How to Live as a Genius Scholar in another World

Chapter 8 – Sardis (3)

—–CROW—– 

“Unfortunately, it’s time to part ways.”

Jorma said regretfully to us as we got off the carriage after passing through Sardis’s main gate.

Having made over 70 coppers in sales in a single day, it was understandable that he was reluctant to part.  It must have been heartbreaking for him to let go of the gullible uncles.

“I’m heading to another city now, but I hope we’ll have the chance to meet again someday.”

“Likewise. I’ll put the item I bought from you to good use.”

The fat uncle said, carrying more luggage than when he first arrived.  He seemed happy, considering he had spent his pocket money on various trinkets and food, starting with the ornament.

“Mr. Nord, take care as well. An adventurer’s body is their asset.”

“Yeah. You too, don’t get killed by bandits outside the city.”

“Hahaha! I guess I’m not really in a position to say that.”

After a brief handshake with Jorma, we went our separate ways.

The uncles scattered in different directions, and Sammus, that bastard, disappeared without a word. True to his barbaric mohawked nature, he was rude to the end.

“Sigh.”

I was planning to go to the Adventurers’ Guild. I considered finding an inn first, but the guild might have recommendations, so I decided to go there directly.

“Excuse me. Could you tell me the way?”

“Hmm? Are you a traveler?”

I felt awkward just wandering around, so I stopped a kind-looking man and asked for directions.

“No. I’m not a traveler. I came here to become an adventurer.”

“An adventurer? Then you’re looking for the Adventurers’ Guild?”

“Yes. You’re very perceptive. I made the right choice speaking to the wisest-looking person.”

“Ahem. I can read a little.”

People in this world were weak to flattery.  Those who weren’t literate were even more so. He cleared his throat at my casual compliment and replied in a voice that tried to sound sophisticated.

“Hmm. There are three Adventurers’ Guilds in Sardis.”

“I’ve heard that much.”

At first, I wondered why there were so many adventurer gangs in this world, but then I realized that it was unlikely for people who didn’t even speak the same language to unite and work together under one guild.

Adventurers’ Guilds were also established for their own interests and profits. That’s why there were various guilds in each country and city.

Most guilds operated by establishing branches throughout the country from a larger guild.  It was similar to a franchise. It felt a bit like the hunter genre in web novels.

I had already decided which guild to join before coming to Sardis.

“Where is the Audhumla Guild?”

“Audhumla? Why there, when there are many other guilds?”

“Huh? Are there any bad rumors about it?”

‘That kind of place?’  I chose it because it best suited my goals, but the evaluation was quite harsh. It felt like I had chosen a company to apply to, but heard bad things about it before even interviewing.

“Bad rumors always follow adventurers.  But the Audhumla Guild is considered relatively lower in standard compared to the other two guilds.”

“Oh my.”

Adventurers’ Guilds were directly related to the safety and livelihood of citizens.  I didn’t expect it to be evaluated so poorly. It seemed like a true small-to-medium enterprise.

“I would recommend other guilds.  The Sekhmet Guild only accepts women, so that’s out, but how about the Gilpi Guild?”

He kindly recommended guilds, both domestic and international.  But I shook my head.

“I’m sorry, even though you kindly told me. But I’ve already made up my mind.”

“Hmm. If you insist, it’s not my place to interfere.”

He seemed to come to his own conclusion and didn’t ask any further questions. Instead, he pointed in the opposite direction.

“The Audhumla Guild is that way… I think.  I apologize. I’m not sure of the exact location because it’s not well-known.”

“No, thank you very much. Thank you for letting me know.”

I thanked the kind man and followed his directions.

Would I have to go through an interview or something? I had never done that even when I lived on Earth, and now I was doing it in another world.

With a nervous heart, I headed towards the Audhumla Guild.

***

The Audhumla Guild was located in a slightly secluded area.

It wasn’t in a back alley or anything, but it didn’t have the bustling atmosphere of a main street.  It was a half-rural area in Sardis, so there was no way it would be in a clean or fancy place.  The building resembled a relatively large local grocery store.

*gulp*… Should I go somewhere else?

I stood in front of the door for a while, contemplating, but it felt like a waste to turn back now. I decided to go inside, just to get a feel for the atmosphere.

—Murmur, murmur.

There wasn’t even a door, so I just walked in, and the inside was brighter and more bustling than I expected.  The lights weren’t cheap; they were bright magic lamps. The bulletin board was large, and there was a place that doubled as a bar and restaurant.

Fortunately, the people inside and the building didn’t feel dirty. I was thankful that this world had a surprisingly good sense of hygiene, considering its historical setting.

