It was a normal day at the Adventurers' Guild—until registration opened, and people were forced to form a long line with the sole purpose of signing up.
At the very end of the line stood the protagonist of this story, Froilan Foster, a man who had come to register on a friend's recommendation.
As the line slowly moved forward, the guild members began to talk.
"Do you think any of them will turn out to be someone important?"
"Not a chance. It's probably another bunch of losers, like last time."
"I bet that guy over there will run away after his first mission, hahaha."
"Damn it… how much longer do I have to wait?"
Patience was not one of his virtues.
As the line advanced, Froilan could be seen repeatedly tapping his foot and looking around—surroundings he had already examined more than ten times—occasionally locking eyes with active guild members.
Eventually, Froilan reached the receptionist.
"…Hello."
The woman looked tense; she understood that the people at the end of the line were always the most troublesome.
"What do I need to do?"
"Well, if you'd be so kind as to fill out these forms."
Froilan took the paper, wrote down his name, and reached the first question he feared: [age]. Slowly, he looked away from the paper and glanced at the quest board to his right.
"Sir? Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing."
The woman quickly looked at the paper.
"If you don't mind, how old are you?"
Froilan trembled slightly and looked at her with a serious expression.
"You know… if I asked you your age, would you tell me?"
The question hung in the air.
"You're right. Sorry for the trouble."
She quickly pulled the sheet away and handed him another form.
Froilan felt relieved when that paper disappeared. This new sheet had questions about him.
What was your previous occupation?
Answer: laborer.
Why do you want to become an adventurer?
Answer: money.
What are your aspirations as an adventurer?
Answer: money.
"Well… that's everything. Here."
She handed him a registration slip with his name already written on it. His age was listed as [??], and there was one final line at the bottom: Rank F.
"Alright, so what do I do now?"
"If you want to start working, you need to take a quest from the board. Just make sure it's within your rank."
Froilan began to look over the available quests.
[Dragon Sighted – Rank A Adventurers Required]
That one was definitely not for him. He just wanted to live a quiet life while earning money.
At last, he found one within his rank.
[Medicinal Herb Gathering – Rank F]
He took the quest slip and handed it to the receptionist, who checked it over. Just routine procedure.
Once accepted, Froilan set out on the job and entered the forest near the town.
He carried a dagger with him, as it was a rule that adventurers must carry a weapon for protection.
He began gathering medicinal herbs until there were none left, though he had only filled half his bag.
That was strange. These plants were always abundant in this forest.
Searching for the cause, he found it.
A small boar-like creature with a flower growing from its head was devouring all the plants.
Froilan drew his dagger and charged at the creature.
"Gwahhhhh!"
His shout alerted the creature, which struck Froilan in the stomach, knocking him down—at least, that was what the small boar thought.
Froilan, however, was already used to enduring pain in exchange for money. He drove his dagger into the creature, killing it.
Now I can finish the quest, he thought.
He gathered all the remaining herbs. The boar caught his attention, so he simply cut off the flower and put it into his bag.
Job done. He returned, waiting for his first payment.
"Well then, for all of this, here are 50 coppers."
Froilan stared at the money on the table. He had thought they might pay more, but he was still happy, slowly touching and moving the coins into his pouch.
"Hey, did you hear what happened?"
"Yeah, apparently a rare species of boar was found dead in the forest."
His hands froze.
"They say the one who found it sold it for 50 gold."
"Seriously? Who would be stupid enough to leave something that valuable behind?"
The slow movement of the coins suddenly became frantic.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to take care of something."
Froilan calmly left the guild—but the moment he was outside, he ran back into the forest. He didn't find the boar he had killed, nor another like it.
And thus ended his first day at the guild.