A Lost Friend

"Drynsoll City"

"So, are we in Drynsoll? If that's the case, Aiden and Malik should be here too!"

Lilith: "Who are they?"

"The guys I fought with in the labyrinth. They're good people, so if we find them, they can give us information about this city."

Lilith: "How do we find them?"

"I'm not sure, let's explore the city for now. Also, there's a place I want to visit."

We wandered around, checking out what the city had to offer. There were various shops, but we had no money. Our biggest issues were the lack of funds and the absence of identification. Not having a proper identity was because the system always sent me to irrelevant places, keeping me away from events, and I couldn't acquire an identity. However, from what I overheard from the guards at the gate, using the adventurer identity as a badge allowed people to enter other cities. That's why we came here.

Lilith: "Adventurer guild? Are we becoming adventurers?"

"Yes, it will give us an identity and we can also earn some money by taking on a few jobs."

As we opened the door of the Adventurer Guild, we were greeted by a warm atmosphere. The hall was filled with the spirit of adventures, stories, and discoveries. Posters of seasoned adventurers adorned the walls. Maps and notes on the tables hinted at new adventures waiting beyond the town's borders. Guild members varied from heavily armored warriors to mysterious wizards, and explorers from distant lands. Smiling warriors in one corner, a contemplative wizard on the other side, and many other diverse characters... As Lilith and I walked around, we envisioned what our lives would be like and how being an adventurer could unfold. The mission postings on the guild's bulletin board represented various adventures awaiting beyond the town's limits.

Receptionist: "Hello! Welcome to the Drynsoll Adventurer Guild. I heard you want to register. Can I have your names?"

You: "Sure, I'm Daichi, and this is Lilith."

Lilith nodded slightly.

Receptionist: "Daichi and Lilith, welcome! I'll need some information to register you. Can I know your class?"

Should I tell her I'm a strategist?

"My class is Strategist."

The receptionist woman seemed unfazed.

"Aren't you surprised?"

Receptionist: "Should I be? It's the first time I've heard of this class, but I've encountered people with unique classes before."

Are there others with special classes like mine? Have they faced similar challenges, I wonder?

Receptionist: "What's your class?"

She asked, looking at Lilith. But what was Lilith's class?

Lilith: "Um, I'm strong. Does that count?"

The receptionist looked at us for a moment, as if finding us both peculiar.

Receptionist: "Alright, I'll label you as a warrior then. Your badges will be ready in a few minutes, in the meantime, you can check out the available missions. I recommend starting with beginner-level missions. Don't let the allure of high-paying jobs tempt you; the higher the reward, the greater the difficulty. Nevertheless, there are no restrictions; you are free to choose any mission."

So, there are no level restrictions on missions? In anime, adventurers often have ranks. I guess the system works differently here. Well, it's not a big issue; I suppose no one will be foolish enough not to know which missions they can or cannot handle.

Receptionist: "If you regularly succeed in missions or complete a major one, you can earn extra rewards and gain more fame. As your fame increases, you'll have a better chance of being hired for special missions."

It's good to know these details.

Receptionist: "Oh, your badges are already here. Here you go."

"I thought it would take longer."

Receptionist: "Normally it would, but due to the increasing difficulty of missions in the past few months, many tasks remain unfinished. New adventurers had to take on these challenging tasks, resulting in higher mortality rates. People are less inclined to become adventurers now."

Seems like survival in this world requires earning money. Probably why new adventurers chose to take on difficult tasks instead of waiting for new ones. 

"Is there a place to stay here?"

Receptionist: "Dembrick's Inn is just down the road; it's a reasonably priced and comfortable place to stay."

"Thank you, let's go, Lilith."

Before leaving, Lilith and I decided to check the mission board to see if there were any quick jobs to earn some money. Besides monster hunting and guard duties, there were also tasks like plowing fields and finding lost animals. We decided to take on a few quests like finding lost animals, attacking a goblin camp, and hunting lizardmen. Usually, these tasks might require a team, but with Lilith being exceptionally strong and my supportive abilities, we figured we could handle them together. Knowing that some goblins and lizardmen would be asleep in the evening, we chose to focus on finding lost animals until nightfall. Thanks to my mini-map ability, we could easily locate animals by reading the details on the lost animal posters and then navigating through the city to pinpoint their exact locations. We found so many animals that people started calling us the "Lost Animal Hunters." In the evening, we set out to hunt goblins and lizardmen.

Lilith and I headed towards Dembrick's Inn. On the way, we discussed the details of the quests we had taken from the mission board. With Lilith's strength and my strategic abilities, these missions seemed like child's play.

Dembrick's Inn had a warm atmosphere with its wooden structure. Upon entering, we saw many adventurers trying to shake off the fatigue of the day spent outside the town. The innkeeper noticed us in the crowd and approached with a friendly smile.

Dembrick: "Welcome! Are you tired? Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, could you bring us something cold? Also, we'd like to rent a room."

Dembrick: "Certainly, I'll bring it right away. Once your drinks are ready, you can go to your room on the upper floor."

