploration. Bodyguards specialize in escorting people. Quest Hunters are jack-of-all-trades…”

“Do those titles mean anything?”

“Once your name is known, you might receive designated commissions, but that’s about it. It’s a long way down the road for a Civilian like you.”

Freya chuckled.

“Are Blessings really that important?”

“Of course. All high-ranked adventurers have distinctive Blessings. I’ve heard that four-character Blessings are rare and powerful. Oh, you can select whatever Blessing you want, and you don’t have to report it to the guild.”

“Is that so…”

“Some adventurers become famous solely because of their Blessings. There are also questionable rumors of acquiring new Blessings by increasing your Soul Rank.”

It was said that by killing monsters and the like, you could steal a part of their souls, increasing your Soul Rank. However, there was no way to verify this information, so it was treated more as an urban legend that sprang out of nowhere.

“What’s the difference between monsters and animals?” Hikaru asked.

Freya blinked. She was wondering why he was asking such an obvious question.

“I see… You do look like a rich kid.”

“What, rich kids don’t know about monsters?”

“Oh, did I say something rude? I’m sorry…”

Freya put her hands together in front of her and wriggled restlessly, emphasizing her breasts.

No wonder the adventurers here are stupid.

Hikaru just found out why adventurers flocked to Freya.

“Whether they’re harmful or not,” she said. “Or I guess whether or not they see humans as predators? Monsters with mana are ones to look out for, especially. Their bodies can be processed easily. They can also be used as raw materials for equipment or daily necessities, so if you bring them to the guild, we will purchase them.”

“I got it. Thank you.”

“Good luck!”

Having obtained the information he needed, Hikaru gave a slight bow and left. Freya, taking advantage of the fact that there were no adventurers around, started working furiously, putting away documents and the like. She seemed really busy.

Upon checking the bulletin board, Hikaru found special pieces of paper. They were all commissions sent to the Adventurers’ Guild.

Commissions were also called quests; which term was used depended on the type of job.

【Plant Hunter】
【Gather Glimmering Poisonous Herbs】Novices Allowed. Bring as many glimmering poisonous herbs as possible. (Indefinite)
【Reward】Base payment: 200 gilans.

“This should do.”

Before Hikaru could try quests that required combat, he first had to obtain the means to survive in this world. A safe, supply-type quest fit the bill perfectly.

The gilans mentioned in the reward was this kingdom’s currency. 200 gilans was not much, only enough for a few meals. Nevertheless it was important income for Hikaru, who was currently penniless.

He picked up the commission form and brought his guild card close to it. Then, the paper and the guild card emitted a faint glow. “Contractor: 1” was displayed on the piece of paper. He put it back on the bulletin board.

“Incredible,” Hikaru breathed. “This world doesn’t have advanced scientific technology. Instead, they developed magic-based technology.”

It was like scanning a QR code on a smartphone.

Hikaru entered the library and found samples of ores and medicinal herbs on the walls. In the center of the room was a map of the immediate vicinity, with markings on where to harvest materials.

“Smells like mold in here.”

It didn’t seem like people came here often. Are there no serious adventurers around? Hikaru searched through the resources and hammered information on the glimmering poisonous herb into his head. He then took a burlap sack used for supply quests from the pile in the corner.

Time to go, then.

---

Freya, working at the counter, saw Hikaru’s name automatically appear in a new Commission Contractor field.

“Yes, supply quests are perfect for beginners. Wait, he took this one?!”

She surveyed the guild, but didn’t find him. More accurately, she couldn’t, because he had his Stealth on.

“Oh, no… What do I do?”

Freya was panicking for good reason.

The commission for gathering glimmering poisonous herbs mostly involved bringing items that one already had in their possession.

This was because the outskirts of Pond, where the glimmering poisonous herbs grew, was inhabited by Green Wolves, ferocious monsters that formed packs so even veteran adventurers found it difficult to get rid of them. Going there personally to gather the plants was simply not worth the risk and effort.

“I-I hope he’ll be all right.”

Adventurers were fundamentally responsible for their own being. And while Green Wolves attacked humans, they wouldn’t actually eat them. He shouldn’t die, at least.

The commission also served as just the right test to baptize new adventurers.

---

Upon leaving the guild, Hikaru remembered something.

“Oh, right. Those adventurers are waiting for me.”

A perfect opportunity, he thought. He could test how effective his Stealth really was. Hikaru walked slowly out of the guild, careful not to make a sound.

The main street was just up ahead. Two of the adventurers from earlier were waiting next to the guild’s exit.

“That brat sure is taking his time.”

“Maybe the other guys taught him a lesson already.”

“Sounds possible.”

They were laughing crudely, unaware that Hikaru was about three meters away from them.

I think I got myself a busted Skill.

Hikaru strolled ahead. The adventurers did not notice him at all.

Skill Trees in games usually aren’t this broken… Maybe this Skill is different.

Maybe you gain its maximum effect by maxing it out. In that case, Skills under Stealth have incredible potential. No, even those under Vitality and Magical Power should be plenty awesome.

No one else had this kind of power. He couldn’t find anything at all in Roland’s memories.

Maybe it’s a completely absurd ability even for this world’s standards. I guess I can’t really complain about the one-point-per-year system, then.

Hikaru made his way out of town. He was starving, but he had to make some money first before he could eat.

Walls encircling the town prevented monsters and bandits from getting in. There were houses outside the walls, but they were not safe. Land outside the walls was free of cost, so penniless farmers did agricultural work outside the town.

The gatekeeper requested IDs from people entering and leaving. When Hikaru showed his guild card, the gatekeeper let him through with a nod.

“A newbie adventurer?” the man said. “Don’t do anything rash. As long as you’re alive, things will all work out.”

“I won’t.” Hikaru bowed.

The gatekeeper’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting such courtesy from him.

“Be sure to be back by sundown,” the man said with a gentle smile.