By the Grace of the Gods

Today, nine chapters are updated simultaneously.

This is the ninth chapter.

A few days later.

As soon as we returned to Gimul, we headed straight to the Adventurers' Guild to report, and a meeting room was promptly prepared.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. We’ve already received a rough report from Ryoma. Glad to hear you’re all safe. Now, let’s get to the detailed report,” said the guild master.

With his words, Asagi-san began the report. His summary was clear and to the point, and although there were a few clarifications, it took less than ten minutes.

After we were allowed to leave,

“Ah, wait a moment. Ryoma, could you stay behind for a bit?”

I was the only one stopped.

I didn’t know why, but if the guild master said so, I had no choice.

The meeting room was left with just me and Mr. Wogan.

“Let me see… I’m pretty sure we had this somewhere around here…”

Only the sound of flipping through a stack of documents echoed in the room.

“Ah, here it is! This is it. You came back much earlier than expected. If you sign up now, you still have time. Want to participate?”

The document handed to me was about a training session for novice adventurers.

According to this, the training would last five days starting from the morning five days later. The training content would focus on “camping skills” necessary for adventurers, learned practically at a place called “Poison Insect Plain.”

The bottom of the document was the application form itself, and by filling in the name and submitting it, one could join.

There was nothing strange about that… except one point: the application form was not for students receiving the training but was labeled for instructors.

“This is camping training for novices, right? No harsh environment like snowy mountains or anything. What’s the point of someone who’s been living hidden in the forest for years suddenly attending?”

That made sense. So, participation would be as an instructor.

“That’s part of it. But this assignment will also benefit you in the long run.”

“Oh? How so?”

“You’re planning to raise your rank to enter the Shurus Great Tree Sea, right? Adventurer rank isn’t decided by strength alone. Actively taking on these kinds of assignments makes it a bit easier to climb the ranks.”

I see…

“Of course, it’s assumed you already have the skills to perform at that rank. The organization needs constant growth among the lower ranks. Those who help with that get a bit of a preference. You’re skilled enough, but your age is the issue—you’re too young.

By the way, the 'C-rank' required to enter that great tree sea is mostly reached by those who give up climbing higher and settle for moderate earnings before retiring. It’s a rank that normal people take years to reach. If you want to level up quickly, you’d better take requests like this.”

“I understand…”

“Also, as you rank up, the difficulty and danger of jobs increase. You’ll face tasks you can’t do alone and might have to form impromptu parties with strangers.

…I’ve been watching you since you registered. You like working solo but don’t lack cooperation skills, right? You teamed up twice with Asagi and the others, and three times including the abandoned mine shaft with Miya’s group. No one’s ever complained about you or had a bad impression. You might find it troublesome, but you should be able to work with others. Honestly, I advise you to get more used to working with others, even with people you don’t know.”

Thinking about it, this assignment fits perfectly with that advice.

“That’s how I see it. Usually, the leader of an impromptu party is the highest rank or the most capable. I’m telling you because you have the potential to go higher—you’d look pathetic if you say you can’t when that time comes.”

…It’s a direct recommendation from the guild master… it’s beneficial for me, so I might as well give it a try despite my weaknesses.

“Understood. I’ll accept this assignment. But this document only states the destination and schedule. What about the other instructors?”