I left Chief’s smithy and made my way to the guild house . You just needed to follow the road in front of the smithy towards the north in a straight line and you’d get there . My feet felt a bit heavy knowing the kind of atmosphere that would await me once there, but I couldn’t hold onto these herbs forever . Their freshness was important .

“Ahhh…I’m tired…I hate this time of day…”

I grumbled without thinking . But this life as an adventurer was how I supported myself, it was necessary in order to live .

And more than anything, this whole deal about moving to another world had been something I had dreamed of .

Of course, there were things concerning killing that gave me pause . My life had been quite peaceful back in j.a.pan . And so it wasn’t too surprising that there would be a resistance to fighting . But after having to survive in the forest without civilization and then the plains, I realized that it was important to be rational in terms of where you were . Or so I told myself . But that was why I had no intention of changing the way I lived . Though, it still made my heart feel a little heavier .

I stand in front of the guild . You could hear the drunken clamor of the bar from outside . I force a lid over my heart and walk inside .

“Ho, Asagi . So you’re back then . ”

“Gardo . I didn’t know you were back . ”

My luck seemed pretty good today . Gardo was here . The adventurers around us glared at me viciously but that was easily ignored . Apparently, they didn’t like how frankly I spoke to Gardo .

“Just a minute ago, really . You too?”

“Yeah . I picked some herbs . ”

“Hehe . What a liar you are . ”

“It’s a not a lie . I have the herbs right here . ”

“I’m sure you do . ”

s.h.i.+t . Even Gardo knew now . Oh, well . This was necessary .

For instance, had I only been picking herbs and raising my rank, my level wouldn’t match my rank . If I went out to the forests or plains in that state, I’d just get trampled . In that case, I didn’t see any harm in raising my level and learning how to fight in advance . I had speculated that this sort of thinking was what would separate the ‘Rocks’ from the ‘Gemstones . ’

After Gardo waved his hand and left, I went over to ‘Rewards’ and untied the sack that was attached to my waist and placed it on top of the counter .

“I’m Asagi . I’ve just returned from the Medicinal Herbs quest . ”

“Well done . I’ll take the herbs and your status card now . ”

I took the card out of my pocket and handed it over . The thing was really light .

“Yes, I see . Please wait here one moment . ”

After this, they would check the state of the plants and determine the price . I’d have some time until they were done, so I might as well have a light meal here at the bar . The stares of the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds would be annoying, but they would at least be quiet today . Now that I think of it, Ness wasn’t here .

“Excuse me, do you have anything light I can eat?”

“Sure . ”

I sat down at the bar counter and ordered something to chew on from the master . A few looks were turned towards me but I barely noticed . Ness really wasn’t here, huh .

“Ness ain’t here . ”

Gardo called from the table . It seemed that he had noticed my little search .

“Looks like it . That’s kind of rare . ”

“Well, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had a good payout today . So it’s off to the brothel . ”

“Hmm…you have such places here then . ”

“Aye, he was quite determined today too, something about ‘winning her over today’… Well, I’m sure he’ll be back before you know it . ”

I see… I was a little interested in this person Ness seemed devoted to, but not in the brothel itself . Diseases were no joke . It was a world of magic, so perhaps there were contraceptives and magical remedies, but I didn’t know how trustworthy they were… Plus, it seemed like trouble . Getting involved in the troubles of others seemed like a rule in itself when it came to these stories about other worlds . Well, I didn’t receive any special conditions as a protagonist, so perhaps I was safe . Still, being extra cautious was the trick to survival .

“Here you go!”

“Thank you . ”

I received the food from the master . Today’s dish was chicken roasted with herbs, huh… I quite liked this one . It was easy to eat because of the bone . It was also softer than wolf meat and very juicy . The sharp spices stimulated my tired and empty stomach . I finished it in no time .

“Mr . Asagi . Your reward is ready . Are you here?”

I could hear the guild worker calling me, and so I quickly wiped my hands and mouth and left some money on the bar counter .

“Mr . Asagi . ”

The guild worker had come all the way over to the bar and was looking left and right before seeing me and calling me over . We walked back to the counter .

“Mr . Asagi . You’re pretty close to your next rank . ”

“Am I really?”

“Yes, you gain one rank after finis.h.i.+ng fifteen G rank quests . So, that is six more quests . Though, there is also another method . ”

“What kind of quests will be the most prominent in the next rank?”

I was curious about what this other method was, but that could wait . I wanted to be more efficient once I reached F rank . And weeding was getting a little boring .

