34 Chapter 34: Interlude - A Certain Afternoon in the Imperial Capital

Summer, Year 989 of the Imperial Calendar

The City of Jeffer, the Imperial Capital of the Dixon Empire. It is a city that is huge and prosperous and is considered the center of the continent by many. The city is where the Imperial Royal Family lives.

It was founded by Hero Alfred Dixon, who put an end to the Demon Lord's tyranny. He was hailed as the First Emperor of the nation. He conquered the most difficult dungeon in his territory and established the Adventurers' Guild.

The Imperial Capital is the largest and most important city on the continent. The city is the catch basin of the continent's trade and commerce. In terms of economic power, the city of Jeffer dominated all of the cities on the continent, or even the world.

The city is wide and plain and has a perfect circle shape. It had an area of three kilometers in radius and was surrounded by pitch-black, sturdy stone walls thirty-five meters high.

The larger the city, the higher its population. As well as being the largest city, the Imperial Capital also gains the title of most populous. Currently, the city of Jeffer has a population of three million individuals of multiple races.

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In the middle of the day, along with the buzzing crowd, a man walks down the main street. He stood around five feet seven, his physique not too bulky but not slim, and he looked like he was in his mid-twenties. He clad himself in a hooded robe in jet-black color to hide his silky dark brown hair.

He passed some shops and stalls that sold their own produce. He walked silently for several meters until he reached his destination.

The destination that he was about to enter was a gigantic three-story building. Various types of people poured in and out of the said establishment. But most of them have the same thing in common. They were equipped with weapons and looked strong.

The establishment that the man wanted to enter was the organization of free people who earned fortune by stepping one of their feet on the grave and taking requests, the Adventurers' Guild. Not just a local branch of it but the Imperial Main Branch of the organization on the whole continent.

He entered the establishment, and from the scenery, he witnessed a tavern-like atmosphere. The chattering of people resonating through the establishment.

He waltzed in and passed some round tables before he stopped at the request board for B-ranked quests. He scanned the pinned papers and read their contents.

(Orc Settlement Subjugation… Tyrant Lizard Material Collection… Cyclops Subjugation… Long Trip Escort Mission… Vagoth Forest Investigation… Poison Tester…?)

He raised a brow upon reading the last quest. The payment was good, but the risk was also high. High risk, high reward. Even though he can tolerate poison, he didn't want to accept it because he couldn't withstand its awful taste.

Since his teammates weren't available, he didn't waste any time and chose the quest that didn't require being in a party. Without his trusted and reliable colleagues, he cannot perform at his own pace if others are slowing him down.

He tore the paper of his chosen quest, the Tyrant Lizard Material Gathering. It was a permanent quest due to the monster's high-quality raw materials. It is demanding not just in the Empire but also in other countries.

He walked on the stone floor again in his quest to verify. His gait was filled with grace as he walked towards the empty counter.

"I'll be taking this quest," he said with a deep voice as he placed the quest paper on the counter.

"Nyaa! Oh, it's just Michael. I cannot even feel your presence at all."

"Even though you are a cat beastwoman, you still can't sense me? Are you really one, Nefa?"

The receptionist at the counter was startled as the man, Michael, opened his mouth. Michael is just too silent and appears out of nowhere. In addition to his deep voice, it increased his entrance and made him more intimidating.

The one about whom he is talking was a young woman from the Cat Tribe of the Beastmen race. She had cat ears and a tail, green eyes, and short amber hair. She looked in her late teens, but she was actually older than she looks. Beastmen live longer than humans after all.

"Of course I am! It's just that your presence is too thin. You didn't even make a sound while walking. Are you really a swordsman, not a rogue?"

"I am." he answered plainly to her question as he took off the hood of his obsidian robe.

It is obvious what his class was from the way he looks. He was equipped with a tough leather armor under his robe. At his waist was a leather scabbard with a mithrill sabre inside.

