We approached the bathhouse, and an elderly woman was sitting at the entrance.
"Hello, how much is the entry fee?" asked Tasu.
"It's free for you."
"Free? But why?"
"You look tired, and it seems you haven't been to a bath in a long time."
"Thank you!" I said. "By the way, what currency is used here?"
"Piruui."
"And where can we buy clothes?" Tasu asked.
"You don't have any money, do you?" the grandmother asked.
"Unfortunately, no."
"We have a small shop where you can take clothes for free, especially for newcomers."
"Thank you very much."
The grandmother was very kind and showed us the location of the shop on the map. After that, we headed to the bathhouse.
"It's been so long since I've been to a bath," said Tasu.
"Yeah, since the start of the war. Do you remember how long it lasted?"
"We were involved for about two weeks," Tasu replied.
"We should ask the grandmother what year it is."
"Right! I think a lot of time has passed..."
Thirty minutes later...
"That was a good bath!" I said.
"I agree, it was a great bath," Tasu supported me. "We should come again."
We went outside and approached the grandmother.
"How was the bath?" she asked.
"Just great!" Tasu said, stretching.
"By the way, could you tell us what year it is?"
"The year 3400."
"Thank you very much. We'll be going then."
"Strange kids, though nice," the grandmother muttered.
"Akusa, do you remember what year the war started?" Tasu asked.
"I think it was 2400."
"So, we were sealed for a thousand years?"
"Looks like it."
Tasu was shocked.
"I think it's time to get some clothes," I suggested.
"Yeah!"
It was the end of summer outside. We walked up to a small shop with counters full of clothes.
"This is weird, where's the seller?" Tasu wondered.
"Looks like there's no seller needed," I pointed out, showing him a sign that read "Everything is free."
"So we just pick what we want and leave?"
"Seems so."
I picked a gray t-shirt, a dark hoodie, and light pants. Tasu chose a white t-shirt, a gray hoodie, and dark pants.
"We'll die of heat in this..."
"But there's nothing else here."
We changed clothes right away.
"Akusa, look, there's a guild!" Tasu noticed.
"Right. We can register and make some money."
We walked to an old gray-brick guild building. Inside, there was a desk where a cute girl was sitting—she was likely in charge of registering new members and handing out rewards. To the right was a staircase leading up to a café.
We approached the desk.
"Hello, we'd like to register for the guild."
"Hello. To do that, you need to tell me your names and take a small test."
"A test? Akusa, I think we made a mistake. Let's go," Tasu whispered, trying to pull me out.
"Wait, let's listen."
"Okay. What's the test?" I asked.
"A magic level test."
"Did you hear that?"
"Ah, then count me in!"
"Great, please tell me your names."
"Akusa Takaru."
"Tasume Sukuza."
"Okay. Now, the test for mana amount."
The girl brought out a magical cube.
"You need to place your hand on this cube, and it will determine your magic level."
"Alright, I'll go first," said Tasu, placing his hand on the cube.
"Your magic level is 9450," the girl said, her voice trailing off in surprise.
"Is something wrong?"
"Your level is very high. Usually, guild members have a power of up to 3000. Who are you?"
"Just a mage," Tasu shrugged.
"Now it's my turn," I said.
The girl was still shocked when I placed my hand on the cube.
"Your magic level is 8900."
Even lower than Tasu's! He's a real monster, I thought.
"Alright, you're accepted. But be aware, you'll be given more difficult tasks."
That was obvious.
"Is there anyone else in the guild with such a magic level?" Tasu asked.
"Only one mage has more than ten thousand units of power."
"How much?" Tasu was surprised.
"The magic cube can measure up to ten thousand. When he placed his hand on it, the cube broke."
The cube couldn't handle his power... He must be stronger than us.
"Alright, now for the rules," the girl continued.
"First, don't steal other people's quests. Second, fighting between groups is prohibited.
Third, rewards are given after completing the task. That's all."
The rules were pretty simple and clear.
"Got it. When can we start tasks?" Tasu asked.
"Right now. There are two tasks on the board."
We approached the board. One task was to kill the "Mutant Wolf," and the other was to gather medicinal herbs from the "Forest of Death."
"Mutant Wolf?" I was surprised.
"Sometimes, mutants appear among animals."
"Why?"
"No one really knows. They say it's related to the lake deep in the Forest of Death."
"Got it. Should we split up?"
"Okay, I'll go for the Wolf, and you get the herbs," Tasu suggested.
"Are you sure you want to split up?" asked the girl. "Missions are usually completed in pairs or even groups."
"We have plenty of mana, so this will be like training," Tasu said confidently.
"How do we find the mutants? And how will you know that we actually killed them?"
"Here is a map that shows the exact appearances of various items and monsters related to the mission. After defeating a monster, we will see it using special magic."
"Thank you, we'll go then.. "
"Good luck, guys."