“The most prominent quests in F rank are goblin slaying . The goblins are fond of the mana around the southern part of the forest . You will be permitted to go out much further than before . ”

After saying as much, she looked at me and smiled mischievously . It was cute, but there was ‘I know everything’ meaning behind it . I couldn’t say anything so I just smiled awkwardly and scratched at my cheek .

“Hehe . Well, I will bring your reward now, so please wait a moment . ”

“Ahaha…thank you . ”

How uncomfortable . I waited restlessly until the guild worker returned with a tray that carried my status card and the reward .

“Here, this is the reward for completing the quest . All of the herbs you’ve collected were in excellent condition . The owner of the druggist is always happy with them, so I’ve added a little bonus for you . ”

“Thank you very much . I intend to collect herbs again next time, so I’ll keep their quality in mind . ”

“That would be great . The other G rank adventurers only bring back shriveled and torn plants…”

How can I bother to pick herbs! That’s probably what they’re thinking as they gather them… Idiots . It’s much better to do these kinds of slow jobs carefully .

“Thank you for coming in today . We hope to see you again soon . ”

“Yes, thank you . ”

The reward was forty pieces of copper and one silver as a bonus . I put them in a purse and left the counter .

Well then, I had nothing left to do today . Perhaps I should return to the inn… That was what I was thinking as I left the guild house before I was immediately surrounded .

“Hey, Black Rabbit . Aren’t you getting a little arrogant lately?”

A tall adventurer with a scar on his cheek said as he glowered down at me .

“I’ve gotten used to questing and I suppose I’m proud of it . I can’t wait to go picking herbs again tomorrow!”

“Are you making fun of me you little s.h.i.+t!”

The b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s arm stretched out to grab me right there . He was slow . ‘Jack of all Trade’ taught me self-defense against people as well . I dodged the arms just like the image that played in my head showed . Then I rushed behind him planted my foot in his back and kicked him to the ground . After that, I turned around and ran towards the town .

“Wait! I’ll get you!”

“d.a.m.n, he’s fast…!”

He may have been asking me to wait, but there was no idiot in the universe who would do that . I ran through crowds of people as I made my way back to the inn .

While I was running, I thought I saw a teary-eyed Ness walking on the road, but it was probably just me .

I left Chief’s smithy and made my way to the guild house . You just needed to follow the road in front of the smithy towards the north in a straight line and you’d get there . My feet felt a bit heavy knowing the kind of atmosphere that would await me once there, but I couldn’t hold onto these herbs forever . Their freshness was important . .

“Ahhh…I’m tired…I hate this time of day…”.

I grumbled without thinking . But this life as an adventurer was how I supported myself, it was necessary in order to live

And more than anything, this whole deal about moving to another world had been something I had dreamed of

Of course, there were things concerning killing that gave me pause . My life had been quite peaceful back in j.a.pan . And so it wasn’t too surprising that there would be a resistance to fighting . But after having to survive in the forest without civilization and then the plains, I realized that it was important to be rational in terms of where you were . Or so I told myself . But that was why I had no intention of changing the way I lived . Though, it still made my heart feel a little heavier

I stand in front of the guild . You could hear the drunken clamor of the bar from outside . I force a lid over my heart and walk inside

“Ho, Asagi . So you’re back then . ”.

“Gardo . I didn’t know you were back . ”.

My luck seemed pretty good today . Gardo was here . The adventurers around us glared at me viciously but that was easily ignored . Apparently, they didn’t like how frankly I spoke to Gardo

“Just a minute ago, really . You too?”.

“Yeah . I picked some herbs . ”.

“Hehe . What a liar you are . ”.

“It’s a not a lie . I have the herbs right here . ”.

“I’m sure you do . ”.

s.h.i.+t . Even Gardo knew now . Oh, well . This was necessary

For instance, had I only been picking herbs and raising my rank, my level wouldn’t match my rank . If I went out to the forests or plains in that state, I’d just get trampled . In that case, I didn’t see any harm in raising my level and learning how to fight in advance . I had speculated that this sort of thinking was what would separate the ‘Rocks’ from the ‘Gemstones . ’.

After Gardo waved his hand and left, I went over to ‘Rewards’ and untied the sack that was attached to my waist and placed it on top of the counter

“I’m Asagi . I’ve just returned from the Medicinal Herbs quest . ”. . .

“Well done . I’ll take the herbs and your status card now . ”.

I took the card out of my pocket and handed it over . The thing was really light

“Yes, I see . Please wait here one moment . ”.