I carefully went to the counter, trying not to look like a gawking tourist.  A few adventurers had just left, so a spot at the counter opened up, and I seized the opportunity.

“Ah… Welcome.”

…Was this person a graduate student?

Her face looked so tired that I briefly thought that.  She seemed quite beautiful, but her exhausted appearance, as if she had crawled out of a grave, was eerily similar to Dana after three consecutive all-nighters.

What was this? Had I returned to Carmine University after a five-day trip?

“How can I help you? Adventurer registration?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. That’s right. How did you know?”

I was surprised by the question from the woman who looked half-dead.

How did she know??? Was it a racially discriminatory judgment that a chink wouldn’t have the money to request something from the Adventurers’ Guild?

“You’re wearing armor and carrying a weapon. And you have luggage on your back.”

“Ah.”

Now that she mentioned it, that was true. I hadn’t unpacked yet.  Embarrassed, I deliberately cleared my throat.

“Ahem. Yes. I came here today to register as an adventurer at the Audhumla Guild.”

“Oh~ I see.”

The receptionist pretended to be surprised, even though she had already guessed correctly. Contrary to my first impression, she was quite expressive.

“Then, what is your name?”

“Nord. I haven’t decided on a family name yet. Is that a problem?”

“No. It doesn’t matter. Can I see your identification?”

I took out the identification I had prepared.

It wasn’t the emblem that doubled as a university diploma, nor the certificate proving I was a field scholar, but a general citizen ID.

This was valid as long as my degree was maintained. It was similar to a long-term visa.

“Confirmed.  It’s a valid citizen ID.”

The receptionist took the wooden card and returned it to me shortly after.

“The main task of our Audhumla Guild is the discovery and exploration of ruins.  You know that, right?”

“Yes. I heard you also accept monster hunting requests, but you focus more on ruin exploration.”

That was the reason I chose the Audhumla Guild.

To balance my work as a scholar, it was better to join a guild that focused on ruin exploration. If I didn’t produce results for a long time, my master’s degree would be at risk.

They wouldn’t revoke my degree, but they might reject my application to maintain my field scholar status or drastically reduce my research funding.

“Have you registered with other guilds or other branches of the Audhumla Guild before?”

“No. This is my first time.”

“I understand. The guild registration fee is 50 coppers. You’ll have to pay an additional fee each time you rank up.”

I nodded, as I had already inquired about the registration fee. The receptionist slowly pulled out a document from a drawer and pushed it towards me.

“If you agree, please sign or stamp here.”

“Okay. Can I use this pen?”

“Yes. Ah, if you can’t read or don’t have a stamp, please press your fingertip in ink and make a print.”

A fingerprint? They had fingerprints in this world, too.

After some thought, I deliberately signed my name in messy handwriting.

“Hmm. How well do you know Britannic?”

The receptionist asked after looking at my handwriting. I guessed she was asking beforehand, as there were many people who could only write their own names.

“I can read and write. There are some difficult words I don’t know, though.”

It was obviously a lie.

There were no words I didn’t know.  I understood the meaning just by looking at the letters, thanks to my ability.

But I couldn’t tell the truth. If I was careless, they might find out that I was an elite researcher at Carmine University and a master’s degree holder.

That would be troublesome. Because I was such a competent master that everyone would want to hire me.

‘This isn’t overconfidence or narcissism, it’s 100% true.’

Archaeology and linguistics were high-level and practical fields of study in this world.

The moment they realized I was a Carmine graduate with a master’s degree who could use ancient languages, the guild’s upper management would try to recruit me as a translator instead of sending me out as an adventurer.

‘That would be wise from their perspective.’

It would be better to have a smart guy decipher ancient documents and artifacts obtained from dungeons than to let him die doing adventurer work.

But that was from the guild’s perspective. I came to Sardis to become an adventurer, not to work as a translation slave for a small company.

“Okay. Then please read this text. If you can do this, I’ll record that you are ‘capable of general reading and writing.’”

The receptionist pointed to a short, four-line text inside the reception area. I read the fixed text aloud.

“…‘When the morning sun rose, we realized that the goblin tracks had moved south. The hunter in our party suggested we build a campfire to warm our chilled bodies before moving.’ …What is this?”

“It’s a kind of test to check if you can read. The content changes every week. This time, it’s an excerpt from an adventurer’s journal.”

“I see.”

I wasn’t sure if such a short text was enough proof.  It was a haphazard method, typical of a small company.

Anyway, this was a world with a high illiteracy rate.  It was obvious how a multilingual elite like me, who could speak seven languages, would be treated.

