Arriving at the inn, I was able to gain considerable knowledge from the guidebook I received from the Adventurers’ Guild.
The most emphasized part was the warning against hesitating to invest in armor, stating in bold red letters that wearing sturdy armor was essential for preserving one’s life.
Should I really invest money in armor? I glanced at the clothes I was wearing.
I had old leather shoes and worn-out cloth clothing, topped with a rough fur coat made by a countryside hunter and a hood made from wolf fur.
My appearance definitely seemed inadequate, but I hesitated to buy armor right now.
I was 13 years old.
I would turn 14 after winter.
That meant I was in a growth phase.
Since my body would continue to grow, if I bought armor now, I would quickly outgrow it.
Moreover, I doubted whether there would be armor that fit me.
If nothing fit, I would need custom-made armor, which would incur additional costs.
Although I still had a fair amount of money left, I needed to cultivate a habit of saving to live on my own.
Ultimately, I decided to head to the Adventurers’ Guild in my current state.
I wanted to complete my first mission as an adventurer rather than buying something immediately.
The interior of the Adventurers’ Guild was bustling with many people.
I pushed through the crowd toward the receptionist.
The receptionist’s face was filled with fatigue.
“Hello.”
First impressions play an important role in meetings.
Since the person looked so tired, I thought it would be better to approach them kindly, as they might get irritated for no reason.
“Huh?”
The receptionist raised an eyebrow and looked up, scanning the surroundings before finally focusing on me.
“Are you here for a request?”
“No, I’m here to receive one.”
The receptionist tilted his head at my answer.
He seemed to assume I was not an adventurer based on my small stature.
I hurriedly pulled out the bronze badge hanging from my waist.
“Look.”
“Oh…”
The receptionist’s expression shifted slightly in surprise as he looked at the bronze badge.
He then nodded and pointed me toward a bulletin board.
“Over there, that’s the bronze-level bulletin board. Go get an inquiry you like.”
Do I have to do this myself?
I nodded and headed toward the bulletin board.
There were indeed various requests posted.
The uppermost requests involved escorting or collecting goblin materials, and there was even a request for finding a lost cat.
As I stood in front of the bulletin board, pondering, the surrounding gazes naturally turned toward me.
“Hmm…”
The most eye-catching requests were to collect goblin ears and to gather special herbs.
Since the locations for the two requests overlapped, I thought I could accomplish both at once.
In the end, I tore off two request forms and approached the reception desk.
“Collecting red deer antlers and exterminating goblins… Do you not need party members, miss?”
The receptionist looked at the request forms I handed over with a worried expression.
I decided to ask him out of curiosity.
“Are goblins quite strong?”
“Hmm… rather than being strong…”
“If a wolf and a goblin fought, who would win?”
“That depends on the situation…”
“So, they’re about equal?”
“Right…?”
“Then it’s fine.”
In the end, I was able to accept those two requests.
“The mission period is three days starting from today. If you exceed this time, you won’t receive any compensation, so keep that in mind. The reward for completing the mission will be paid after deducting a 15% fee.”
I nodded at the receptionist’s kind reminder.
I could also confirm this information in the guidebook given by the guild.
After leaving the guild, I headed straight to Adventurer’s Street.
There, I opened the guild’s guidebook and started buying basic tools for adventurers.
Flint, lamps, rope, water bottles, oil for maintaining swords, and cloth, among others.
Once I started purchasing, I realized I needed more items than I expected.
But what could I do? All of these were necessities for becoming an adventurer.
I smiled contentedly at my heavy bag.
Next, I bought dried fruits and jerky.
They said it would take about a day to go back and forth to the goblin’s habitat, so I only purchased enough food for one day.
Just as I finished all my preparations and was about to step out through the large castle gate, I heard a familiar voice nearby.
Turning my head, I saw the blue-haired twins running around in a frenzy not too far away.
How could I not know their names? They were the twins Su and Shu, with whom I had learned swordsmanship in the countryside.
The fact that they had come all the way here meant their parents could also be around.
I hurriedly pulled up my wolf hood.
The large wolf’s head covered my own, perfectly hiding my face.
If I were to be caught here, it would be certain that I would be dragged back to the countryside and would never be able to leave again.
I carefully walked away, slipping out of the castle gate.
Fortunately, the twins, bustling near the castle gate, didn’t seem to notice me as they moved further away.
Once outside the castle, I walked quickly along the path.
I wasn’t heading toward the village but rather toward the large mountain range.
If I continued along this path, I would arrive at the goblin habitat.
At least, that’s what my map indicated.
On the road, I could see other adventurers besides myself, all trudging toward the castle with tired and weary steps.
With a horrible smell of sweat and dirt caked on them, they seemed to have just rolled around with monsters in the mountains.
I kept my distance from them as I walked.
As I walked along the long road, I encountered various adventurers.
After about two hours had passed, I reached one conclusion: being an adventurer was not a particularly romantic profession.
