Chapter 10

10th Episode

Iron Tier Adventurer Hassan

010 – <Iron Tier Adventurer Hassan>

“Processing information is akin to divination and prophecy. It’s like a single beam of light illuminating the darkness of ignorance, and there is only one deity who bestows such grace upon you.”

“So, who is this deity?”

“Who else? The god of light and sun, of course. You seem to lack proper education, being a barbarian from the wilderness. Nonetheless, the grace of the sun god is famously rare for even devout followers.”

Valtma, slouched on a cluttered seat, gave me a swift once-over from head to toe.

“I don’t understand why such power would be bestowed upon someone like you, who lacks both faith and knowledge. Among hundreds of devout worshipers, only one might receive such grace.”

The affairs of gods are beyond comprehension for us dull creatures. After muttering a few words under his breath, Valtma clicked his tongue as though thoroughly confounded.

God of light and sun.

I associated the term “sun god” that Valtma had mentioned with the dazzling light source blazing in the sky.

The sun.

No matter which civilization or story you look into, the influence of the sun has always been significant.

So, it’s fair to say that worshipping the sun in myths and legends is a major form of faith.

Although I don’t fully understand it, receiving this rare grace seems like it could be a great fortune!

After two years of hellish slave labor, it looks like my time of prosperity has finally arrived!

Gifted with talent!

Born with a golden spoon!

Wa!

Yeah, d*mn it. Even though I was living comfortably in 21st-century civilization, I ended up in this wretched world, enduring slavery on top of everything else.

There’s a balance to everything: when something is lost, something is gained in return. After enduring so much hardship, it’s only fair that I should reap the rewards.

As I was indulging in these hopeful thoughts, creating a radiant mental garden in my head, Valtma spoke.

“But, receiving grace doesn’t mean you should get overly excited. It means you’re drawing the attention of a transcendent power beyond our understanding, and that usually leads to a tragic end.”

Valtma’s words were like cold water poured over me, chilling everything and leaving me deflated.

“Even famous kings, heroes, or even beasts meet untimely ends. And you? An unfaithful Samaritan with no divine beliefs? Your demise is something I truly look forward to. Consider that a compliment.”

d*mn, compliments in this world seem to lack proper delivery.

*

Bald and one-eyed Valtma seemed to hold a fairly high position within the Mars Guild in the city of Sodomora.

With his orders, what I thought might be a misunderstanding quickly cleared up.

“Normally, we’d need field testing, but you’re a Samaritan from the wilderness, right? You’ve probably killed a person or two without much effort—harsh look, sturdy build. So, we’ll skip that.”

Instead, I experienced an expedited process to join the guild. What pleased me most was the opportunity to get an apology from Daphne, the woman who had cruelly slapped me across the face earlier.

“…Um, I’m Daphne, your new contact person. Hassan, about what happened earlier, I’m so, so, so…”

“Sorry?”

“Sorry? You crazy b*stard, it was you who caused the problem first!”

Although an opportunity arose, whether I’d receive a proper apology anytime soon remains questionable—it might never happen. There’s nothing to do but brush it off as stepping in something dirty and move on.

Anyway, that’s how I managed to become an Iron Tier adventurer by paying the hefty sum of 20 silver coins, and amidst some slaps and misunderstandings.

Iron Tier.

Iron Grade Adventurer.

The lowest rank in the fifth tier among adventurers.

If we compare it to a game, I’ve reached a tier where the character crawls at the bottom of the ocean floor, eating dirt and mud.

“Ha ha.”

Still, I was feeling rather good.

Having a tier system means I’ve created a gaming ID and taken the placement test. Until now, my life was akin to someone in the Third World, playing with small pebbles and mud while making sound effects like “Pew pew. Receiving.”

The mere existence of a ladder to climb makes me feel incredibly satisfied.

“Mr. Hassan, when you accept a quest and complete the mission, you can receive the agreed-upon payment by the client after a commission has been deducted. If the total amount of fees collected reaches a certain amount, you’ll be eligible to take the promotion exam. After upgrading, you’ll get access to more missions and…”

Once she entered work mode, Daphne, to my surprise, explained quite thoroughly about adventurers’ jobs, promotions, and payments. It was as if the earlier fiery Daphne never existed.

“That concludes the rough explanation.”

Since I’d gleaned some knowledge during my time as a slave of Elpride, understanding the role of an adventurer came easily.

