There are various kinds of people in any workplace. Some are kind and helpful, while others are cold, cruel, and spiteful. Among the latter is the kind that gets jealous or frustrated by other people's success. Some among them even try hindering it. They are among the worst kinds of people in a corporate.
That was what I was informed of in a special kind of seminar on corporate life. The ideal way to deal with them is to not care about such pathetic people yet also be cautious of them.
However, it gets especially physically when that workspace is Adventurer's Guild in a sword and magic fantasy world.
I went to the guild the next day and took some new C-rank quest that Kenny recommended to me. I was heading to the hunting grounds when my way was blocked by 3 people outside the guild. I was confused as to why they did so.
"Uh, do you need something from me?"
"You're that black-haired newbie adventurer, right? Nice armor you got there. We've been wanting to talk to you for a while. Let's move to a better place."
One of the tough-looking guys said as he placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me slightly.
What's going on…?
"Uh, I don't think I know you guys. What kind of business do you have with me?"
"Hey now don't be like that. We're all friends here, aren't we?"
Another one from this bunch spoke.
What friends?
"Just come with us for a moment. It won't take time. We just want to ask you a few things."
Sigh. This sounds troublesome. These guys don't look so friendly even if they're smiling. Should I refuse them and go my way? Or should go with them and see what they have to say? Maybe this is all just a small misunderstanding? Maybe they do have some business with me.
I appraised them and found out their levels were in their early 30s. Their skills were fairly ordinary with nothing to brag about. They were not a threat to me like this but their auras weren't pleasing. They were clearly being forceful to me.
"Fine. Let's talk."
"Good boy. Come with us."
They took me to a narrow alley a bit away from the main street with low visibility to the outside and then surrounded me.
This isn't how you talk though. This seems more like you're going to mug me. Sigh.
"So? What is it that you wanted to talk to me?"
Even though I had pretty much understood their motives, I still decided to just go with the flow for now. I was still hoping this would somehow turn out to be a misunderstanding or something.
"We've been noticing you for a while now. You've only recently joined but are somehow raking in tons of rewards and ranking up. We just wanna know how you're doing it."
What? That's it? Phew, here I thought you're bad guys. Sorry about that. I shouldn't have judged you by your ragged appearances.
"Well, I'm just doing quests like usual. Nothing else. I take quests and then complete them."
The Appraisal, Map, and other abilities of the system are a secret so I can't tell you about that. Sorry.
"Don't try to be smart."
Eh?
"We know you've been cheating your way. There's no way anyone can do that many quests daily on your own. I bet you've got partners in the guild as well. Tell the bloody truth if you don't wanna get into trouble with the guild."
No, dude. I'm just a bit OP. I'm not cheating or anything.
"As I said, I've just been completing quests like everyone else. There's nothing more. My quests are all verified by the guild and they have no issues. So, I don't think you should have any problems either. If you're so worried, just go and ask the receptionist. She'll tell you I'm all clean."
I was calmly replying to their baseless accusations while keeping a watch on their behavior. They were getting restless.
These guys just wanna harass me, don't they?
If that's the case, then I have no obligation to entertain them anymore. I'll just make my exit.
"Well, there's that. Now, if you don't have anything else to talk about, I'm going to go back. I have work to do today."
"Oi! Hold it. Who said you can leave just like that? We're not done here yet."
One of the guys held my hood and tried to push me to the wall but I turned back and forcefully removed his hand. Since they were being forceful, I had the right to do so in self-defense. That's what the law… Huh?
Wait a second, this isn't Earth. What kind of laws they have related to harassment here? I remember the receptionist told me fights between adventurers are forbidden.
"Ow, ow, ow. The hell are you doing you bastard?! Do you wanna mess with us? Don't think you'll be able to leave unscathed."
"So, you're finally showing your true colors, huh?"
Sigh. I know this is something that happens to most people who go Isekai, but in real life, I just feel like this is a waste of time. Why do you guys even bother? It makes you look nothing but small fries kept in front of an MC to crush and look cool. Not that I am calling myself one.
If it was up to me, I wanted to solve this problem with words and leave. Violence wasn't my forte.
"Oi Brandon, this fucker needs some lesson on manners. Let's break a few of his bones so he remembers how to respect his elders."
"Got it bro. Let's rough him up!" (Brandon)
The two of them came to attack me with their fists, but I easily dodged their attacks. Feeling a bit frustrated, I punched them both in their stomach and ribcage.
This is punishment for harassment since I don't know if there's a legal way to do it.
I made sure not to use too much strength that I end up breaking their bones, but it seemed to be enough to make them squirm on the ground holding their aching body parts.