At first glance, he is definitely a swordsman. But Nefa's beast instinct was telling her that that wasn't the case. But if the person in the question said so, she had no choice but to believe.

"Hmm? Where are the others?"

"…Busy."

"Ahem. Back to your business, Tyrant Lizard, again?

Now that I think about it, Tyrant Lizards are rarely seen in the Vagoth Forest. Your party is the only one supplying Tyrant Lizard's materials outside the dungeon. Where on earth did you get those?"

"…Deeper in the forest."

"Sigh. If you say so… Your guild card, please."

"Here."

He handed his Adventurers' Guild card to Nefa as she let out a tired sigh. The receptionist accepted it with a professional smile and placed it on a scanner-like device. When the process was done, she handed it back to Michael.

"Here's your card~. By the way, your level is already at Level 255. Means that you have reached the threshold for a promotion to become an A-ranked adventurer, which requires being at least Level 250. If you accomplish more quests, you'll be able to rank up in no time!"

"Is that so? I have to work harder then."

Adventurers need to reach the required Level to rise in the ranks. The higher the rank, the higher the reward. But it also means the higher the risk.

"Ahh! I almost forgot…" She paused, then opened a drawer and took a white envelope, "…the Guildmaster said to hand this letter to you." she said, handing the envelope to Michael.

"A letter for me? And from the Guildmaster himself? What's this all about?" He asked as he took the letter.

"I don't know. Because I am the one in the guild closest to you, I was asked to hand this letter personally to you, the leader of your party."

"Thank you then."

"You're welcome~."

Among all the receptionists in this establishment, Michael always went to Nefa to confirm his chosen task, even though there weren't many adventurers who approached her counter.

Even when the more attractive and popular receptionists' counter got vacant and available, he still continued to work with Nefa since he was just an F-ranked newbie adventurer.

"What will this be?"

Michael stared at the white envelope within his grasp. He scanned it and discovered it even had a sealing wax with the seal of the Guildmaster.

"Hmm. I'll read it later. See you next time, Nefa." He bid farewell to Nefa as he inserted the envelope in his robe and left.

"Yeah. See ya later, Michael. I will be always here for you." She waved her hand as she saw Michael's figure shrinking in her sight.

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The man, Michael, walked again along the main road under the sun after he got his task. He also received a letter from the Guildmaster in the process.

He continued on his feet until he passed a giant gate. It was one of the main gates of the city. The gates were constructed at all cardinal directions to give way to the people around the continent.

The gate was made out of durable Black Treant's wood and mithrill fasteners. It was double-doored, with a total width of ten meters. There are portcullis made of the same material that were lifted up to temporarily close the gate in case of problems.

He was on his way to the forest not so far from the city, the Vagoth Forest. It's infested by powerful monsters but not as dangerous as the infamous Great Forest of Darkness.

The Vagoth Forest has an area of less than a quarter of the Great Forest of Darkness's coverage. The forest is the second-largest source of profit for the adventurers of the Imperial Capital after the Imperial Dungeon. 

When Michael reached the area where no one's life could be detected, he suddenly changed his speed and dove deeper into the forest. He ran at 400 kph without leaving a trail, which was uncommon for a swordsman like him. He was running for minutes at a constant speed without breaking a drop of sweat.

He dove the forest deeper and stopped his feet when he reached the area at the heart of the forest where S-ranked monsters lurk. His task, the Tyrant Lizard's material collection, was only B-ranked, which made him more questionable.

He leaned his back over a nearby tree and crossed his arms. Knowing no monsters or anybody nearby and certain that no one will come to where he is, he laxly closed his blue eyes and started talking to himself.

"…Wait for me in the base. I'll be there ASAP…"

No. He's not talking to himself. He was talking to someone from afar.

"…"

As the winds blew through the dense forest, he vanished along the billowing leaves. Not even a print of his boots was left below the tree. He just disappeared as if he weren't there in the first place.