Adventurers act as a sort of troubleshooter’s office or a labor market where various kinds of workers gather.

By accomplishing various tasks, one can earn money. After gaining enough experience, one can level up, access more jobs, and make more money.

That’s the end of it.

It’s a simple system.

“By the way, if you pay an additional five silver coins, you can have your name posted on the job board over there for a year. Do you see the crowd of people?”

Daphne pointed her finger at a corner of the guild. Beyond the throng of people, there was a large bulletin board mounted on the wall.

“Posting my name?”

“Having your name up there increases visibility, gets you more named requests, and makes it easier to find party members for quest explorations. You could take a look too if you’d like.”

“Alright then—”

I got up and walked towards the recruitment board. Various papers displaying text were hung around.

“Name: Theseus

Strength: 5

Agility: 4

Stamina: 2

Rank: Bronze

Special Notes: Possesses an extremely cool shield, wears plate armor, skilled in both offense and defense. Handsome. Welcomes attractive female requests. Male requests, dismissed.”

It felt roughly like this.

Similar to spammers in a dungeon entrance chat in games posting “@@@@ max-level warrior seeking party @@@@” to grab attention.

What about other individuals? Let’s check another.

“Name: Don Go Busae

Strength: Strong enough to make men show their backs

Agility: Similar to an eagle on the rise

Stamina: Can endure three days and nights without issues

Rank: Silver

Special Notes: Capable in both offense and defense but prefers attacking. Owns a thick bat. Skilled at counterattacks. Powerful strikes. Incredible skills. Charming.”

…

Ugh, what have I seen. It feels like peeking into an abyss I shouldn’t have.

I tightened my sore bottom and returned to sit at the reception desk.

“Do I have to register on that recruitment board?”

Five silver coins are a huge sum to me. With that money, I could afford food and lodging for a few weeks to over a month.

I was a little reluctant to spend my already scarce funds. If I hadn’t managed to reclaim this money from Elpride, what would I have been doing right now? Terrifying.

“Hmm.”

Sensing my hesitation, Daphne hummed and continued.

“To be honest, it’s better to start registering after you’ve gained some experience and reached a more stable phase post-registration.”

“Stable phase?”

“Yes. For the first three months after joining, the guild assigns you tasks automatically. After that, you’ll move to self-assigned quests, so registering after three months when you’ve built up more reputation would be preferable.”

“Ah, I see. Then, I’ll think about this for a bit more.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea. Then, Mr. Hassan, your registration process is now completely finished. We’ll see each other often as your assigned receptionist, so I hope we can get along well. Also, about what happened earlier—lately, I’ve been quite sensitive. I apologize. Sometimes… I feel like I lose myself, especially when male individuals touch me…”

Blushing deeply as her embarrassment became evident, the comically green-haired Daphne twisted in her spot.

Daphne was indeed explosive and hysterical as I had noticed before, but she was quite a beautiful woman.

Being at the guild’s forefront as a receptionist, her good looks were likely expected.

It’s understandable that beautiful women may face harassment or develop distrust towards men.

Anyway, since we’ll frequently see each other as she said, maintaining a tense atmosphere would only be bothersome.

“Ah… Well, I understand. I occasionally lose myself as well.”

“Please, slap me five times!”

“What did you say?”

“I slapped you five times, so it’s only fair you return five slaps.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m entirely serious. I feel this is the only way to correct my compulsive behavior. Please, hurry.”

Is she crazy?

Daphne closed her eyes tightly and offered me her cheek. I felt disoriented about whether the current situation was real or not.

Would I really slap her? Right here, right now?

Sneaking a glance around, I saw many people going about their business within the guild.

If I slap her here, every eye will be on me, and it could cause another problem.

“Hurry! Please, correct my compulsive behavior! Or I’ll scream!”

But Daphne kept urging me with tightly shut eyes. Hence, with an exasperated sigh, I decided to slap her five times.

Slap!

“Gyaa!”

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

“Guh, aah, phew!”

Even though I tried to control my strength, Daphne’s face turned a fiery red under my large hand. A woman’s skin is so much softer than mine, which is hardened from labor.

Murmur, murmur.

“What is this about?”

“Why are you slapping her? Did he provoke you?”

“Black hair, right? Seems like the barbarian is causing trouble.”

“Where are the guards?”

Even though I’m the one hitting and Daphne’s the one getting hit, why does my cheek feel like it’s going to burst? I slapped her five times when suddenly…

Ding!

