After registering as an adventurer, I spent a week focused on training.
I have experience as an exclusive mage, but I’m a complete newbie when it comes to being an adventurer.
And so, Mars and Lela give me some of their time to teach me what I need to know.
When it comes to quests, they make sure to show me examples while teaching me stuff from scratch.
Of course, some of it is stuff I already knew, but I don’t say anything, and just listen.
Lela is a very good teacher, and Mars, not so much. But I can feel how much he’s trying, and even he can get the main points across.
And most importantly, when I understand what they’re saying, they praise me for it.
Needless to say, being praised helps motivate me, and I really appreciate the fact that they’re spending time doing this just for me.
All I feel is thankful. It was like this with my magic master too, so I really feel like I’m blessed with good teachers.
They all have their own ways of teaching, but they do their best for my sake. In fact, the way they’re ‘facing me’ and not just ‘teaching me’ is the most important part.
What I need to do is remember what my teachers have taught me, and make use of it from now on.
“You really are wonderful, Loyd. I think most people wouldn’t listen to what people younger than them would say, but you just listened without complaining even once.
You really are our pride, Loyd.”
“And you didn’t look unhappy even though I’m so bad at explaining stuff. I’m the one explaining, but your kindness is making me wanna cry.”
“You already cried a little when you were talking about appraising herbs.”
“Idiot, stop. I wanna forget that.”
Mars got the types of herbs wrong five times when he was explaining how to appraise herbs.
I’m a pro when it comes to that, so I just listened and corrected him in my mind. But Lela actually pointed out the mistakes, and Mars panicked and cried.
I helped calm him down too, so that was fine, but after that failure, Mars lost his confidence for a while.
“But I was moved when you said ‘I want to hear what Mars said again, not Lela’. I even felt like letting you hug me!!”
“I don’t want to hug a guy.”
I smile awkwardly.
Yes, Mars isn’t a good teacher, but I think that’s just part of his character. I have a lot to learn from him anyway.
I learned from him how to use a sword and tend to it. There aren’t many opportunities for a mage like me to use a sword, so there’s a lot I don’t know.
Someone who politely explains something you don’t know is someone who needs to be cherished more than anything else.
“There’s nothing more I have to teach you, Loyd. Your training is complete.”
“Does that mean it’s time for real quests?”
“Yes. About that, is there anything you want right now?
You really worked hard this whole week, so we were thinking about a present for you.”
What I want?
I honestly can’t think of anything. I have plenty of money, and I’ve never really been greedy to begin with.
“A cute girlfriend.”
“That you need to search for yourself.”
Even the kind-hearted Lela won’t give me a girlfriend as a present.
“I don’t really want anything, but I did find something I want to try during this week.”
“Something you want to do?”
“I was thinking about doing quests on my own.”
I say with a childish smile on my face.
They react with surprise at first, but that quickly turns into gentle smiles.
Meeting them and talking to them has made me realize that I really lack in common sense. And that strong magic alone isn’t enough to survive in this world.
I’ve been scared of that, so I’ve been dependent on them to make up for the knowledge I lack.
I’m sure that’s not a bad thing. It should at least be one of the right options.
It’s just a little immature.
Training as a new adventurer has changed my way of thinking a little.
I want to put what I learned from them to use, so I want to do something by my own strength, and not with them.
As I graduated from a childish way of thinking, I realized I want to be an adult.
“You’ve grown so much Loyd. Just a week ago, you were like a child that fretted if he didn’t get a piggyback from Lela here, and now you’re a fine young man… Your mother is so happy.”
Says Lela while pretending to cry in an exaggerated way.
Is that how she sees me? I’m just a little shocked about her treating me like a kid.
“I think it’s very good for you to speak in such an independent way. We are adventurers after all.
Who knows if we’ll always be together. I think it will be a good opportunity for you to tackle some things alone.”
She says it all in a joking tone, but I can see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. What she’s saying is how she really feels.
“I’m glad to hear you say that. What about you, Mars? Are you okay with that too?”
“It feels a little lonely having you go away, but I think what you’re saying makes sense. Thanks for everything, sensei!!”
Mars says loudly as he lowers his head with tears in his eyes.
“I’m not leaving forever or anything. We’re still going to see each other in the adventurer guild.”
“Loyd is right. You’re being too dramatic, Loyd.
But when we really start doing quests, it will be a little hard to talk every day like this.
We have different ranks, so it will take a while for us to do quests together.”
Lela is talking about the rules of the guild. We need permission from the guild if we want to do quests below our rank.
Mine is D, but Lela and Mars are B rank. There’s a two rank difference between us.
But that makes sense, they’ve been at it for much longer than me.
Even in the same Area Two, there’s a wide range of ranks, with theirs being the highest there.
The guild rules make it difficult for us to do quests together. I only realized this yesterday, but come to think of it, it might be a good thing.
If it wasn’t for this rule, who knows how long it would take for me to become independent as an adventurer.
Still, I have a feeling I’d feel the same way even without it.
I’ve gained confidence after finishing my training, and I have a feeling things will work out for me as an adventurer.
This is probably the best timing for me to become independent, from an emotional point of view.
“Well then you two, see you next time in the adventurer guild.”
I purposefully didn’t use the word tomorrow. That’s my way of saying thank you.
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Rank D: Controlled Area
Job: Monster extermination
Reward: Thirty silver coins.
Job description: Goblin hunting
Location: Lower area of the Great Vidd Forest
Time limit: Three weeks
Target amount: Ten goblins
Notes: It’s dangerous at night, so feel free to make use of the camping area near the forest.
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The first quest I accept is about hunting goblins. It’s completed if I hunt ten of them within the time limit.
From the guild’s point of view, the more hunted goblins the better, so there’s an extra bonus if I take down more than fifty.
The Great Vidd Forest where I’m hunting this time is one of the biggest forest areas in the entire kingdom. Even just the frontal half where people have been is really big, so I need a map and a compass.
According to what I looked into before, there are two hundred fifty-five types of monsters that appear in the Great Vidd Forest.
Twelve beast types, and two hundred forty-three plant types.
Plant types occupy the majority of the forest, so fire magic works great, but it’s strictly forbidden due to fears of starting a forest fire.
I have a big arsenal besides fire magic, so that’s not a problem.
It’s a bit far from Minerva, and it takes about three days to get there by normal wagon.
But this time, I’m going to go by magic doll. As the name implies, they are dolls that move through magic energy.
There are two kinds, humanoid, and animal shaped ones, and I have an animal shaped one.
And so, I bring the parts out of the Item Box, and start assembling it.
It takes me about five minutes to put together a magic doll horse.
This is my lovely horse Artemis. It’s twice as fast as a regular horse, and has the mobility and flexibility to go up even steep cliffs.
Magic dolls don’t need food, which means not having to deal with excrement either. And if it gets attacked by monsters and broken, it can regenerate on the spot if I supply it with magic energy.
Magic dolls are said to be treasure rank when it comes to their value. This Artemis here was made for me by Ruby.
I’ve been unconsciously avoiding using it ever since I broke up with Ruby. Looking at this gives me a bad feeling, and reminds me of the power harassment from back then.
But with the decision to become a proper adventurer, a lot of things left my mind. I’m not over the trauma completely, but I don’t get that unpleasant feeling I had before.
And so, I’m lifting the restrictions on using this.
I get on the horse, and whisper, as if telling myself.
“My goal is just one. A one hundred percent completion rate of the quest.
A smile forms on my mouth, as I make the horse run towards the Great Vidd Forest.
The wind feels great while I run through nature for the first time in a while.
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Step one.