It would be a huge advantage for the guild to have other adventurers copy down ancient languages recorded in ruins and have me translate them.

The guild executives hated outsourcing translations to the archaeology community because they didn’t want to share profits and achievements. They wouldn’t let go of a talent like me.

I absolutely refused the future where they would cling to me every time I came looking for work, asking me to join their guild.

‘I’d rather continue working as a slave at the university than be caught by the neck and dragged into a small company.’

There was no reason for me, with my impressive credentials, to become a free translator for a small-town Adventurers’ Guild branch.

Did small companies treat talented people well? Even if I did the work of ten people, they wouldn’t pay me ten times the salary.

At best, the boss would buy me some meat with the money he had left over from playing golf.

‘Besides, there’s no future in it.’

Even if I achieved something, it would become an achievement of the Sardis branch of the Audhumla Guild, not a part of my personal career. My name wouldn’t spread in the academic world, and I wouldn’t gain anything.

It was Steve Jobs, who stood in front and did the PR, who became famous, not the engineer who developed the iPhone behind the scenes.

For these reasons, I had no intention of revealing my identity at the Adventurers’ Guild.  I had deliberately pretended not to be fluent in Britannic for that reason.

For the time being, I was going full muscle-brain.

“Mr. Nord? Lastly, could you squeeze this stone tightly?”

And the adventurer registration was at its final stage.

I gulped as I looked at the black stone the receptionist handed me. In a way, this pebble was more important than all the previous questions.

“You have to squeeze it tightly, okay?”

The receptionist’s calm voice repeatedly emphasized the point. I ignored it and squeezed the stone in my hand with all my might.  I imagined it was Yernara’s, that thieving elf bitch’s, face, and put all my strength into it.

“Hup!”

How long did I do that? The receptionist, who had been watching quietly, nodded.

“Okay. That’s enough. You can relax your hand now.”

”—Phew.”

It turned out that squeezing a fist with all your might wasn’t an easy task. As I slowly opened my exhausted hand, I saw that the black pebble in my palm had turned indigo.

“Indigo.”

“Indeed.”

Oh, thank god. I breathed a sigh of relief.

This pebble, commonly called a pressure stone, was a special stone that changed its outer color according to the rainbow spectrum when subjected to strong pressure.

Many Adventurers’ Guilds used this stone as a tool to determine a person’s approximate strength.

“Indigo is impressive. Most people get violet at first.”

The receptionist said, praising me as she took back the pebble I had squeezed.  But it felt a little weird that she kept saying “indigo,” making me feel like I was somehow gay.

Anyway, the indigo she was referring to wasn’t the “indigo” that referred to homosexual acts, but the second-to-last color in the rainbow spectrum: indigo.

But to be right above the lowest rank, violet…

In other words, my average combat power was second from the bottom.  It was definitely low.

Even so, I was relieved that it wasn’t violet. It was proof that I considered myself a weakling.

“Sob, sob.”

I was very sad. It was proven that I was still physically and mentally lacking.

As the receptionist said, even this level was higher than the average person.

But I wasn’t an average person. I had been lifting weights under Professor Brammaton for over three years, and I was only indigo?!

I hadn’t touched a testing stone at the university, so I didn’t know.  I thought I would at least be blue.

“I heard that blue is the average for Bronze class, is that right?”

I asked, clenching and unclenching my pale hand.  That’s what it said in Professor Brammaton’s book.

“Yes.  We embed a stone dyed the same color as the appraisal grade into the adventurer’s plate. The average for Bronze is blue or lower.”

“So the grade color itself doesn’t matter for promotion?”

“Of course. Promotion evaluations are based on achievements and conduct.  The grade color isn’t directly related to an adventurer’s skill.”

The receptionist was more helpful than I expected.

If it were those otherworldly tier-obsessed people, they would have been clicking their tongues and snapping at me by now.  I wisely kept my mouth shut, not wanting to ruin my image by asking more questions.

I took out the coins from my wallet, counted them, and handed them to the receptionist.

“Here’s 50 coppers.”

“Registration fee received.  Registration is now complete. This is a temporary plate. The plate with your name and grade color will be ready in about five days, so please come back then to pick it up.”

I received a thin iron plate and a string from the receptionist.  I could either weave it into a bracelet or wear it as a necklace.

The receptionist, with her tired face, gave me a bright smile as I stared blankly at the plain plate.

“Welcome to the Audhumla Guild, new adventurer.”

And so, I was able to register with the Adventurers’ Guild.

—–CROW—–