You Should Have Told Me Sooner!

I tucked my knife into the cord around my waist. I’d already wrapped a scrap of cloth around my Storage Ring to hide it, and while I didn't strictly need it, I decided to sling a burlap sack over my shoulder. Walking around empty-handed might look suspicious; even if my actual valuables were tucked away in the ring and the sack contained nothing for the moment.

I had a rough idea of which direction would lead me out of the forest. After all, I’d been brought here in a carriage. There had to be a path somewhere that a set of wheels could traverse. Of course, calling it a "path" was a bit of a stretch—it wasn't maintained and was mostly choked with undergrowth—but if I looked closely, I could still find the occasional carriage rut. That would be my guide.

As I walked, I kept an eye out for anything unusual, checking my finds with the Appraisal Loupe. I managed to find several herbs and flowers classified as medicinal plants and gathered them up. I tucked a portion into my Storage Ring and left the rest in the sack. It would look unnatural if the bag were completely empty, after all.

Two or three hours later, the trees finally began to thin. I had made it out of the forest.

Luckily, a road was visible almost immediately. Since I’d been following the carriage tracks, I suppose that was only to be expected.

Judging by the time I’d spent in the carriage when I was first brought here, I figured a town shouldn't be too far off. The only problem was that I didn't know which direction to take. I assumed that regardless of whether I turned left or right, I’d eventually hit civilization—the only variable was how long it would take.

There was no use overthinking it, so I took a gamble and headed right. About two hours down the road, a town came into view. Based on the distance, it was almost certainly the same place where I’d lived as a slave.

Now that I thought about it, the slave trader who sold me and the Adventurers who used me as a decoy might still be lurking around. Even though I was a free man now, I really hoped I wouldn't run into any trouble with them.

Guards were stationed at the town entrance, but people seemed to be coming and going freely. The constant bustle of travelers was likely due to a nearby Dungeon. Most of the people I saw were clearly Adventurers; you could tell just by their gear.

Blending in with the crowd, I slipped through the gates. No one stopped me, and I made it inside without a hitch.

The streets looked familiar. As I suspected, this was the town of Cygnil.

Now, what to do? First things first: I needed to find work. I couldn't survive without money.

Fortunately, I had the twenty Silver Coins my former master had given me. The problem was, I didn't actually know what they were worth.

I was only twelve, after all. Until I was sold into slavery, I’d never even left the tiny village where I was born. In a backwater hamlet like that, currency was rarely used. This was the first time I’d ever even handled a Silver Coin. The extent of my financial knowledge was simply that Large Copper Coins and Copper Coins were worth less than silver.

Well, if I don’t know, I’ll just have to ask, I told myself. It wouldn't look strange for a kid like me to be ignorant about money.

Regardless, I needed a job. But for a child with no connections, my options were pretty limited.

"I guess it has to be an Adventurer," I muttered.

The best part about being an Adventurer was that you didn't need a resume or a recommendation to start. Plus, Dungeons meant treasure! Since I’d been reincarnated into a world like this, I wanted to experience the fantasy. I’d even lucked into a rare-sounding skill like 【Destiny God's Smile】.

Once my mind was made up, I headed straight for the Adventurer’s Guild. I had a vague memory of its location, having been dragged there a few times by those rotten Adventurers who’d used me as bait.

I trudged through the streets and pushed open the heavy doors of the Guild. It was less crowded than the last time I’d been here, likely because it was right around lunchtime.

The long counter at the front was divided into several reception windows, but only one was currently staffed. I stood in line and waited a short while until it was my turn.

"Hello there! How can I help you today?" the receptionist asked with a bright, professional smile. Her tone was clearly aimed at a child.

Wait, there isn’t an age limit for this, is there? I hope twelve isn’t too young.

"I’d like to register as an Adventurer," I said, my heart thumping against my ribs. It would be a real problem if I got turned away.

"Oh, is that so? Well then, let me give you a quick explanation of how it works."

It seemed there was no issue. Perhaps she just thought I was a client? Come to think of it, the clothes I was wearing were new and of fairly good quality.

I listened as she went through the details.

It was all pretty standard fantasy tropes. There was a ranking system, starting at F-Rank. Requests were categorized by recommended or required ranks.

"If that all sounds good, please fill out this form. Oh—can you read and write?"

I looked down at the paperwork. To be honest, I hadn't studied the script of this world. The Appraisal Loupe had always just beamed the meaning directly into my brain.

However, after appraising so many things over the last few days, I’d developed a decent grasp of how the spoken words corresponded to the written characters. I figured I could handle a basic form.

The document was essentially a waiver, stating that I understood the rules and wished to register. All I had to do was sign my name. I managed to scratch out my name and handed it back.

"Alright, everything looks to be in order. Please wait just a moment... and here you go! This is your Adventurer's Plate."

She handed me something that looked like a metal dog tag. My name was engraved onto the plate... in the exact same clumsy, shaky handwriting I’d used on the form.

The handwriting on the document was transferred directly to the tag? I really wish she’d told me that sooner! If I’d known, I would have practiced my penmanship!

Apparently, the material and design of the plate changed as you ranked up. I could only hope that meant I’d get to rewrite my name later. I’d just have to believe that and focus on raising my rank...