Seeing Saelran hesitate, the brown-haired girl seemed to notice and gently lifted the corner of her mouth, suggesting,
"If you register as an adventurer, questions like this are free."
She looked at him with hopeful eyes.
Saelran raised an eyebrow. "Can one person register as an adventurer?"
"Adventuring is dangerous work. Anyone can register, there's no required number of members. But for safety, at least two people are recommended." She lowered her voice at the end. "Of course, it's not a strict rule."
"How much does it cost to register as an adventurer?" Saelran asked flatly.
"One silver coin!" The brown-haired girl lifted a finger and waved it lightly.
Saelran reached into his pocket for show, pulled a silver coin from his Inventory box, and set it on the table.
"I'll process it for you right away," the girl said, eyes sparkling as she leaned forward slightly.
"No. This is just a five copper question."
Saelran pressed his hand over the silver coin, his expression unchanged.
At the moment, he only had two gold coins, six silver coins, and three bronze coins left. Once he reached the border city 'Antara', he would definitely need money. Registering as an adventurer was an unnecessary expense.
Also, he had no time to take Adventurers' Guild quests.
"There's an escort mission to 'Antara' over there. The distance is extremely far, but the reward is only the lowest Rank D mission. So stingy…" The brown-haired girl's tone shifted as she pointed weakly toward the mission wall, almost as if hinting at something.
"That mission might be accepted by that Rank E adventurer team."
"Since you don't know anything, let me remind you: if you want to tag along with them, you need approval not only from the client, but also from the adventurer team that accepts the mission."
Saelran followed her gaze and saw a four-person adventurer team. A look of realization flickered in his eyes.
It was the same team he'd overheard earlier, they seemed determined to reach Rank D.
Saelran slid the silver coin toward the brown-haired girl.
She took it, gently rubbing the coin between her fingers before placing it into the box below. Then she took out eight copper coins and set them on the table.
"Thank you."
Saelran nodded, pocketed the copper coins, and turned to leave.
T Th… thank you?
The brown-haired girl froze, staring at his departing figure with a complicated expression.
Ever since she'd started working at the Adventurers Guild, no one had ever thanked her before. Most adventurers were rough, especially toward a low-ranking receptionist like her.
"He looks poor… well, plain, but surprisingly polite," she murmured to herself.
Thinking about it again, he was quite handsome, especially with that black hair and deep brown eyes. His hair color was rare.
Was he a foreigner… or from another kingdom?
A faint blush rose to her cheeks.
Saelran walked to a corner of the hall, leaned against the wall, and let out a quiet sigh.
Things were more complicated than he expected, or rather he had been too naive.
Getting approval from both the client and the team was practically impossible.
Clients didn't want outsiders joining an escort they'd entrusted to a specific group. And adventurer teams didn't like taking on extra trouble.
Yet going to Antara was unavoidable.
Both Arkenwald Forest to the north and the Baras Plains to the south were good leveling spots. And in this real world, unlike a game, monsters didn't respawn.
If Saelran wanted to level up, he needed a place where monsters were plentiful.
Also…
As the border between the Kingdom of Avendele and the Jarahat Empire, Antara made many things easier.
For safety reasons, even if danger lurked within Avendele, it wouldn't grow too severe near the border.
Most importantly:
Saelran's lack of understanding of the kingdom and the presence of adventurer teams would help him avoid unnecessary trouble.
He only knew this world from the game: he had the outline, but not the fundamentals.
If he were strong, it wouldn't matter. But at his current low level, caution was essential.
Saelran lowered his head in thought.
Based on what the brown-haired girl said, the journey from the capital to Antara was long enough to be considered a Rank D mission.
With his current funds, hiring an adventurer team was out of the question.
But maybe there was another way.
Antara lay at the far eastern border of the kingdom, and between them was the major city of Diantar—territory of Marquis Savan, one of Avendele's six great noble families.
If he traveled to Diantar first and then continued to Antara, the commission cost would likely be cheaper.
But doing so would waste too much time, and time was something Saelran desperately needed.
Suddenly a familiar, slightly tense voice spoke from the reception counter.
"Miss Daya, has anyone accepted the commission posted yesterday?"
"Oh, it's you. You came at the perfect time. Your commission was just accepted by a Rank E adventurer team. Are you satisfied? If not, we can modify it for you," the girl replied calmly.
"N-no. We don't have any special requirements," the nervous voice answered quickly.
Saelran's eyes widened, his gaze snapping toward the source.
"Eidar?"
He froze. He hadn't expected to run into someone he knew here.
Was the mission to Antara posted by Eidar?
His grandmother was a magic caster capable of using Tier 3 magic, yet he still needed to hire an adventurer team?
While Saelran was still processing this,
Eidar had already spoken with the Rank E team, and it seemed the mission was officially accepted.
Seeing this, Saelran thought for a moment, then walked toward Eidar.
"Then I'll be in your care for the rest of the journey. It might be a little troublesome," Eidar said softly to the four adventurers.
One of them, seemingly the leader, thumped his chest—his light black armor clinking—and laughed confidently.
"Don't worry, we've done this kind of request plenty of times. We can definitely guarantee your safety."
Eidar, usually quiet, looked a little embarrassed, as if that wasn't what he meant but couldn't bring himself to say otherwise.
"Hello."
A voice suddenly spoke from behind.