Vol 2 Chapter 3: Meet The F-rank Trio!

It didn’t take me long to find the Guild. Just a little asking around and I immediately was given the directions I needed by the kind populace.

Whoa, so this is how an Adventurer Guild looks…

I looked around in awe, taken aback by the sheer sense of adventure that it exuded.

All around me were all sorts of warriors. First, there were the knight-types. They wore those full heavy armors and they lugged around large shields on their backs. They were all shiny under the sunlight going through the windows. Looking at them like that, it really felt as if I could rely on them to heroically protect me with their lives 

Then, there were the fighter-types. They wore light leather armors instead. Some used normal swords, some used greatswords, and some even carried around two swords, for some cool dual-wielding, I suppose.

After that, there were the clerics. Most of them wore white robes while wielding around staves, with some wearing those priest hats.

Last but not least, there were the mages. Just like back in the Magocracy, a lot of them wore those pointed wizard hats. Some had staves and some preferred rods and wands. None of them seemed to be like me though, having both a sword and a wand.

There were a few outliers of course. Rogue-types who wielded dual daggers, ranger-types who had a bow and a quiver filled with arrows, and a few others who defied classification altogether, like that guy who wore a clown outfit. What's that for?

Wait, don't tell me. I don't think I want to know.

And man on man, to my delight, some of the female adventurers were outright gorgeous.

One was a female knight with beautiful long golden hair that reached down to her waist. Her armor outright drew attention to her large breasts, as the breastplate had two large bumps jutting out conspicuously.

Another was a catgirl thief, wearing criminally tight and short black shorts. They were low-rise enough so that her tail could waggle around freely, resulting in me getting a wonderful view of her buttcrack.

But the most beautiful of them all however, was ironically enough, one of the receptionists sitting in the far end of the room. I was lucky enough to be able to go directly to her after I was finished ogling the female adventurers. Embarrassingly however, I wasn’t tall enough for the table to look over it comfortably, so I had to fetch a nearby tall chair to lift myself up.

"Hello! Good morning!" She greeted me with a smile.

And I was immediately smitten by her.

If I were to guess, she looked to be in her early twenties. She had a lovely long brown hair that went down over her shoulders. She wore what looked like a uniform—black vest and white shirt underneath, and it clung to her body wonderfully. Her large breasts were practically bursting out of the seams, pressing all too provocatively on the table.

"Well, you're a young one! What might be your business today, young Sir?”

Aah, her voice! It’s like the voice of sunlight itself!

“Sir?”

“A-ah right. I-I want to register please.”

I was taken off-guard, as I was blatantly leering at her breasts. Luckily, thanks to me being just a kid, I suppose, she didn’t seem to notice in the slightest.

“Register? Oh, you mean you’re just starting out?”

“Y-yes, Miss…”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” She clapped her hands together. “From which village did you come from? Or are you from around here?”

“I…”

I paused. I nearly almost told her that I came from across the sea. But there was no reason why I should tell her that, especially since I was supposed to start all over, now that I was in this new continent.

“I-I’m from this town, Miss,” I replied.

“Ah, I see. Please fill this form then. I’ll fetch the Oracle Orb in the meantime.”

“Oracle Orb?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she just gave a smile before sitting up from her seat, turning around before bending over forward, going through the cabinets behind her.

Uoohhhh!

My jaw nearly dropped.

H-her butt! It’s… it’s…

It’s gorgeous!

The way her black pencil skirt wrapped itself tight around it, to the point that I could see its shape clearly! Not to mention the pantyline she’s proudly showing!

What a divine sight! Aah, I am truly blessed! Truly blessed indeed!

My perverted mind immediately went into overdrive. I could just imagine myself standing behind her, unzipping her skirt, taking off her panties (which should be a sexy black or red pair!) and then plunging myself into her while my two hands groped her breasts.

“Here it is! The Oracle Orb!”

To my grave disappointment, she quickly found the thing she seeked, ending the wonderful sight after just a minute.

“Oh my, you still haven’t filled them? What’s the matter? You can read and write, can’t you?”

“A-ah, r-right…”

My face must be red right now, though judging by her giggle, she didn’t expect the redness to come from me ogling her. She probably thought I was just a normal, ordinary shy boy.

I was so glad that I had this body over my old unattractive one. If I ogled anyone with that body, I would immediately be labeled as a disgusting creep. Which what I deserved really, if I were to be honest.

I looked at the form and saw how simple it was. It only asked for my name and what my combat role was. I guessed she meant my class by the last one.

Let’s see here… what should my name be?

I had intended to use a fake name after all. There’s no good reason why I would use my actual name, especially since there’s always a chance of the Magocracy sending assassins at me after what I did to one of their leaders.

How about… Charles Pendleton?

