It's a Temporary Contract!
I roughly filled my belly with the fodder piled up in the warehouse, then clumsily flipped through the bundle of papers Sera had handed me using my mouth and hooves, reading each one slowly. It took forever just to unfold them, which only fueled my burning desire for the Humanization Skill, but there was nothing I could do about it right now. All I could do was gather information bit by bit. For now, I needed to get familiar with this city. With that in mind, I scanned the pages filled with all sorts of details.
What caught my eye was the explanation about Heroes. I'd been curious about it for a while, but with everything going on—taking care of myself and all—I hadn't gotten around to asking. A Hero was someone blessed with Esser, free from any limits on their Esser capacity. No limits on Esser meant they could use infinite energy; they could spam fighting spirit or magic without ever running dry. Of course, the text noted that only their Esser was infinite—combat prowess, stamina, and focus were separate issues—but it was still a massive advantage.
Esser capacity represented the maximum amount of Esser a body could hold, and while it could increase or decrease gradually, it rarely spiked or dropped dramatically in the short term. So non-Heroes always had to manage theirs carefully, but Heroes were free from that constraint. No one was born a Hero; they awakened at some point through training. Thanks to their infinite Esser, they leveled up fast, and top-tier Heroes were insanely powerful. In Radia alone, there were 12 confirmed Heroes and about 20 Hero candidates—people recognized as having the potential to awaken with more training.
"Hmm... this seems kinda OP. These guys aren't reincarnators or something, are they? Heroes? And there are this many?"
I grumbled to myself about how unfair it was that I was struggling just to speak like a normal person. Glancing out the window, I saw the sun setting. It was about time to head to the Guild Management Office.
"Ah~ which guild should I pick?"
Mulling over my ideal conditions, I clopped out the door with the rhythmic sound of my hooves.
The streets of Radia were overflowing with people heading home, and sure enough, I stood out. Just like that morning, people were shooting me sidelong glances—sharp and stinging. At least after half a month, they just stared instead of screaming and running like on day one. I'd secretly hoped for something like "Whoa, what a cute horse~" but in this world, I guess I just looked like a ferocious monster.
As I took in the stares and eyed the passersby, it hit me: this isekai was packed with beauties. Maybe it was the isekai effect, but overall, the women looked younger and prettier than back on Earth—not just faces, but figures too. The men, though? They were average at best. Not only did they lack the standout looks of the women, but their average height seemed similar, around 160-170 cm. Slender builds—nice way to put it—or scrawny, bad way. Like light novel or manga protagonists who'd had their looks nerfed. Was it a racial difference from Earth? Whatever, the women more than made up for it; my eyes were feasting.
"Hmm... out of the women I've seen so far, if I had to pick... Lizbet, Sera... and the Director?"
Lizbet, the first girl I met, was stunning—her slight shortness only added to the cuteness. Shame about her plain clothes. Sera stood out even among the beauties at the Guild Management Office; her earnest, unflashy face was appealing. And the Director... that commanding presence, but those breasts... Nope, stop. Being around stunners so much had my own monster—surprisingly huge—stirring against my will. Nearly two months without release, and since entering the city, it kept trying to assert itself. No hands meant no control if it went wild.
Shaking off those thoughts, I reached the Guild Management Office. It was busier than morning; even the entrance buzzed with chatter.
"Esser at 516,000 and stamina at 723!? Damn, definitely a Divine Beast. Should we hire him!?"
"You show up late and spout bullshit! Get in line! We've been waiting here since we got back!"
"Stats are high, but can we really fight with that?"
"Heard the Madel couple said you can ride on his back? Should be fine, right?"
"Even so, that vicious look and wild Esser aura... our all-female guild might not..."
Ugh, no all-girl guilds for me, huh? There goes the harem dream.
"Jeez..."
Entering the guild drew stares, and people swarmed me, pitching their guilds. They seemed lined up by prestige, but when I laid out my conditions, they all made that "hmm..." face and asked for time to think—then bailed. After interviewing about seven guilds, the line vanished.
1. My top priority is acquiring the Humanization Skill, so gather info on it and prioritize activities toward that until I get it.
2. Until I get the Humanization Skill, assign someone to assist me.
3. Beyond base pay, give guild shares or solid performance bonuses.
4. Let me choose quests.
Every face turned subtle. Did I overreach just because I'm a rare, privileged Divine Beast? I'd figured some would bite, but nope. The guild masters left with awkward expressions; only casual chatters remained, no more recruitment.
