As he walked, Arlo noticed an increasing number of gazes falling upon him. The attention only heightened his anxiety, already heightened by the lively atmosphere of the guild.
'Is an average looking guy in an orange tracksuit that interesting to see?' he wondered, gripping his book even tighter.
Upon reaching the quest board, Arlo studied the various requests on display. Each quest had a rank assigned to it, ranging from F, the lowest, to A, the highest and most dangerous. Just as Miro had mentioned, the lower-ranking quests involved simple tasks like finding missing items or collecting herbs.
However, the higher-ranked quests revolved around subjugating different types of monsters. The mere descriptions of these fearsome creatures sent a chill down Arlo's spine.
'Some of these quests even have drawings of the monsters they want us to exterminate,' Arlo thought to himself as he examined one of the illustrations. 'This reminds me of the first time I entered a "Labyrinth" through a "Gate" back in my old world. The monsters there were terrifying, even in the lowest grade gate.'
In Arlo's world, gates were classified by grade, ranging from Grade F to Grade S, with special grade gates existing above those. However, Arlo had never encountered the latter. Regardless, even the monsters from the Grade F gates, the weakest of the weak, were enough to strike fear into the hearts of most hunters.
'The reward for exterminating some of these monsters is only a few silver coins at most. This seems like a pretty underpaid job, if you ask me. Although, I can't really say anything since I don't know how valuable a silver coin is in the market,' Arlo mused.
After studying the quests for a while longer, Arlo let out a sigh and made his way to the receptionist's area. Fortunately, during the time he had spent examining the quest board, the line had dissipated, allowing him to approach the desk without delay.
"Hello, young man. My name is Lira. How may I assist you today?" the receptionist greeted him with a warm smile.
Lira had light brown hair pulled back into a messy bun and wore the same black uniform as the other receptionists. She peered at Arlo through her glasses while holding a quill, which she had been using to write on a worn-out piece of paper before her.
Just as Arlo opened his mouth to speak, a sudden realization struck him, causing his eyes to widen.
'Ah, right! Paper! The quality of paper in my world is far better than the paper here. I could potentially trade it to the trading company as a valuable commodity,'
"Young man...?" Lira called out to him, her expression confused by his momentary silence.
"Oh, sorry," Arlo apologized, snapping back to the present. "I came here to register as an adventurer."
Lira nodded, her smile returning as she prepared to guide Arlo through the procedure.
"Of course! Just fill in this form," Lira said, pulling out a piece of paper from a stack on the desk before her. She handed the form to Arlo along with a quill. "If you don't know how to read or write, I can fill it in for you."
Arlo examined the paper, which requested basic information such as his name, age, reason for joining, and a drop of his blood in a designated box.
'I can read what's written here, but will it translate what I write down?' he wondered.
"Um... I'm not sure if I can write properly. Can you tell me if you can understand what's written here?" Arlo asked after jotting down his name.
He showed the paper to Lira, who furrowed her brows and adjusted her glasses as she studied the writing.
"What language is this?" she inquired, inspecting the piece of paper more closely. "I've never seen anything like it."
Arlo let out a sigh upon hearing this. He had written in English, the language into which the text had been translated, but it seemed that the spell didn't translate his own writing.
"I apologize for the confusion. I'm a traveler who's come from a distant place. It appears that I don't know how to write in your language. I'd appreciate it if you could write down the details for me," Arlo explained.
"A distant place... but you seem to speak the language here very well," Lira muttered, glancing at his unusual attire.
"Oh, that's just because of a spell that I cast," Arlo responded, seeing no point in hiding his magical abilities.
"Ah, so you can use magic! That explains it," Lira said, her smile returning. "Please tell me what you'd like me to write down in each section."
Relieved that Lira had accepted his explanation without further questioning, Arlo quickly guided her through the form. With his assistance, they filled out the required information, and after collecting a drop of Arlo's blood, the registration was finally complete.
"Alright, Mr. Arlo, before I process your registration, I need to collect the registration fee," Lira informed him.
"R-Registration fee?" Arlo stammered, caught off guard.
"Oh, did I forget to mention it? I apologize, I assumed you knew since you're a traveler. When registering for the guild, you have to pay a registration fee of 10 coppers," she explained.
Upon hearing this, Arlo froze, his heart sinking. Not only did he not have a single coin to his name, but he also had no means of acquiring the necessary funds.
"S-Sorry, I don't have any money on me right now," he admitted, his voice tinged with embarrassment.
"I-It's fine, it's my fault for not mentioning it earlier. If you'd like, I can keep your form stored until you're able to afford the fee," Lira offered.
"Yeah, that would be good... Thank you for your help," Arlo muttered, lowering his dejectedly.
With no other choice, he was about to turn and leave when suddenly-
Clatter!
A hand reached out from beside him, dropping exactly ten copper coins onto the reception desk.
"Will this be enough to cover it?" the person asked.
Arlo turned to see who had come to his aid and found himself face-to-face with a short, petite girl dressed in a long black robe and a pointed hat. Beneath the hat, long silver hair cascaded down her back, framing her crimson red eyes. She held a long wooden staff in her right hand.
As their eyes met, time seemed to stand still, the moment stretching between them.