It was the first name that popped out in my head. Charles seemed like a good name for a boy, and Pendleton had that fancy feel to it that might hint of me belonging to the upper class. I wouldn’t outright admit to people that I am the son of a noble or anything, but I think it might help with making it easier for people to trust me.

I filled in my fake name, and of course, I entered “mage” as my combat role.

“Thank you, Sir Charles!” She gave another one of her lovely, lovely smiles. “Then, please put your right hand on the Orb.”

There was now a light blue orb sitting on the table, attached to a small pedestal-like box underneath it. It really resembles those crystal orbs you would find when you visit a fortune-teller.

I did as she told, grasping the orb on the topside with my right hand.

Whoa!

It immediately shined, nearly making me take off my hand. Whew, I thought it was going to explode or something. It dimmed soon after. So no theatrics like you would get with a fortune-teller.

“Now please take off your hand.”

I complied. Then, she took my form and pressed it into the top of the crystal ball. It shone again once more, before a light clang could be heard from the box underneath it.

And then, a metal card slid out from the small hole on said box.

“Here it is!” She grabbed the card and offered it to me with a smile. “Your very own Adventurer Card!”

I took it from her and immediately gave it a close examination.

It was made out of some kind of metal. Its color was silver, and you could see texts engraved on top of it in black.

Name    : Charles Pendleton

Age    : 10

Sex    : Male

Race    : Human

Role    : Mage

Rank    : F

Huh, neat. Must be some sort of a magic device. Kinda reminds me of when I got my first debit card, though the form then was far, far longer than this one. And no crystal balls either, naturally.

“Now, I’ll give you an explanation on how you would take quests and report them!” She clapped her hands. Why was she so excited anyways? I never met a customer service worker being this cheerful before. I mean, this is basically one of those jobs after all. Just sitting all day wearing a fake smile, having to put up with rude customers here and there, as well as some perverted one who would ogle you if you’re a beauty like her (oh, I’m sure those exist). If I were in her spot,  I would never be able to be as high-spirited as her.

“So, you would first want to check out the boards over there.” She gestured towards them at the side of the room. “You pick the quest you want—can only be one more or less than your current rank, by the way—and then you bring it to me. Got it?"

"Got it, Miss." I gave my brightest smile. "And thank you for the explanation!" 

The method she described was just like how I imagined it though, thus I didn’t really need her to explain it to me in the first place. Gotta be polite after all, especially to pretty girls like her. 

I jumped down from my chair, stuffing the card to my pocket.

"You're welcome!" she replied, standing up and giving me a bow. Yep, those boobs are bouncy alright.

I remembered Father explaining how you could exchange currency in any Guild branches that I came across, so I should be able to change my money here to Imperial coins, which was the currency most widely accepted in this Holy Continent. But seeing how I only got a handful of copper Magus coins with me, which was the currency of the Magocracy (and Marchen as well), there really was no point in converting them, especially since you would have to pay a certain amount of fee for doing so.

Heh, she forgot about explaining that to me, now that I think about it. Should I tease her for it?

Nah, she probably just thinks there’s no need for it, since I said that I’m a local.

As I walked away, I heard her say to her friend, "What a polite kid! He must come from the wealthy part of town! He might even be a noble!"

Hehe, a noble, huh? I couldn’t help but grin.

Vanity filled my head. I loved it when someone praised me. Probably because I always hungered for validation from others. It's pathetic, I know. But that's just how I am. I remembered when I strived to get the best grades in elementary school so Mom and Dad would praise. And how much I loved Renee rubbing my head and telling me how I'm a—

Oh…

Goddamnit, why must I think about that now?

There goes my self-esteem again.

The light feeling in my heart disappeared, replaced by sadness once again.

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Hmm, let’s see here... 

Since I was just an F-rank, the only quests I could take were F and E-ranked quests.

...Wow, these are absolute garbage.

The F-ranked quests are all just menial labor stuff, like finding lost pets or cleaning up warehouses. There’s nothing adventurous about them.

The E-ranked quests on the other hand only sent you out to the outside of the port town to fight against E-rank monsters, like horned rabbits on the plains and rock crabs on the beach. Wasn’t Sherry already able to beat the crap out of a horde of E-rank monsters on her own, barehanded, when she was only like eight, as a way to relieve her stress?

Of course, the pay was garbage as well. But I had no choice. The Guild didn't allow skipping ranks, even if you were wildly overqualified for the job.

I took the quest to kill horned rabbits and take their horns, sighing in the process. Might as well get this over with so I can get an inn.

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The plains outside of the town were barren, thanks to the season being winter. It probably would turn back green once spring came. It was a little different than the plains back home or the Lazarus Plains near Mira, as there were far more trees around here. Palm trees, in fact. It was quite weird though, seeing them here. I thought palm trees could only grow on beaches.

