The Darkness Was Comfortable for Me

Chapter 50: Guild and Lynx Mutual Aid Association

“I will be registering now, so I will be at the very bottom. I am a beginner after all.” (Hikaru)

“So you really are in the club club! What, are you the little brother of Rifreya-chan or something?”

“Well, something like that. And so, what’s this club club thing you are talking about?” (Hikaru)

“Clubs are what the newbies who swing around their clubs in the 1st Floor are called. Not to be rude here brat, but you should first learn how to dance with skeletons in the 1st Floor. In the dungeon, the ones who don’t know their limits are the ones who die first after all.”

I thought he was a problematic ruffian, but he was actually a normal old man that gave good advice.

I have seen several dead bodies of explorers in the 2nd Floor who didn’t ‘understand their own limits’.

People who didn’t have the combat capabilities to go to the 2nd Floor yet. Ones that came down alone. Ones that get lost.

That’s why this senior must be keeping an eye out for those newbies so that it doesn’t end up that way.

Polish your skills in the 1st Floor, gather party members, do the pertaining preparations, and then go to the 2nd Floor. At first, only explore the vicinity of the stairs, and after exploring moderately, return…

If you can’t do that, you are not fit to be an explorer.

“Thank you very much. I plan on getting a club after. Big sis here is simply guiding me here. She is a worrywart after all.” (Hikaru)

“Hooh, it is good that you are obedient. Well, do your best to not trouble your sister. Rifreya-chan as well, if you change your mind, party with us.”

The man left with a hearty laugh.

If he really was a problematic ruffian, I would have been fine with playing a fist fight, but he was just a good guy.

Well, thinking about it logically, there aren’t that many people who would cause problems in the very facility.

“Hikaru…what was that just now?” (Rifreya)

But it seems Rifreya wasn’t too pleased about this.

Well, it wasn’t manly after all.

“Hm? It is true that I am a beginner, right? I normally would have to begin by swinging around a club. If not for you, Rifreya, I did plan on doing that.” (Hikaru)

“You being my little brother…” (Rifreya)

“Lies are instruments. Those types of people just want to get involved, so it is pointless to take them seriously. Also, it doesn’t look like he was a bad guy or anything.” (Hikaru)

“I do understand that, but…” (Rifreya)

Rifreya locked arms with me conspicuously and led me to the counter.

Well, a brother and sister can lock arms…

The explanation at the guild counter was really business-like.

I ignored Rifreya who was sticking to me the whole time with arms locked, and properly listened.

I won’t lose to the questioning look of the guild staff member either!

Explorers begin from the Spiritus Rank. In numbers, it would be the 6th one.

The ID is bronze.

I have picked bronze IDs countless times in the 2nd Floor from the dead explorers. To think I would be having one myself.

1st Rank, Salamander Rank. Scorching Steel, Salamandor, ID.

2nd Rank, Undine Rank. Magic Metal, Mithril, ID.

3rd Rank, Gnome Rank. Gold ID.

4th Rank, Sylvestre Rank. Silver ID.

5th Rank, Dryad Rank. Ebony ID.

6th Rank, Spiritus Rank. Bronze ID.

So damn cool.

By the way, the highest ranked explorer in this city is an Undine Rank.

I wasn’t that interested in the guild, but it does give me the desire to work a bit hard, so I can’t help but say this is a good job from management.

I can feel the wiles of making the explorers stake their lives here.

It seems there’s a drill course for beginners as well.

It is something that teaches the bearing of an explorer in the 1st Floor to the ones that have the free time, but Rifreya said ‘we will be doing that on our own, so it is okay’ and refused.

Well, it is true that there’s no need to waste time on that if Rifreya is going to be teaching me.

Also, at the end of the explanation, they told me pretty strictly ‘don’t put a hand on the gems that others have found no matter what’. Looks like the talk about a Divine Beast showing up when stealing treasures is pretty serious business. Let’s be careful.

After that, I applied to dive into the dungeon, and bought the necessary things in the guild.

Torches, food, drinks, potions, clean cloths, gauzes, etc etc.

It is honestly not necessary for me, but since there’s the chance, I bought them as well. The potions apparently can only heal small wounds. Are they the same as the 1 Crystal potions?

“Ah, it is okay for the battle members to be you and me, but what do we do about the scout?” (Rifreya)

“Scout, huh.” (Hikaru)

Being asked this by Rifreya, I was about to answer ‘we don’t need one’, but now that I think about it, if we are going to be forming a party, I can’t be complacent.

I don’t know how a pro scout works.

“Can you hire them? Here?” (Hikaru)

“No. It is at the neighboring facility.” (Rifreya)

I enter the old building right by the side of the guild on the guidance of Rifreya.

The entrance said ‘Lynx Mutual Aid Association’.

All the ones inside were catfolk.

The cat beastkins are apparently called Lynx. That must be the name of their race.

“There’s a number of rules when hiring a Lynx scout. First, the deposit. This must be paid in advance. Scouts, because of the nature of their job, uhm…they tend to get killed by monsters…and so, the deposit for hiring them is the price of their life.” (Rifreya)

In the case when the scout dies in the dungeon, the payment will of course not return.

It really must be taken as the price for their life in that sense as well.

“I see. There’s no knowing what happens in the dungeon.” (Hikaru)

“Yeah. There’s even parties that use scouts as bait to escape after all.” (Rifreya)

“I feel like a lynx would be better at running away though.” (Hikaru)

“There’s a lot of them who get their legs injured.” (Rifreya)

The injuries really were a problem.

I don’t think they will get their legs injured that much in the current 2nd Floor though. There’s shameless people like the ones that abandoned Grapefull.

By the way, the deposit was surprisingly low. Only 5 silver coins.

It is a number that speaks eloquently about the standing of lynx in this city.

“Can you request a specific lynx scout?” (Hikaru)

“Eh? It should be possible, but…I can’t tell them apart. You can, Hikaru?” (Rifreya)

“Of course. Their faces and fur are completely different.” (Hikaru)

I spoke to the one that was rolling around on the sofa filled with holes.

“Grapefull, I want to hire you.” (Hikaru)

“Nya nya nya?! Who are you, Onii-san?! Despite my looks, I can dive all the way to the 3rd Floor, so I am a bit expensive, ya knyaw?” (Grapefull)

“Then, how about a freebie? For the potion of before.” (Hikaru)

When I said this with a grin, Grapefull’s tail stood on end and she jumped up.

“The Onii-san from that time!! To think you would show up-nya! I am really really grateful for you helping me at that time!” (Grapefull)

“I actually didn’t plan on showing up though, but the situation has changed. Will you be our scout?” (Hikaru)

“If you are fine with someone like me-nya, gladly! I will prepare at once-nyan!” (Grapefull)

Grapefull runs up the stairs as if bouncing.

If I am going to be hiring someone, it is better for it to be someone I know.

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