For a player, the most important thing is fighting monsters and leveling up.
But this wasn't a game.
In this real world — especially with his low level — Sakeer knew that safety was his top priority.
The "Imperial Trial Meeting" had ended, and with it, the crowd of spectators, adventurers, and curious onlookers were beginning to disperse.
Sakeer lacked any formal identity in the royal capital. For now, the chaos from the recent battle between Gazef and Brain had kept him out of scrutiny.
But once the capital returned to its normal routine, outsiders like him would stick out — and not in a good way. Worse still, the capital wasn't an ideal place to fight monsters and level up.
For his next move...
Sakeer planned to head toward the border city of E-Rantel, part of the Re-Estize Kingdom. However, his understanding of this otherworld remained limited, and he couldn't predict what dangers might await him along the way.
To minimize risk, Sakeer decided to visit the Adventurer's Guild and join a team traveling toward E-Rantel.
In the royal capital, apart from the lavish estates of the nobility near the city center, two other major landmarks stood out: the Adventurer's Guild and the Wizard's Guild, both situated in the commoner district.
Fortunately, this made finding the Adventurer's Guild simple enough.
The placement of these guilds spoke volumes about their standing. Neither the Adventurer's Guild nor the Wizard's Guild held much importance in the eyes of the kingdom's elite.
This reflected the stark difference between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire.
While the Baharuth Empire placed immense value on magic, the Re-Estize Kingdom leaned heavily on the strength of brave warriors.
This contrast stemmed from one key figure — Fluder Paradyne.
Known as the Chief Court Magician and National Treasure, Fluder was one of humanity's four legendary elders. Having served the Baharuth Empire for over 260 years — from the reign of its first emperor to the current Blood Emperor — Fluder's influence had shaped the empire's reverence for magic.
Sakeer recalled that Fluder possessed the advanced class [Immortal], which allowed him to conduct powerful rituals and achieve a form of pseudo-immortality.
"Another high-level class to plan for..." Sakeer mused.
The Adventurer's Guild
The Adventurer's Guild stood in the outer civilian district — a four-story, square-shaped tower that was impossible to miss.
As Sakeer arrived, he could see groups of adventurers coming and going through the guild's main entrance.
He paused briefly before stepping inside.
The moment he entered...
A wave of noise hit him.
The air was lively, but the space itself felt surprisingly open. While there were plenty of people, the lack of excessive furniture or decorations kept the guild from feeling crowded.
The floor was made entirely of wood, and a massive chandelier hung from the ceiling above.
Directly across from the entrance stood a large front desk, where guild staff were busy talking to several adventurer teams.
Sakeer noticed a few adventurers briefly glancing his way, but their interest quickly faded.
He understood why.
His worn, unremarkable clothing made him look nothing like a powerful adventurer — nor someone wealthy enough to hire one.
This was intentional. Sakeer had deliberately kept his appearance humble to avoid drawing attention.
At a nearby table, a group of adventurers was deep in conversation:
"How's this commission look?"
"Too little reward. The guild takes a 20% cut, and once we split the rest, there's hardly anything left."
"What about this one?"
"That's for a 'Gold'-rank team — we're not qualified for that."
"Actually... this one's just an escort mission. Not too dangerous, but it's a long trip."
"Yeah, but the payout is still low."
"It's worth it, though. If we finish this one, we'll finally have enough completed missions to rank up!"
"A 'Gold'-rank team, huh... yeah, that's tempting."
Loud chatter filled the room, adventurers gathered beneath walls covered in posted missions.
Sakeer moved toward the front desk, joining the back of the line as several adventurer teams waited their turn.
As he stood quietly, Sakeer observed the guild's activity and recalled what he knew about adventurers in this world.
The Adventurer's Guild divided adventurer teams into eight ranks — Bronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mithril, Orichalcum, and Adamantite.
Interestingly, there was no strict power gap tied to these ranks. No matter how strong a team was, every newly registered adventurer group started at Bronze.
Of course...
Unless a team deliberately concealed their strength or showed no interest in ranking up, their assigned rank could still give a rough idea of their capabilities.
Sakeer didn't have to wait long before it was his turn at the front desk.
The receptionist was a young girl with slightly curled brown hair and matching brown eyes. Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be around Sakeer's age — roughly sixteen or seventeen.
"Hello, what's the name of your adventurer team?"
Her tone was polite, and she showed no particular reaction to Sakeer's plain attire or foreign appearance.
"I don't have a team," Sakeer replied softly. "I just wanted to ask about something."
The brown-haired girl assumed she understood and promptly reached under the desk, pulling out a slightly yellowed, rough-textured registration form.
"Oh, are you trying to register an adventurer team?"
"No, not that," Sakeer corrected, shaking his head. "I just wanted to ask if there's a caravan or adventurer party heading to E-Rantel."
"Huh?"
The brown-haired girl froze for a moment, then glanced at Sakeer's waist — taking note of the short sword and leather water pouch strapped to his belt. Her expression shifted slightly as realization dawned.
"Ah, you must be one of the spectators from the 'Imperial Trial,' right? Came all the way from the border city?"
She paused, her expression showing a hint of admiration.
"That's impressive — traveling so far alone."
Then, without warning...
"Five copper coins."
She raised her somewhat calloused palm and held it out expectantly.
"Five copper coins?" Sakeer repeated, a bit puzzled.
If he hadn't been illiterate in this world's language, he wouldn't have needed to ask the guild's receptionist in the first place.
"More than ten years of education in my past life... and now I can't even read basic text." Sakeer sighed inwardly.
"Of course," the brown-haired girl replied matter-of-factly. "This is the Adventurer's Guild. Non-members have to pay for any kind of consultation — there's no such thing as 'free information' here."
Her expression turned serious as she explained.
The Adventurer's Guild wasn't just an organization for powerful adventurers; it doubled as an extensive intelligence network fueled by its countless members.
For outsiders, access to this information naturally came at a price — and for truly valuable intel, the cost could far exceed mere coins.
This dual role was one of the reasons the Adventurer's Guild often faced cold treatment from the upper echelons of various nations — yet those same authorities still relied on the guild's information in secret.
Sakeer recalled hearing rumors that the Slane Theocracy had ties to the Adventurer's Guild.
Another reminder that in this world, power didn't just belong to the strongest warriors — it often lay in the shadows.
(End of Chapter)