I sat in front of the small study desk in my room as I stared into two notebooks that lay open on the table.
One I had written to remember the contents of the novel or this worlds future.
The other I used to note down significant changes I had made, and how they might affect certain events.
There were two dates I had outlined in these notebooks.
One was a week from now.
The other a month and a half from now.
It wasn't a lot of time at all, despite being about as much time as I had spent in this world.
'I'm still not strong enough.'
A reason for my excessive training was this, running out of time.
I knew I was being unreasonable, if I did manage to get to F rank by next week, I would be stronger than a lot of the main cast.
The only person capable of such rapid growth would be Lucian, the only reason he and I would be equal in stats right now was the difference in training frequency.
I had run out of cheats or hidden treasures I could gather until I grew stronger, and my stats remained the same no matter how much I trained.
So, I had been focusing on Combat Manuals to increase my combat strength.
The unarmed combat technique was the one that showed the most progress and I understood it a bit better now.
It increased my defensive capability in a fight, focusing on evasion or stopping attacks before they could deal damage.
It was all about having high momentum while disrupting the opponents flow and balance, which was useful even when I was fighting with a dagger.
The bow and dagger arts were slow to progress, but any progress felt monumental.
I had learnt two techniques with the bow, being exploding shot and piercing shot but I mainly focused on increasing accuracy while moving.
The dagger art was odd, with techniques having simple names such as cut, mutilate or decapitate, focusing instead on stealth tactics and sneak attacks.
However, there was only so much training against golems and targets would do.
So, I decided that tomorrow I would take on a mercenary contract.
I was a bit nervous, but I wanted to make doing contracts a regular occurrence.
'Gaining both combat experience and credits is better than spending all day training.'
I closed the two notebooks and arranged the supplies and weapons I would need for tomorrow.
Collapsing on the bed from days of accumulated exhaustion, I had the first proper sleep in a week.
**********
I walked in through the large glass gates of the mercenary building.
As usual it was bustling with activity, after all there were plenty of mercenaries who had lost their guild to the recent attack.
Walking up to the front I waited in line before finally arriving in front of a reception.
"Hello, how may we help you today?"
A uniformed receptionist greeted me at the desk.
"I'd like to view the available contracts."
I said as I handed him the necessary documents and ID.
Appearing a bit confused at first, he quickly recovered and asked.
"Is this your first contract?"
"Yes."
He nodded before he began to advise me.
"Press your phone against the back of your mercenary ID, it should allow you to view your available contracts and unwithdrawn balance."
I did as he said, sorting the contracts by ones that could be completed today.
=======================================
Extermination- Scarlet Scorpions, 2500CR fixed.
Extermination- Goblin tribe, 300CR per kill.
Retrieval- Fluorescent Lampgrass, 120CR per bundle.
Guard- Silk Forest Entrance, 80CR per hour.
=======================================
There were very few open contracts that I could still sign up for but that was to be expected.
"For your first contract, you have to confirm with us, for the next ones you can confirm by online means."
The receptionist said as I considered my options.
"I'll take this one." I said pointing to the second one.
"Alright details of transport and location will be sent to you shortly. Have a safe hunt!"
He said as he handed me my documentation back.
I thanked him as I left and shortly after a notification appeared on my phone.
===========================
Wald Area Southeast District
Convening Time: 2:00 PM (5 hours remaining)
Recommended Travel: Platform 5, Train C, Departure Time 12:30 PM.
Mission Type: Open Group Contract.
Issued by: Awakened Association.
Threat Level: G+ to F- (depending on developments)
==============================
The mission was still quite some time away but that was expected as the contract was still open.
I decided I would go there early; I didn't want to waste time wandering around the city.
I didn't want to train to preserve my physical condition, thanks to latent mana breathing and a proper rest, I was at the best condition I could be, and I didn't want to change that.
Going early, I could get some information about the mission.
I had picked it because I knew a goblin tribe would mean a lot of targets to hit.
I needed to get better at maintaining distance and taking out groups of enemies calmly.
However, I was nervous about fighting with a group of mercenaries.
I wasn't sure how they were structured, after all they were rarely discussed in the novel.
I hoped I wouldn't have any trouble with them.
I had a mask that covered most of my face but that wasn't of much help in concealing my identity.
My eyes were unfortunately a dead giveaway.
I shook my head as I thought of this.
'I'm probably just overthinking things.'
I looked for a way to get to the destination earlier, finding a metro leaving in 30 minutes, I headed to the station.
Training mana in the downtime, I watched as the scenery changed from a bustling city to a farmland with field of grain spreading out large distances only interrupted by huts or the occasional machinery.
I collected my belongings and headed out, preparing for my first mercenary contract.