After guiding Gideon to the inn where he could stay, Ordy insisted on giving him an equal share of their reward for their quest, which everyone agreed to. Despite his initial reluctance, Gideon accepted the two gold coins, fully aware that they would greatly assist him in starting a new life in this town. That was the time when he needed it the most.
They accompanied him to buy cheap clothes in exchange for his dirty clothes, which cost him three silver coins, and then he rented a room in the inn for two silver coins per night. The currency of Eteria consisted of three units: copper, silver, and gold coins. Ten copper coins were equivalent to one silver coin, and ten silver coins were equivalent to one gold coin, which had the highest value.
Due to his extreme tiredness, the moment he entered the dimly lit room, he dashed all the way to the white bed and slammed his exhausted body onto the soft cushion, and for the first time, he fell asleep peacefully.
The bright sun rose above the sky in Figliad, and sunlight rays entered Gideon's rented room, lighting it up. His room only had one wooden bed with a brown cushion and sheet, a large mirror on the wall, and two small, brown wooden cabinets, one just below the glass window with a white curtain and the other next to the bed, next to Gideon's head, where the lamp was. And it was all contained within the polished wooden walls and floor. The room, on the other hand, had two doors, one leading to the entrance and the other to the bathroom.
Gideon groaned and stretched his arms and legs as the bright light in his room reached his eyes. It was the first time he had slept in a comfortable bed since his arrival in Eteria. His eyes remained motionless for a few moments before he stood up, walked to the bathroom, and took a proper bath. After a few minutes, he emerged from the bathroom wearing the brown, thin tunic pants he bought the night before and stood in front of the mirror, staring at himself.
He narrowed his eyes and placed his hand on his chin. "I think I've lost a lot of weight," he said, flexing his arms, each of which had a small bulge in it. He shook his head and shifted his gaze away from the mirror.
However, before his gaze left the mirror, something in the reflection drew his attention and caused him to walk back in front of it; with his enlarged eyes, he pointed his back to the mirror and stared at the reflection with a surprised expression on his face.
"What the hell is this?" he exclaimed, referring to the oddity he had discovered on his back.
A large red tattoo was engraved on his back, starting from the middle of his loin and extending to his shoulder blades, with the line split into three directions and ending with simple circle symbols. The one in the middle was just beneath his nape, low enough to be hidden when he was dressed, while the other two pointed to his shoulders and ended at the boundaries of his shoulder and arms. The insignia had always been there since the day he arrived in Eteria, and he simply did not notice it sooner due to a lack of ways to see it.
However, given the bizarre events that had occurred to him up to this point, it did not bother him any longer.
Gideon continued to narrow his eyes and stare at the red tattoo on his back for a few seconds. "Of course, the hero needs to be recognized, and I need something to prove that I am that person," he exhaled. "But, Dude, why this big? The broadest line is thicker than my freaking forearm; if I had a choice, insignia in the back of the hand like the ones in the Fate franchise would be ideal."
He stepped away from the mirror and changed into the brown tunic top before leaving his room to meet up with Ordy and the gang. However, as he closed his door, another door opened across the inn's corridor. Gideon's room was on the edge of the corridor, which had a total of five rooms; however, Vien's room, which was on the other side of the corridor, opened and she emerged, complete with her gear. Gideon smiled and waved his hand when he saw her, and Vien responded by nodding downward.
Gideon moved toward the staircase in the middle of the corridor, where he met Vien, who was looking down as she moved forward. "Great day, isn't it? Going to the guild hall now to meet them?" he asked, smiling as they met.
Vien gave a nod. "Yes."
That was the end of their conversation as they walked through the town's marketplace. They walked past crowds of people buying necessities from market stalls set up along the side of the road without saying anything. Gideon was just looking around during their few minutes of travel, immersed in the scenery all around him. From the houses made of cobblestones and wood to the people and clothes they wore, which were out of the ordinary for the modern world he came from.
Vien, on the other hand, was just looking down, watching the gray concrete road as they both traveled toward the guild hall in the heart of town.
They both stood in front of the fountain, waiting for carriages to pass by so they could cross to the guild hall.
Gideon looked at Vien when he remembered something. "By the way, Ordy told me that once I became an adventurer, I would start as a Class E adventurer and it would take a while before I reached Class D rank; you just recently joined their party, which could mean you were already a Class D adventurer before meeting them; may I ask how long you've been adventuring?"
Vien's eyes rose and pointed at Gideon's. "I've been adventuring for six months and was recently promoted to Class D rank before arriving in this town; after all, adventuring is the best choice if you want to have a stable source of income while traveling, because guild halls where we can get quests to get rewards are everywhere."
Gideon gave a nod. "I see; becoming an adventurer while traveling is a good choice."
"How about you, uh... Mister Gideon? How did you get this far without being an adventurer?" Vien inquired.
Gideon chuckled and smiled broadly. "I suppose it's a mix of fortunate and unfortunate events."
Vien paused for a few seconds before nodding slowly in response to Gideon's response. "I see."
As soon as the road was clear, they both walked forward to the massive dark blue infrastructure and pushed the wooden double door. As they entered, they were greeted by the image of Ordy leaning on the wall in front of the door with a big smile on his face, Halini waving her hand at them with a smile, and Mian with a weak smile while crossing her arms.
Ordy took a proper stance and raised his right hand. "Aren't these my man Gideon and our girl Vien? How's your sleep?"
"It's great," Vien said as she approached them and was immediately hugged by Halini.
Ordy laughed. "Good, good," he said, his gaze shifting to Gideon. "How about you, Gideon? Are you ready to sign up and become the great adventurer you were born to be?"
Gideon exhaled deeply and smiled. "Yes."
"That's what I'm talking about!" Ordy shifted his closed eyes to the people eating breakfast at the tables. "Do you hear that? That's my lad!"
The sound of a roaring crowd of adventurers inside the guild hall followed, with some waving their forks and spoons in the air.
Gideon, on the other hand, looked around. "This place is full of life; it feels unreal," he said, shifting his gaze to Seilyn, who was sitting on the registrar. "Perhaps being an adventurer isn't such a bad idea after all."