After a while, our drinks arrived, and we headed up to our room. We sipped our drinks and focused on the quests ahead.

Lilith: "Ready to hunt goblins and lizardmen?"

"Yes, but let's plan first. How are we going to take over the goblin camp?"

Lilith thought for a moment and then smiled. Lilith: "How about going in and killing them all?"

"That's a plan right up your alley. Sometimes I wonder if you really need me. Anyway, let's go and get this done. While rescuing animals brought us some good money, these two quests should provide us with enough for shopping tomorrow."

After completing all the tasks, we returned to the inn. Thanks to Lilith's strength, we had earned a decent amount of money quickly. As I entered the inn, I encountered a surprise.

"Malik?"

In front of me stood a massive man with his back turned to me, unmistakable with his heavy armor and enormous hammer.

Malik: "Daichi? Is that really you? I can't believe you're here."

"Of course, it's me. I happened to come

 across this city and thought you and Aiden might be here, but I didn't expect to find you so soon. By the way, where's Aiden? Is he okay?"

Malik's face suddenly fell.

"Hey, is he okay?"

Malik: "First, how about we sit down? We can talk over some drinks."

"Drinks? Weren't we supposed to drink together?"

Malik still wasn't saying anything, so for now, I decided to go along with him. We sat at a table, and Lilith, tired, had already fallen asleep. To make her more comfortable, I let her rest her head on my shoulder and allowed her to sleep.

"Tell me, what happened?"

Malik: "When we returned to the city, my first task was to look for him. I knew he was in Drynsoll, so I thought finding him wouldn't take long. And it didn't. But the moment I saw him, I knew something was wrong. I saw a knife around his neck, and a group of masked men put him in a car."

"What does that mean? Did you just watch? Didn't you help him?"

I tried to channel my anger at Malik, fueled by the moment.

Malik: "Of course, I didn't just watch. I chased after them and smashed their car with my hammer, but it wasn't enough to save him. Maybe if we had fought together, I could have saved him, but they already had him as a hostage, and if I had attacked, they might have killed him."

I guess Malik did his best.

"So, do you know who those masked men are?"

Malik: "I'm not sure, but I have a guess. There have been a lot of missing person reports lately, and all the missing people are like us, transferred individuals. Most of the people in this city don't have special abilities like us, so there's only one thing left."

"Those people who are kidnapping others with special abilities are also transferred individuals. But why?"

Malik: "I'm not entirely sure, but I have a simple answer—slave trading."

"Slaves?"

Malik: "You must have noticed when you came to the city; there are a lot of half-human slaves around. The reason half-humans are sold as slaves is that they are stronger than regular humans. Now, imagine if humans with special abilities were sold too. They would fetch a higher price."

"So, are they going to sell Aiden? If all the slaves are people with special abilities, why don't they rebel?"

Malik: "They can't. They are marked with a slave seal, and this seal is a high-level magic that compels them to obey their masters. To break free from this magic, they would need to be exceptionally skilled wizards."

"Alright, but why would some people do this just for money? At first, they must have been doing this secretly without funds. How are they able to carry out these kidnappings and sales without being exposed?"

Malik: "Through nobles. As people like us with abilities increased, the nobles felt threatened. They were right to some extent because some individuals tried to steal from rich nobles using their special abilities. However, the city's strong guards and high security prevented this danger. Yet, it couldn't completely stop the threat. So, the nobles started paying other transferred individuals to sell the captured ones."

"So, the people behind these kidnappings are transferred individuals themselves. But why?"

Malik: "It's quite simple—profit. This business started when the number of individuals like us increased. I assume some individuals, seeing the potential threat we posed, began selling others like us to protect themselves. It became a win-win situation."

"So, are we dealing with a larger problem than we initially thought? Aiden's rescue won't be as easy as it seems."

A heavy silence fell over the room. What were we going to do? We couldn't abandon Aiden like this. Suddenly, an idea struck me.

"Hey Malik, how much time is left until that martial arts tournament you mentioned?"

Malik: "About a month, I think. Why? You're not going to tell me you want to participate, are you? Even the Lord of Drynsoll City will be present at that tournament. People will try to impress him and gain status, so the strongest transferred individuals will be there."

"Why not? If I can win that tournament, I might be able to get in touch with one of those nobles and have a chance to participate in that big auction."

Malik: "Friend, this is truly madness. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely sure. What about you?"

Malik sighed deeply.

Malik: "Alright, let's see who comes out on top. You better not face me; I'll crush you."

"Hahaha, we'll see." I didn't know why I was talking so boldly. Will I really win the martial arts tournament? Me? How will I do it? I remembered that I needed to make a sundial for the village. Before the sun rose, I decided to get some sleep. Thinking that a little sleep before the sunrise would be good, I lay down next to Lilith. I don't know how she sensed my arrival, but as soon as I lay down, she hugged me and continued sleeping. I tried to free myself from her arms, but this time she hugged me even tighter. She was so strong that if I tried to escape again, I might be strangled, so I decided to let her be and fall asleep.

Tomorrow would be a big day. I would plan how to improve myself and embark on new adventures. Wait, my friend, I will save you.