CH 2

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As I spoke, her eyes widened, and her antennas began to slowly spin around.

The eyebrows of Tesla GN60346074B flicked slightly. It was delicate work.

Pressing her lips and carefully surveying the staff, she paused to consider.

Well, she is an inorganic life form...I suppose I'll just give them a random name.

I'm not the owner even though I've said all this, so if they don't like it, the proper owner will come along later and overwrite the name. In fact, that's what they should do.

"Well then...how about 'Saya'?"

As I spoke, her antennas rotated slightly faster.

Her cheeks also showed a slight flush, a sign of interest.

Although they were machines, they still had the desire for approval and pride. That's why they were widely recognized as a different species.

"Saya...what does that name mean, Mr. phil?"

Logic. Theory. That's what the mechanical species would seek first. Naturally, I had already thought about it. It was a stretch, but...

"It means 'night' in the language of a certain Eastern country. Because Tesla GN60346074B your hair color is...as beautiful and black as the darkness of the night," I started to say, but then I stopped myself.

That sounded like a pickup line. I had to maintain a proper distance. The key was balance.

It would be troublesome if I was accused of trying to seduce their possessions. I cleared my throat and cut off the conversation.

"Ahem, well...if you don't like it, it's fine. But maybe you'll regret it if you don't come up with a name yourself...just know that when I give names, I have a certain quirk."

".... Mr. phil...may I ask you to call me by my name?"

"Saya-san."

"..."

Her eyes widened, and her head antenna began to rotate rapidly.

It seems she liked it. I'm glad.

However, it's rotating too much. The other reception staff and other explorers in the queue are staring at us.

I had no choice but to reach out and grab her head antenna. I don't have the visual acuity to catch fast-moving objects, but Tesla's antenna is equipped with sensors that stop it from colliding with objects.

"!!"

"Saya-san, please calm down."

"Yes, I'm sorry for getting carried away. Mr. phil."

After clearing her throat, she straightened her back and looked into my eyes.

She seems to have regained her composure, and the speed of her antenna rotation had gradually slowed down, looking more relaxed.

"I appreciate you calling me by my name. Please call me Saya from now on."

"That's good to hear...Saya-san, I came here today to request a reissue of my guild card..."

Finally, getting to the point, Saya-san clears her throat, and her expression becomes more businesslike.

"Yes, a reissue of your guild card. Have you ever used a guild from our guild or from St. Slam or Ryuquo City?"

"No, I haven't. I'm from the Graerl Kingdom, so I haven't used any guilds in the south."

The guild information network is not particularly efficient. When changing bases to a city with no activity record, it is customary to bring a guild card and a certificate of activity record.

St. Slam and Ryuquo City are probably names of neighboring cities.

Given the distance, I had a vague feeling that reissuing the card would be difficult. Failure to reissue cards is a fairly common joke among explorers. Whether this incident can be laughed off is questionable.

Saya-san's eyes widen, but she quickly puts on a serious expression.

"I'm sorry, Mr. phil. If you have any experience using a guild card in a nearby guild, it won't be difficult to reissue it, but if you haven't used one before..."

"I see...is there any other way?"

"If you have a certificate from your previous guild, we can issue a new one..."

I had a feeling it would be like this. Is there anything else that could serve as proof? Then, I remembered something and took off the blue ring on my right index finger and placed it on the counter.

"Is this ring, a reward item received when ranking up in the guild, proof?" Saya-san takes the ring and carefully examines it.

For explorers, there are different levels based on achievements. The rank-up reward is an item given by the guild as a celebration when the explorer's level goes up.

However, contrary to my expectations, Saya-san immediately places the ring on the counter and shakes her head.

"I'm sorry, but even here, rewards are given when ranking up, but it seems the item is different."

"I see... Well, it can't be helped... It's my fault for leaving my guild card behind."

I put the ring back on again.

Oh well, my expectations were low to begin with. If I had my original status, it would have been easy, but I can just save up money and rank again. It's a hassle, but let's just register as a new member. "Then, can I request a new registration?"

"Certainly. Mr. phil has no usage history, so there should be no problem with registration," Saya-san finally nods with a faint smile.

§ § § § § §

I perform a nostalgic procedure. The last time I did this, I was ignorant and inexperienced, so it was a long time ago.

Date of birth, name, age, and occupation.

Occupation is like a path. Even among explorers, each person has their own area of expertise, and their occupation can be seen as a manifestation of that expertise.

Those who have trained with swords are swordsmen, those who can use magic are wizards, and some even write "merchant" as their occupation. It's a rather vague item, and inexperienced first-year explorers often just write down their areas of expertise or what they want to do, and the guild allows that. But I am not a first-year student, so I had obtained my occupation in a proper manner.

"I see, you are a Beast Tamer... That is a specialized occupation that requires certification," said Saya.

"Yes, and the proof of certification is this ring. Here it is..."

I show her the Beast Tamer certification ring that I wore on my right ring finger. There is also an official certificate at home with detailed registration information, but the ring is an official proof of occupation as well.

Saya only glanced at the ring before nodding.

Beast Tamer is a unique occupation.

As the name suggests, it involves taming monsters, making contracts with them, raising them, and commanding them.

The term "monster" only refers to the contract targets, and now it's considered as an occupation that bestows power to others through contracts.

In any case, the new guild card issuance is completed without incident.

"I apologize for the wait, Mr phil. This is your new guild card."

"Thank you."

I receive a metal card the size of a business card from Saya.

The color is gray. It's a proof that I am a G-rank explorer, the lowest rank among explorers in the guild.

It's a simple item with only the name, occupation, and guild rank written on the front, but it's a fundamental item that forms the backbone of the adventurer's guild.

It is difficult to counterfeit, and the text only appears when the owner touches it, making it widely useful as a form of identification.