I walked, reeking of sweat and covered in wounds, staggering with every step.
Was there any difference between me and the workers who rolled around on the construction site?
As I walked the path, I began to seriously contemplate the profession of an adventurer.
After walking for a while, I suddenly lifted my head at the refreshing scent wafting through the air.
The smell of wet earth, decaying leaves, and the natural sounds of grass and leaves colliding in the breeze.
Swoosh—
At the moment the cold winter wind brushed against my cheek, a massive mountain unfolded before me.
“Ugh…”
I sniffed my nose and stepped into the entrance of the mountain.
Climbing the mountain wasn’t very difficult.
For a girl who had lived in the countryside all her life, the mountains were a familiar place.
Bouncing along with my heavy bag, I hopped around the mountain without any issues.
The winter mountain was excessively quiet.
Because of that, if anyone approached, I would be able to notice immediately.
I heard the sound of rustling leaves from afar.
I unfolded my map and headed toward the location marked as [Red Deer Antler].
However, there wasn’t a single blade of grass left at the location for the red deer antlers marked on the map.
It was only natural.
Since it was a location marked on a map accessible to everyone, others had likely come first to harvest it.
“Ugh…”
I sniffed my nose again and sat down on a nearby large rock.
I had walked for a long time and was feeling quite hungry.
What I pulled out from my pocket were a few pieces of dried fruit and some jerky.
I stuffed everything into my mouth and swirled some water in my mouth.
I shifted my gaze up along the tall trees.
On top of the trees, where all the leaves had fallen, white snowflakes bloomed, and when the wind blew, those snowflakes slowly scattered.
After finishing my meal, I moved deeper into the mountain.
I thought it would be impossible to find red deer antlers at the mountain’s entrance.
I stopped in place and surveyed my surroundings.
When humans traverse a mountain, paths naturally form in their wake.
Naturally, there wouldn’t be any herbs left around those paths.
I climbed the mountain in the direction where there were no traces of people.
“Oh…!”
How long did I walk like that?
I finally spotted red grass covered in snow.
It was a herb named [Red Deer Antler] because it resembled a deer’s antler in appearance.
I didn’t know what it was used for.
I was just collecting it because I was told to.
I brushed off the snow from the harvested herb and wrapped it in cloth to place it in my bag.
However, the number I had was insufficient to meet the request’s criteria.
I based my search on the location where I first found the red deer antlers.
As a result, I was able to dig up about six more roots.
The request only required three roots, so I could sell the rest.
I didn’t know how expensive this herb was, but since there was a separate request to collect it, it might be selling for a high price due to a lack of stock in the market.
As I indulged in such happy thoughts…
From afar, the sound of snow and leaves crunching was distinctly audible.
This was a winter mountain, a place where even the common sounds of insects were absent.
This meant I couldn’t have heard wrong.
I carefully drew my sword.
Swish—
At the edge of my vision, something was moving cautiously, hidden beneath the snow-covered leaves.
I squinted and continued to stare at that spot.
In that moment, an oddly colored skin was partially revealed beyond the leaves.
A murky shade of green.
There was no doubt about it.
What was hiding among the leaves and snow was certainly a goblin.
Since they had said there was a goblin habitat near the red deer antler habitat, it was definitely true.
I lowered my body and kept my eyes on its movements.
The goblin was steadily moving in one direction, and when I shifted my gaze to the end of that path, a pure white snow hare was resting in the sunlight.
It seemed that the goblin intended to hunt that snow hare.
I didn’t have the skill to move quietly and cautiously right now.
I had only one option left: to charge.
I set my bag down and grasped my sword with both hands.
Fortunately, the goblin’s attention was focused on the snow hare.
If I didn’t act now, I wouldn’t have another chance to ambush it.
I took a deep breath and sprinted forward.
Thud—!!
Crack—!
The snow-covered leaves crunched loudly beneath my feet.
The snow hare, sensing danger, vanished in an instant.
“Grrr!”
The goblin stood up in surprise, but that was not a good choice.
The distance between us was rapidly closing.
At that moment, the goblin’s gaze turned toward me.
It leaped back in a startled expression, but my sword was already aimed at it.
Swoosh—!
The flying sword pierced through the goblin’s chest.
A slight stinging pain shot through my hand that held the sword, but I didn’t have time to worry about that pain now.
“Keek!”
The creature writhed in agony, impaled by my sword.
I twisted the sword, bringing the creature down to the ground, then picked up a nearby rock and struck its head.
The goblin’s head cracked, and it trembled before going limp.
There was no hesitation.
I felt no regret.
I didn’t even feel guilt over taking a life.
The only thing that consumed my mind was the adrenaline surging through me.
“Hah…!”
I gasped for breath, finally able to sit down.
My first victory achieved without any help brought an intense thrill.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, [TS] Concept Broadcast Streamer is a must-read. Click here to start!
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