Starting with the goblin extermination

The Adventurers' Guild was a magnificent five-story building with huge oak doors that were wide open. A wooden plaque with a sword and shield emblem hung at the entrance, swaying and creaking as it was carried by the flow of people.

Logan squeezed in sideways.

The lobby was already bustling with people in the early morning, filled with the smells of unwashed bodies, sweat, and foot odor, which reminded Logan of the subway station during rush hour in his previous life.

Nobody noticed Logan.

After all, what this place has no shortage of are new faces eager to get rich through adventure.

Occasionally, glances would linger on Logan's longsword, but upon seeing the patched and tattered leather armor, a few undisguised sneers would ripple through the air.

He wasn't the only one dressed in rags and carrying a longsword who wanted to become an adventurer. To the veterans in the guild, these newcomers were no different from goblins in the wild.

They die quickly, and they're also quickly replaced. In the time it takes to complete a quest, several new faces like these will appear in the guild.

Regardless of what others think, Logan needs to get his money back first.

To the right of the hall was a row of windows with iron bars, most of which had long queues. Only the window in the far corner was deserted, with a black metal sign hanging above it:

Berkshire Hathaway

Behind the tall counter sat a short, brown-haired man. To compensate for his height, he sat on a specially made high stool, wearing glasses, and staring at the newspaper in his hands.

Without a doubt, this is a goblin.

As Logan approached, he quickly adjusted his bow tie and flashed a standard professional smile.

"Good day, sir." The goblin's voice was shrill, but sounded very professional. "I'm Kruger, a senior client manager at Berkshire Hathaway. Time is money, and judging by your attire, you're in dire need of both. Tell me, what can I do for you?"

Logan pulled three silver wolf coins from his pocket and handed them over.

"Please help me exchange them for Eagle Dollars."

"Of course," the goblin Kruger said with a smile, as if he had expected it, and hooked the silver coin over.

"However, please understand that, given the terrible situation in the north, after deducting smelting losses, risk assessment fees, and international transaction fees... I can only pay you 1 silver eagle coin plus 10 copper coins."

Logan frowned, then nodded somewhat helplessly.

"Can."

Kruger pushed back a brand-new silver eagle coin and a small handful of copper coins.

Logan rubbed the silver coin he was holding tightly. On one side, a white eagle soared, and on the other side, a woman of stunning beauty.

There is 1 silver coin and 10 copper coins left. This amount of money is not enough even if you sleep in the stable for a week.

He needs to quickly come up with a way to make money.

Why not just become an adventurer?

Regardless, Logan is well-equipped and has learned the [Thrust] combat skill from his father. As long as he doesn't run out of energy and be outnumbered like yesterday, he should be able to handle low-level monsters like goblins without any problems.

"You can register as an adventurer here?" Logan pointed to the icon on the window.

"Of course, one-stop service is our motto, but most adventurers don't appreciate it."

Kruger pulled out a form.

"By paying a registration fee of one silver coin and filling out the form, you can become an adventurer protected by the guild, and then you can go to the bulletin board to accept quests."

Logan felt a pang of regret as he pushed back the silver coins he had just received.

After waiting for a while at the window, the goblin Kruger pulled out a black metal card and a book about three fingers thick from under the counter.

The card was engraved with Logan's name, number, and current adventurer rank.

[Iron Grade]

The book's cover featured a line of large, gold-embossed text:

Adventurer's Handbook

Below is a line of smaller print:

[Special Edition for the Riverwood Town Branch of Whitewave Province, White Eagle Kingdom]

"This is a new player benefit given by the guild."

Logan flipped through the manual. The table of contents was mainly divided into three parts: a survival guide for novice adventurers (protecting themselves from both monsters and other adventurers), various shop recommendations, and a basic monster encyclopedia.

While reading, the goblin Kruger's eyes kept darting around Logan, as if he were assessing something.

"Mr. Logan."

"Um?"

