In the end, we had to stay at Zant Port for the next three months to wait out the rainy season. Since we had no intention of trying to snag a prime spot to join the monster hunts during the rainy season anyway, the rent wasn't too high. A single room only cost five Large Copper Coins, and each meal was an extra coin. Because we were renting for 3 straight months, I got a slight discount, specifically bringing the total down to just 15 Millis gold coins for everything, each person. If we convert it into Asura currency, it's only about 8 silver coins, not bad.
Meanwhile, because Talhand was an S-rank adventurer, he got a discount that brought his total down to less than 7 gold coins. For that reason, I also started seriously thinking about doing a few quests to rank up again.
So, on our second day here, I went to the Adventurers' Guild and met Miredol—that big-boobed receptionist.
"Hello there. How can I help you?"
Miredol greeted me with a "professional" smile, just like a bank teller.
The lady is very likely to be somewhere in her 30s or even early 40s but still has the charm of a sharp and sexy lady. Today she had changed her hair to a ponytail, looking way more energetic compared to having it let down like yesterday. Honestly, styling it like this accentuated her outrageously huge boobs even more, so I found it quite pleasing to the eye. In short, a MILF, SSR tier, my type, would.
Ah no, cut the crap! You're not here to have dirty thoughts, focus on the main objective here Atur.
"I lost my adventurer's card so I want to register again," I replied completely deadpan, with my eyes closed to avoid getting distracted.
"I see. Well, do you know how to write?"
"I do."
"Then please fill your information into this form and pay the registration fee."
With that, I was handed an information form and a magic quill that could write without ink. Normally, the receptionist would be the one writing the registration info for adventurers, since not everyone doing this job is literate. Sometimes, writing something wrong and ruining a piece of paper costs a lot of money. However, since it was crowded today, they were breaking the rules like this. Whatever, let's just finish writing this so I can go do a few quests.
"Tsk. Name, huh?"
Yet, right at the first line, I had to click my tongue. Hard to believe, but I didn't know what to write for my name in this spot. Atur Notos Greyrat was obviously a no-go; I had no connection to that damn family anymore anyway. Well, if I did, it'd probably just be with Luke, though I had no idea how my older brother was doing now. I hope he's with his princess, marries her or something, and then lives happily ever after.
Lan Atur wasn't an option either. If I used that name, I'd guarantee a whole pile of trouble coming my way. I've been living peacefully these days entirely because no one knew I was the thing called the 'Dragon Demon King' or 'Hero'. Writing that name down myself now would be super weird.
Should it just be Atur then? If Eris saw that, she'd strangle me for sure. She didn't want me to abandon the Greyrat surname. To be honest, I really want to write my name as Atur Boreas Greyrat, but it's for later.
So at this moment, maybe 'Atur Greyrat', then?
After a sigh, I decided to write my name down like that.
Let's see, next is gender, obviously Male. After that is... Race.
"Sigh… not this question again."
I wrote down my race as human, even though many would disagree.
The rest of the registration form was pretty simple, just basic information and such. Once finished, I handed it back to Miredol and paid the registration fee. I was also given a brand new F-rank adventurer's card.
Feels just like when I first registered to be an adventurer, huh? I don't know what I was thinking, but in the end, I put down my occupation as 'Thief', just like Henry did back then. Come to think of it, it's been nearly ten years since that day, right? I wonder how Henry and Tristina are doing now. The last time I got any news was a letter that I couldn't read anymore, so I have no idea.
But based on those two's abilities, I think they're still fine. Henry is probably over twenty by now, right? Maybe they've even gotten married. Either way, even when they were little kids, they already looked like they were made for each other.
I hope the next time we meet, I'll get to hold some kid and have them call me uncle, he he he.
"Well, let's see if there are any quests I can do first."
So I walked over to the quest board to check if there were any E or F-rank quests and, surprisingly, there were more than I thought. Maybe because only adventurers from rank D and up participate in monster hunting during the rainy season, all the quests from rank D and up were wiped clean as they want to earn some extra money before the real deal. Only E and F were left, mundane stuff like sweeping leaves, finding cats, and things that no one bothered taking.
Seems like people everywhere look down on these simple quests, huh? But that's fine, saves me from having to fight over quests.
"Huh?"
When I'm looking over the quest board, I found something that interested me. It's a letter. From Paul and looks like it's for Rudeus to find his family. According to the details, it must be the reason why Rudeus is in the middle of nowhere in the Northern part of the Central Continent.
And there're also some letters from many other people looking for help to find their loved one as well. Even though the event which teleported the whole Fittoa region away was like 4 years ago but the after match is still haunting everyone.
Thinking about that event, I suddenly have a question in my mind.
Who actually caused such a catastrophe?
