Adventurers of Gjallarhorn (New Series Starts Here)
Adventurers of Gjallarhorn (New Series Starts Here)
The magic power charging dates went on like that.
We kept playing naughty games with each other's bodies until we were exhausted.
Hell of a fun and arousing date.
It felt like playing dirty games with my girlfriend. I liked it.
"magic power charging dates are the beeeest!"
"Y-you idiot! Don't shout it out loud!"
A week passed like that, and before we knew it, the Silver Tier promotion ceremony was right around the corner.
The day I, the adventurer Luke, would finally escape the Bronze Abyss.
I'd earned this promotion after completing that quest to take down the orc pack in the abandoned mine.
'I almost got stabbed to death by an Orc Warrior and died without ever getting promoted. Nearly met my end in the Bronze Abyss.'
Even looking back on it now, that promotion quest was way too close for comfort.
If Kate hadn't thrown that lantern when the quest target, the Orc Warrior, charged at us, I'd be an incubus skewer right about now.
But I survived, got my Silver rank, and even started dating Kate, so I guess that makes it a happy ending.
Honestly, isn't everything pretty much wrapped up at this point?
Because the world's become a place where nobody gets hurt anymore.
I thought that way right up until the promotion ceremony actually started at the Adventurer's Guild.
The long, drawn-out love triangle had finally ended, we'd added a nun to our fixed party, which made us a lot more solid, so I figured only a path of flowers awaited us from here on out.
*
The Adventurer's Guild of Yoen-su was called 'Gjallarhorn.'
Gjallarhorn's adventurer promotion ceremonies were held in a separate annex on the guild grounds. The annex building was shaped like a huge horn trumpet stood upright on the ground, and that was because Gjallarhorn's very symbol was a horn.
'Why the hell is an adventurer guild's symbol a horn, and not a sword or shield?'
I used to think it was weird.
When I first joined the guild two years ago as a rookie, I just assumed the Guild Master had peculiar tastes. But then I asked Wendy about it, and she told me there was actually a pretty decent reason.
━Why is the guild's symbol a horn?
━Yeah, I've been curious about that.
━Long ago, adventurers from the Western Continent had a custom of carrying a horn whenever they set out on an expedition. It was to blow the horn and warn their comrades if they ran into danger during the journey. You could say the horn served perfectly as a means of communication for the senior adventurers of old.
Well, that and apparently they'd produce special notes to use like coded signals.
Or when an expedition ended successfully, everyone would gather and play their horns together in an ensemble.
So naturally, the horn became a symbol representing the adventurers of old.
'Not that anyone actually carries one around these days.'
Of course, adventurers of the current generation don't lug around some clunky horn. If they're going to use communication equipment, they'd rather get a new magical communication tool. That's because a horn gets treated like some gloomy ancient relic that only fossilized old-timer adventurers would use.
Anyway, that's why the guild annex is shaped like a ridiculous horn, and when you talk inside it, it vibrates like a dildo, going wooooong.
Why does it vibrate?
Because the building's structure is literally like a real musical instrument.
'Whoever designed this building was seriously insane.'
Thanks to that, when I reunited with Kate in the hall where the promotion ceremony was being held, the echo effect on our conversation was goddamn awful.
"It's been a while, Kateeeee."
"Mongma-niiim. It's been a whole week since I saw youuuuu."
Wooooongwooooongwooooong.
There were exactly four adventurers in the hall, counting me and Kate.
Namely, the brave adventurers who'd tackled that promotion quest together last time.
Me, 'Luke,' the party leader.
The nun 'Kate,' who became my lover.
'Ally the Blackheart,' a halfling who enjoys following the tempo.
'Brut,' a gukbap-style dealer Lizardman.
In the hall, which had tiered seating like a CGV movie theater, only the four of us adventurers were sitting there, looking all alone. Honestly, the room felt way too empty and desolate with so few people in it.
The two female members chatting were the only thing filling up the audio space.
"Sister nun-niiie. I've missed your heals so much. Without your reliable heals around, my tempo keeps dragging, you know? Did anything eventful happen this past week?"
"So much has happened, Ally-niiim. I've finally started dating Mongma-nim!"
"Wow, that's crazy! The continent's first-ever incubus-nun couple has been born among our guild members! Who confessed first?"
"Fufufufu, I confessed my feelings first."
Wooooongwooooongwooooongwooooong.
'Ah, damn, this echoing sound is obnoxiously loud.'
The echo bouncing off the building's walls was enough to give me a headache. I cast a decent self-suggestion spell on myself to clean up how things sounded. As I was listening to Kate and the tempo-following halfling chatter on, Brut spoke up from beside me.
Upon hearing that I'd started dating Kate, Brut's crocodilian eyes went wide.
"Mighty and strong morning! Is that the real truth, Mage? You made that heal-spreading female yours!"
This language-patch-deficient baby crocodile never changes.
I nodded and answered in the affirmative.
