Chapter 980: What is it like to be an Adventurer in Asgard?

When Daren passed through Asgard’s gates for the first time, he carried a short sword with a worn edge, an almost empty backpack, and twenty-three silver coins hidden inside the lining of his boot. It was not much, but it had been enough to pay for the journey from a village to the south and secure two days at a cheap inn. After that, he needed to find work or begin selling parts of his own equipment.

He had heard too many stories about Asgard to believe them completely. Merchants said the streets were safe even at night, adventurers spoke of contracts paid on time, and some travelers swore that even people without titles could become rich if they worked properly. Daren assumed half of it was an exaggeration. Every large city needed a beautiful story to attract workers, merchants, and soldiers.

The first thing that surprised him was the organization.

There were signs indicating the districts, public maps near the stations, and enough guards to prevent confusion without turning the streets into a fortress. Trains crossed the city at regular intervals, transporting people, ore, wood, and cargo he could not identify. Workshops occupied entire blocks, while smaller shops competed for space with taverns, inns, and bathhouses.

The headquarters of the Adventurer’s Guild stood near the railway district, inside a three-story building of pale stone with a metal symbol above the entrance. Daren expected to find a dirty hall filled with drunks arguing over rewards and mercenaries trying to intimidate beginners. Instead, he found a large lobby divided into numbered counters, service desks, and great boards where missions were organized by region, difficulty, and deadline.

There were noisy adventurers, naturally. Some discussed monsters, others compared equipment, and one group celebrated the return from a successful mission. Even so, no one blocked the counters, the lines moved quickly, and two employees circulated through the hall helping anyone who did not know where to go.

Daren stood near the entrance long enough for an attendant to notice him.

"First registration?"

He nodded.

"Document of origin, proof of skill, or testimony from another guild?"

"I have a recommendation from the headman of my village."

"That is enough for the initial registration. Counter four."

The attendant pointed him in the right direction and continued helping someone else. Daren joined the line, mentally preparing himself to pay fees that would probably consume half the money he still possessed. When he reached the counter, a brown-haired woman accepted the recommendation, read it twice, and began filling out a form.

"Full name?"

"Daren Vol."

"Age?"

"Nineteen."

"Specialization?"

"Sword. I also know how to track."

She raised her eyes.

"Do you truly know how to track, or can you follow footprints when the ground is wet?"

Daren hesitated.

"I can identify direction, approximate numbers, and how long it has been since something passed. I do not know the tracks of rare monsters."

"Better answer than most."

The employee recorded the information without trying to belittle him. Then she asked him to place his hand over a small crystal plate. The object measured mana, physical condition, and signs of transmissible diseases. Daren received a temporary bracelet and was sent to a basic test in the inner courtyard.

The examination lasted less than twenty minutes. An instructor observed his stance, asked for several simple cuts, and placed three types of artificial tracks in an area of dirt. Daren did not perform brilliantly, but he did not embarrass himself either. At the end, he received the Iron classification, the guild’s entry level, and a direct explanation of what he could and could not accept.

"Gathering missions, local escorts, simple reconnaissance, and elimination of low-risk creatures," the instructor explained. "No ruins without supervision, intelligent monsters, or areas marked as unstable. If you abandon a mission, report it. If you hide information, you lose your registration. If you encounter something above your classification, retreat and report it. The guild pays for useful information, not heroic corpses."

Daren liked the last part.

Back in the main hall, he received a small plate bearing his name, classification, and registration number. The registration fee was three silver coins. He asked twice to confirm there were no hidden additional costs.

"Three coins," the employee replied. "The guild profits when you complete contracts, not when you walk through the door."

The mission board seemed much larger now that he could take contracts. Every task included its location, payment, known risks, estimated duration, and the amount deducted by the guild. There were also symbols indicating whether transportation, food, medical treatment, or lodging were included.

Daren spent almost half an hour reading.

A gathering mission paid little. An escort to a nearby village seemed safe, but required three days. Another requested help clearing a warehouse infested with mana rats, but five adventurers had already signed up.

The contract that caught his attention involved a secondary railway line north of the city. Maintenance workers had found ice boars near the tracks, and the guild needed two people to accompany the team, drive the animals away, and check whether there was a den nearby.

The mission paid eight gold coins.

To Daren, that seemed like far too much money.

He carried the paper to the counter and asked whether there was a mistake.

"No," the attendant replied. "The railway company pays well because an interruption to the line costs more than the mission. Transportation and one meal are included. You need another Iron adventurer or someone above your classification."

"I do not know anyone."

The attendant pointed toward a table at the side.

"Temporary party queue. Put down your name and the mission. If someone else is interested, the system will call both of you."

Daren waited less than ten minutes.

The assigned partner was named Mira, an Iron adventurer with a short bow, tied-back hair, and much more experience than her plate suggested. She explained that she remained at the initial classification because she had spent months working gathering contracts while avoiding promotion tests.

"You have never faced ice boars?" she asked as they boarded a small service train.

"No."

"They are stupid, strong, and charge in straight lines. Do not try to stop one from the front."

"Understood."

"If I shout for you to run, run."

"Understood."

"If I shout for you to duck, do not look behind you."

Daren nodded again.

