Artorius stepped quietly into the Guild Library, the wooden door closing softly behind him.
Compared to the lively guild hall outside, the library was calm and peaceful. Rows of shelves filled with books lined the walls, and sunlight filtered through tall windows, illuminating the dust floating gently in the air.
"This place is nicer than I expected," Artorius murmured.
"This guild branch values information," Travy replied in his usual calm, mechanical tone. "Knowledge often determines whether an adventurer survives."
Artorius nodded slightly. That made sense.
If he was going to survive in an unfamiliar world, the best thing he could do was learn about it first.
He walked between the shelves until he found a section labeled Local Ecology and Gathering Materials. One book quickly caught his attention.
"Ah. Here it is."
He pulled the book from the shelf and opened it.
The pages contained illustrations and descriptions of plants and monsters commonly found near Roste Town.
The first thing he searched for was Honeydew.
The book contained a simple drawing of a small plant that grew close to the ground. Its leaves blended easily with surrounding grass, and at the center grew a small honey-colored fruit.
"So this is what it looks like," Artorius said.
"Honeydew is a common ingredient in potion making," Travy added helpfully.
Artorius continued reading.
Honeydew was mainly used to create low-grade healing potions. Its sweet juice had mild restorative properties when properly processed.
Another interesting note caught his eye.
"Slime cores are used as a potion base…"
He read further.
Because slime cores contained stable magical energy, they were often used as the foundation for low-level potions. Their magical stability prevented other ingredients from degrading during the brewing process.
"That explains why the guild buys so many slime cores," Artorius said thoughtfully.
He turned another page.
This section discussed slimes themselves.
Slimes were generally considered the weakest monsters. Individually, they were composed mostly of water and held very little magical power.
However, there was one important warning.
If enough slimes gathered and merged together, they could form a Big Slime.
Unlike their smaller counterparts, Big Slimes had far stronger defensive abilities. Their bodies became thicker and harder to cut through.
Fortunately, they were much slower due to their size.
"So even weak monsters can become dangerous if they group together," Artorius muttered.
"That is correct," Travy confirmed.
Artorius spent a little more time browsing other books. Eventually he found one discussing Guild Regulations and Request Guidelines.
He skimmed through the information carefully.
Gathering requests had a special rule.
An adventurer could accept gathering requests two ranks higher than their current rank.
"That means I could take up to E-rank gathering requests even though I'm G-rank."
However, other request types had stricter rules.
Subjugation requests and investigation requests required adventurers to accept quests equal to their rank when working solo.
"That seems fair," Artorius said.
Stronger monsters obviously required more experienced adventurers.
After nearly an hour of reading, Artorius closed the final book.
"I think I have enough information to get started."
He returned the books to their shelves and stepped back into the lively guild hall.
Sistina immediately noticed him approaching the desk.
"Welcome back, Sir Artorius," she said with a warm smile. "Did you find the information you were looking for?"
"Yes. The library was very helpful."
"That's good to hear."
Artorius placed the request papers on the counter.
"Actually, I had a question about Repeat Requests."
Sistina glanced at the paper and nodded.
"Yes, those requests can be completed multiple times."
"How many times per day?"
"Up to five times per day."
Artorius thought for a moment.
"Wouldn't repeatedly gathering resources cause problems for the ecosystem?"
Sistina's expression brightened slightly.
"Oh! I'm glad you asked that."
She leaned forward slightly, clearly pleased by the question.
"The guild carefully studies local ecosystems. The limits on repeat requests are specifically designed to avoid overharvesting."
"That's reassuring."
"Also," she added, "if you find herbs or materials that aren't part of your current request, I recommend checking the request board before selling them."
Artorius tilted his head slightly.
"Why?"
"Because sometimes the guild posts requests for those materials. If you accept the request first, you'll earn extra rewards and it will count toward your completed request total."
"I see."
That was a useful tip.
"Thank you for the advice."
Sistina smiled warmly.
"Please stay safe on your first request."
"I will."
By the time Artorius left the guild, the afternoon sun was shining brightly over Roste Town.
The streets were lively with merchants and travelers moving about their daily business.
Artorius walked toward the town gate at a relaxed pace, enjoying the scenery along the way.
The air here felt much cleaner than in his home world.
Back home, technological progress had only recently begun replacing combustion engines with magical alternatives. The air was improving, but it still wasn't as fresh as this.
Here, every breath felt refreshing.
"This world is surprisingly peaceful," Artorius said quietly.
"That is one of the pleasures of traveling," Travy replied.
Soon he reached the gate and stepped out onto the road leading toward the plains.
The system notification appeared in front of him.
Mission Updated
Guild Requests:
G-rank: Gather 5 Slime Cores (0 / 5)
Repeat Limit Today: 0 / 5
Reward per completion:
-100 bronze coins
-Adventure Level EXP +5
G-rank: Gather 4 Honeydews (0 / 4)
Repeat Limit Today: 0 / 5
Reward per completion:
200 bronze coins
Adventure Level EXP +5
"So guild requests also appear as system missions," Artorius said.
"That is correct."
Before starting, Artorius sat down on a patch of grass.
