Chapter 15 - I Accepted a Quest

I Accepted a Quest
“Alright, you can go now! However, those who have passed will have to pick something up later, so come to the guild!”
He said. And so we headed to the guild.
Preparations for our registration had already been made, and so we were led straight to the front desk.
It was surprisingly fast, considering it was the first time in fifteen years someone had gotten in.
“Uh, Mister Yuji? Congratulations!”
“Oh, thanks.”
A young woman greeted me at the desk.
She seemed to be new, and there was another veteran-like receptionist behind her who watched over us.
She was holding a guild card in her hand.
“As you have passed the test, Mister Yuji, you will now be given your guild card…but first, allow me to explain the system to you.”
So saying, she pulled out a sheet of paper from under the desk.
The title read, ‘To all new Adventurers.’
“I am sure you already know, but there is a ranking system in the guild! You are able to accept quests that are one rank above yours at the most. This means that as an I-rank newcomer, you can accept H-rank quests. If you wish to accept a quest, please bring the quest form that is placed over there. …Oh!”
Then the receptionist looked down at the guild card with an ‘oh, no!’ expression.
And then she frantically corrected herself.
“I’m sorry! You are in the special bracket, so you start at H-rank! So you can accept G-rank quests!”
Well, the paper said newcomers that start at I-rank.
And they weren’t going to make a new explanation manual just for one person.
“As for you rank, it rises as you complete quests! We do not disclose the finer details of how it’s decided, but the more difficult quests…quests of a higher rank, will help you raise your rank faster!”
I see.
In other words, I should accept and complete a lot of G-rank quests in order to raise my rank.
But I didn’t have much combat experience, so I wanted to be careful.
“By the way, there are quests that you don’t have to accept beforehand, you just bring in the proof of the hunt. There are no rank restrictions with these quests, but I would advise that you be careful. Adventurers die every year because they challenge monsters that are too powerful for them…”
She said this with a sad expression.
Yes. Even if there were no restrictions, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard.
One wrong step could easily lead to your death.
“And that’s it for explanations regarding your rank! …Well, that’s really the only explanation that is necessary for the guild, so we’re finished here! Now, please know your limits and go do your best!”
She said as she handed me my guild card.
The card had my name and rank and showed that I was in the special bracket. Also that I was a B-rank Scout.
However, it only showed ‘Tamer’ for my job and ‘Fire’ for magic affinity.
…Well, I was able to get registered in the end. So I couldn’t complain.
In any case, I had received the guild card now, so I decided to try and accept a quest.
These were stuck onto the quest board, and so I was supposed to peel them off.
“Hmmm…an easy one. An easy one…”
I didn’t feel like starting with a difficult quest, and so I searched for something simple.
And then I spotted one that looked promising.
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Standing Request: Gathering Healia Grass
Rank: I
Quest Description: Gather ‘Healia Grass,’ an herb that grows around the town. 300 cicols per plant.
Plant gathering. It was known to be safe.

And as it was for I-rank, it seemed like a good idea for my first quest.
“I would like to accept this quest.”
I said as I took the request over to the desk. Then she looked at me with surprise.
“What?! Mister Yuji, didn’t you just finish taking the test today!?”
“I did… But, you don’t think this is suited for my first quest then?”
It was the lowest ranking quest, so it could not be very hard.
However, it seemed that that was not why she was concerned.
“No, the quest itself is highly recommended…but, you just stayed up all night, didn’t you?”
Oh. That’s what she meant.
But I was used to pulling all-nighters.
And this wasn’t like at work, so I wasn’t even tired.
“I stayed up all night, but I’m fine. I’m used to it.”
“You’re used to staying up at night… You B-rank Scouts are amazing…”
No, it wasn’t because I was a B-rank Scout. It was because I was a corporate slave.
“I understand. So you wish to accept this quest. This is how the herbs look like, but there are others that look similar, so be careful!”
She said as she pointed to an illustration on the paper.
I had never seen any grass in that shape before…
‘I know those leaves!’
‘They don’t taste good!’
But it seemed that the slimes knew about them.