"Whoa, this is amazing."

The room we were shown to was spacious and luxurious, worth every bit of the high price. The furniture and decorations exuded an air of sophistication. Even the wooden grain on the counter downstairs had been polished beautifully. Perhaps I could find some furnishings here to replace what I’d been using in the house stored in my dimensional box.

"Your dinner will be brought to your room later, so please relax and enjoy your stay," the maid informed us with a polite bow before leaving.

"Thanks."

As soon as the door clicked shut, I threw myself onto the bed with abandon.

"Ahh, it’s been so long since I could really unwind like this."

Thinking back, this was the first inn we’d stayed at since leaving the Arclight Kingdom. The calm ambiance of the room probably added to the comfort.

"Do you think this village has an adventurer’s guild?"

"Hmm, not sure. Should we check tomorrow?"

"Yeah, maybe it’s time to take on some jobs and level up our rank."

"Then tomorrow, we can wander around the village and stop by the guild," I suggested, rolling lazily on the bed while enjoying casual banter with Rio.

A knock on the door interrupted us. Dinner was apparently ready, and the aroma reminded me of just how hungry I was.

"Excuse me," a staff member announced as they entered, carefully setting dishes on the table. Salads, grilled items, and soup were laid out—a full course, but all at once rather than one dish at a time like in a traditional Western meal.

"Wow, this smells amazing," I said, taking a deep breath.

"The grilled Skywolf Mushrooms here are wild, freshly harvested," the staff explained.

"Really? That’s impressive."

"What would you like to drink?"

The menu included both soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, but for us, soft drinks were the clear choice.

"Oh, there’s fresh juice," I noted.

"Yeah, I’ve only seen fruit water before this," Rio added.

"Let’s go with that."

"Sure," the staff replied before leaving to prepare our drinks.

We started with the salad: a mix of leafy greens, root vegetables, and shredded, cooked Skywolf Mushrooms dressed with a light vinaigrette.

"This is incredible," I said, savoring the burst of flavor.

The wild mushrooms were on a whole other level. The crunchy texture remained, but the richness of flavor and aroma stood out starkly.

"So, this is what wild Skywolf Mushrooms taste like…"

"We should stock up on these," Rio said, her enthusiasm evident.

"Guess we’ll have to venture into the Fenrir Woods to get more."

As we enjoyed our meal, our plans for the next few days began to take shape. For now, though, the focus was on indulging in the Skywolf Mushroom full course.

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, we extended our stay at the inn. With plans to work through the adventurer’s guild and explore the forest, we booked three more nights—sticking to the same comfortable room, of course.

"Let’s go find the guild," I suggested as we stepped out of the inn.

Arriving late the previous evening, we’d gone straight to the inn, so today was our first chance to explore the village properly.

Buoyed by the prosperity brought by their mushrooms, the village bustled with energy. The sturdy wooden buildings added a rustic charm distinct from the larger cities.

"Hey, is that it?" Rio asked, pointing.

The sign bore a magic circle with a sword and shield—a universal design, it seemed, regardless of the kingdom. The building was a solid stone structure with a wooden third floor added on top, standing out against the other houses.

Inside, the guild was lively despite the early hour. The request board, unsurprisingly, was dominated by jobs related to Skywolf Mushrooms.

"Looks like most of the jobs involve dealing with monsters around the mushroom cultivation areas," Rio observed.

"Skywolf Groves, huh? So that’s where they grow the mushrooms," I replied.

"Probably. These jobs are a rank higher at D, so we can’t take them yet."

Interestingly, the rewards for many jobs offered a choice between cash and mushrooms.

"For mushroom lovers, this place must be heaven," Rio commented.

"Oh, look. There’s a job for collecting wild mushrooms," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but it’s rank C," Rio said, noting the details.

"And it’s a standing request. Wild mushrooms must really be valuable."

Given that C-rank adventurers were less common in villages compared to larger cities, the fact that this was a perpetual request spoke volumes about the mushrooms’ worth.

"Haha, you’d best avoid taking that request," came a hearty voice behind us.

We turned to see a large, muscular female adventurer standing nearby. Despite her robust frame, her expression was calm and composed.

"Why’s that?" I asked.

She smirked. "Because one of the Six Great Merchants is posting separate jobs for wild Skywolf Mushrooms. If you’re going to gather them, you might as well take their job. It pays better."

She gestured to another section of the board, where similar collection requests were posted. Sure enough, the reward for these was noticeably higher.

"She’s right," Rio said, glancing over the postings. "And there are several of them."

"Yeah, the standing request is an old one by one of the Six Great Merchants too, but…"

She trailed off with a shrug, clearly unimpressed.

"Wait a second," I interjected, curious about something she mentioned. "What are the Six Great Merchants?"