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Chapter 11: Hunter Registration
—Because the following day was a holiday, I decided to pay a visit to the Hunters Guild.
Hoyle informed me about the hunters, but the specifics vary by country, and the hunter guilds in each country aren’t fully coordinated. Because Hoyle is from another country, there may be inconsistencies with the Magic Kingdom of Shannon.
Hoyle hadn’t been to the hunter’s guild since he had attended the magic academy, so we decided to go with him.
Then Regina, who still didn’t trust Hoyle and was hesitant to accompany him, said she’d accompany him, and the three of them ended up going to the Hunter’s Guild.
Hoyle explains as they walk.
“The main job of a hunter is to kill monsters in dungeons; the state essentially controls the dungeons, and the number of hunters permitted to enter them is limited based on the difficulty rank. You begin at rank-6, and the country has few rank-1 hunters—It should be the same in every country.”
“You mean the state is taking advantage of the outcasts by bestowing the title of hunter on them so monsters don’t flood the land? The hungry can get rich too, and since the interests are on both sides, there’s no problem.”
Regina, as if in response, states a somewhat contentious point in a straightforward manner.
Like many other Magic Academy students, it seems like Regina doesn’t think much of hunters.
“…I can’t deny that there are a lot of rogue hunters in the lower ranks… Anyone can be a low-rank hunter. However, there is a test to get promoted—there’s a huge difference between the higher and lower ranks of hunters.”
“Ara, I see—of course, you are one of those low ranking hunters.”
“Y-You little…… Sure, I’m in a low rank. But I passed the exams and am now ranked 5—I’m not low-ranking now.”
Despite his irritation, Hoyle maintained a level tone.
Meanwhile, in the magical city, we arrived at the Hunters’ Guild.
Inside, a few people are standing around, either looking at the request slips on the wall or conversing at the table, doing whatever they want.
Anastasia examined the request forms and discovered that the majority of them were for gathering materials and medicinal herbs. Some of the requests appeared to have come from the magic academy’s teachers.
—I would have liked to see a little more, but we need to register first.
“I’d like to become a hunter.”
“Are you a first-year student at the Magic Academy?”
When Hoyle calls out to the receptionist, she notices the three people’s uniforms and inquires.
“Yes, I am.”
“So, you’ll have to start at rank 6—you can get a request from the rank 6 board, but you’re not permitted in rank 6 dungeons.”
“Hey… why is rank 6 not permitted?! Rank 6 hunters are permitted in the dungeon in Stem Kingdom!”
Hoyle raises his voice in surprise.
“Dangerous dungeons are subject to stricter restrictions due to the potential of first-year students at the Academy of Magic; for second-year students and above, the minimum level is sixth grade.”
The receptionist’s casual response is factual and emotionless.
True, most first-year students at the magic academy are unable to perform any useful magic. They can only enter the academy dungeon as early as the second semester of their first year.
If students who lack the necessary skills are allowed to enter the dungeon just to see what’s there, the academy may lose valuable talents who would later become valuable magicians.
“…In the Kingdom of Stem, I was a rank 5 hunter—here’s my guild card.”
“Yes, I confirmed—those from the other countries are treated as semi-ranks, so you are a semi-rank 5 hunter. You can take the rank 5 exam in this country, but the exam isn’t until the end of the month, so you’ll have to wait a while. You can still explore beginner-level dungeons with more than one person until then.
As Hoyle shows off his country’s guild certificate, the receptionist says he is allowed to enter the dungeon.
“And the two of you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any experience working as hunters in other countries?”
“No, we haven’t.”
Anastasia and Regina are being questioned by the receptionist.
Neither Anastasia nor Regina have any hunting experience.
“Then, exploring a level 6 dungeon is basically forbidden, but you can do it if you have a level 5 or higher hunter with you as your escort—you can also get into a level 6 dungeon by giving 10 magic stones.”
“…Do we have to hire our own escort?”
“Yes, you must pay with your own money.”
As the receptionist explains, Anastasia raises her eyebrows.
In a past life, Anastasia was part of the hero’s party. Because of this, the Holy Kingdom of Selestia gave her special status.
Due to the overflow of monsters and disorder, dungeons were allowed to enter anywhere, and there was no need to think about Hunter’s system.
—Of course, I’d never been a hunter before joining the hero’s party, so this was all new to me.
Apparently, you can’t enter the dungeon without an escort.
The magic stone is in the monster’s body, so you can get it if you can enter the dungeon without any problems.
However, hiring escorts costs money. The goal is to make money, but funds are limited.
“If a rank 5 or higher is good enough to be an escort, then why don’t I just go?”
“Right now, you’re a semi-rank 5 hunter, so you’re ineligible, but if you pass the exam by the end of the month, you’ll be a level five, and you won’t have any problems.”
Even the prospect of Hoyle becoming an escort appears remote at the moment.
They all look at each other, unsure of what to do.
“…Maybe we should wait until the end of the month? Then I’ll be able to take the exam and become a rank 5 hunter.”
“The end of the month is still a long way away—we also don’t know if you’ll pass—isn’t it better to hire an escort, which we’ll pay for?”
“But can we get ten magical stones at once? And if there are two of us, we need twenty. If we have to go to the dungeon several times, the escort fee will be exorbitant.
Hearing Hoyle and Regina’s words, Anastasia thinks about it.
It shouldn’t be difficult to kill monsters in order to obtain 20 magical stones, so she only needs to hire an escort once. On the other hand, she cannot afford the escort and must rely on Regina.
Or she could wait until the end of the month and rely on Hoyle; either way, Anastasia can’t do anything on her own.
“… How about we borrow Gina’s money and hire an escort, and if it doesn’t go through right away, we can wait until the end of the month and ask Hoyle to do it?”
Anastasia summarizes and suggests both sides. The escort fee can be borrowed and paid back when they reach rank 6 and can enter the dungeon with dignity.
Regina and Hoyle had no objections and nodded.
“How do I go about hiring an escort?”
Anastasia inquires with the receptionist.
“I’ll arrange it if you give me a date, but today would be… Mobe-san, how would you like to hire him as an escort?”
The receptionist looks around the guild and approaches a large skinhead who is perusing the request board.
Then he turned around and snorted as he looked at Anastasia and the others.
“No, thank you. I don’t want to take care of brats who believe they are strong because they have dabbled in magic. I’ll take this request instead.”
He no longer looks at Anastasia and the others, but instead takes one of the request forms and hands it to the receptionist.
“Damn… But it’s not like I don’t know how he feels… If you think of it as being similar to being the escort of a no-good aristocrat with a lot of pride…
Hoyle clicks his tongue, but lets out a sigh of understanding at the same time.
Anastasia believes that it is natural for students of the magic academy who have become overconfident in their ability to handle magic spells to be shunned while under the protection of the academy.
In fact, Anastasia is capable of fighting her way through the dungeons on her own, but if she told them, they would not believe her.
“… It will be difficult to find someone to escort us…”
Regina lets out a deep sigh and shrugs.
Just as they’re about to give up and hope that Hoyle will pass his promotion exam at the end of the month, a figure approaches the three of them.