According to Lord Lan Xin, something like that event shouldn't naturally happen in the Central Continent, because the mana there won't be enough to form a Mana calamity like in The Demon Continent. So it must be someone behind it.
If so… Then why?
I always think there would be some kind of ultimate villain somewhere in this world, who is waiting for his time to appear and try to destroy everything. Just like in every isekai light novel, you know? If there are none, then why am I here? Does some higher up power decide to give me a second chance in life? Just like that?
I actually don't buy it.
That's the real reason why I'm always worried about my reputation. If the ultimate villain deemed me as their obstacle, me and even my friends' life would be in danger.
So I need to be careful.
"Hey Atur. What about doing this warehouse guard quest."
When I'm still lost in my thoughts, 'someone' suddenly speaks, makes me turn back to reality.
"It's a party quest, they need at least two people, I can't do it alone."
I started and turned around, it turns out Isolde had been standing right next to me since who knows when. Now our faces were right up against each other. My heart felt like it was going to stop beating, while my Water King friend grinned from ear to ear as she grabbed the commission paper.
"If that's the reason, then shall we form a party?"
How could I possibly refuse that?
...
And so, I ended up taking the quest to guard a warehouse in the port district, owned by some wealthy merchant. The place already had guards, but they still wanted extra adventurers to help with... heavy lifting. I really should have seen this coming considering it was an E-rank quest with a physical stamina requirement.
At first, the warehouse staff was going to tell us to go home because we were a girl and a kid. But in the end, the two of us were the fastest and strongest stockboys (or stockgirl) there. Our employer was naturally happy to sign the quest completion paper after just two hours of work, even though we were supposed to guard the warehouse overnight.
The result: the two of us completed our first E-rank quest of the day, and we each got five Millis large copper coins. Easy money.
And now we were sitting in the Adventurers' Guild, waiting for our turn to register for a new quest. Isolde, who was sitting across from me, had been looking at her share, the three Millis large copper coins thoughtfully for a while before muttering to herself.
"So just two hours of work, we got almost enough money for food and lodging for a day, huh? No wonder people flock to become adventurers."
"It's only that easy because we completely exceeded the quest's requirements," I explained. "A normal person would have had to stay and guard the warehouse, which would take up two days."
"That's true."
Isolde nodded. She pinched a coin between two fingers and tapped it lightly against another, creating a series of clinking sounds in a rhythm I found familiar. Ah right, that was a hymn I used to hear when I went to church. I almost opened my mouth to hum along but suddenly remembered I was in a public place, so I promptly shut up.
But thinking about it, I had quite a burning question.
"By the way, when did you even become an adventurer?" I asked Isolde.
"Back when I first met Talhand and Elinalise in a guildhall," Isolde answered immediately, her eyes drifting toward the remaining coin rolling around in a corner. Her voice lowered slightly as if she was trying to recall something before shaking her head. "However, this is my first time actually doing a quest."
I could have guessed that. Even though she did everything quite professionally, there was still something stiff about it. She looked like someone who had memorized the theory, carefully watched tutorial videos, and was executing it for the very first time.
"But if that's the case, why did you even become an adventurer?" I tilted my head.
"To exchange money. Exchanging it at the Adventurers' Guild has lower fees than other places."
"Ah, well that makes sense, huh?"
It's true that if you have to travel all over the world, being an adventurer is vastly more advantageous than being a normal person. No matter what rank they are, they can still use the facilities of the guildhalls spread almost all over this world.
Honestly, I'm quite curious about who is behind the Adventurers' Guild. Being able to manage and operate a transnational, intercontinental organization like this is no easy task. It must be people with terrifyingly immense power. If I remember correctly, the Guild's headquarters is located in Millishion. Maybe I'll try dropping by that place to see if there's anything interesting to learn.
"Still, a Water King working as an F-rank adventurer is pretty funny, isn't it?" And so, I started teasing Isolde.
"I may be a Water King, but my adventuring experience is still quite green."
However, Isolde didn't seem bothered at all by what I just said; she even seemed to agree. I had to use 'Reading' to probe what that attitude was about, and it seemed she wasn't acting at all but speaking the truth.
"You've noticed too that even though I've been traveling for nearly four years, I'm still not used to this life, right?" Isolde asked.
"Yeah, true," I nodded. "Even if you don't say it out loud, you always think that if we were in Asura, things would be much more convenient."
"Yeah. That's what I think I need to change."
"For what?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Because that way, I'll be less demanding," Isolde replied nonchalantly. "I realized that if I lower my standards, life becomes significantly easier."
Honestly, I didn't think Isolde's life back in the Royal Capital was all that lavish either. Even though she's a "demanding" person, it's not like she wants the absolute best, most expensive things like some snob. On the contrary, Isolde's nature is wanting the best thing within her attainable limits. And that is exactly what makes her constantly troubled.