“Daphne’s Compulsive Behaviors – Paranoia, Cured.”

“Mission Value +50”

A strange message appeared, talking nonsense about curing compulsions and paranoia. I had detected nothing unusual when I touched her wrist before.

And the paranoia being cured by slapping? Is this some form of physical therapy?

“Sorry, Mr. Hassan. I was wrong. I finally realize this now. My mind feels clear. I’ve been such a terrible person!”

Whether from pain or regret, Daphne was tearing up. She cried for some time, leaving me no choice but to sit there awkwardly.

It felt like a bizarre punishment game.

Anyway, after receiving her apology, something felt different. When was the last time anyone apologized to me? It’s embarrassingly awkward.

As her sobbing began to subside, I decided to bring up a question I’d had lingering in my mind.

“Daphne, by any chance, is there anything available for me to do starting today?”

“Today? Normally, first-day registrants can’t take on quests due to regulations…”

“Can’t it be done somehow?”

I felt the weight of the bundle of coins tucked securely in my pocket.

Jingle.

Ten silver coins in copper. If I were to post my name on that bulletin board or whatever it was, five coins would be gone. Thus, leaving me with a mere five silver coins.

Carefully managing this meager amount, I could probably survive a month or two, but it would be far better to start earning now if possible.

As much as I had become accustomed to hunger and homelessness, I’m no longer a slave. It’s time to live as a free man.

It was also my wish to quickly elevate my adventurer rank to Silver and receive full citizenship.

And as Mrs. Finley suggested, becoming a Silver adventurer and opening a healing facility could be a splendid option.

“Hmm…”

Daphne seemed to ponder.

“Alright, I did wrong to Mr. Hassan too, so I’ll try to help you. But don’t tell others that I gave you this quest.”

Daphne finally pulled out a massive ledger and began flipping through it. Page after page shuffled until she stopped at a certain point, pointing at a few lines.

“There is an appointment this afternoon, one slot open as one of the members dropped out. I’ll place you in here. It’s not a difficult task and should be manageable.”

The Daphne who slapped me now looked rather amiable. A few slaps may have been worth the trouble to create a favor with the receptionist.

Of course, it might not be worth it, but I needed that comfort somehow.

“The total payment is 120 copper, so that’s 30 copper for each person.”

“Are there three others? What kind of job is it?”

“Considering it’s your first day, I picked an easy task. Beyond the outskirts of Sodomora, there are abandoned shrines, and these need to be periodically cleaned. It’s usually done by Iron Tier adventurers.”

In essence, it’s a beginner-level job suitable for me. Cleaning is a simple task anyone with arms and legs—even a young child—could do.

I was a master at cleaning, having kept Elpride’s small cabin spic and span.

“Cleaning is actually my specialty.”

“Perfect. It’s not a difficult task, so it should take about half a day.”

Half a day of work for 30 copper.

Back in my slave days, how much effort did it take to earn 30 copper?

If I saved around 3-4 copper daily by scrimping on cheap meals, it took about a week of labor to accumulate 30 copper.

This means I’ll earn what would have been a week’s worth of salary in half a day.

Touching.

Perhaps this is why people must invest effort into finding a proper job.

“Then, Mr. Hassan, take this wooden token and head to the western gate of Sodomora. You just need to find those carrying matching wooden tokens.”

Daphne handed me a key-like wooden paddle. It was a flat piece of wood about the size of my palm, sanded smooth and painted black with the words “Mars Guild” carved into it.

I had seen Elpride and other adventurers using similar tokens to identify their party members by.

Holding this wooden paddle in my hand made my chest tingle, and I felt strangely excited.

“Since it’s almost noon, I’ll head out now.”

“Mr. Hassan, and… one more thing.”

Daphne called out from behind as I turned to leave. By her hesitant tone, it seemed like sharing her concern might not be easy.

“The thing is… There’s something I need to tell you…”

“Isn’t this an apology? We already sorted it out earlier, right?”

“No, it’s not about that. In the group you’ll clean with, there is someone… a bit unusual. The work itself is very simple, so you probably won’t face any problems, but I wanted to warn you just in case.”

d*mn, this makes me nervous.

[Author’s Note] You can compare the adventurer classes to the tiers in League of Legends!

Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and so on!

You might have noticed already, but the cover has changed! It’s an illustration I commissioned, using the coupons you all kindly provided! Thank you!

---