“I mean, I think he’s a pretty good person regardless,” I said.
“He dragged you to Shunrai last night, didn’t he? Were you really all right in a place like that?”
It depends on what you mean by “all right,” miss. I ended up losing my virginity, so the answer’s probably no. But by the same token, I couldn’t have been happier!
“Well, long story short, it all worked out in the end. Because I met the owner there—the love of my life.”
“Karina, I’ve been wondering... Do you prefer women, by any chance?”
“Actually, I’m only into women,” I said. I was still a guy at heart, after all.
“O-Oh. Is that so?” The receptionist looked ever so slightly taken aback. Don’t worry, miss! I wouldn’t do anything to you without your consent!
“Oh—can you assign me another quest right away, please?” I asked.
“Certainly. Another slime core quest, then?”
“Actually, there’s one for gathering lumber, right? A logging quest? Could I have that one instead?”
“Logging is tougher than it seems. You can get attacked by monsters while you’re cutting down trees, and we don’t have anyone from the guild available to accompany you at present. So I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Yesterday I’d seen this quest on the bulletin board, and it had caught my eye:
[Quest] Logging. Reward: One silver per log delivered.
Normally this one was meant to be taken on as a team. A guild employee was supposed to accompany the team, gathering the wood they chopped into a magic bag, while the team was to watch the area for monsters and keep the employee safe. Plus, if any blood was spilled, other monsters would be drawn to its smell, significantly increasing the job’s difficulty. Since the reward had to be split between teammates, each individual’s share wasn’t really worth the time or trouble—in fact, this job was usually only done by a special team of adventurers called the “Lumberjacks.” Blade had explained all this to me previously.
To be honest, at my current level it’d probably be impossible for me too—if I didn’t have spatial magic, that is.
“Thus, I’d strongly advise against this quest,” the receptionist said.
“I’m a mage, so I think I’ll be fine. And if I get attacked, I’ll just defeat the monsters and grab the monster parts to take back as proof.”
“Hmm...magic, you say? Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. From here on out, it’s your responsibility to come back safe.”
The receptionist stressed once again the danger associated with the job. Apparently, it’d normally be much too difficult for a newbie adventurer to handle solo. But that meant if I did manage to complete it on my own, my reward would be that much better. She was right in that harvesting slime cores would definitely be easier, though. Easier to carry back too. Still, there’d be a limit to how many intact slime cores I could earn money for in a day, since they weren’t constantly in demand. And there was always a market for lumber.
“All right, I’ll assign you to the quest if you’re sure. But if it looks like it’s beyond what you can handle, promise you’ll come back right away.”
“I will. Thank you.”
And so, I successfully signed up for my first logging quest.
After accepting the quest, I headed to the area the guild had specified. Whoa, there’s a lot of wood here. All right, time to cut down all the trees!
“Though apparently I can’t take any wood from reforested areas... Well, makes sense.”
Some wooded areas had apparently been reforested in an effort to make wood gathering safer and easier. Cutting down trees in these areas would be considered theft. Just like back on Earth, huh?
“Let’s see... Considering spatial magic has the power to raze an entire mountain, maybe I could clear this whole area in one go? Nah, better not. I should probably turn in a reasonable amount for one person to handle.”
I supposed I could also cut down one tree, then copy the lumber repeatedly. But I’d be delivering a bunch of the same logs, down to the molecule, so the guild would probably get suspicious. Then what if I copied each of them one at a time and delivered them to guild branches in other towns? No, they’d still be the same type of tree, so I might still get found out. Best to not go that route at all, then.
“Okay, then. If I do use magic, I’ll have to disguise it somehow. So what if I make the logs float with spatial magic but make it look as though I’m carrying them myself?”
If I carried one log in each arm, I could only carry a maximum of two. That meant I’d have to do the same thing every day for two weeks to reach my desired financial goal— Oh wait, considering the price of staying at an inn, I’d need even more, wouldn’t I?
“Anyway, now that I have a plan, let’s try it out!”
I immediately cut down two trees and lopped off their branches, reducing them to logs. Then I lifted the logs into the air with spatial magic and placed them under my arms so it looked like I was carrying them. Now I just needed to haul these back over to Solasidore to complete the quest. It was even easier than an herb-gathering quest, considering I hadn’t even needed to search for the required items! (Actually, since the floating logs were lifting me up slightly, it was more like they were carrying me, but don’t tell anyone.)
On the way back, two goblins attacked. However, I used both logs to knock their lights out—permanently—and made it back to the town safe and sound. After depositing the logs in the designated drop-off area and receiving the proof of their delivery, I headed back to the guild to complete the quest.
“Here you go! Two logs, safely delivered, as you can see!”
The receptionist looked shocked. “Really?! I suppose magic’s more powerful than I thought... Oh, and you brought proof of defeating two goblins, I see. With that, your reward comes to two silvers and one large copper.”
“All right! I got a bonus for monster killing!” I’d been worried about the extra cost of an inn, but my reward had increased for eliminating the goblins that had attacked me. Logging quests rule! I’m gonna sign up for another one tomorrow!
“By the way,” I asked the receptionist, “are there any inns around you’d recommend? I still haven’t found a place to stay the night.”
“Huh?” The receptionist looked confused at first. “Oh, that’s right—you drank the night away with Blade last night, didn’t you? Let’s see...the safest one for women would be the Woodwitch Inn, I’d say, and it’s five large coppers for one night. Meals do cost extra there, but their rooms are secure and offer complete privacy.”
Five large coppers, and food isn’t even included? Hm. “That sounds awfully pricey for one night.”
“I was just thinking based on what you earned today, it might be an option. And your safety is the most important thing to consider.”
“Is there any spot in or outside the city where I could camp out instead?”
“Well, you could head to the slums, I suppose. You wouldn’t have to pay anything to stay...but a girl as pretty as you will surely be a prime target for the more unsavory folk, so I’d advise against it.”
Slums, huh? So this world also has areas more impoverished than others. Sounds like it might be dangerous to stay there, though...maybe I should steer clear.
“There are also communal inns specifically for adventurers...but again, with your looks, it’s highly likely you’ll be a mark. So I’d recommend you get your own room somewhere.”
“Hm. So I’m just too gorgeous for my own good? I’m so charming that my beauty tempts everyone around me? Wait... Come to think of it, I didn’t take a bath yesterday. Maybe I’d be safe after all, since no one would want to approach me,” I joked.
“Well, I’d avoid the public bath, but you can always use a cleansing spell instead. You should have enough MP for it, since you’re a mage.”
So you can use magic to keep your hygiene up too? I don’t have to bathe anymore? Now that’s what I call convenient!
“Wait... If I just need a safe space to stay, then couldn’t I...”
“You can’t stay in the guild overnight. I’m sorry.”
“No, that didn’t even cross my mind. I actually think I can manage this with magic.”
That’s right—a safe “space.” In other words, this is a job for spatial magic! Why couldn’t I just create a pocket of space to stay in? I could even seal it up and open it as needed. The Goddess’s magic is so versatile that honestly, the hardest part of using it is imagining all the possibilities!
Now to procure some bedding and decorations for the interior!
“All right, let’s use today’s earnings to do some shopping! Excuse me, ma’am, is there anywhere I could buy general goods, like blankets or pillows?”
“What in the world are you planning?”
“That’s a secret. But don’t worry, it’s not illegal. I promise I won’t make trouble for anyone.”
The receptionist informed me of a shop whose goods might be in my price range. Excellent! Time to deck out my own secret base!