“Thank you, Hugo.” The receptionist from before congratulated me and introduced himself. He retrieved his hand from mine after handing me the helper’s badge. A symbol that allowed me to use some facilities from this place. Like a pin with the letter H on it, I pressed it against my coat, and just like magic, it got stuck.
System: You have received the achievement, Adventurer’s Helper.
The five of us took a seat around one of the empty tables at the party leader’s request.
“Let’s begin with an introduction. I’m Ryze, a fighter and the leader of this E-graded party.”
Once he finished, an explanation blabbered out of him, showing that only parties above F-graded could recruit helpers, since this was a job that required expertise. Surprising the two of us, the newcomers, he added that the mortality rate was highest in the lowest grade. But it didn’t mean that it decreased a lot the higher we went since missions would also became more formidable, especially for subjugation quests.
‘It truly sounds like a terrible world,’ I complained in my mind, reminded of the stories.
“With that out of the way,” he gazed at the one beside him.
He began by making a throaty sound, possibly from being silent till now, causing it to be rather dry, or some mucus was in the way of his voice, “I’m Chris, a swordsman.”
My eyes widened at him, causing a brief smile to pass on my lips.
Then we continued clockwise, getting Brook to introduce himself while showing us his weapon, a long wooden spear with a metal tip at the end. A piercer, he added, that being his class.
“I’m Iris. I know a bit of swordsmanship and magic,” I smiled nervously while being stared at by all of them.
“I see,” Ryze added before questioning me further. “What’s your element?”
“Ice,” I promptly answered, feeling embarrassed as the focus was still on me. And despite me trying to be fast, it just didn’t look like they wanted to pass on to the next girl. Of course, it all was in my mind.
“I know it’s very hard to learn skills without a class, do you have any active ones?”
It seemed that in this world, there were passive skills that were always in effect and active ones that required using mana to activate them. Under the table, I twiddled my thumbs while replying with a soft voice, “I’ve learned the skill freezing.”
His mouth opened, feeling surprised by it, “You must’ve worked super hard for it!”
A similar reaction spread through the four of them as, while not the most amazing thing, it wasn't something easily obtainable. Unlike the skills everyone gets from receiving a class. To gain one solely through the talent and a lot of effort is praiseworthy.
“But the real question remains...” he gazed at me, determined.
Quickly, my face turned red. “Y-yes?” I shrieked nervously, receiving a small smile out of sympathy from the girl to my left.
“Most skills have different mastering stages, while the very first ones would require you to be at blank point range to be able to freeze someone.”
I nodded, showing him I understood, knowing about it from my dad’s long lessons.
“So, what can you do with it?”
I aimed my hand at him, causing his happy, curious face to turn into a more serious one, and then I lowered it to his mug of beer, “freeze!”
They couldn’t see a blue circle under my feet, since the table was in the way. But they sighted upon a lighter one coming out of my hand, almost white. As this went on, the liquid began slowing its movement bit by bit, cooling down, and then I stopped to preserve my mana, which wasn’t a lot as I was still level one.
Notice: System consumed 20 mana.
Without a second to waste, he grabbed it, “Oh my, it’s quite cold.”
The men laughed at his words, and then he took a sip, “By the goddess! This is the best ale ever!”
Quickly, the others glinted jealousy in their eyes at the sensation Ryze’s tongue was having, turning towards me while extending their cups with a pleading expression. They looked very much like little saint, whenever I was about to give him a chicken leg with some juicy, tender meat around it.
‘I’m no cooling service!’ I complained in my mind, unable to do so through my mouth, as I felt a hint of pity towards them. I sighed and grabbed the ales, causing less mana to be necessary because of no channeling distance. Once I finished, a hint of sweat dripped from my forehead. The system drained me.
Notice: System consumed 30 mana.
“It’s done,” I began, blowing some hot air at my now cold hands, a side effect of not channeling it via distance, but at least it had consumed less energy. They glanced at each other, smiling happily, and then at the ale, lifting it and gulping it all down. The three of them banged the table with their empty cups then stretched their bodies and heads leaning backward. Finalizing the show with a satisfied smugness upon their lips.
“What a blessing,” they murmured blissfully in unison.
Ignoring them, my eyes glanced at the mysterious girl who didn’t have a chance to introduce herself because of the silliness of these men. “What’s your name?” I smiled faintly at her, rubbing my hands against one another.
“I’m Tania. I have the natura class, mainly because I’m fond of tracking wild animals with my father and grandfather. They’re proficient hunters. And I’m also capable with a knife.”
“Natura?” I questioned with a hint of curiosity.
“That class is the reason we took her in,” Ryze added softly, slowly recovering from the earlier drink. “She has the ability necessary to find paths that lead to our prey, be it beasts or monsters. Of course, some are quite intelligent. Thus, an exceptional, experienced tracker would be necessary or at least someone who can become one.”
I gazed at her, who had a smug expression filled with happiness planted on her face, while my mind pondered the information I once read. ‘I suppose that’s what the system meant by natura having both utility and support.’
