The radiant light of the Guild Card faded.
Sofia-san was startled by the sight, but quickly regained her composure.
”What in the world did you pour into it? I thought it was going to burst!”
Yeah. Even her angry, puffed-up face was beautiful. I made a mental note to practice channeling mana properly next time.
I was handed a wooden identification tag. It was meant to be worn around the neck – like a military dog tag. The wooden tags were only for G-rank adventurers; as you ranked up, the material would change.
The explanation of adventurer ranks could wait. First, we headed to the Material Purchasing Office. Small items could be appraised at the counter or in private rooms, but larger hauls required the warehouse-style purchasing office. Once the appraisal was done, you’d submit a certificate with the material details to the reception desk and receive your payment.
The purchasing office was a warehouse attached to the Guild building. A wide, stone-paved space. In the center stood a staff room with a counter attached. This was probably where they did the dismantling too. The smell of beasts hung thick in the air.
”Eigil-san, I’d like to request an appraisal.”
Sofia-san called out to a bald, dark-skinned, muscular man. He had to be over two meters tall. The hulking Eigil flashed a grin full of white teeth.
”Oh! Now this is a surprise. Sofia, is that you? What’s this, finally decided on a contracted adventurer?”
Sofia-san’s cheeks flushed slightly as she answered. I wasn’t sure why.
”No, nothing like that. He’s our newbie – I’d like to request an appraisal for the Big Boars.”
She gestured toward me.
”I’m Yu, the new adventurer. I appreciate your guidance.”
I gave my greeting, but Eigil-san looked a bit annoyed.
”Where’s the Big Boar? Wait – you’ve got a Magic Bag? A newbie? What’s the world coming to. Ah, whatever, just lay ’em out here.”
At his urging, I pulled out three Big Boars from my [Subspace Storage] as if taking them from my backpack.
”Whoa!! What the hell are these giants? They’ve gotta be one and a half times the normal size. And look at how they were taken down – one front leg broken, then a single strike right between the eyes. Clean work. Shame they haven’t been bled… wait, the body’s still warm. You just took these down? Don’t tell me that Magic Bag of yours also stops time? No way, seriously?”
Now they were both staring at me like I was some kind of freak. When Sofia-san whispered to Eigil-san that I was one of the “Lost Ones,” he seemed to understand.
”Listen. Next time you haul stuff that’s bigger than that bag looks, come straight to me. If anyone finds out you’ve got a Magic Bag like that, you’ll either get taken in by the crown or a noble – or killed for it.”
Eigil-san gave me advice as he appraised the goods. Apparently, he used to be a B-rank adventurer with plenty of experience.
I took the appraisal certificate and collected the payment at the reception desk. Sofia-san handled the paperwork, of course. The appraisal came out to one Large Silver Coin per whole Big Boar, plus one Silver Coin as standard bounty pay. That made three Large Silver Coins and three Silver Coins. I had one Large Silver Coin exchanged into ten Silver Coins. The Goblin Silk would have to wait – I needed to free Aina and the others first.
After leaving the purchasing office and returning to the small room, Cas and Lisa had changed into adventurer-style clothes.
”Big Boars came out to one Large Silver Coin each, and the bounty was one Silver Coin per boar. They said they’d buy them at three Silver Coins total, so here’s your share – eight Silver Coins.”
All three of them hesitated at the amount, but I insisted they take it as thanks for helping me when I teleported and ended up lost. Honestly, I hadn’t even known about the Return Magic Circle inside the dungeon. If I hadn’t run into them, I might still be wandering around in there.
We parted ways with the three here. We’d probably meet again, and we agreed to help each other out when trouble came. It was good to have made some acquaintances in this world.
Now, I was headed to the appraisal for the Goblin Silk with the beautiful Sofia-san – and then to the Guild orientation.
Summary:
Yu successfully appraised three Big Boars at the Guild’s Material Purchasing Office, earning substantial silver coins while being warned about the dangerous implications of his Magic Bag’s time-stopping properties. After paying his companions their share, he learned Eigil-san was a former B-rank adventurer with valuable experience to share. He now prepares to handle the Goblin Silk appraisal and Guild orientation with Sofia-san.
Trivia:
- The Guild Card’s light reaction to mana infusion surprised Sofia-san, suggesting either unusual mana capacity or skill.
- Eigil-san immediately recognized the non-standard size of the Big Boars (1.5x normal) and the precision kill technique.
- The Magic Bag Yu possesses has time-stopping properties, making it extremely valuable and dangerous to possess.
- G-rank adventurers receive wooden identification tags that upgrade in material as their rank increases.
- Lost Ones are apparently known to Eigil-san, suggesting prior encounters with otherworlders.
- The Material Purchasing Office handles both appraisal and dismantling operations.
- Eigil-san’s warning indicates that kingdom nobles would actively seek to control or eliminate someone with time-stopping magic.
- Yu had no knowledge of the Return Magic Circle’s existence in the dungeon, showing his novice status.
- Aina is currently in captivity and needs to be freed, suggesting a prior encounter or obligation.
- The world has a silver-based currency system with Large Silver Coins and standard Silver Coins.