Lately, though, she's been a bit more relaxed. That's a good step forward. Maybe my Isolde won't follow in Master Reida's footsteps and turn into a grumpy old lady as predicted. It's more likely that she will become a cat lady instead. Just look how much Larry loves her.
"Beside," Isolde continued. "I need to improve on my coordinated combat capability as well. Being an adventurer would teach me how to work with other people."
"You sure are studious huh?"
"I want to be better." She put on a bright and genuine smile on her face. "Because you would be like that too right?"
"I… think?" I scratched my head.
Wait a minute. Did she mean that she wanted to be better because of me? It does sound a little bit… hmmm. Maybe that's not what she meant.
"And also. I want to become an S-rank adventurer." Isolde clenched the three coins tightly in her palm as she declared this. She seems to be very enthusiastic. "Because if I'm S-rank, I'll be able to rent inns for half the price! Just like Talhand and Elinalise! And I can get more chances to fight against strong opponents as well!"
"But wouldn't everything just be much simpler if you just got more money?" I forced a smile. "You are a Water King. You can become a bodyguard of some rich noble and be rich."
Just like Ghislaine, she got 5 gold coins each month if I remember correctly.
"No, you don't understand, the feeling of getting something at a lower price than other people is truly amazing." Isolde shook her head. "Besides, being a bodyguard won't get you that many chances to meet new opponents."
In this world, people want to reach S-rank for fame and money. Eris wants it because it seems fun and looks cool. Meanwhile, Isolde wants it... to get cheaper inn rentals. I'm not sure if I should find it funny or not.
"I never thought you would be this pragmatic." I admitted.
"I learned it from the best."
"Who?" I frowned.
"You. Who else?"
"Ah right."
Thinking back, in my previous life during my final years, I was also aggressively hunting for discounts, so I sort of understood. It's true that getting something for less than its actual value gives you an indescribable sense of victory. It's just that I've gotten used to spending freely in this life, and it's rare for any place to run discount promotions anyway, so I completely forgot about that habit.
"And besides, you can rent horses for free." Isolde then began listing the benefits of being S-rank. "Occasionally, if you break the rules, it gets overlooked. Although I don't think I'll need it, if it's you, you really should have that, Atur."
To be fair, I've never broken any rules while being an adventurer, you know. But well, whatever. Having privilege is something we all should aim for anyway.
"Atur, Isolde. It's your turn."
Isolde immediately stood up at Miredol's call.
"Yes. I'm coming right away."
Even though I had no desire to become a high-ranking adventurer whatsoever. But seeing Isolde like that, I just stood up and followed her. After all, I'm her only companion for the next three months in her rank-climbing crusade, right? Gotta try my best for my friend's goal.
Besides, I need to get back the rank I was. So when I reunited with my Mythical Dancers, we could still do quests as a party like before.
We then also talked to Miredol about our goal to rank up faster to reach rank C before the rainy season arrived. So, that pretty receptionist suggested we take on multiple quests at once and split up to do them. The reason for this is that since we are a party, completing one quest counts as the whole group completing it. Therefore, if we take two E-rank quests at the same time and split them up so each person does one, after finishing, it will count as each person completing 2 E-rank quests.
Honestly, I knew about this trick back when I was in Henry's party or when I was with the Mythical Dancers. But back then, we had no intention of rushing to grind ranks, so we just took one quest and did it together. That explains why my adventurer rank progression was as slow as a snail.
"How about we race to see who can do more quests?" Isolde suddenly suggested. "Whoever wins gets to sleep with Larry."
"That traitorous cat is going to jump into your room anyway, isn't he?"
"Then something else is fine. Do you have any suggestions?"
I wanted to suggest that we just not compete. But with Isolde's personality, she always wants to compete with me for motivation. It seems like that has become a hard habit for her to break. I just hope that later on, when she and I both have a family, there won't be a competition over who can have more kids.
"Whoever loses cooks lunch for the other for the rest of the rainy season, deal?" I suggested. "Of course, it has to be whatever dish the winner requests."
"Deal."
And so we started our race to see who could complete more quests.
"Then let me act as a witness for this, shall I?"
Just to be sure, Miredol, the receptionist, stepped up to be the witness. Other adventurers, especially those who knew us from Wind Port, also joined in on betting who the winner would be.
Suddenly, we became the center of attention. The tales of the Bald Hero Atur (I hate this name) and the Ice Sword Water King Isolde started spreading throughout the guildhall again. And just like that, my plan to hide my identity and live a lowkey life was ruined.
Oh well, whatever, I'm used to this by now. Time to focus on the main objective: winning.