Alright, where are you, horned rabbits? I need to pluck those pretty horns off your heads if I’m going to get a place to sleep tonight.

I walked around for a while before I spotted one, just hiding behind one of said palm trees.

So, how should I get that guy? I wouldn’t want to damage the horn, so it has to be a quick and clean blow.

“Spark!”

I fired off an Intermediate-level Thunder spell. It immediately connected, electrocuting the poor thing to death. It plopped down with only minor burns on its skin. Its horn? Completely undamaged.

Yep, that would work.

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I spammed the same spell over and over for an hour or two, gathering the horns into my Bag of Holding. My God this is dull. This is how it feels to be an overpowered character killing small fries in the first area of the game, I suppose.

“Help! Somebody help!”

Huh? That’s…

“Please help somebody! Kyaaahh!”

That’s the scream of a girl in distress!

I immediately flew using my Wind Step to where the voice was coming from. 

Only to find a trio of adventurers, facing off against a really angry looking giant-sized boar. It was a dire boar—a C-rank monster. 

Two of them were males with the remaining one being a female. They were just around my age, maybe a bit older, and their party composition seemed to be one knight, one fighter, and one mage, with the girl being the latter. Knight boy was blonde haired, fighter boy was dark haired, and mage girl was violet haired. Only the mage girl dressed quite peculiarly, as she wasn't wearing the usual mage robes. Instead, she wore a combination of a purple poncho over white wide-sleeved robe and a red long skirt that reminded me of a hakama. Oh, and she also had a red headdress on her head.

“Guaahh!”

The giant boar rammed into the boy knight, shattering his wooden shield and sending him flying backwards.

“Aarghhh, you bastard! Take this!”

The fighter boy furiously stabbed his sword towards the side of the boar, only to find out that he was nowhere near strong enough to really push it all the way in. He then panickedly tried to pull it out, only for the boar to kick him right on the gut, sending him flying just like his friend.

“Felt!”

The girl was now absolutely in tears, and her hands shook as she aimed her staff at the beast.

“O-oh Spirits of the Earth! Grant me your power and—”

Shit! She’s lost her mind! She can’t just stand there and chant a powerful spell when the boar is right there in front of her!

“Rock Cannon!”

A boulder flew at high speed right towards the boar’s head. It crashed, and in a single blow, knocked it down dead.

The girl, still in disbelief in what just happened, fell down to the dirt. She didn’t even look at me before rushing to the wounded boy.

“Felt! Oh Felt! Are you alright?”

I rushed there as well, and just from a glance, I could tell that the wound was fatal.

“I-I’m fine, Lily. I just… need to rest…”

Bullshit! He probably broke his ribs from that kick! He could even have some internal bleeding as well! You’re just acting cool, aren’t you, boy?! You must be awfully in pain right now yet you still smile like that!

Damn it, if only I can cast healing spells!

...Wait, maybe I can’t, but she can!

“Great Fairy, come out and heal this boy!”

Immediately, the familiar azure-haired fairy appeared. “Aye aye Sir!” she cheerfully said before moving in to get closer to the wounded boy.

“W-what? A-a fairy?” The girl named Lily looked at her in fright.

“Don’t worry! I’m here to heal him, just like my master told me!” The fairy replied with a smile.

The girl moved to the side, looking towards me with a confused and bewildered look.

The great fairy then moved her hands near the boy’s mouth. “Drink this, alright? It’ll heal you.”

“Drink wha— argglugluglug.” The boy’s mouth was promptly assaulted with a jet of water.

“Don’t spit it out! Drink it all down!” The fairy yelled.

W-wow, that looks awfully uncomfortable…

In the end though, the water he drank started to work, and he immediately felt the pain inside him disappear.

“I-it works!” The boy smiled in awe. "I-it doesn't hurt anymore!"

“It does?! Oh, thank you, Miss Fairy!” The girl immediately threw a hug at her.

“Hehe! You're making me blush!"

I smiled as well. That was close. If I had let another person die on my watch...

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"Thank you so much!" The three said in unison, bowing as deeply as they could.

Ah, this feels nice…

My vanity resurfaced, and I grinned as I looked over the three young adventurers that I just helped.

“No problem! That’s what a senior should do to their juniors after all!" I put my hands on my waist cheekily. Yep, I'm totally their senior. Even if I might be younger than them, and I haven't even completed my quest yet, and that I just wet my bed a week ago… B-But on fighting skills, I'm totally their senior!

"Wow, you're really amazing, Senpai! You can kill a big monster like that in just a single spell!” The knight boy said with starstruck eyes.

“Yeah! Wasn’t that an Advanced-level spell? And you can cast it without a chant? That’s really amazing!” This time, Lily was the one to speak, with her eyes being just as bright as him. “I can’t even cast Beginner-level spells without chants yet!”