After this, they would check the state of the plants and determine the price . I’d have some time until they were done, so I might as well have a light meal here at the bar . The stares of the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds would be annoying, but they would at least be quiet today . Now that I think of it, Ness wasn’t here

“Excuse me, do you have anything light I can eat?”.

“Sure . ”.

I sat down at the bar counter and ordered something to chew on from the master . A few looks were turned towards me but I barely noticed . Ness really wasn’t here, huh

“Ness ain’t here . ”.

Gardo called from the table . It seemed that he had noticed my little search

“Looks like it . That’s kind of rare . ”.

“Well, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had a good payout today . So it’s off to the brothel . ”.

“Hmm…you have such places here then . ”.

“Aye, he was quite determined today too, something about ‘winning her over today’… Well, I’m sure he’ll be back before you know it . ”.

I see… I was a little interested in this person Ness seemed devoted to, but not in the brothel itself . Diseases were no joke . It was a world of magic, so perhaps there were contraceptives and magical remedies, but I didn’t know how trustworthy they were… Plus, it seemed like trouble . Getting involved in the troubles of others seemed like a rule in itself when it came to these stories about other worlds . Well, I didn’t receive any special conditions as a protagonist, so perhaps I was safe . Still, being extra cautious was the trick to survival

“Here you go!”.

“Thank you . ”.

I received the food from the master . Today’s dish was chicken roasted with herbs, huh… I quite liked this one . It was easy to eat because of the bone . It was also softer than wolf meat and very juicy . The sharp spices stimulated my tired and empty stomach . I finished it in no time . .

“Mr . Asagi . Your reward is ready . Are you here?”.

 .

I could hear the guild worker calling me, and so I quickly wiped my hands and mouth and left some money on the bar counter

 .

“Mr . Asagi . ”.

 .

The guild worker had come all the way over to the bar and was looking left and right before seeing me and calling me over . We walked back to the counter

 .

“Mr . Asagi . You’re pretty close to your next rank . ”.

“Am I really?”.

“Yes, you gain one rank after finis.h.i.+ng fifteen G rank quests . So, that is six more quests . Though, there is also another method . ”.

“What kind of quests will be the most prominent in the next rank?”.

 .

I was curious about what this other method was, but that could wait . I wanted to be more efficient once I reached F rank . And weeding was getting a little boring

 .

“The most prominent quests in F rank are goblin slaying . The goblins are fond of the mana around the southern part of the forest . You will be permitted to go out much further than before . ”.

 .

After saying as much, she looked at me and smiled mischievously . It was cute, but there was ‘I know everything’ meaning behind it . I couldn’t say anything so I just smiled awkwardly and scratched at my cheek

 .

“Hehe . Well, I will bring your reward now, so please wait a moment . ”.

“Ahaha…thank you . ”.

 .

How uncomfortable . I waited restlessly until the guild worker returned with a tray that carried my status card and the reward

 .

“Here, this is the reward for completing the quest . All of the herbs you’ve collected were in excellent condition . The owner of the druggist is always happy with them, so I’ve added a little bonus for you . ”.

“Thank you very much . I intend to collect herbs again next time, so I’ll keep their quality in mind . ”.

“That would be great . The other G rank adventurers only bring back shriveled and torn plants…”.

 .

How can I bother to pick herbs! That’s probably what they’re thinking as they gather them… Idiots . It’s much better to do these kinds of slow jobs carefully

 .

“Thank you for coming in today . We hope to see you again soon . ”.

“Yes, thank you . ”.

 .

The reward was forty pieces of copper and one silver as a bonus . I put them in a purse and left the counter

Well then, I had nothing left to do today . Perhaps I should return to the inn… That was what I was thinking as I left the guild house before I was immediately surrounded

 .

“Hey, Black Rabbit . Aren’t you getting a little arrogant lately?”.

 .

A tall adventurer with a scar on his cheek said as he glowered down at me

 .

“I’ve gotten used to questing and I suppose I’m proud of it . I can’t wait to go picking herbs again tomorrow!”.

“Are you making fun of me you little s.h.i.+t!”.

 .

The b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s arm stretched out to grab me right there . He was slow . ‘Jack of all Trade’ taught me self-defense against people as well . I dodged the arms just like the image that played in my head showed . Then I rushed behind him planted my foot in his back and kicked him to the ground . After that, I turned around and ran towards the town

 .

“Wait! I’ll get you!”.

“d.a.m.n, he’s fast…!”.

 .

He may have been asking me to wait, but there was no idiot in the universe who would do that . I ran through crowds of people as I made my way back to the inn

 .

While I was running, I thought I saw a teary-eyed Ness walking on the road, but it was probably just me