Honestly, I had quite an advantage since I had nearly ten years of experience as an adventurer. There are some quests where just looking at them, you know they can be finished quickly, like manual labor jobs. As for quests that require searching or gathering, while they seem easier, they actually take way more time.
Take looking for pets, for example. I once spent a whole week trying to find a squirrel pet in the Royal Capital. Just hearing that, you can probably guess why no one takes them even when the pay is high—a whopping two Asura silver coins. I hadn't experienced the harsh realities of life back then, so I took it, and ended up spending nearly a whole month to finish that damn quest. Or material gathering quests, those aren't easy either. Going into the forest to find and pick the requested items also requires luck. There was a time when the Mythical Dancers had to scour the entire forest in Roa just to pick a few mushrooms.
Therefore, if I wanted to win, I had to avoid those kinds of quests.
So I took a quest to weed the backyard of a wealthy merchant. Meanwhile, Isolde took a quest to find a stray cat.
I thought I had this bet in the bag.
...
Three days later. I completed 4 E-rank quests and 3 D-rank quests. That speed was pretty impressive. I thought my victory was practically guaranteed, but Isolde's results went like this:
"I completed 5 E-rank quests and 7 D-rank quests," Isolde declared grandly. "Be proud, Atur. You tried your best."
I know that the loser getting mocked by the winner is just the beauty of our rivalrous relationship. But for some reason, hearing that sentence really pissed me off. Besides...
"Are you telling me you finished 12 quests in three days?" I slammed my hand on Miredol's reception desk. "How the hell! You even finished 7 D-rank quests at the same time!?"
"It's true. Miss Miredol, please be my witness."
"I bear witness," Miredol nodded. "Isolde worked very hard and efficiently. Many clients were extremely satisfied."
"See?"
"Even so, how is that even possible?" I protested. "You exclusively took those material gathering and lost item retrieval quests, how could you be that fast!?"
Those are all quests that require a ton of luck to find things, it's not like you just walk out and instantly find them. And out of those 8 D-rank quests, she finished them all in a single day. How the hell!?
"He he." Isolde clearly didn't bother restraining her smug expression. "That's because I have my ways. As long as I bring Larry along, he can find absolutely anything. I had to pay him back by buying him delicious food and hugs, of course."
"Getting outside help is obviously cheating, isn't it?" I glared.
"That's just maximizing the advantages you have." Isolde shrugged. "North God Style philosophy. You also exclusively took quests that you could do quickly, didn't you?"
Dragging swordsmanship philosophy into this completely shut me up.
But Isolde was right, I only did the things I thought I'd be good at too. For the first two days, I always maintained a lead over her, only to get completely ambushed like this today.
Oh well, guess I have to accept it.
"Alright fine, I lose. From tomorrow on, I'll cook for you." I sighed as I put my hands up; the punishment wasn't that terrible anyway.
Immediately, dozens of people in the adventurers' guild plastered all sorts of different expressions on their faces. Some rejoiced because they won their bets, some wailed because they lost, and some were just in awe because our quest-clearing speed was genuinely terrifying.
Meanwhile, Isolde, my friend who is a whole head taller than me, broke into a bright smile, her blue hair swaying slightly, looking as pretty as ever.
"Well, since you would sleep til noon so maybe you should cook dinner, and I'll handle lunch. How does that sound?" She tilted her head. "Mister-lose-the-bet?"
"Sure sure." It's not like I was in any position to refuse.
"Well well. Aside from the bet. Here's something for you guys."
Miredol smiled as she put our adventurer card back to us. It's now having the D-rank title on it. After me and Isolde took the cards, she slightly bowed her head.
"Congratulations, you two now are D-rank. So you can now take C-rank quests."
Can't believe that in just three days, I almost got back to the rank I used to be at C-rank when I was still at Roa. It seems to be easier than I expected.
"With this pace, maybe we can reach S-rank after this rainy season." Isolde said that with a proud expression on her face. "What do you think, Atur?"
"I would say that's possible." I admitted.
I can see that S-rank quests in this town are just about hunting Sea Dragons or Giant Worms. Those monsters are weaker than Black Dragons; we have to fight dai-fricking-ly back in the Necross Fortress. C-rank quests are even more boring, it only fights some C or even B-rank monsters. Without fight power, it would be more than easy.
"How about we aim for S-rank within this rainy season?"
"Isolde, I know you are being hyped up. But let's calm down a bit." I said. "I think B-rank is more acceptable."
"I think so too." Miredol nodded.
"If you said so."
Isolde then looked back to her adventurer card and lost in her thought. Maybe she's thinking about how to advance to the next rank faster. I know Isolde, she will chase her goal nonetheless.
I hope that goal won't cause any troubles in the future.