The immediate problem was coins. Kaito understood their purpose now; they were the grease that made the machine of this city turn. Food, a roof, even information—all required this metallic token of trust. He had nothing.
[Sage, I need to acquire currency.]
[Proposal: Utilize the byproducts of monster neutralization. Most entities you have encountered leave behind a crystalline core that contains a stabilized portion of their energy. These are valued as magical reagents.]
Kaito reached into a small, internal pocket of his self-made tunic. Within his body, he had stored a handful of these cores—smooth, pebble-like objects that glowed with faint, captured light: the deep purple of a Shadow Jackal, the fiery orange of a Magma Weevil. He had absorbed the creatures' life force, but these inert cores were left behind, like shells.
The Adventurer's Guild was the obvious place. It was a massive, noisy hall of stone and timber, smelling of ale, sweat, and old wood. A giant board covered in parchment requests dominated one wall. At the far end was a long counter, and behind it, three women were managing the chaos.
Kaito's new human instincts immediately drew his eyes. All three clerks were undeniably beautiful, but in different ways. One, with a warm, friendly face and brown hair tied in a braid, was patiently helping a grizzled old hunter. Another, sharp-featured and severe with silver spectacles, was meticulously updating a ledger.
The third, a woman with vibrant red hair and a laugh that cut through the din, was the center of attention. Leaning against her counter was a man in gleaming, ornate armor, a finely crafted spear strapped to his back. He was clearly an A-ranker, his confidence bordering on arrogance.
"...so I told the Barony Lord, 'Your little wall is nice, but it's my spear that's your real defense,'" the spearman boasted, flashing a brilliant smile at the red-haired clerk.
She laughed, a practiced, musical sound. "I'm sure, Roland. I'm sure. But unless that spear can also fill out your expedition tax forms, I need you to move along. You're holding up the line."
Behind Roland, a woman in elegant blue mage's robes let out an audible, bored sigh. She tapped her foot impatiently, her expression making it clear she'd heard these stories a thousand times.
Kaito waited, observing the flow. His gaze, however, kept drifting, almost against his will. The red-haired clerk's guild tunic was fitted, and his eyes, with a mind of their own, dipped for a split second to the curve of her breasts before he quickly looked away, a faint heat rising on his neck. He did the same with the mage in line, admiring the elegant way her robes draped before feeling a pang of guilt. It was a strange, distracting, yet intensely human sensation.
Finally, Roland sauntered off, and the mage quickly completed her business. Kaito stepped up to the counter, facing the red-haired clerk.
She gave him a bright, professional smile. "Welcome to the Guild! Here to register or post a quest?"
Kaito placed the small collection of monster cores on the counter. "I wish to sell these," he said, his voice quiet.
Her smile didn't falter, but her eyes sharpened, becoming analytical. She picked up the Magma Weevil core, holding it to the light. "Hmm. Good clarity. Purer than most." She picked up the Shadow Jackal core. "And this one... the energy signature is incredibly dense. Almost no soul-tether residue." She looked at him, her head tilted. "You're new. These are from the recent migrations? How did you manage to extract them so cleanly? Most adventurers have to shatter the core to kill the thing."
Kaito was prepared for this. [Sage] had provided the cover. "I have a knack for... pacification. I can subdue them without triggering a soul-shock response."
The clerk's eyebrows rose, impressed. "A rare talent. That makes these far more valuable. Intact cores like this are prized for high-level enchantments." She quickly sorted them. "The standard rate for B-rank cores is five silver each. But for this purity... I can give you seven silver per. That's... two gold, one silver for the lot." She slid the coins across the counter. They gleamed, two large gold pieces and a smaller silver one.
It was more than he'd expected. He nodded, taking the coins. The weight of them in his hand felt significant.
"Think about registering," the clerk said, her smile turning genuine. "With your talent, you'd rise fast. Name's Lyra, by the way."
"Kaito," he replied, offering a small, tentative smile of his own before turning to leave, the first coins of his new life clutched in his hand, and the lingering, confusing warmth of a pretty woman's smile on his mind.