"By the way, our bank offers small 'equipment loans' for new adventurers like you who are having a tough time getting started."

"Equipment loan?"

"Yes, absolutely legal and compliant, with daily interest rates as low as 30%, enough for you to buy a decent set of clothes before taking the plunge, and then make a fortune..." Kruger smiled meaningfully, "After all, if you just die in the sewers, you'll never have the chance to make money in your life, right?"

30% daily interest?

Logan frowned, his gaze lingering on his tattered leather armor for a moment. Loans were a normal business transaction, but Logan felt a certain resistance to them. He preferred the secure, tangible feeling of getting his money back rather than leveraging.

Besides, why is there no one else at this window except myself? Don't be fooled by this goblin's respectful smile; this race is ruthless in business, devouring people without a second thought.

It's best to avoid getting involved.

"Thank you, but no need."

Logan put the card away and turned to leave.

That's such a shame.

The goblin bowed politely behind him, but there was no trace of regret in his tone, as if he was certain that Logan would return sooner or later.

The guild's quest bulletin board was as big as an entire wall, covered with densely packed papers.

Logan squeezed through the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the papers, surrounded by adventurers who were also scrutinizing the mission.

The color of the stamp in the upper right corner of the paper indicates the difficulty of the task.

Similar to adventurer ranks, they are divided into Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold ranks.

The higher-level Orichalcum and Mithril missions mostly appear in legends, and their appearance often signifies the impending doom of a city or even a country.

However, that has nothing to do with Logan now.

Generally, adventurers can only accept quests that correspond to their level. If they want to accept quests of a higher level, they need to be evaluated by the guild.

As a newcomer, Logan can only accept Iron-level missions for now, and the paper with the black stamp is his target.

Many of them had already been torn off, leaving paper marks on them. Logan found some leftover food scraps still attached.

Find the missing spotted cat (Reward: 1 silver coin)

[Transporting cargo at the docks (Reward: 1 silver coin/day)]

The tasks were either finding cats and dogs or doing manual labor, none of which met Logan's expectations.

He needs money, and he also needs to become stronger.

Of course, Logan hadn't given up on his old nemesis, the goblins. As monsters with an incredibly high reproductive rate, goblins had been designated as bounty targets by the guild. All that was needed was to present proof of goblin capture—the goblin's ear—to receive a bounty based on the number of goblins captured.

However, goblins are mostly social creatures, and Logan didn't want to face multiple goblins alone like he did yesterday until he was strong enough. That was too risky. And if he teamed up...

Logan glanced at the disgusted expressions on the faces of those around him and decided to let it go for now.

After searching for a long time, Logan's gaze finally settled on a task sheet with slightly moldy edges.

Sewer cleaning

Quest Level: Iron

Monster: Slime (Challenge Level: 1/8), approximately 10.

Mission Location: West Riverwood - Sewers

Release date: July 5, 3563 (Arando calendar)

Deadline: Within three days

Reward: 30 copper coins per slime.

Mission objective: Clean up the overpopulated sludge slimes in the western sewers of Riverwood and bring back a slime core as proof.

Note: Aim for the core, don't wear your best clothes. —Adventurers' Guild

Each one costs 30 copper coins; if you manage to kill all 10, you'll earn about 3 silver coins.

Although the environment is harsh, the sewers are at least closer than the wilderness, and they are an enclosed space. Slimes, which are low-level monsters that newbies love, can bounce, but once you figure out their patterns, they are easy to dodge, which is perfect for his [Thrust] combat skill.

As for clothes...

Logan tugged at his collar, which was already covered in mud. There was a large hole in his back, and through the hole, he could clearly feel the leather armor covering his skin. The smell of sweat was emanating from his collar.

Perfect timing, I'll change into a new outfit after completing this task.

"That's it."

Logan reached out and grabbed the task sheet.

Snapped--

Another slender hand rested on the paper, its nails neatly trimmed, standing out from the rest of the paper.