“Eh, um… Are all of these medicinal herbs?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That wolf over there…”

“I was attacked, so I struck it down.”

 

Silence from Aya-san.

 

In front of her, bundles of medicinal herbs I had gathered, and the carcass of the wolf were laid out.

 

This time, I had gathered a total of 254 stalks of medicinal herbs.

 

Since I had bundled them in groups of ten, there were 25 bundles in total.

 

The remaining 4 stalks were stored in my inventory.

 

I should avoid overloading the inventory, but due to my frugal nature, I can’t settle down unless I have recovery items stocked.

 

I fondly recall having hundreds of full recovery items stocked, despite my habit of not using them in battles.

 

Although I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity, I should take good care of these medicinal herbs.

 

In exchange, I will sell the wolf carcass that was filling up my inventory space.

 

“Eh, well, the ones collected the day before have decreased in effect when processed into potions due to preprocessing, and the purchase price is…”

“I just got these now, you know?”

“Oh, I see… They don’t seem to be wilted…”

 

I’m glad she understands.

 

As Aya-san said, there is an expiration date for the items collected.

 

In the case of medicinal herbs, the quality deteriorates after 24 hours in game time.

 

In that case, the efficacy of the potion when processed decreases significantly.

 

And after 72 hours, it wilts completely and cannot be used as a potion ingredient.

 

But as can be seen with the 『Appraisal』 skill, all these medicinal herbs were gathered within an hour.

 

It meets the conditions for use in potion mixing just fine.

 

“Well, the 『Appraisal』 results do indicate high freshness… But buying this much…”

“―Just go ahead with the purchase as per the rules.”

 

A voice was thrown at the troubled-looking Aya-san.

 

The owner of the voice was coming down the stairs.

 

“! Guild Master!”

“There is no problem with these medicinal herbs even under my 『Appraisal』. Aya-san, please proceed with the purchase process.”

“Ye-yes!”

 

Ah, right.

 

This person is the Guild Master of the town of Reine.

 

She’s a character who consistently ranks high in the popularity poll conducted among all NPCs in the game, Reside of Saga, not just the starting town.

 

Her skin shines white like fresh snow, and she has light sky-blue hair.

 

She’s a professional career woman elf.

 

The beautiful NPC who won first place in the first popularity poll.

 

Her name is… Rei Ryu Rosca, wasn’t it?

 

There were even players who started the game just to see this NPC.

 

There were also people who got banned for trying to force their way into the Guild Master’s room, which was off-limits.

 

As I was mainly focused on gameplay, I had only seen her in screenshots on websites…

 

I see.

 

She is indeed a beauty worthy of the fervent fanbase.

 

“Excuse me, are you a newcomer?”

“Yes, my name is Arata.”

“You’re registered today.”

“…Is that so?”

 

Rei-san’s eyes narrow quickly.

 

It’s a pleasant gaze.

 

The gaze I’ve received many times during the game when being appraised.

 

Maybe even some kind of 『Intimidation』 skill leaked out.

 

I couldn’t move a finger.

 

Her eyes, like the budding green of spring.

 

However, she soon drops her gaze to Aya-san’s hands.

 

The moment she does, my body regains its freedom.

 

“The request for 『Delivery of Medicinal Herbs』?”

“Yes.”

“…25 bundles?”

“Yes, may I proceed with the rank-up process?”

“Of course. Arata-san, with the completion of this request, you are now eligible to rank up to D rank. Shall I proceed?”

“Please.”

 

I hand my guild card to Aya-san.

 

The basic requirement for ranking up in the Adventurer’s Guild is to complete 10 requests of the same rank as your Adventurer rank.

 

However, the promotion from E rank to D rank is set at three times.

 

This is due to two aspects: the in-game setting where E rank is considered as an adventurer’s trainee, and the need to keep the game progressing smoothly.

 

If players have to do errand quests or 『Delivery of Medicinal Herbs』 ten times, they would get bored.

 

Aya-san fills in some documents, stamps them, and hovers the card over the crystal that registered me in the guild.

 

The once white guild card changes to green.

 

“Here you go. With this, you have ranked up to a D rank adventurer, Arata-san.”

“Thank you.”

 

I receive my newly transformed card from Aya-san.

 

Regardless of how many times you experience it, ranking up is always thrilling.

 

In addition, there’s a sense of accomplishment that my effort to genuinely gather medicinal herbs was recognized.

 

“Arata-san. Here’s the reward for this request. Please confirm.”

“Yes… 290,000 Rin?”

 

The reward should have been 10,000 Rin per bundle of medicinal herbs, plus 20,000 Rin for defeating the wolf and the material reward.

 

“Um, isn’t this a bit too much?”

“Since the medicinal herbs you collected were of the highest quality, we added a bit of a bonus. We look forward to your future endeavors.”

 

Rei-san looks at me sideways and leaves.

 

…I think I can understand the feelings of those who lost their way.

 

Somehow managing to keep my face from turning into a dumb smile by making full use of my facial muscles, I speak to Aya-san.

 

“Excuse me. Do you know of a good inn?”

“I can recommend a few, any requests?”

“I would prefer a place with delicious food.”

 

“Since I finally get to eat something other than hospital food, I want to eat something delicious.”

 

“If that’s the case, I recommend the Ginrou Inn. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but the food is reputed, and the service is also good.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s in that direction, one street away from the street where the Adventurer’s Guild is located. It’s the building with the wrought iron wolf, so it should be easy to spot.”

“Thank you, I’ll go there.”

 

The Ginrou Inn.

 

I’m sure the first inn I used was the same one.

 

The meal buff was a bit higher than at other inns, and I remember being taken care of over there several times.

 

Since Aya-san introduced me to it, I think I’ll stay at the Ginrou Inn today.

 

Of the 290,000 Rin I earned from the 『Delivery of Medicinal Herbs』, I leave 100,000 Rin on hand and deposit the rest at the Guild.

 

It costs 10,000 Rin to open an account, but with a guild card, you can withdraw deposited money at any town’s Adventurer’s Guild, which is convenient.

 

Feeling a lot warmer than when I came to the Guild, I happily headed towards the Ginrou Inn.