I ate a hearty breakfast before heading out to the main building. Adventurers start their day early by accepting and traveling to quests. When the quests are complete, they return to the guild to receive their rewards and rest. Some groups, like mine, set out on multi-day quests. These adventurers typically gather in the waiting area at the back of the main building.
Since this was my first group quest, I was unaware of these standard procedures. Upon entering the main building, a guild staff member kindly informed me of the unspoken rules. According to him, the waiting area at the back has several tables with six chairs each. For first meetings, adventurers who arrive later confirm the quest and join those already waiting.
Scanning the waiting area, I saw people already seated at two tables. One table had a party of three adults: a human male and two beastkin females. The other table had a pair of young humans. One was a boy, the other a girl, and both looked like middle or high school students.
Which one is the harpy elimination party?
Standing awkwardly, I decided to approach the group of three.
“Good morning. Is this the harpy elimination party?”
“Nope,” replied one of the adults.
Okay, then. That left...
“It’s us,” said the girl at the other table. Her voice was gentle, but firm. “Are you the adventurer who accepted the harpy elimination quest?”
I turned towards the other table and lightly bowed to the attractive duo. She was a cute girl with long, light blue hair and green eyes, while he was a handsome lad with short, blue hair.
“My mistake. I’m Schwarz, an E-rank adventurer. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Liese, and this is my brother, Rudy. We are both C-rank adventurers.”
“Nice to meet you, Schwarz,” Rudy greeted me.
“Nice to meet you, Rudy.”
They looked a lot younger than me, which was initially why I didn’t approach them first. I was surprised to learn that their adventurer rank was much higher than mine. I recalled that adulthood in this world begins at fifteen, so maybe they started adventuring as soon as they became adults.
I sat between them at the table. We made small talk while waiting for the rest of the members to arrive, but no one came. After a while, the group at the next table was joined by the rest of their party and they departed for their quest.
“We’re supposed to depart with six people. Aren’t we expecting more to join us?”
“When we accepted the quest, we were told there were five of us,” Rudy explained.
“When did you accept the quest, Schwarz?” Liese asked.
“Yesterday morning,” I replied.
✦ ✦ ✦
“That makes you the sixth member.”
“So, we’re waiting for three more to join us.”
We continued waiting in the guild’s waiting area for what felt like ages. A guild staff member checked in on us and told us to remain, as the plan was to only proceed with six members. Perhaps it was deemed too risky to proceed with just the three of us, given our mix of E- and C-ranks.
Two hours later, the remaining three members finally arrived. They seemed to be their own party, and they showed no remorse for their tardiness.
“Hey, you all must be the low-rankers? I’m Kinjar, a B-rank adventurer.”
“I’m Putei, a C-rank adventurer.”
“I’m Boy, a C-rank adventurer.”
The haughty Kinjar was a warrior-type canine beastkin. Putei was a waifish human female magician with gray hair. Boy was a massive rhino beastkin male, even larger than Kinjar, and had faint gray ears and a short, thin tail.
“I’m Schwarz, an E-rank adventurer.”
“I’m Liese, a C-rank adventurer.”
“And I’m Rudy, also a C-rank adventurer.”
Kinjar looked at the three of us with an undisguised disdain. “Tch, E-rank is the minimum requirement for this quest. And you actually accepted it! Tell me you can at least take down a goblin, right?”
This question was clearly directed at me. Indeed, I was the only one with a lower rank. But to say that after being so late...
“You don’t need to worry about my combat abilities,” I said.
“Interesting way of putting it. What are your other skills?” asked Putei, who stood next to Kinjar. “This quest requires us to travel north to Monesia Village. Have you ever been on an expedition?”
“No, this is my first one.”
“Tch, are you sure you aren’t underestimating adventuring? A rookie-noob like you shouldn’t be taking mixed quests! Are you trying to get us killed?”
I didn’t know what to say. Sure, I was a novice adventurer, and I lacked experience in the procedures and methods for subjugating humanoid species and magical beasts. I had knowledge from the archives, but it hadn’t become part of my instincts yet. It was true that I was severely lacking in the needed know-how of things.
Before I knew it, a tense atmosphere had developed between me and the latecomers. Perhaps he had noticed the tension, or realized the group was complete, but a guide staff member approached us and asked, “What’s all the commotion about? Kinjar, I told you the meeting was first thing in the morning, didn’t I? Don’t tell me you overslept again. As I mentioned during the last mixed quest, if you repeatedly cause delays in quest completion, we’ll consider it a failure and impose penalties.”
“Tch, I get it! If we leave now, we’ll make it in time. I’m highest rank, so I’m the leader, right? What’s the arrangement for the carriages?”
“Yes, Kinjar, you’re the leader for this harpy elimination quest. As for the carriages, the large ones are out west, so you’ll have to use two smaller ones.”
“Then we’ll need to split up into two groups,” Liese suggested. “I’ll go with my brother and Schwarz in one carriage, and you three can take the other.”
“Okay, the young ladies will carry the supplies? Then we’ll go as three. Let’s depart. If you spot any beasts on the way, act on your own judgment. If we leave now, we should reach the northern rest stop by nightfall. We’ll regroup there.”
Kinjar, now our party leader, gave us our orders without even sitting down at the table. Then, he left the waiting area with Putei and Boy.
“Rudy, here’s the official quest form for the Harpy elimination. Since Kinjar’s group has left, please submit it to the Comprehensive Guild branch in Monesia Village.”
“Understood. I’ll take it,” Rudy replied, accepting the form from the guild staff. It was in a cylinder, and he stored it in his tool bag.
“Well then, Schwarz,” he said. “Liese and I are counting on you during this harpy elimination quest.”
“We’re counting on you, Schwarz,” Liese added.
“And I’m counting on you both,” I replied, formally greeting them again.
We left the Comprehensive Guild main building and headed to our carriage.
In my original world, I competed in world tournaments for various FPS titles and earned high results and prizes. I was a complete novice here, and I was considered a burden. Sure, with VMB’s power, I could defeat magical beasts and humanoid species, but that didn’t actually mean anything. It was an undeniable fact that as an adventurer, wielding one’s power must have meaning. I contemplated exactly what that meant more deeply.
What is the purpose of wielding VMB’s power? Is it to earn a living? To save people suffering from magical beasts and humanoid species? To protect someone from unjust violence? To flaunt power and look down on the powerless?
I watched the backs of my young companions walking ahead and pondered these questions.