NOVEL WEB Chapter 225.1
Chapter 225.1. Adventurers
Adventurers. It’s only natural to be fascinated by that name. After all, they are the ones who venture forth. In this ended world, what could they possibly be adventuring for?
Just recently, the Adventurers’ Guild was established, and people gathered, wondering if they could strike it rich or find some good jobs.
But in reality, unless you reach the bronze rank, you won’t earn much. So, while undergoing training and honing your skills, you have to make a living through dungeon tours and aim to rank up from steel to bronze.
Hearing this, did they feel discouraged and disheartened? No. After hearing the rest of the explanation, their eyes lit up.
One year of training, then ranking up to bronze. After that, they would aim for silver while taking on various quests. Even if they didn’t reach silver, by getting status potions and growing stronger, they could eventually take down goblin knights consistently. Earning money isn’t just about collecting cores. There are escort missions, and monster extermination requests—you won’t struggle to make a living.
Once you reach silver, you’ll be earning a high salary. You could even transition to a desk job. The shortest path is one year of training, then another two years to gain experience and reach silver—a total of three years to become well-paid. It’s a dream-filled profession.
For the people of the ruined city, a high-paying job is a distant dream, yet now it’s right in front of them. It’s no wonder that young people are eager to become adventurers.
And, of course, there are always those who smirk, thinking it’s a too-good-to-be-true opportunity.
This is a story from one month after the Adventurers’ Guild was established.
A cool breeze is beginning to brush against the cheeks. The autumn sky is covered in mackerel clouds. It’s been a year and a half since Amatsugahara Corporation was founded, and the abandoned town has been cleared of monsters, at least around the headquarters, market, and farming areas, leaving almost none outside the managed dungeons.
However, the managed dungeons offer tours, and since the number of monsters is limited, it’s hard to make big money. That’s why there are still a fair number of people heading to dangerous rogue dungeons.
Collapsed buildings and burned-out ruins are scattered around, with crows occasionally flying by, pecking at something when they land. A large rat, about the size of a child, with glowing eyes, scurries from shadow to shadow. In this deserted area of ruins, five men and women walk along a cracked asphalt road.
Three of them walk through the ruins as if they’re familiar with the place. Dressed in grimy combat uniforms, carrying bows on their shoulders, and with military knives at their waists, they walk confidently, their heavy military boots crushing the dirtied glass beneath them. These middle-aged men are smiling with ease. One of them even has a pistol at his waist.
Behind them follow a young man and woman. They carry recently released Breeze Shields on their backs, holding wooden clubs in their hands.
The man and woman, with ordinary-looking faces, walk cautiously, glancing around nervously. The young man hesitantly asks the others.
“Um… Is there really a dungeon up ahead where we can earn money?”
“Yes, that’s right. There’s a dungeon up ahead that’s easy to clear. The monsters that pop up are zombies. They can only walk slowly. Occasionally, mummies and ghouls might appear, but they’re sluggish too. And they’re all D-rank, so you can earn a lot. The dungeon boss is a giant zombie, which is easy to defeat. You know that, right? The dungeon boss core is bought for a hundred times the normal price.”
One of the three middle-aged men, a guy around 180 cm tall, laughs and shrugs his shoulders. He’s likely the leader, the one with the pistol at his waist.
“That’s right. Do you know how much? Uh… how much was it again? Lately, it’s been worth more than selling cores.”
The large man, speaking with the slow-wittedness matching his heavy build, says in a dumb-sounding tone. The shortest of the three men interrupts with a laugh.
“Thirty thousand yen. If you get a skill potion from the dungeon core, it’s another thirty thousand. If you defeat a bunch of D-rank mummies or ghouls, that’s an extra thirty thousand. All in all, you can make a million yen in a day. Pretty good deal, right? Split five ways, that’s twenty-five thousand each. Not bad, huh?”
He grins at the young man and woman. They exchanged uneasy glances, and the leader quickly continued, speaking a bit faster.
“Getting cold feet? But listen, if you can clear a dungeon with just two people, there’s no doubt you’ll be recommended for the silver rank. I’ve got the connections to make that happen. With this achievement, we’ll all rise to silver. Besides, there’s talk that Amatsugahara Corporation is about to attack the monster-line fortress. The difference in earnings between bronze and silver during that event will be huge. You two are top-notch for jumping straight to bronze—this is your chance, right?”
The middle-aged men were bronze rank. They had planned this dungeon raid to reach silver rank by teaming up with the newly minted young man and woman who had passed the test and become bronze rank adventurers.
“Y-Yeah, we’ve decided to take you up on your suspicious offer. If we reach silver here, becoming rich won’t just be a dream. Let’s go.”
“That’s right. And just so you know, we’re stronger than you. If you betray us, don’t think you’ll get off lightly.”
The young man, though hesitant, nods, while the confident woman snorts and glares.
“Oh, scary. It’s amazing how tough new adventurers are these days. So, what were you two doing before this?”
The leader casually touches the pistol at his waist, making small talk. The other two middle-aged men also nod in agreement, showing interest.
“…I’ve heard that it’s taboo to talk about the past in the abandoned town.”
The young man’s unusually timid reply makes the leader narrow his eyes slightly, twisting his mouth into a nasty smile.
“That’s true. My bad. Anyway, we’re almost at our destination, so let’s move.”