"Yeah. Kate is my girlfriend now, my own personal little nun. We've even formed a fixed party together, so we'll be taking quests together from now on. Honestly, aren't you a little jealous I got a healer girlfriend, Brut?"
"Not jealous. My body sturdy, no need for heal. When I go hunt, I bring all 7 potions I packed right back home with me."
Truly a gukbap-style dealer, huh.
Not being the least bit envious of a damage dealer's ultimate setup, having your own personal healer, is honestly kinda impressive.
"But you finding a compatible female to mate with. That's enviable. Me, Brut, earn money, go back to hometown, plan to propose to childhood friend female. Make many babies. Make a futsal team."
"A c-childhood friend female? That's pretty romantic."
What's with this Lizardman? He's actually a pure-hearted guy.
That was when I silently cheered Brut on in my heart.
At the front of the annex hall, there was a wide stage, and the stage was covered by a red curtain, just like in a theater. But then, the curtain parted slightly, and a woman peeked her head out from the gap.
"Ah... I apologize to all the adventurers who've been waiting. The start time for today's Silver Tier promotion ceremony is now. However, a small accident has occurred, so you'll need to wait just a little bit longer."
The one who appeared on the stage was my designated receptionist, Wendy Bright.
As the most senior receptionist lady in Gjallarhorn, she's practically the face of the guild staff.
'Yeah, it's definitely past time.'
The promotion ceremony's start time was exactly 1 PM, but it was already a bit past 1.
But there was no way I could get mad at Wendy.
Because just seeing those huge knockers swaying above her deeply-cut receptionist uniform makes any anger just melt away like snow.
'Her tits are fucking huge, seriously.'
Looking at Wendy makes it perfectly clear why the receptionist uniforms were designed to be that sexy. Any person with a complaint who storms up to the counter will see breasts first thing. Anyone who sees that giant baby food dispenser will revert to their childhood innocence and calm their anger.
Men, and women alike.
I raised a hand and called out to Wendy.
"It's fine. We're all close with you, Wendy. Every adventurer here is someone you're responsible for. Being a little late is totally understandable."
The other members, including Kate, didn't get angry either.
Only, Kate asked what kind of accident had happened with the promotion ceremony schedule.
"Wendy unni! What kind of accident happened? How late is the ceremony?"
"Your promotion ceremony was originally scheduled to have Gjallarhorn's Guild Master attend in person. But the Master's wagon, which he'd taken on an external business trip, broke down on the way back. So, since the Master can't return to Yoen-su today, the 'Vice Guild Master' will be attending the promotion ceremony in his stead."
"The Vice Guild Master is coming here?"
"Yes. They said she just left her official residence, so she should arrive in about 10 minutes."
The Vice Guild Master.
A person also referred to by the abbreviation 'Vice Guild Master' among adventurers. The Vice Guild Master's identity is the Guild Master's own daughter, and she manages Gjallarhorn in place of her father, who frequently travels for business.
Because of this, she sees the faces of adventurers like me quite often, so I distinctly remember who she is.
Even when I took the guild entrance test two years ago, the Vice Guild Master was around.
But Kate didn't seem to know who the Vice Guild Master was.
With an expression full of curiosity, she asked me a question.
"Mongma-nim. What's our Vice Guild Master's name?"
"You don't know the Vice Guild Master's name?"
"I actually only started adventurer work half a year ago! Since I'm a nun, I get a free pass on everything, so I rarely ever have to see the guild staff's faces. That's why I don't know who the Vice Guild Master is."
So, being a nun meant she never needed to know the staff.
Man, that must be nice. I've been running around learning all sorts of guild stuff on the off chance I could scrounge up any scraps.
"The Vice Guild Master's name is Bellatrix Lignote. Among guild members, she's called 'Bella' for short."
"Bella, is it? Is there anything else I should know besides her name?"
"Her title is Vice Guild Master, but she's the one who actually calls the shots in our guild. She's the sole heir set to inherit the Guild Master position. I heard she's currently serving as Vice Guild Master and learning the ropes of management. But she's mostly done learning and will probably become Guild Master within this year."
That analogy is on a grand scale, but...
It's kind of like how kings in the Joseon Dynasty would have the Crown Prince rule as regent. By entrusting them with the work, the prince learns the king's duties through real experience. Since a Guild Master is basically the king of the guild, it's similar, right?
Three years.
That's the period Bella's been active as Gjallarhorn's Vice Guild Master.
When she first started the Vice Guild Master job, Bella supposedly caused all sorts of incidents.
"If she's the next Guild Master, she must be an important person. Seeing how well the guild is running, she's probably a capable person, right?"
"Well... she's not exactly rated as 'capable' by the adventurers. I hear she pulled so much weird stuff when she first started working. It's because she's a young lady with a peculiar way of thinking."
I told Kate about the most infamous incident Bella caused.
"Apparently, a while ago, that woman made the guild sell something called a <Quest Instant Completion Ticket> for money."