"You fucker!"
The last guy brought out a dagger and attacked me with it. He wasn't just trying to scare me since his attacks were all intended to harm, so I used my speed to first disarm him and then bent his arm just enough that cracking sounds started coming.
Ah, this isn't the sound of breaking bones, right? Let's not be too rough.
I pushed him towards his companion and left the place.
Sigh, that was tiring. Am I starting to attract unnecessary attention? Was I standing out too much with my excessive quests? I was just sincerely doing my job though. Why did it have to turn out this way?
Feeling slightly down, I went and did my quests for the day to distract myself from this incident.
In the evening, I was standing at the receptionist's desk when I saw some familiar faces. They were the adventurer party from the centipede incident.
"Hey, it's you guys."
"Yo, Rio! Been a while. You still doing your crazy stuff?" (Freddy)
"Crazy stuff?"
Ugh, what now?
"Taking a ton of quests and doing them all in a single day. You've been quite the
talk among the adventurers here. That a black-haired newbie adventurer has been
doing quests at a crazy speed and ranking up a lot." (Freddy)
"That sounds highly exaggerated. I just take a few quests that are easy to do and then complete them like any normal person. And as for my rank, I did rank up recently to rank C but that was something the guild decided. So there's that."
"That. That's the crazy part, you know. It's not normal. Your success and speed are not something any other adventurer can match here." (Roberto)
"Oh..."
"Well, it's fine. People talk. Rumors spread. It's all normal. But there might be some among the adventurers who might try to harass you for that. So, watch your back okay?" (Freddy)
"Oh, yeah. Just today I was cornered by some guys trying to harass me. I managed to turn tables on them though. But it was tiring. I don't want that to be a regular incident. I am just trying to live a normal life here."
"Well, if you find you're in trouble, don't hesitate to ask us for help, we are also locals here so we are well known." (Freddy)
"Yeah, don't worry too much about it. Also, you have the guild backing you now that you're high enough rank." (Roberto)
"The guild favors good adventurers. With your accomplishments, I'm sure they'll side with you." (Lukas)
"Thanks. I appreciate that."
It was nice to know I wasn't alone. I had people who were ready to help me out here.
Once my work was done, I bid farewell to them. They had other business to attend to and would be out of town for a while. Right after that Kenny came with my rewards.
"By the way, I wanted to thank you for the house dealer's contact. I found and bought a great home."
"Oh, that's wonderful! Are you going to have a housewarming party then? Never mind me. I was just curious."
"Oh, I don't really have someone to invite though."
"That's unfortunate. I wonder if I should come to your party then? Just kidding."
"Really? That'll be really nice. I will try and prepare with the best of my abilities then."
Oh, man. I'm already having my first guest over, huh? To think I'll own a big house and give housewarming parties.
"O-Oh. Uhm, are you sure? I was just pulling your leg. I didn't mean to impose."
"No, I honestly don't mind. But right now I still haven't received the house, so it'll take time to settle down. Once I'm settled I'll give you a small house warming party if it's okay with you."
"Eh? Um, then, is it okay if I invite my friend with me?"
A friend? I guess that's fine.
"Uh, sure. I don't mind. The more the merrier, I guess."
"Understood. Then I'll be waiting for it, fufu."
At that time I said it without thinking much but if she had come alone, that would have been the first time I would have invited a girl to my home. There were plenty of things to be misunderstood here. But I had no impure thoughts on this matter. I genuinely wanted to treat her since she asked even as a joke and because she had been really helpful to me
I would buy food from a good restaurant and some drinks as well. Ah, but I don't know if she drinks alcohol or not. I don't, so maybe I should have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, just in case.
Thinking about the party was strangely making me feel excited, even though I was normally not a person who enjoyed parties that much. I didn't hate them per se, but I liked something more personal and private.
I left the guild and went to check out the furniture store I was given the address of.
With the help of a very resourceful attendant, I was able to buy a lot of furniture
and other daily necessities items for myself. They offered to deliver it using carts but I refused and stored everything in my Inventory. Go cheats!
I ate dinner at that popular restaurant and heartily savored the meals whose names I still couldn't remember. It wasn't the pronunciation since I was already proficient in the language, I was just bad with names and such. Having a 4-digit INT stat didn't mean better brainpower. I could have used something like that though.
Most of my dishes were meat but there were vegetables mixed in too so it was an all-rounder dinner. The drink they provided at the end was particularly great and I was full to the neck by the end of the meal. That night I surprised myself with the amount I had eaten which could be said to be fit for a family of 4 on empty stomachs. No kidding.
***