Registering in the guild

Noah walked through the streets of Blackburn, his pace slow, unhurried. It had been two days since he sent Virgo away on a mission in order to spare Silver and his mother from any disrespect from his loyal subordinate, leaving him alone at Silver's house. Silver had gone to the academy earlier that morning, leaving Noah with nothing to do but explore.

The town itself was ordinary—stone pathways worn from years of use, small wooden houses with slanted roofs, and occasional merchants calling out to passersby. A few people glanced his way but quickly lost interest. He was just another stranger in town.

As he strolled past a bakery, the scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the air. His stomach rumbled slightly. Noah sighed and pulled out a 5 zeni note from his pocket. He approached the stall, where a middle-aged woman was busy arranging loaves of bread on display.

"One loaf," he said simply.

The woman gave him a quick glance before taking the note and handing him a warm, crusty loaf. "New in town?" she asked casually.

Noah tore off a piece of bread and popped it into his mouth before responding. "Something like that."

She nodded, clearly uninterested in further conversation. Noah took that as his cue to leave.

As he continued down the street, he passed by a group of children playing with wooden sticks, pretending to sword fight. One of them, a boy with messy brown hair, suddenly pointed his stick at a bigger kid.

"I will defeat Lord Grim and claim the title of strongest swordsman one day, Rolan," the boy declared.

The teenager flicked his head. "As if a snotty brat like you could ever become a swordsman."

Noah smirked slightly and shook his head. He turned away and kept walking, ignoring their chatter as they resumed their game.

The streets gradually grew quieter as he moved toward the less crowded parts of town. Here, the buildings were older, the people fewer. The sound of a hammer striking metal echoed from a nearby blacksmith's shop.

Noah stopped outside and peered inside. A burly man with soot-covered arms was hard at work, shaping a glowing piece of metal on his anvil. Sparks flew with every strike.

Noticing the visitor, the blacksmith grunted, "Need something?"

Noah glanced at the swords hanging on the wall. "Just looking."

"Looking won't get you a blade," the man muttered, going back to his work.

Noah said nothing and continued on his way. He didn't have enough money to buy them anyway. He only had a spare change of 500 zeni, given by Silver.

The town of Blackburn wasn't particularly interesting, but for now, it was a place to rest. He had no destination, no urgent goal. Just time to kill.

And so, he wandered.

*

After exploring the town for a while, Noah walked into the guild, a large, sturdy building made of stone and wood, its entrance flanked by torches that flickered despite the daylight. Inside, the hall was bustling—adventurers in armor and robes crowded the area, chatting, drinking, and looking through the mission board.

Ignoring the noise, Noah approached the front desk, where a young receptionist with short auburn hair and round glasses sat behind a counter. She was busy typing something down in the computer, but when she noticed him, she gave a professional smile.

"Welcome to the Blackburn Adventurers' Guild. Are you here to post a quest or take a quest?"

Noah gave a small nod. "I'm here to register as an Astron warrior."

"Great. Place your hand on this," she said, gesturing toward a metallic orb embedded in the counter.

Noah complied, pressing his palm against it. The orb glowed faintly before dimming. The receptionist glanced at the results displayed on the monitor screen connected to it.

"Tier-0…" she muttered, looking back at Noah. "A rookie, huh? You must've awakened recently."

Noah didn't bother correcting her.

"Alright, registration is simple. What's your name?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.

Noah nodded again. "Noah." He answered.

She typed it down. "Last name?"

He paused for a second. "None."

The receptionist blinked but didn't press further. "Alright, Noah. You're now officially registered as an Astron Warrior. Since you're Tier-0, you'll only be allowed to take Adept difficulty quests for now. If you want to rank up, you'll need to accumulate merit points through missions."

She turned to the mission board behind her, picked up a small stack of parchments, and placed them in front of him. "For beginners, I recommend gathering herbs, delivering supplies, or escorting traders. Low-risk, decent pay. Most rookies start there."

Noah barely glanced at them before speaking. "I'll take the most difficult quest available for me."

The receptionist frowned. "Most difficult? Are you sure? You should probably start with—"

Noah pointed at one of the parchments still in her hand. "That one."

She followed his gaze.

"…Boar extermination?"

She hesitated. "I don't think that's a good idea. This request comes from a village struggling with aggressive boars destroying their crops. These creatures are dangerous. Even experienced 1-star adventurers usually take them in groups."

"I'll take it."

The receptionist hesitated, studying his expression. He was completely calm, his eyes unwavering. He wasn't joking.

She sighed. "Fine. If you die, don't blame the guild."

Stamping the parchment, she handed it to him. "The village is half a day's journey from here by carriage. If you hurry, you might make it by nightfall."

Noah took the paper and smirked, thinking to himself. "It looked like boars were still a problem even in this timeline. This one mission certainly didn't change for thousands of years for some reason." He then turned around to walk away.

Stepping out of the guild, he unfurled the parchment and mumbled, "Aria, scan the document and brief me."

*Ding! The document has been scanned.

*Ding! A Quest is added to the list.

Quest: Hunt down as many boars as possible

Description: For weeks, a horde of boars has been systematically troubling the villages of Moonhollow village's farm fields. 4 casualties so far. The villagers were in dire need of help.

Location: Moonhollow village, Ravenshroud County, Nethermere Province, Kingdom of Vandemar.

Reward: 45 zeni per boar.

Conditions to get the reward: Need the seal of approval from the village chief on parchment.

"Aria, give me the directions"

*Ding! Negative. GPS requires navigation satellites. At present, there are none.

"Ugh, I forgot that the current world developed a smartphone but not a navigation system. Either way, it doesn't matter. Aria, use long-range radio signals from ground stations to determine position."

*Ding! Affirmative.

As a road navigation map appeared on a holographic screen, floating before him, Noah shut his eyes and focused on his connection to the wind.

Using the gift of nature manipulation, he instantly connected with the air present around him. He extended his hand slightly, feeling the air shift around him. A faint breeze stirred his cloak. Then, with a slight push of Astron energy, the wind responded. His body lifted off the ground.

A few passersby gasped, but Noah paid them no mind as he shot into the sky, soaring in the direction of the village without a care about the road map.