He pulled a sandwich from his Inventory and took a bite while gazing across the vast plains.
The wind moved gently through the tall grass like waves across a green ocean.
"This sure is nice."
"Yes," Travy said.
"For many travelers, scenery like this is the reason they explore new worlds."
A small thumbs-up icon appeared in the system window.
Artorius chuckled slightly.
Even though Travy's voice remained robotic, moments like this made the guide feel strangely companionable.
After finishing his meal, Artorius stood up.
"Alright. Time to start working."
Finding Honeydew turned out to be fairly easy.
Thanks to the illustration in the book—and the help of his Appraisal skill—he could quickly identify the plant among the grass.
The plant was small and delicate. Its yellow fruit glistened faintly in the sunlight.
Harvesting it was simple.
As long as he carefully plucked the fruit without damaging the roots, the plant would eventually grow another fruit.
Slimes were also scattered throughout the plains.
Artorius defeated them using only his sword.
"Using magic for every slime would be a waste of mana," he said.
"Efficient resource management is recommended," Travy replied.
Over the next few hours, Artorius gradually learned the limits of his system features.
First, Appraisal had a limited range and only worked on objects visible to his eyes. It also consumed a small amount of mana depending on the rarity of the item being analyzed.
Second, the Compass feature only guided him to general locations such as roads or towns.
It did not automatically lead him to monsters or plants.
"That's probably intentional," Artorius said.
"A system that solved everything for you wouldn't be very balanced."
"That assessment is reasonable," Travy replied.
By late afternoon, Artorius opened his Mission tab.
Guild Requests:
G-rank: Gather 5 Slime Cores (5 / 5)
Repeat Limit Today: 5 / 5
G-rank: Gather 4 Honeydews (4 / 4)
Repeat Limit Today: 5 / 5
"Looks like I finished everything."
He began walking back toward the road.
Then something unusual caught his eye.
Among the grass was a plant that looked like Honeydew, but the fruit was different.
Instead of the usual honey-yellow color, the fruit was a perfect white sphere.
Artorius narrowed his eyes.
"I have a feeling I know what this is."
He activated Appraisal.
"As I thought," he said.
"This is Moon Dew."
Moon Dew was a rare variation of Honeydew that only appeared during the full moon phase.
The fruit formed overnight and could remain for several days before falling and rotting.
After that, the plant would produce normal Honeydew again until the next full moon.
"Looks like I got lucky."
Artorius carefully harvested four of them.
After searching a little longer and finding nothing else, he finally returned to the road and headed back toward Roste Town.
The guard from earlier was still stationed at the gate.
When Artorius presented his adventurer license, the guard nodded.
"Back from your first quest?"
"Yes," Artorius replied.
"It was a good experience."
The guard chuckled softly and patted his head.
"Just a little advice."
"The town gates close at sunset. If you're late, you'll have to camp outside the walls."
"Thank you for the warning."
Artorius entered the town and headed straight for the Adventurer's Guild.
He checked the request board again.
One new request caught his attention.
Moon Dew.
Reward per completion:
4 copper coins
Adventure Level EXP +15
"Not bad."
He accepted the request and went to the counter.
Sistina greeted him with a cheerful smile.
"Welcome back, Sir Artorius! How did your first request go?"
"Very well."
He placed 25 slime cores and 20 Honeydews on the counter.
Sistina counted them carefully.
"That completes ten requests."
Then Artorius showed the Moon Dew request and placed the four rare fruits on the counter.
Sistina's eyes widened.
"Moon Dew… and four of them?"
She smiled brightly.
"That brings your total completed requests today to fourteen."
"Congratulations on your first successful day as an adventurer!"
She handed him the reward.
"Your payment totals 31 copper coins."
Artorius accepted the coins.
"I was wondering… what's the usual daily income for a G-rank adventurer?"
"Usually between 2 and 5 copper coins per day."
Artorius blinked.
"So I earned six times that."
Sistina laughed softly.
"That just means you had a very productive day."
"But remember to rest properly too."
"I will."
"Actually," Artorius said, "could you recommend an inn?"
"Of course!"
She pointed toward the street outside.
"If you turn right after leaving the guild, you'll find Minster Inn near the intersection."
"It's affordable and popular with adventurers."
"Thank you."
The inn was easy to find.
Inside, a young receptionist greeted him.
She looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, with navy-blue hair and bright indigo eyes.
"How much for a room?" Artorius asked.
"Seventy-five bronze coins per night," she replied cheerfully.
"If you want breakfast included, it's one copper coin."
"I'll stay for three nights."
"Breakfast included."
After paying, she handed him a key.
"Second room near the stairs."
"Thank you."
The room was simple but comfortable.
A wooden bed, a small desk, and a window overlooking the street.
Artorius sat down on the bed.
The mattress was surprisingly soft.
"This place is nicer than I expected."
"You have had a productive first day," Travy said calmly.
Artorius leaned back and looked at the ceiling.
"Yeah."
"Not bad for my first day in another world."
The fatigue of the day slowly settled in.
Within minutes, Artorius closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.
His first day in Eiras had finally come to an end.