"What's a Quest Instant Completion Ticket?"
"It's a system where an adventurer pays money and gets treated as if they cleared a quest without actually doing it. You clear quests with money and keep racking up achievement points to climb to a higher tier. Since it was a system that made the whole tier rank meaningless, I heard the adventurers protested like crazy."
"Ah-ha. So she was selling achievement points for money! What a waste. If they still sold those, I'd have already hit Gold rank and then some."
And there were other things, like neglecting to manage the guild for months on end.
She set off so many bombs that adventurers had a derisive nickname for the Vice Guild Master.
'Doom Bella.'
I think that was the name?
For reference, Doom Bella is a compound word of 'doom' (meaning fate) and Bella.
The name was given because, apparently, if the Vice Guild Master kept working, Gjallarhorn was doomed.
"So what you're saying is, the person we're about to meet is totally incompetent! She's the next Guild Master, she can't be incompetent."
"But she's not completely incompetent either, you know. The fact is, Bella is also the one who revitalized Gjallarhorn to be even more splendid than before. Actually, it's thanks to Bella that Gjallarhorn became the most successful adventurer guild on the Western Continent."
Gjallarhorn is an old guild with a history of a whopping 150 years.
Which means it had accumulated just as many deep-rooted bad practices and outdated, worn-out systems.
The Vice Guild Master they called Doom Bella suddenly came to her senses one day and started personally reforming the Adventurer's Guild.
Thanks to her tearing apart and overhauling the guild system here and there, Gjallarhorn entered a second golden age.
Coincidentally, I'm a newbie adventurer who joined right around the time Bella got her act together. I never got to experience the disaster bombs the Vice Guild Master set off firsthand, but hey, the guild is booming now, so doesn't that mean it all worked out?
"Bella-light."
"What's Bella-light now?"
"That's the nickname adventurers use for the Vice Guild Master these days. It's a combination of Bella and 'Light,' as in, the illuminating kind. I hear she got that nickname because she does her job so well it's like she's glowing with a halo behind her."
"Just hearing about her, she sounds super interesting! I mean, one person brought the guild to the brink of ruin and then made it prosper."
It was just about when I'd finished recounting the stories about Bella.
Perhaps because that famous Vice Guild Master was finally making her way into the guild, I could hear the cheering of adventurers ringing out from outside the building.
Cocking an ear, the adventurers outside were all shouting in unison.
━ Bella-light! Bella-light! Bella-light!
━ We're blinded by the radiance, Bella-light!!
━ Vice Guild Master unni, we love you as much as the Horn!!
The voice answering those cheers was clear, yet had a quality like jade marbles rolling around.
━ Yes, hello everyone. Fufu.
A voice with a calm and refined aura that made men's hearts flutter.
The owner of that voice, who'd been politely responding to the adventurers' cheers, soon entered the annex and appeared before us, the ones waiting in the hall.
"I apologize for being late. I am Bella, and I will be overseeing your promotion ceremony in my father's stead. I had no idea the wagon my father was riding in would suddenly break down on its way back. I apologize for the delay this wagon malfunction has caused to the ceremony."
I wasn't entirely sure why she was acting sorry for a random accident.
The owner of the voice apologized to us and added a remark.
"━This part was a design miss on my part."
But I still didn't get it.
A design miss?
The wagon just broke down by chance, so how was that her own design miss?
'She really has a good personality, befitting a Vice Guild Master.'
Anyway, she didn't give a bad impression. It meant she was someone who cared about adventurers enough to take personal responsibility even for a coincidental accident.
Vice Guild Master Bella-tris.
The woman who would soon be the owner of Gjallarhorn finally revealed herself in the hall.
"Receptionist Wendy. Thank you for your hard work guiding the adventurers in my place. Please bring the silver badges to be distributed to them."
"Understood! Master Bella!"
Receptionist Wendy bowed politely to Bella and then brought out a case from behind the stage. A case covered by a glass lid held a total of four silver badges.
They were the items that would prove we had passed the promotion match and become Silver Tier.
But even with the silver badges right in front of me, I was looking somewhere else entirely.
I guess you could say I was mesmerized.
Because Bella was a beauty who exuded an aura so captivating it seized men's gazes.
Black hair flowing with a pure and refined atmosphere.
Eyes with a purplish tint that gave off a mysteriously bewitching vibe.
She had a slender figure and wore a necktie over a blouse, which was clearly some kind of guild staff uniform, but when she wore it, it gave off the feeling of a student's school uniform.
Her characteristic expressionless yet calm demeanor made her an incredibly charming woman.
'Guess being the rich family's daughter makes her pretty, huh.'
It was when I was staring at Bella for a moment.
When our eyes met, the corners of Bella's lips, which had been sealed in a straight line, curled up slightly.
The realization that this was a smile came only after the promotion ceremony was completely over.
Because she was a person with very little facial expression to begin with.
"Mage Luke."
Unexpectedly, Bella called out my name.