"Sure, what is it?" asked the receptionist.
"I want to take another quest but I can't read. This morning when I was here, I had to take 2 Quest Papers from the Quest Board and presented them to the receptionist, and I think many people thought of me being very rude for doing such a thing."
"That's not a problem. We do encounter that kind of issue from time to time, which is why the guild offers a free reading and writing class during the night of Satur."
"I see," Vivian said and nodded.
What the fuck is a night of Satur...?!
"However, there are a few adventurers that offer reading and writing classes. I can recommend you to one if you like."
"How much is it?"
The receptionist thought about it for a minute.
"Hmm… The person I can recommend you, her fee is 10 copper coins for a 3-day class and each session lasts 2 hours."
"Please recommend me to her if that's okay."
"Yes, I will. Your name is--"
"Vivian."
"Okay, I will inform her once I see her.
"Thank you so much," said Vivian. "So... can you help me in choosing a quest from the Quest Board?"
"I'm very sorry but I can't. You can go to that counter. She's in charge of helping adventurers in choosing quests," the receptionist said and pointed.
When Vivian saw where the receptionist was pointing, she recalled something.
Oh shit, I forgot I asked that person this morning to help me read the Quest Papers…
"Thank you," Vivian said before heading over to the counter that the receptionist pointed.
"Hi," said Vivian.
"Hello, how may I help you?"
"I want to take a quest but I can't read."
"I see. What kind of quest are you looking for?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure because I'm still new to this adventuring thing so I just want to know what are the available quests."
The receptionist glanced at the copper-colored pendant around Vivian's neck engraved with the initials "I".
"Please give me a moment," she said and opened a log book.
A moment later...
"At the moment, the available quests for Copper Ranks are --
"One is to pick up a package from this city and deliver it to someone in Dascha Village. Reward is 30 copper coins and the time limit is 7 days.
"Another one is to gather 30 leaves of the Sunkiss monster and each leaf must be in perfect condition. Reward is 10 copper coins and the time limit is 2 days.
"Another is to gather 15 hearts of the Treebark monster. Reward is 10 copper coins and the time limit is 2 days.
"There's another here. Gather 30 Tusha Herbs and must be in good condition. Reward is 10 copper coins and the time limit is 2 days.
"Another is to search for a missing Krii pet named Pipi, or even just its whereabouts but must have proof. Reward is 30 copper coins and the time limit is 30 days. This quest has been listed as a special quest by the guild so you can take another quest while also taking this quest.
"And the last one, search for a missing engagement ring. Last known location was at The Silver Wing Inn. Reward is 50 copper coins and the time limit is 30 days. This quest has also been listed as a special quest by the guild.
"Those are the available quests right now."
"Um… An adventurer can only take one quest at a time, except under special circumstances, right?" asked Vivian.
"Yes."
"What if I gather the items first and then take the quest?"
"You can, that is if the quest is still available."
"Can't an adventurer reserve those quests?"
"Aside from the issue of supply and demand, there's also the issue of not disrupting the balance. If one were to overhunt, like say, the monsters and herbs, there won't be anything left. And if an adventurer was found out of trying to rig the system, he/she may lose her license and be banned from any access to the guild's facilities."
"I was told that adventurers can sell some things here. Is it true?"
"Yes, the guild buys rare loots."
"Can I ask what classifies as a rare loot?"
"Things like the body or certain parts of the body of a rare monster and magical items. There's also historical items, but it depends."
Well, I don't have any access to historical items…
And even if I have, as far as I can remember, adventurers aren't allowed to be involved in a country's politics…
So that's a big no…
Magical items…?
Ha...!
I have a broken shoe and a broken dagger, and I use branches as swords…!
My only best bet is the rare monster…
As long as I can keep grinding to be strong, I can hunt down any rare monster…
"Are there any strong or rare monsters nearby that adventurers can hunt down and sell here?"
The receptionist let out a deep sigh and massaged her temples as if she had a huge headache.
"Listen here, you're a Copper Rank. Forget about such things until you're at least Platinum Rank. Too many adventurers have died way too early for having such thoughts. In addition to that, even if one day you managed to somehow finally reach Platinum Rank and have the ability to slay such monsters, you just can't go around slaying any rare or strong monster you find without any valid reason because it will disrupt the balance. And if you do that, not only will you be expelled from the guild but will also be branded as a criminal."
This woman is a dream-killer…
I wonder how many dreams of other people has she shattered…
"I see. Thank you so much for the information. I will definitely keep that in mind."
"Good, good," the receptionist said and nodded with a clearly satisfied look on her face.
"About the quest, I want to take the 15 hearts of a -- tree… bark…?"
"Yes, 15 hearts of a Treebark. The reward is 10 copper coins and the time limit is 2 days."
"Yes, that's the one. But can you show me what a Treebark is just to be sure?"
Truth be told, Vivian doesn't know what a Treebark is. The only reason she chose it was because it had the lowest number compared to the other gathering quests. Furthermore, she can't afford not to take another quest today.
"Please wait here for a moment."
The receptionist got up from her seat and entered a door behind the counter.
After a minute or two, the receptionist returned with a large book on her hands.
She placed the book on top of the counter, opened it and began flipping through pages with drawings of various animals or monsters with descriptions. Some had more descriptions, others had less.
When she found the drawing that she was looking for, she flipped the book and then showed it to Vivian.
"This is the Treebark."
When Vivian saw the drawing, she immediately recognized it as the trunk monster.
This…
This is a Treebark…?
And I need 15 pieces of its hearts…?
Ugh…!
How many of these have I killed today…?
"I'm supposed to collect 15 hearts of this monster, right?"
"Yes."
"As far as I know, its insides are filled with green liquid and other things. Do I have to keep the hearts fresh? Or what do you recommend is the smartest idea?"
The receptionist thought about it for a minute.
"From what I know, it doesn't matter if you wash away the green liquid or not so some would even dry them. What matters is the heart is kept complete. And when adventurers take on this quest, they usually just put them inside a container, like a jar or something."
"A jar?"
"Yes. But you'll be taking on this quest alone, right?"
"Yes."
"Technically, Treebarks aren't aggressive unless provoked. However, their shell is quite thick. So the best way to deal with them is to have and heavy weapon like a club or mace and kill them with one blow -- just be sure not to damage the heart, though.
"And given that you'll be doing this alone, I wouldn't suggest you to use a jar in collecting the hearts because it takes up too much space and could lead to accidents, especially in case you encounter something dangerous and you have to run. Instead, I suggest you use a small sack or something."
"Do you sell sacks here?"
"Unfortunately, no. But you try at the shops or at the Market District."
"I see. Thank you."
"No problem. So you'll be taking this quest to gather 15 hearts of a Treebark?"
"Yes, please."
"Okay, please wait here. I'm going to take its Quest Paper from the Quest Board and give it to you. After that, you will submit it to the Quest Processing counter in order to officially accept the quest," the receptionist said and left.
"Okay. Thank you."