The drunken adventurer continued to approach me, and I held my trusty Blood Axe Rex at the ready. I didn't want to draw too much attention, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. It was like a scene from all the Isekai anime I had watched, where someone tried to harass the newly summoned hero without knowing who they really were, and the hero ended up giving them a beating. That's exactly what was going to happen to this guy.
But just as I was thinking about this, the drunken adventurer walked right past me. Wait, was he not talking about me?
"Wait a minute, you weren't talking about me?" I stopped him and asked, pointing a finger at myself in curiosity.
"What the hell are you talking about? I may be drunk, but I'm no fool. You may be dressed normally, but you're still carrying your weapon, which is what most adventurers do when they're traveling by cart. And from your fighting stance, I can clearly see that you have at least some fighting experience," he said to me with an irritated tone.
He was right. I wasn't currently wearing my battle armor; instead, I had on the clothes I had acquired from the inn owner in Random Town.
As for the drunken adventurer, he continued to approach someone while stumbling a little. The person he was approaching wore a gray robe with a hoodie, along with gray pants - the kind of attire you'd typically associate with fantasy monks. He also carried a wooden staff on his back.
The robed guy had black hair, and his eyes were concealed by his long locks. I couldn't help but wonder how he managed to see with his hair like that.
As I pondered this, the drunken adventurer approached the robed individual, grabbed his shoulders, and started berating him. "Oi, I'm talking to you! Do you think being an adventurer is a game? Are you mocking us?" he angrily shouted.
The robed guy turned around, politely removed the drunken adventurer's arm from his shoulder, and looked at him. Unfortunately, I couldn't see his eyes due to his hair covering them. Nevertheless, instead of getting angry, he calmly replied, "Of course not. In fact, I admire adventurers. That's why I decided to become one, that and to achieve my own goals."
However, the drunken adventurer inexplicably swung his wooden mug at the robed guy, clearly attempting to attack him. To my surprise, the robed guy effortlessly dodged the attack. Witnessing this, the drunken adventurer grew even angrier and continued to swing his hand, trying to strike his target. Yet, the robed guy effortlessly evaded each attempt.
"That's it. I'm going to kill you today," the drunken adventurer declared, throwing aside his wooden mug and drawing his sword. He unsheathed his weapon and declared, "Do you think you can escape from me? I'm an Iron-Ranked adventurer, Kenny the Sinny." He charged forward, swinging his sword directly at the robed guy.
I couldn't help but wonder why this Iron-Ranked adventurer was acting so arrogantly. And his name, "Kenny the Sinny," sounded rather funny, to be honest.
As these thoughts crossed my mind, the sword rapidly approached the robed guy. He, however, appeared unfazed, swiftly retrieving his wooden staff and sweeping it under the drunken adventurer's legs, causing him to lose his balance and tumble to the ground.
"You bastard, you're fighting dirty! Be a man and face me head-on!" the drunken adventurer shouted as he quickly regained his footing and swung his sword once more.
The robed guy effortlessly blocked the drunken adventurer's strike with his wooden staff and swiftly launched a counterattack, landing a blow on the hand the drunkard used to grip his sword.
*Ahaa*
With a small, pained scream, the drunken adventurer dropped his sword. The robed guy once again aimed for the drunkard's legs, causing him to lose his balance and tumble to the ground. Then, the robed guy pointed his wooden staff at the drunken adventurer and made a declaration.
"I don't want to cause any trouble, but it looks like you won't leave without causing any. I won't back down from a fight. So, you wanted to fight? Let's fight. I'll show you the power of my big, thick, and juicy staff," the robed guy boldly proclaimed.
I couldn't help but wonder who calls their staff big, thick, and juicy. Is that its name, or is this guy just a bit weird? As I pondered these things, the robed guy lifted his staff high in the air and struck the drunken adventurer on the head, rendering him unconscious.
"What's going on here? Who is the one causing a ruckus?" a middle-aged man approached and inquired.
One of the patrons who had been drinking chuckled and said, "Ha ha ha, it's Kenny again. He always talks big but just got his butt handed to him by a newcomer, ha ha ha ha ha." He took another sip of his drink, and another person drinking with him joined in.
"You can say that again. He's only an Iron-Ranked adventurer, yet he acts all high and mighty with newcomers. He harasses and assaults them, extorting money because of people like him. It gives all adventurers a bad reputation," he added, sounding weary.
"Good going, newcomer. I've been thinking that one of these days he would get what's coming to him, and you definitely showed him, ha ha ha ha ha. Are you really just a newcomer?" the man asked the robed guy curiously.
The robed guy replied, "Yes, I am indeed a newcomer. I registered as an adventurer this morning and came to the guild to submit my first herb-gathering quest." He said this with a sly smile and continued, "But I've been training to fight since I was young."
"Is that so? No wonder you managed to take care of an Iron-Ranked adventurer so easily. We need more adventurers like you rather than pieces of shit like him, ha ha ha ha ha," the first guy said, laughing once again.
The middle-aged man who had been watching this exchange let out an exasperated sigh.
*Sigh*
"That stupid Kenny, will he never learn his lesson? I was planning to expel him from the guild before, but he was really talented, so I was a little hesitant. Because of him, we also lost many new budding adventurers. That's it, no more. I am expelling him from the guild from this very moment," the old man declared and approached the robed guy to start a conversation.
"I am sorry about this, sir. I am the guild master, and I will make sure nothing like this happens again. I know that most of the adventurers are rowdy, but mostly they are good people at heart. However, there are a few exceptions like Kenny. He was waiting for this reward after completing his quest, and since he is no longer in the guild, you can have his rewards. Think of it as compensation for all you went through," the guild master said with an apologetic look.
"Guild Master, you don't have to apologize for his mistake. I don't really mind," the robed guy reassured the middle-aged man.
"Thank you for understanding," the guild master told the robed guy with a small smile.
As for me, I watched all these exchanges with a complicated look. Dammit, that robed guy stole my cliché scene. Oh well, there's nothing I can do about that now. It's already night, so let's go eat something and go to sleep.
With that thought, I ventured outside to explore the capital city at night. There were many small food stalls, and the city remained lively even after dark. I wandered among various stalls, sampling different types of food. It felt like I was on a gourmet adventure, sailing on a sea of flavors and spices.
"Phew... It looks like I had too much," I muttered to myself and decided to return to the room.
I tried to recall the room number. Was it 69? I thought that and took the key from my pocket. Sure enough, the room number was written on it. I made my way back to the guild and approached the room, but to my surprise, it was already open. Oh, it looks like the other person is already inside.
I opened the door and entered the room. It was slightly larger than the room I used to stay in back in Random Town, but that was to be expected since this was a two-sharing room rather than a separate one.
The room contained two beds, two small cupboards, and a large dressing mirror situated between the cupboards. Surprisingly, both the beds and the room itself were clean. I hadn't expected much since this was a room provided by the guild at a low price, but it was a pleasant surprise.
I turned my attention to the other person already inside the room, and to my surprise, it was the robed guy from earlier. He saw me entering the room and was sitting on one of the beds, looking at me. I decided to strike up a conversation with him.