In a whisper, I called out for the status skill as my ears paid attention to their conversation.
Notice: System consumed 2 mana.
[
Status:
Level: 1 | Experience: 0/100
Health: 16/16 | Mana: 20/72
Strength: 1 | Vitality: 16 | Endurance: 3 | Agility: 1 | Dexterity: 0 | Intelligence: 1 | Wisdom: 24
Status Points: 0
Class: <None> |
Job: Farmer [Beginner]
Fame: 1510 | Disgrace: 3850
Race: Human | Name: Iris | 14 years old
Affiliation(+)
Soul(+)
Titles(+)
Achievements(+)
Skills(+)
Job(+)
Elements(+)
Soul-bound(+)
]
‘If there’s a job today,’ I glanced at the party leader in doubt. ‘Then I’ll only have one more freezing spell left.’
As if matching my worries, he added further, “Now that the introductions are over, let’s discuss the formation we’ll be using.”
His hand went below the table and soon retrieved some darkened stones, placing them on the brown surface.
“Up till now, we’ve been at it as a triangle,” his fat fingers made an equilateral form with a gesture.
“With Ryze in the front,” Chris, the swordsman, added.
“With Tania’s skills, she’ll be in front leading the way, and Iris can stay at our rear with our food and tools. Basically, what a normal helper would go for.”
Ryze looked at the two of us, receiving our consensus in the form of a nod.
“By the system laws, it is important to know that you’ll solely go with us to earn money. A commission for joining our quest as helpers.”
I held my focus on his gaze, containing a hint of curiosity at what he was trying to convey.
“This means that the experience will go for the three of us adventurers. After all, the one who delivers the final blow receives the experience.”
I let my mouth open and then close, understanding what he meant by the system’s laws, ‘I didn’t know there was a rule like that...’
“That’s fine,” Tania added with an unbothered expression.
He looked at me, and I also agreed, not wanting to become greedy for the rewards, nor get in their way.
“In addition, any goods we may collect from them will become money. If you two do your job properly, a portion of it will become the tip.”
At that, Tania smiled, satisfied with his wording, “It’s a good thing to clarify the terms from the get-go.”
The young men nodded at her words.
“So... what’s the mission?” At my words, attention returned to me once more, this time not feeling embarrassed by it, as my interest and focus lay elsewhere.
He took out the quest paper and placed it on top of the table. “Most people in the guild don’t know how to read, so let me explain the details.”
I pulled it, summarizing its contents, “We need to hunt some orcs, who’ve been pestering the southeast territories?”
Ryze whistled, amazed, causing a similar expression among the rest.
“Seems like the instructor wasn’t wrong about you,” Chris added with some respect in his tone.
However, reminded of the woman in question, I responded sincerely, “I don’t feel like that after being overwhelmed by her swordsmanship.”
They burst into laughter at my words, causing me to feel confused.
“She’s truly something else. I still remember the day our weapons clashed.”
Chris looked upward with a grin while gripping the pommel of his sword.
I questioned curiously while staring deep into his eyes, “Did Rebeca beat you too?”
“The instructor defeated me with ease, but next time I’ll beat her!”
Our gazes matched, allowing me to notice the fiery glint in his expression.
“That’s not a bad goal,” I added, thinking about also making it mine.
“Isn’t the instructor in the rankings?” Brook added with a cool gleam to him.
“What are those?” Tania asked, unsure.
My eyes took a glimpse of his arms lowering, retrieving what looked like a piece of paper, a small one, yet of a different material.
“This is my adventurer card,” he showed it to the two of us: me and Tania. “It has some information regarding me, as you can see.”
It included the name, age, adventurer rank, and points.
“These points increase as we complete the quests we complete. Once there is enough, the rank changes. It starts from F, and it goes one level higher to E, where I’m at. Of course, there are a lot more above this one, each with its own respective missions and difficulties.”
We, the helpers, looked at each other with awkward faces. In a way, with high expectations for the future, but of course, the two of us were naive.
“For the adventurers that are in the top 100 of our kingdom, those are the ones whose cards include numbering rankings along with letters, for example, rank S with the number one would be the best one.”
“That’s amazing!” The two of us shouted with astonishment, sharing a will to achieve higher.
‘I guess that would be the peak...’ my mind wandered merrily, attempting to calculate how much money I’d get for my parents if I managed to reach that far. Amidst my thoughts, there was one that indulged some doubts, “What am I supposed to do at the rear?”
“You keep an eye on our surroundings, and after we defeat some enemies, you collect the materials and bring them along,” the leader explained with a soft smile.
“So... I’m a luggage carrier...” They laughed at my reply.
“Well, yeah, but we’ll also teach you the basics to become an adventurer, the same lessons others have instructed us with.”
Ryze’s eyes glanced at all of us as if seeking some sort of confirmation. At that, my shoulders shrugged, not feeling discontent with his words. No matter how much I desired to become an adventurer, there were some steps to be taken, like everyone else. And I was not special, no. I was one of many, one out of ten million others, and this was my first step toward the future.