C-Rank Quest

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Ogre Hunt
Rank: C
Hunt the two ogres who appear in the Jideruru Valley
Reward: 25 gold and ogre materials
Nindor Village: Chief Gidobu

I was in the Deroslo Adventurers Guild, and facing the quest board with crossed arms. Ogres were C-rank, and quite strong. However, that wasn’t the only reason that I hesitated.

“Well…guess I’ll go then.”

My arm moved to peel it off. And then I stopped.

“I wouldn’t accept that one if I were you.”

Zechis said from behind me.

“Why? I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
“So you were hesitating without even knowing it? Nindor village is a week away, even by horse. Twenty-five in gold is not enough to make up for that.”

It was that far away? It had taken me ten days to reach Deroslo from Mujider.

“They accept quests from places so far away?”
“Well, Nindor is a very remote place. So this is the closest large city to it.”

I see. On closer inspection, the paper looked quite old. It must have been there for quite some time.

Well, it would take two weeks for a round trip. Besides, hunting the ogres was likely not something you could do in a single day. In the same amount of time, I could probably complete several D-Rank quests. Even if I couldn’t make twenty-five gold, I could at least make half of it.
Compared to other C-Rank quests, the pay was low and took a lot of time.

Still, I grabbed the sheet and ripped it from the quest board.

“You really are stupid, Ajifu.”
“Shut up.”

Zechis shrugged his shoulders, but that wasn’t the reason I had been hesitating. It was because I had never accepted a C-Rank quest before.

The only reason I had been able to maintain my C-Rank was because I had participated in forced requests. In a way, you could say that I was forced to maintain it.
‘It’s pointless to demote someone who is going to be promoted again in no time. It’s easier to just make you complete the necessary quest.’ That was what Ms. Miyor had said at the Suelbur guild.

As for why I hadn’t accepted any C-Rank quests… Think about it. The C-Rank monster I had fought up until now, like wyverns and harpies, were all strong. If asked if I wanted to fight them again, I would say ‘no.’

However, I had taken this one, because I felt that as an Adventurer, I would have to do it eventually.
After my fight with the harpy queen, I trained and fought many times. I was preparing myself for this.

Besides, the old slip of paper made me imagine it…

As someone who had lived in Nanaze village, I knew that twenty-five gold was a lot for a remote village. They must have scrapped that amount together, only for their request to be ignored.

Also, it was for ogres. It did not fly like the gryphon, or swim like the serpents, which were the requests next to it. So for a beginner (3rd year) C-Ranker, it might be perfect?

Perhaps this was fate. And so I would accept it, even if it was a little far. And so I headed to the reception desk.

“I’m taking this one.”

The dwarf woman at the counter looked at it.

“You…are you solo?”
“Aye. Is that a problem?”
“No. And you seem confident. Still, there are two, so you should be careful.”

That was just it. Two of them. Twenty-five really was cheap…

“Thanks for the warning.”

I said, holding back a sigh. She smiled and handed me back the paper.
When it comes to C-Rank, they generally did not ask too many questions. I suppose they expected you to know if you were right for the job or not by then.

I took the paper and turned around to see the members of Two-head Firerat waiting for me.

“So you really did take it… Well, we won’t be seeing you for some time then. When are you leaving?”
“I’ll do some research on the Nindor territory and monsters… And buy supplies. But I want to leave tomorrow morning.”

Maintenance on my gear, taking care of Mulze, and minimum restocking. I had finished that. So I just needed some perishables and information for the most part.

“Are you all staying in Deroslo then?”
“Aye. There are a lot of requests here during this season. And so we intend to stay here for some time.”

As there was a lot of rain, even during the winter, that meant a lot of monsters gathered here. And Adventurers.

“I heard that Ogres are strong. Don’t let them kill you.”
“Of course. And you too. Don’t die on some boring quest.”
“Damn you.”

Zechis hit his fists together.

“Well, let’s drink tonight to raise our spirits!”
“Again? But I won’t stay long, as I have an early morning.”
“No, surely you have nothing to worry about.”

Apparently, I was going to have to drink with them tonight as well. As Dem said, I had Cure Poison, so there was no need to worry about hangovers.
“We won’t have a healer again…”

Reren said with a sigh. Only amateurs thought that you didn’t need a healer if you have potions.

Potions did not act on their own, and they did not cooperate. It wasn’t like Healers just stood there and waited for the wounded to come to them. It was all about offering support even before they got injured. That’s what a good Healer did.

“Well, Ajifu is practically an advance guard.”
“That’s the sword style I was taught!”

I hoped everyone in Rokuidol were doing well. I thought nostalgically about the old church.

“Well, see you at the inn then.”
“Aye.

And so I left Two-head Firerat and went to the guild library. When I was finished, I went outside, but they were already gone.

“So, where should I start…”

I had no one to guide me now. An unfamiliar city. An unfamiliar land. But the uncertainty was exciting. I hadn’t felt it in a while.

Even though we were only ten days away from Mujder, the buildings and clothes looked different. Still, this was no time to leisurely sightsee. After all, a new and strong enemy waited for me. I had to prepare carefully, or I would be in danger.

When I thought of ogres, I imagined an oni. They had horns, which were valuable as a material for magic-related items. But that was about it for materials. So they were not the best if you wanted to make money.

Still, they were strong. And fast. And tough.
It was harder to plan with something that was simply just strong. I couldn’t really consider skills or characteristics in order to gain an advantage.

Basically, clever little tricks wouldn’t work.

I shuddered. With excitement. Or maybe I was just scared. Well, it would be my first time. We were Adventurers, because we challenged the unknown.

Well, ogres weren’t unknown. They had been defeated by many people, many times. Not only that, but for others, this was merely a C-Ranker doing a C-Rank job. Nothing special or adventurous at all.

Still, for me, it was an adventure. I was doing something that was new for me. Even if no one else thought so.

Well, that was fine. I would do it. Kill the ogres, return, and submit the paper as if it was nothing. Staying cool the whole time.

I stepped on the hard stone of the streets. As I joined the flow of people, I explored the town and prepared for my journey. To everyone else, I was just another Adventurer.

But that was good. Here, no one knew me. No one praised me. This was all my own adventure.

Before I knew it, the lanterns started to be lit. As the city was surrounded by stone walls, the shadows made it turn dark early. When I looked up, there was still plenty of blue, which seemed to fight against the night.

I did not have that much time left. My step sped up.

Under an unfamiliar city, an unfamiliar sky, it was like I was being shown how vast the world was, which I had yet to explore.

Next Chapter

Ossan Boukensha no Jimichi na Isekai Tabi