“What rank are you, Senpai?” The fighter boy named Felt spoke next. “We’re just starting out so we’re still F-ranks.”

“W-well, I’m—” Shit, what rank should I be if I’m their senior? “—C-rank, yes! I’m a C-rank!”

“Woow, a C-rank? That’s awesome!” The knight boy replied. “Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? I’m Byron!”

“I’m Felt!”

“And I’m Lily!”

“And together, we’re the Felton Village Adventurers!” Byron finished it up by punching the air.

U-uh, right…

“That’s the name of our party by the way! Since we come from there after all!” Lily beamed.

Oh, that’s right… Normally, adventurers wouldn’t just go solo. They would have a party consisting of several people doing the same quest together.

I don’t need that though. At least, not for now. Not when I’m still this low of a rank.

“And I’m Hu—I-I mean, Charles. Charles Pendleton.” Whew, that was close.

I offered my hand to each of them, which they readily shook with wide smiles on their faces, as if they were shaking hands with a celebrity. Well, I was their savior after all, so it wasn’t odd for them to react that way, especially since they were still young and impressionable.

“I-if I might ask, Senpai, y-you’re here for a quest, right? M-maybe we can help?” Lily spoke, her expression a mixture between shyness and determination. D-damn, now that she’s all up on my face like this, I just realize how cute she is!

“N-not really. I can handle it by myself just fine,” I replied. I couldn’t tell them that my quest was just a lowly E-rank one after all, or else my lie might be exposed! “I-in fact, I think it’s too dangerous for you guys! I’m off to hunt monsters far stronger than that boar, you know!” There. That should deter them. Feels bad lying to them like this though.

“I-I see.... Of course you would take quests like that, huh?” Lily retreated with a look of sadness. Damn it, don’t give me that look! You’re making me feel even guiltier!

“Of course, Lily!” Byron interrupted. “A C-rank like Senpai would take quests far more difficult than what we can handle! It’s just common sense, you know!”

“I-I just want to repay his kindness, that’s all…”

“Well, nothing we can do for now,” Felt then chimed in, patting her on the back with a melancholic look. “We’re still too inexperienced. And we lack training as well.”

“What are you doing here anyways?” I asked them, out of curiosity. “You said you’re F-ranks, right? So that means you probably take an E-rank quest. Maybe to gather horns from the Horned Rabbits?”

“Yea, we came here for that,” Byron answered. “But that boar just suddenly came out of nowhere and charged at us! We weren’t planning to fight it in the first place!”

“Then why didn’t you retreat?” I asked again. “No sense in fighting an enemy you won’t gain anything out of, especially one that you didn’t expect at all.”

“W-well, that’s because—”

“He’s stupid enough to think that we can win against it,” Felt replied coldly, sending a glare at the blonde kid. “And I was stupid enough to be persuaded by him, even though I was originally against it.”

“I-I was to blame as well!” Lily interrupted. “I-I thought that if I could just fire off my strongest spell, while Byron and Felt distract the monster, we can win against it!”

“Only to find that we’re completely outmatched. That monster was on another level completely,” Felt admitted with a sigh.

So this is how it is for the normal folks, isn’t it? A boar like that is like an insurmountable opponent to them. Meanwhile, I was already murdering B-rank monsters a few years back with barely any problem. 

Speaking objectively, I really was born with a cheat after all, to be able to become this strong of a mage this quickly.

...It’s not enough though. It’s not enough when the opponent is like Vera…

“Hmm? What’s with the long face, Senpai?” Lily asked with a concerned look.

“O-oh, nothing. Just.. reminiscing of my early days when I just started out like you guys.” I gave them a forced grin.

“Oooh, I would love to hear that, Senpai!” She grabbed my hands, eyes all glimmering with excitement. “We can surely use any advice or experience you can give to us!”

“Hey, Lily, don’t be a nuisance,” Byron interrupted “He has his own quest. You can’t just ask him to stay here and chat with us like that.”

“R-right… sorry…” She withdrew her hands.

Thank you, kid. I gave a little smile towards the boy knight. As much as I love the praises they have been giving me, especially since one of them is a girl this cute, I really don’t want to lie to them any further. This is already bad enough as it is.

Not to mention that I really have nothing that I can teach them. I’m just a natural genius with magic. And they’re just ordinary kids. No matter how hard I teach them, I will never be able to bring them up to my level.

Such is the nature of this world, and my old world as well. It’s a lie that you can accomplish anything with just hard work. You need talent as well.

And with that, the trio decided to retreat for the day. After showering me with another round of praise, and stating that they hoped they could meet up with me again so that they could repay me, they left for the city.

ForestDwelle