The next morning, Bran made his way toward the guild, the sort of place where a man could become rich or end up dead with equal speed.
The guild was one of the town’s most significant sources of revenue, yet it did not fall under the governor’s authority. The Count himself oversaw its operations, and the rewards issued for completed quests were paid directly from the county’s coffers.
There was a practical reason for that arrangement. By keeping the guild under his control, the Count could maintain a record of every capable warrior who passed through its doors, giving him a ready pool of fighters he could recruit into his army when the need arose.
The goods and materials brought in by hunters served their own purpose as well, either being sold through trade or put toward the creation of weapons, armor, and other equipment.
In that sense, guilds were far more than places where adventurers came to accept quests. They were businesses, recruitment grounds, supply centers, and a convenient way for the nobility to keep track of the people capable of fighting.
And right now, Bran stood outside the only guild in town, the Crow Horn Guild.
The building was enormous, even larger than the governor’s residence. It had been constructed on the outskirts of town, close to the border, where hunters and adventurers could come and go without having to pass through the heart of the settlement.
Several people were making their way inside, while others who had already accepted their tasks were heading out, weapons and supplies in tow.
A few glanced at Bran as they passed, though none of them showed any sign of recognition.
Despite being a member of the governor’s family, Bran was hardly a familiar face among the people who frequented the guild.
And that was hardly surprising.
Until recently, Bran would have rather hung himself than willingly step onto a battlefield to face a monster.
A coward, through and through.
Yet now, hunting was no longer something he could avoid. It had become a necessity, and, to his own surprise, something he found himself genuinely looking forward to.
With a faint smile on his face, Bran stepped inside.
A long gallery stretched before him, leading toward the main structure of the guild.
The unusual length of the passage had little to do with aesthetics. Almost the entire wall on one side had been turned into a massive quest board, making efficient use of every available inch of space.
’Damn.’
Bran stared at the countless parchments pinned across the wall.
They had been arranged into sections, with each pillar serving as a divider between different categories of quests.
The farther he walked toward the guild reception, the more difficult and dangerous the requests became.
Bran slowed down.
Then he stopped.
After taking one last look at the higher-ranked quests, he turned around and began walking back.
He was not foolish enough to accept a quest involving the slaughter of a twin-horned rhino just yet.
There was no reason to throw himself into danger when he had barely begun.
He would start small. Something simple, something he could handle without risking his life, while keeping the system quest in mind.
"God damn."
Bran’s eyes widened slightly as he noticed the sheer number of requests posted in one particular section.
Almost every one of them concerned goblins.
’This town is practically infested with goblins, and they are so weak that most hunters do not even bother with them.’
Their small stature and limited intelligence made goblins worthless in the eyes of experienced hunters, especially those capable of wielding magic.
Unless a leader was directing them, a pack of goblins could be brought down by a clever and courageous teenager with little more than an ordinary weapon.
Their byproducts were hardly valuable either. Aside from their skin, which possessed some resistance to moisture, there was little about a goblin that could be sold for a worthwhile price.
Their meat wasn’t particularly tasty either.
The parchment Bran was examining now was a perfect example.
A group of twenty goblins had apparently been stealing grain from passing traders, yet the reward offered for dealing with them amounted to only two silver coins.
A hundred silver coins made a single gold coin. And one silver coin was barely enough to pay for a decent meal, unless a person was willing to survive on nothing more than bread and soup.
So yes, the monetary reward was practically worthless.
Even so, Bran pulled the parchment from the wall and continued farther into the gallery.
He was not here for the money.
He was doing this for another reward, one considerably more lucrative.
The guild had ten counters, so Bran did not have to wait long before reaching the front.
He placed the parchment firmly on the counter.
"This is my first time accepting a quest. Is there any formal procedure I need to follow?"
The woman on the other side of the counter glanced down at the parchment before looking back at Bran.
She gave a small nod.
"If this is your first time, then I must say you have picked the right difficulty."
She looked up at him before adding, "Even though you have killed a demon, hunting is different when you are out there doing it all by yourself."
Bran raised an eyebrow. "You have heard about me, eh?"
The woman nodded. "I have. Quite a few people have. Though most of them believe you simply found a dead demon somewhere and brought it here to claim the reward."
Bran leaned against the counter, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "And what about you?"
The woman shrugged. "I will form my judgment when you return today. As you can see, you need to bring their heads as proof that you completed the quest. Submit them at the back of the building. Someone there will ask where you left the rest of the bodies so they can be collected. Only after that will you receive your reward."
Bran hummed thoughtfully.
"I do not need to register myself?"
The woman looked up from the parchment. "You are not worth registering yet. For now, this table is reserved for those who have completed a significant number of quests or accomplished something more impressive than hunting goblins."
Bran let out a quiet chuckle.
"Well, I suppose I will not be getting myself registered anytime soon, then."
He picked up the parchment and glanced at it again.
"Can I at least get the location where I can find them? I do not exactly spend much time wandering beyond the city gates."
The woman pursed her lips.
"The map will cost you five silver."
Bran stared at her.
"..."
The reward for the quest itself was two silver.