I Became an F-Rank Adventurer
I had become an F-rank adventurer.
Charm has increased by 4.
This time too, huh.
Just like with Helga, and now with Isabella too. After spending the night with them, my hidden stats rose the next day. In this unfamiliar other world I had been thrown into, it felt like a single ray of hope.
Yeah… All I have to do is survive. My stats will keep climbing anyway.
"Mmm…"
Isabella was fast asleep, using my thigh as a pillow with a peaceful expression on her face. This was the first time she had met me—a man—yet her wariness had completely melted away. No matter how good the sex was, I wondered if it was truly enough for her to drop her guard this thoroughly and fall asleep.
Of course, the female knight standing guard was still glaring at me. She was probably protecting her employer.
As I watched the knight, I felt a grip around my lower body. When I looked down, Isabella—who had been sleeping for several hours—had opened her drowsy eyes.
"…Ahh."
She toyed with my cock for a moment, then took it into her mouth without a word.
"Chu… chu… lick… slurp…"
I started the morning with a pleasant sensation. Beginning the day buried in a beautiful woman also meant I had been acknowledged as a man. Just like Helga’s reaction, Isabella actively embraced me as well. Even though I had caressed, grabbed, and thrust into her until she collapsed from exhaustion yesterday, she showed no signs of tiring and sucked my cock with sincere devotion.
"Haa…"
-Gulp! Gulp!
Naturally, Isabella’s skillful tongue drew my release out of me.
"Glup… glup…"
Isabella swallowed every drop without hesitation, then finally released me.
"Paula."
"Yes, Lady Isabella."
"Bring me a copy of the request form."
"Understood, Lady Isabella."
At her command, the female knight stopped glaring at me and disappeared somewhere. Isabella smoothly rose from the bed and stepped out from under the covers.
"It seems my eye for people has grown dull."
Isabella continued speaking while showing me her back.
"I feel refreshed."
She walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and revealed it was packed with gold coins. She scooped up a handful with one hand.
"Since we had a satisfying transaction, I suppose I should pay the proper amount."
She approached me with the gold and held it out. Standing boldly naked right in front of me, she pressed the coins into my palm.
"This is more than ten gold, Lady Isabella."
"Consider the rest whatever you like. I’m giving it because I want to."
Was this thanks for last night’s performance, or a deposit to secure future nights? I wasn’t sure, but I could tell Isabella now saw me as a person.
"…Thank you."
Isabella smiled, took the copy of the request form Paula had brought, and began writing on it with a quill. She rewrote the form she had torn yesterday and handed it to me. After that, I left the client’s mansion.
"Here is the adventurer badge fee and registration fee."
"Already? That’s impressive, isn’t it?"
Guildmaster Ivy, a petite beauty with a pipe in her mouth, clapped her hands the moment she saw me and accepted the money.
"Please return my belt."
"Of course I’ll return it. We’re family now, after all."
I decided to take that last remark with a grain of salt. Her goal was clearly the mountain of prostitution requests and the rarity of a male adventurer. Still, joining an organization wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
"Then I’ll need a weapon to protect my new family. Do you know any good shops or blacksmiths?"
"A weapon? Ah, right."
Now that I had money, I figured I needed at least one weapon for self-defense. Plus, my black hair drew too much attention, so I needed a robe or armor to hide it.
"I know a blacksmith that’s far better than just ‘good.’"
Seeing her stall, I pulled out one silver and set it in front of her.
"Hehe… Even as a man, you’ve got the basics down, huh?"
The guildmaster immediately wrote a letter of introduction and gave me the blacksmith’s location. I took the letter and left the guild.
"Looks like I’ll have to work two jobs."
If there was one thing this world shared with the one I came from, it was money. With enough money, I could gain power, obtain information, and protect myself more easily. So my plan was to handle adventurer requests during the day and take prostitution requests at night.
"If I work both jobs, I won’t have to waste money on an inn."
I could just sleep at whatever woman’s house I ended up with.
I headed to the location written on the introduction letter.
-Clang! Clang! Clang!
When I arrived at the blacksmith, a middle-aged woman was hammering away without even glancing in my direction.
"I was sent by the guildmaster."
At my voice she finally turned her head, gave me a single look, then returned to hammering. I waited patiently. She seemed deeply focused.
-Hiss…!
Steam rose as the red-hot iron cooled in water, and the blacksmith finally spoke.
"What does a man want in a blacksmith shop?"
"I need a weapon and armor to protect myself."
"Do you really need those? You’ll just hide behind women anyway."
As she said, women in this world were stronger than men and usually fought on the front lines.
"I have money."
"Money isn’t the issue. I just hate wasting good weapons."
-Thud!
She dropped a heavy-looking piece of iron in front of me and glared.
"I can’t sell my weapons to a man who can’t even use what’s between his legs properly."
I pulled a gold coin from my pocket and set it beside the iron.
"This is the money I earned last night using what’s between my legs."
"Ha…! Look at this bold bastard. You’re more annoying than you look."
