Upon entering the Adventurers’ Guild, the scene inside was even more intense than outside. All sorts of humans and things that didn’t even look human were all alike wielding weapons and staring at me.
A quick glance revealed that some wore silver or gold identification tags around their necks or wrists. Those must be… adventurer rank badges, perhaps.
It’s normal to have monsters, magic, and people who leap around as if they can fly. And then there’s me. It wouldn’t be surprising to see something like that here.
Immediately, in my original world, people are implicitly ranked by their jobs or wealth. In this world where power equals justice, it’s only natural to have such a system.
Ever since I flipped the script once before, no adventurers have rushed at me. The last time I fought someone with a gold badge, it was quite tough, but I somehow managed to completely demolish them.
Has the news spread? Other gold-ranked individuals don’t dare to mess with me lightly. I was seriously considering making an example out of one of them if provoked again, but this works too.
The receptionist was fully armored, wearing a strange helmet shaped like an onion. It looked like she had picked up something from a warehouse; there were dents and scratches all over her armor.
She wasn’t wearing anything like that last time. Did I cause too much chaos?
No, it’s entirely the fault of those who underestimated and attacked me.
“…Um, uh. Hello!”
“Hello.”
At least she greeted me. A slight tremor of fear lingered in her eyes as she lifted the visor of her helmet just enough to reveal her gaze.
There wasn’t much else to say, nor any reason to stay long, so I urged her along slightly.
“…Settlement, please.”
Recalling the few words I had learned, I conveyed my request to exchange the contents of the bundle on the counter for money.
Despite the large size of the bundle, which knocked everything off the table in an adorable accident, the receptionist calmly untied it and reached into the sack that was leaking blood.
“…Baiyon horns, several mid-to-high grade magic stones, damaged special monster organs, this is… Ainokion resin and skin. And this is Dalocos’ Magic Core…? How did you get these…? No, wait. After deducting hazard pay and the adventurers’ commission…”
Though she muttered a lot, the jingling of gold coins reassured me.
Occasionally, she would take a coin, but the profits outweighed the losses when sorting through the meat chunks. This time, I received about 50 gold.
That’s 10 gold more than last time.
“…Here, 50 gold. Please take it! It’s yours.”
Using vocabulary appropriate for my level, she placed the coins into a small parcel made from scraps, though it too was stained with blood from handling it with dirty hands.
Such details often move people. After quietly nodding to her, I pulled out another bag I had tucked inside the larger one.
Since I couldn’t use the bag filled with nearly spoiled innards for food, I politely discarded the original one and left the guild after giving her a nod.
I heard some suspicious footsteps, but since there was no immediate sign of attack, I decided to ignore them.
If they come at me, I’ll show them what I’m capable of. The guards still maintained their wall of spears, patiently waiting for me.
Every time I see the guards, especially the bald one, I wonder if repeating futile actions gives them some kind of comfort.
Their smug faces, acting as if they’re in control, irritate me. For a moment, I considered playing a prank, but decided against it.
It might be a joke to me, but they’d surely perceive it as a life-threatening situation.
This time, like when I came in, they kept one side open while surrounding me. Time to leave. Thinking about the sweet treats I could enjoy for at least a month lifted my mood.
Perishable goods like dairy need to be eaten within three days, but candy and sugar can last a long time, so my pace quickened.
The shopkeepers weren’t much different from the receptionist.
Or rather, they were worse. Some wore pots as helmets, tied chopping boards or unread dictionaries to their chests like armor—quite unpleasant to look at.
They stared at me fearfully while simultaneously being unable to look away from the sack I carried, silently hoping I’d visit their store. Humans, weak creatures tempted by gold.
Let’s try a different shop this time since I bought from that one last time.
For some reason, the previous shop seems more prosperous now. Is it just my imagination?
The shopkeeper I entered shook with fear but smiled greedily.
“Welcome! Esteemed dragon bringing gold, your discernment is excellent. Though our shop may seem humble, all our products are directly imported from Sandville, known for its high-quality sugarcane. Would you…”
Sorry, I have no idea what he’s saying. Throwing a gold coin at his face silenced him immediately.
I roughly gathered whatever looked tasty, filling the spare bag quite nicely.
Why throw gold coins? When I used silver coins, they often complained incessantly. Throwing four more would quiet them down, but to avoid unnecessary hassle, I’ve been throwing a single gold coin since a year ago.
The packaging is nice, so if I’m careful, it won’t get squished. After waving goodbye, I headed towards a place with a medicinal smell.
Entering what seemed to be either a pharmacy or clinic, the person behind the counter openly showed confusion at my presence.
“Why has a Half-Dragon come here…?”
Hmm. Perhaps because of their education? Not sure. Anyway, I threw a gold coin and jumped over the table to grab bandages and red and blue glass vials from the shelves behind.
The red heals wounds, and the blue clears the mind, so having one of each wouldn’t hurt.
“Wait! Those were meant for patients…”
What? Not satisfied with one? Another gold coin silenced the doctor, and I left the shop.
With nothing else to do, I was about to leave when the vibrations of someone tailing me persisted. Ignoring it was impossible due to the number of them.
As a precaution, I tore up some cobblestones from the road and floated them around me. The guards were startled, but I ignored them.
The guards retreated a bit, likely intimidated by the stone fragments orbiting me like satellites.
Thanks to that, I peacefully reached the outskirts of the village. The ominous footsteps continued until I reached the foothills.
Judging by quantity, about five or six people.
I gently placed the sack aside, digging a small hole in the ground, and turned around, letting out a roar deep from my gut.
“───────!!!”
Birds took flight en masse, small animals scattered, and two adventurers fell from nearby trees.
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
“Damn it, Jake! Breathe! Shit, I didn’t bring this cowardly kid! We were clearly suppressing our presence… What the hell is this monster doing here…”
One fainted right there, foaming at the mouth, and the other didn’t look much better.
Both had silver badges. Bold of them to try capturing me, someone who has defeated gold-ranked adventurers.
These trashy-looking individuals probably can’t even catch mountain beasts.
<I'm annoyed.
I casually threw one of the stones I had floating around. Without channeling mana into my horn, they barely managed to deflect it with their swords, which irritated me further.
They wield fancy blue-tinged swords but seem far less skilled.
How dare they aim for my neck with such pitiful skills?
I channeled mana into my horn and hurled a large rock at the guy’s thigh. Before he could react, the rock severed his leg.
That ended the fight. Clutching his severed limb, the man groaned pitifully as blood gushed out. I left him there and picked up my sack.
Three others remained, but this should be warning enough. If they’re too stupid to understand this kindness, I’ll smash their heads with rocks.
The rock I used to climb down was almost broken, but since I prepared the path on the way down, it might still work on the way up.
It’d be catastrophic if it broke, but that won’t happen.
After reinforcing the rock with my abilities and reinserting my leg, I channeled a massive amount of mana into my horn.
Slowly, the rock began to rise, climbing against gravity despite the slope. Though it drained more mana than descending, it was manageable.
I’ll be tired tomorrow.
And thus, I returned to my dwelling.