The maintenance team consisted of six workers and one supervisor. All wore thick clothing, carried their own tools, and seemed accustomed to the presence of adventurers. Before they began, the supervisor showed them a map, indicated where the animals had been seen, and handed Daren a small emergency crystal.

"If you find more than five adults, activate this. The train will return, and we will call a larger team."

"We do not try to complete the mission?" Daren asked.

"No. We try to stay alive."

The answer reminded him of the guild instructors.

The group followed the tracks for almost an hour. Daren examined the snow and the bushes along the sides while Mira kept her bow ready. He found the first marks near a slope: wide hoofprints, displaced snow, and small fragments of ice caught on low branches.

"Three," he concluded after studying the distance between the tracks. "Maybe one adult and two younger ones."

Mira crouched beside him.

"Four. There is an overlapping trail here."

Daren moved closer and noticed the mark he had overlooked.

"How did you see that?"

"The snow sank twice. Look at the edge."

She did not mock his mistake. She simply showed him.

They followed the tracks to a small depression between rocks. The boars were there, four in total, turning over the frozen ground in search of roots. The largest had tusks covered by a blue layer and plates of ice across its back. The others were smaller, but still weighed more than a man.

Mira explained the plan in a low voice. She would draw the adult to one side. Daren would make noise in the opposite direction to drive the younger ones away from the tracks. The mission did not require killing the animals, only removing the risk.

For several minutes, everything worked.

Daren struck his sword against a rock, shouted, and threw snow toward the younger boars. They retreated, hesitated, and began moving toward the forest. Mira fired an arrow near the adult, guiding it away from the team.

Then one of the younger boars turned.

The animal lowered its head and charged directly at Daren.

He remembered the warning.

He did not try to block.

He leaped aside at the last moment and struck the side of its neck as the boar passed. His sword barely entered, caught for a moment, and was nearly torn from his hand. Daren released the handle before the animal’s weight could pull him down.

The boar turned, irritated, and prepared another charge.

Daren was unarmed.

Mira fired two arrows. One struck the ground in front of the animal. The other hit an ice plate on its head and exploded into light. The boar lost its sense of direction, passed beside Daren, and collided with a tree.

He ran to his sword, recovered it, and did not try to attack again. Instead, he threw a rock in the opposite direction and began shouting once more. Confused and wounded, the animal decided to follow the others into the forest.

Mira returned several minutes later.

"You did the right thing."

"I lost my sword."

"But you did not lose your hand."

Daren examined the blade. The edge had gained a new crack near the tip.

"It will not survive another mission."

"Then buy a better one."

After driving the animals away, they found the den almost two kilometers from the tracks. There were no young and no signs of a larger infestation, only remnants of roots and accumulated ice. They recorded the location, returned to the team, and remained there protecting the workers while a damaged section was replaced.

The mission ended before nightfall.

At the guild headquarters, Daren submitted the report, showed his drawing of the den, and described the boars’ behavior. The attendant compared the information with the railway supervisor’s report, confirmed completion, and placed ten gold coins on the counter.

"The contract said eight," Daren said.

"Two for locating the den and providing the tracking report. Additional information covered by clause four."

He had not read clause four carefully.

Mira received the same amount. The guild retained the fee already listed on the board, without any unexpected charges. Daren also earned enough points to access slightly better missions after completing two more contracts.

The following morning, he went to the blacksmith district.

The shops ranged from small workshops to large establishments with weapons organized by category. Daren found a simple longsword for six gold coins. The metal was far better than that of his old weapon, the handle fit his hands correctly, and the sheath was included.

The blacksmith examined his old sword and offered four silver coins for the metal.

"It saved my life yesterday."

"Then it deserves retirement."

Daren accepted.

With the remaining money, he paid for another week at the inn, bought boots suitable for snow, and still saved more than he had possessed when he arrived in the city. That night, he sat in a small tavern near the guild, ate hot meat with bread, and left his new sword resting beside the chair.

Through the window, he could see locomotives crossing the city and adventurers entering and leaving the headquarters even after sunset. There was work, clear rules, and the sense that a beginner could grow without having to surrender half his payment to some corrupt official.

Daren was still an Iron adventurer.

He remained inexperienced and had nearly lost his sword to a young boar.

Even so, for the first time since leaving his village, he felt that he had chosen the right place.

He was happy to live in Asgard.

On the third floor of the Adventurer’s Guild, Rogue examined the monthly reports beside the window of her office. Completed missions, mediation fees, railway contracts, commercial escorts, material sales, and medical services filled several pages organized by sector.

Her new intern stood in front of the desk with a folder pressed against her chest. She was young, careful, and still showed a certain nervousness whenever she needed to present numbers directly to the guild leader.

"Go ahead," Rogue said.

The intern opened the folder and took a deep breath.

"Things are excellent. The number of completed missions increased, complaints decreased, and every sector experienced growth."

Rogue continued reading.

"And the profit?"

The girl tried to hide her smile but failed.

"One hundred thousand gold coins over the last thirty days."

Rogue finally raised her eyes from the report.

Then she looked through the window toward the hall filled with adventurers, attendants, merchants, and workers searching for new contracts.

A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"Excellent."