"Breakfast is 30 flons," the innkeeper informed us.

Ugh... so even breakfast costs money. Of course it does.

And so, following last night’s dinner, today’s breakfast was a meager meal of preserved rations in our room. If I’d had access to a fire, I could’ve at least made some soup, but sacrifices had to be made. The bath was worth it.

"Okay, let’s shake it off and focus on finding work," I said.

With almost no money left, if we didn’t earn something today, we’d have to camp out. The comfort of a proper bed was too good to give up now. I didn’t want to return to sleeping outdoors.

When we arrived at the adventurer’s guild, the place was packed with people. Apparently, morning was when new requests were posted. A trope as old as fantasy worlds themselves.

"Yeah… there’s no way I’m diving into that," I muttered.

The area around the request board was absolute chaos. Guild rules prohibited fighting, so it hadn’t devolved into physical violence, but the air was thick with shouting and verbal battles.

As a high school student from peaceful Japan, I couldn’t muster the courage to step into that fray. Even if I tried, I doubted I’d snag a decent request without knowing what was available beforehand.

In the end, I waited until the board had been picked over and only half the requests remained before stepping up.

"Not the best start to the day," Rio said with a sigh.

"Looks like the most popular requests are the monster-hunting ones," I observed.

From afar, I had watched as the crowd peeled off one job after another. Finally, with the worst of the commotion settled, I examined the remaining requests.

"Hmm…"

The ever-present collection requests for medicinal herbs and antidote herbs were still available under the F-rank section. Most other F-rank gathering requests had already been taken.

The E-rank board, however, listed requests for Regulus fruit and herbal blossoms, offering 200 and 150 flons, respectively. That was 10 times the payout of F-rank requests! Was gathering these really that much harder? We had a stash in our storage, courtesy of the Demon Forest...

If we managed to rank up to E, we could comfortably afford our current lodging. But relying solely on what we already had wouldn’t cut it forever. Eventually, we’d need to head out and gather items properly.

"Should we just turn in the herbs we already have and rank up quickly?" I suggested.

"Yeah... I don’t see the point in wasting time gathering more when we’ve already got plenty," Rio agreed.

With our plan set, we waited for the line at the counter to thin out before turning in our herbs.

Apparently, turning in 15 bundles of antidote herbs earned us 90 flons.

The guild staff reassured us that this method of ranking up wasn’t against the rules. It was common for wealthier individuals or retired knights with established skills to use this "shortcut" when becoming adventurers.

"All right, let’s get started!"

"The Regulus fruit grows in the Demon Forest, right?"

"Yeah, supposedly north of here. It’s about a two-hour walk to the northern gate and then another three hours to the forest. Maybe faster if we run."

"Hmm… rather than rushing and drawing attention, it might be smarter to take our time and plan for camping along the way."

"Good idea. We’re not staying at the inn tonight anyway."

As we discussed our plans and stepped out of the guild, we were suddenly stopped.

"Hey there, missy. Hold up a second."

A towering man, nearly two meters tall, blocked our path. Behind him stood two others—one with a bow slung across his back and another dressed like a scout.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

I stepped in front of Rio protectively, answering for her.

"I wasn’t talking to you, kid. Stay out of it," the man growled.

His voice was low and menacing, but after enduring the aura of our master and the terrors of the Demon Forest, this was nothing.

"We’re walking together. How could this not concern me?" I shot back.

"Hah?"

His scowl deepened, but I felt no fear. In fact, this might be the perfect opportunity to say that line. You know, the one every protagonist dreams of delivering.

"My girlfriend—"

"If you’ve got something to say, say it to me directly," Rio interrupted, stepping forward.

She cut me off mid-sentence, but not before the man overheard part of it. His ears turned red as he processed my words.

For a moment, silence hung in the air. It was... awkward, to say the least. I was thrown off, and judging by her expression, Rio was, too.

"Tch. Figures you’d be henpecked by a woman. Get lost, runt," the man sneered.

Seriously? That’s how you interpret this situation?

"Listen, missy. You’re a mage, aren’t you? You’d be better off joining our party than dragging around this scrawny, jobless kid. A proper mage needs strong frontliners to keep them safe," he said, revealing his true intent.

Judging by his confidence, I guessed he might have the Appraisal skill. It was supposed to be rare, according to Master, but it looked like these guys had it.

"We’re not interested. Now, if you don’t mind, could you step aside?" Rio’s sharp reply sliced through his proposition without hesitation.