The blacksmith auntie gave a dry laugh and tapped the iron.
"If you can lift this lump of iron with one hand, I’ll sell you my goods. If not, get lost. It’s meaningless."
"…"
"If you can’t do it, leave. I don’t have time to waste."
She waved me away indifferently. I set the gold coin on the table and grabbed the iron.
-Whoosh!
I lifted it with one hand as easily as picking up a basketball.
"You… lifted that so easily?"
"Is there a problem?"
"N-no, how…"
How? After spending one night with Helga and gaining ten points in strength, my power had increased dramatically. I didn’t know exactly how strong that made me, but it was more than enough to lift something like this.
"You said if I could lift it with one hand, you’d sell me the equipment."
"…Tsk. Fine. I keep my word, black-hair."
"My name is Kang Seo-ja."
"Right. Kang Seo-ja."
She was the type of blacksmith who, despite her prejudices, treated those she acknowledged as proper customers. It hadn’t been many days since I arrived in this world, but I had already noticed that the women here would accept you if you met their standards.
Using that habit could work in my favor—or against me. It would probably affect a man like me, who stood beneath women, even more strongly. Still, having to prove myself with arguments every single time was exhausting.
I want to raise my adventurer rank as fast as possible.
That was all I could think about right now. I wanted to prove myself with a single adventurer badge instead of going through these tiring procedures. This equipment was an investment toward that goal.
"Do you have a weapon in mind? Dagger? Whip?"
"A dagger is too small. I’m not sure about a whip. I’d prefer something longer and larger than a short sword."
"Even if you’re stronger than the average man, that’s greedy. You won’t last long with it."
"I’ll make sure to use it well."
"You’re going to match yourself to the sword, huh… Interesting."
The blacksmith auntie took the iron I had set down and showed me the displayed blades one by one.
-Clang! Clang! Clang!
While watching her hammer, I thought long and hard. I picked up each sword, swung them, and tried to find the one that felt perfect. Of course, all of it was pointless. I knew almost nothing about swords or what made one good. To me, every weapon here looked excellent.
"That blade is five gold."
"Here you are."
"You’re not going to haggle?"
"I think you already gave me a fair price."
"Hmph! An unlucky man from start to finish."
"It’s something I hear often wherever I go."
"You’re surprisingly talkative, too."
"I spent a long time alone."
The blacksmith auntie took the gold, grabbed a leather scabbard from the shelf, and tossed it.
-Thud.
It landed exactly in front of me.
"This is…"
"A service. Come back next time. Other blacksmiths will tell a black-haired man to scram the moment they see him."
"…Thank you."
The blacksmith auntie seemed far more warm-hearted than I had expected. I finally understood why the guildmaster had written an introduction for this place. As expected, even if it felt uneasy, belonging to some group wasn’t a bad thing.
I slid the sword into the scabbard, gripped the hilt, and drew it.
"The weight?"
"I’d like it a little heavier."
"If it breaks, I’ll make you a new one for ten gold next time."
"Sounds good."
"You said you needed armor too, right?"
"Yes."
"I don’t handle armor. Go further inside. My younger sibling runs a shop there."
I gave a small nod, sheathed the sword, and moved on.
"…What a strange fellow."
The blacksmith watched the black-haired man until he disappeared.
"It gives me a strange feeling. Like I’ve been charmed…"
Deciding the sensation wasn’t unpleasant, she lifted her hammer again.
-Clang!
After passing through the forge and stepping inside, I found the armor shop exactly as the blacksmith auntie had described. I walked straight to the door, grabbed the handle, and pulled.
-Ting-a-ling~
"Welcome~"
Was this the blacksmith’s younger sibling? A man who looked younger than me appeared.
"I was told to come here for armor."
"You’re a man, I see."
"Yes. I’d like a robe to cover my head and light armor that’s easy to move in."
"I understand the robe, but… will you be wearing the armor yourself?"
"Yes. Don’t you have armor for men?"
"We do. Since you came with my sister’s approval… Yes, shall I recommend something suitable?"
"I’d appreciate it."
The armor merchant roughly measured my height with his eyes, then showed me the displayed robes and armor. Since this was my first time dealing with armor, I decided to try whatever he suggested and fill in the gaps later.
"How about this?"
"I like it."
It was a black robe paired with leather armor that covered my chest and thighs. It didn’t hinder my movement much. Best of all, the color and design made it inconspicuous.
"I’ll take this."
"There are other items… Are you sure this is enough?"
"Yes. I’ll try it out first."
"I see. Testing it with your own body… That’s not a bad idea."
***
Thanks to the blacksmith the guildmaster had introduced, I obtained a sword, light armor, and a robe. A weapon that could threaten anyone who wished me harm, a robe to hide my black hair, and armor to cover my weak points—everything was ready. The total cost had exceeded ten gold.
-Rip.
Back at the adventurer guild, I scanned the bulletin board and tore off one request form.
Goblin Nest Cleanup
📍 Rank: D
📍 Objective: Eliminate the goblins in the discovered nest
🎁 Reward: 3 Gold