"Ah~ maybe I shouldn't have asked for shares..."
Sighing, I scanned around and spotted someone waving from what looked like a restaurant—Als. Lizbet sat beside him. As he lowered his hand, I noticed matching guild marks tattooed on their hands.
Familiar faces, at least. I trotted over.
"Not going well, huh, Sema? How've you been?"
"Hey, Als. Me? Been dragged around like a circus act. You two vanished for a bit—went to that nearby dungeon?"
"Dungeon? Nah, we've been explaining you nonstop and just got back at lunch. Ugh, exhausted..."
Lizbet griped with a sigh. She looked worn out compared to our first meeting—must've been draining.
A staffer asked for my order, but with this body, I waved it off and stood by them.
"Big guilds today weren't thrilled... what conditions did you set?"
"Oh, that..."
I recapped my pitch to Als. He gave a wry smile; Lizbet looked incredulous.
"What~? You tried joining a guild with those terms?"
"Too much, huh? The shares...?"
"Shares aside, most give performance bonuses anyway. The issues are the assistant and quest choice."
Als explained guilds wanted immediate firepower. Demanding an assistant until an uncertain Humanization Skill was like shorting manpower. And quest choice? Unacceptable—it'd make every member demand picks, leaving tough quests undone, tanking guild ratings and funding.
"Plus, your fierce look and wild Esser make even 'Divine Beast' dubious. Who'd accept?"
Ah... like an employee picking jobs. Adventurers still eyed me warily. My mobility conditions backfired. Als added guild masters couldn't risk guild losses.
"Anyway, sounds like only big guilds came today. That dungeon was brutal—emergency quest forced most in, some took heavy losses. Fresh back, they're swamped, so small-to-mid guilds might pitch tomorrow?"
Yeah, adventurers looked roughed up—bandages, injuries everywhere.
"Damn... that many dangerous dungeons? Even with all those guilds."
"Normal ones aren't that bad, but past few years, nasty ones pop up sporadically. Ignore 'em, monsters corrupt to demon beasts, spill out, turn areas Tesser-overloaded like the Cursed Mountain Range."
"Hoo..."
That, plus sporadic danger dungeons, reminded me of Homeless God's apocalypse talk. Centuries off, though...?
Als eyed me thoughtfully. "Hmm. Sema... wanna join our guild?"
"Hah!? Him!? In our guild!?"
"Oh... your guild?"
Lizbet gawked at Als; he grinned and turned to me.
"Our guild's Madel's Light—just Liz and me. Madel’s our hometown. We vowed as kids to be adventurers; she went to magic school, I trained at adventurer academy, founded it last year after graduating."
Small-town prodigies who'd promised to adventure together. Lizbet had innate magic talent, scouted for school (6 years); Als grinded rep, awakened as Hero pre-guild. Madel's Light was their dream team—rookie but promising. Guild watched favorably, other guilds invited them sometimes. Heartwarming kid stuff; no big-guild competition yet.
"We bolted to make history, but lately feel underpowered. Hitting rookie wall."
Yeah, rookie walls everywhere. They seemed antsy. Recalled their mad cow hunt—not a quest.
"Quest choice is iffy for us too... but other terms? Manageable. Three-man team means we're assisting anyway. Whaddya say?"
Tempting, sans choice. But two young kids as whole guild? Startup vibes—risky?
"If joining's iffy, try temp contract work? No exp share, taxes eat profits, but low-commitment career builder. Some do it pre-permanent."
"Oh?"
Sera mentioned that. Temp sounded good pre-Humanization; I had cash buffer.
"Yeah, temp seems smart. I'm clueless on guilds, other knowledge—rushing permanent feels off."
"Agreed. Quitting or firing early from first guild raises red flags—discord suspicions logged on cards. Hard to shake."
Temps just logged jobs, no join record. Big feats rare for temps. Fine for me—no rush for rep.
"Cool, temp with you two then. Lizbet?"
I teased her sulky face.
She twitched, sighed. "Sigh. Fine... we thought about adding one anyway..."
Still miffed. Couple guild adding (temp) outsider? Understandable.
Her pout stirred mischief—maybe join and tease anyway.
"Since it's out... meet at guild tomorrow, pick quest, tour city? Bet you haven't seen much."
"Yeah. Got citizenship today, free to roam, but paths unknown, stares suck."
"Settled. No rush tomorrow—pick quests, shop for prep."
"Got it~"
Chatted more, set morning meet, parted ways.