"If you find your original card, you can merge your achievements, so please inform us at that time," Saya-san explained.

"Got it," I replied.

"In addition, this equipment is for new registrants."

After the card, I was handed a leather pouch. It contained basic items for explorers such as five low-ranked healing potions, a small lantern, a knife, a coat, and the guild manual, which had been a helpful item when I first began my adventures.

Despite being in a different region, the contents were the same as the ones I had received before. I took a moment to consider.

...No, I don't need it.

I already possessed better quality coats and recovery potions, and I could purchase a knife myself. I didn't plan on going out at night for some time, so I didn't require a lantern. Furthermore, even though I was in a predicament, it went against my principles to receive items meant for beginners, regardless of whether it was a new registration or not. The quality wasn't great either.

"Saya-san, I registered as a new member due to a lost card, but I'm not a beginner, so I don't need this," I explained.

"I understand what you're saying, Mr. Phil, but it's a rule, so could you please accept it?" Saya-san replied, looking troubled. She was truly an expressive individual.

I had no choice. If I couldn't return it, I could give it to someone else.

I knew better than anyone else how destitute I was when I was a true novice.

I scanned my surroundings. A male automaton who had just entered and a female dog-type beastman who appeared to be a seasoned adventurer were in line at the reception desk.

"What's the matter, Mr. Phil?"

"Wait a moment,"

I didn't want to carry unnecessary items because they would be a burden, but I couldn't simply push them off onto someone else. That's when I noticed a girl standing nervously by the paper bulletin board.

She was a girl in her mid-teens with dull golden hair. From her appearance, she was most likely a wraith, a malignant ghost type race. But what caught my attention the most was the sword hanging from her waist. It was a simple, undecorated longsword about a meter long. I had used a similar copper sword before, and it was often used by newly registered swordsmen in the guild.

"Should I give it to that girl...?"

Approaching her with the leather bag in my hand, I felt the gloomy atmosphere surrounding her grow stronger. The girl noticed my presence and turned around, speaking in a low voice and looking at me with suspicion in her eyes as she said. "Do you need something?"

It was only natural for her to be on guard, as a strange man had suddenly appeared in front of her and I was a head taller than her, making me look down on her.

But I knew there was more to her distrust than that.

Evaluating the girl with professional instinct, I made a calm judgment: "This girl is no good."

Handing her the leather bag, I said, "I'll give this to you. I don't need it."

The girl looked at me with a puzzled expression, but accepted what I offered. "Oh, just a moment..." she said.

Ignoring the voice I heard from behind, I hurried back to Sayo-san's reception desk. Sayo-san looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked, "Mr. phil... Are you telling me that you always do such things?" I replied, "No... Well, I don't usually do things like that, but she resembled my slave, so I couldn't help it..."

"I see... a slave, huh... Well, it's up to you how you use your property, Mr. Phil," Sayo-san said, looking somewhat dissatisfied, but then she cleared her throat and continued, "By the way, can I help you with a request now?"

There are two main types of explorer jobs: hunting and exploration. I'm not proud to admit it, but I'm incredibly weak. I have no strength, no magic, and I'm not fast. While I have knowledge, there are some things that knowledge alone can't handle. It would be suicidal for me to accept a request in this state.

Furthermore, it seems that the nearby area is claimed as territory by wild magic machines. The list of monsters presented by Sayo-san to me is a testament to the high level of the surrounding area.

"Are there no goblins or slimes or something?" I asked, naming the most popular low-level monsters, to which Sayo-san looked puzzled.

"They're not around here. The minimum...around here..."

Sayo-san pointed to one request.

"Difficulty grade G...subjugation of three F543 model dogs...?"

"Yes. It's usually the first subjugation request that a beginner explorer takes on here."

So, a beginner's task is to exterminate an F-type inorganic life form? The level is high. I'm more dumbfounded by the cultural differences with the kingdom than I am surprised.

Living creatures are assigned ranks based on their strength, just like how explorers are given ranks. In the Graerl Kingdom, extermination requests for beginners are usually set for G-rank monsters, such as goblins and kobolds. These monsters are at a level where even someone like me, with hopeless combat abilities, could somehow manage to defeat them solo.

However, the magical mechanical species in this area have generally high combat abilities. The "F543 Model Dog" is classified as an F-rank monster, resembling the shape of a dog, but magical machines are said to have one level higher combat ability than other species of the same rank. Purely in terms of ability, it can be considered on par with E-rank monsters, the same rank as the monsters that intermediate explorers take on, such as orcs and redcaps. To be honest, as an unarmed person, it's a monster that I can only hold off for a while.

While the monster may have weaknesses, it's not realistic to fight it alone.

"This is the weakest one around here...the explorers in this area seem to be pretty strong."

In a state of trouble, Saya-san spoke up.

"If you don't mind, shall I scan it? I have a function to inspect abilities. If we know the details of your ability, we can assist in assigning appropriate requests."

".... Please do."

Saya-san ruby-colored eyes flickered slightly. Her eyebrows twisted.

My physical body is average, and my magical power may be even lower than an ordinary person with a bit of talent. Explorer ability is not solely determined by physical ability or magical power, but it's safe to say that my suitability as an explorer is zero.

"I'm sorry, but it seems that Mr. Phil has no aptitude as an explorer. I strongly recommend that you quit being an explorer. At least around here, there are no requests that Mr. Phil could handle alone...zero."

What... You say it so decisively. It seems like you can confirm a person's abilities quite meticulously. However, if I give up just because I'm told, then I won't be an explorer.

I already know about the dangers and also know that Saya-san has no ill intent.

But...

I shrugged my shoulders and said,

‘'I understand everything you're saying. However, I need a slave. Could you introduce me to some candidates for a slave?'"