NOVEL NEXT chapter 8 - Divine Cat Mii-chan woke up and was at the Hunter's Guild.
8 Divine Cat Mii-chan woke up and was at the Hunter’s Guild.
In the morning, my room was knocked on.
“It’s time, Nero.”
“Good morning. I’m already ready. Yawn~”
“Don’t go back to sleep!”
Honestly, I want to go back to sleep. I cut off that feeling and changed clothes, washed my face, brushed my teeth, fixed my hair, and got ready. I carried sleeping Mii-chan and left the inn.
Outside was enveloped in morning mist and was cool. What time of year is it now? It’s a spring-like season that’s comfortable. Despite the street still being dim, the people in the shops on the street have started their activities. Everyone is an early riser.
When I arrived at the guild, hunters were already gathering outside. Going around to the back of the building and entering, the guild staff had already started working.
The Hunter’s Guild is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and I heard that the staff work in two shifts, basic early and late shifts. So the staff here now are the early shift staff.
“Good morning. I’m Nero, starting today. Nice to meet you.”
“It’s too noisy from the morning, kid. It’s ringing in my head.”
It’s Gais. Wow, he smells like alcohol. Is he hungover? What is this guy doing? Greeting is important, right?
“Someone, give me water…”
No one reacts… Are they concentrating on their work, or are they just ignoring me? It’s a difficult situation to judge. Oh well, I’ll give him the mineral water I summoned yesterday.
“Here you go.”
“What’s this? Kid?”
Ah, right, there wouldn’t be things like PET bottles in this world. I opened the lid and handed it to him.
“What a strange water bottle. Well, I’ll gratefully accept it.”
He chugged it down in one go. He must have been really thirsty, but it’s too boisterous. It’s leaking from his mouth…
“Hey kid!”
“Mii~!”
“What the hell did you make me drink!”
Gais’s voice echoed through the guild, and everyone was staring at us. It wasn’t mineral water for Mii-chan.
“I-I just gave you plain water.”
“What are you saying! There’s no way this is just water!”
I took out another one from my bag and appraised it. It turned out to be a low-grade panacea combined with a low-grade healing potion… What are you doing, God! No, I’m not angry. Thank you in reverse! It seems that this is not only for Mii-chan but also effective for humans. This is the best gift!
“Oops, I accidentally gave you a low-grade panacea. Teehee♪”
“What the hell! A low-grade panacea! Hey kid, is that true?”
“Yes, there’s no mistake.”
Gais looked surprised, but soon a smile spread across his face.
“Hey, you’re not just any kid. A low-grade panacea is a rare item that’s not easy to come by. To casually hand it over like that, you’re not an ordinary guy.”
The guild staff are also looking surprised and impressed. The value of a low-grade panacea is high, especially for hunters.
“Thank you, kid. Thanks to this, my hangover is gone!”
“No, you’re welcome.”
“Well then, kid. I’ll leave you with some miscellaneous tasks. First, go ask Pamil at the reception for instructions. Also, I’ll leave the cleaning of this place to you. Got it?”
“Yes, understood.”
I went to Pamil, who greeted me with a smile.
“Good morning, Nero. It’s tough from the morning, isn’t it? But this is where it really starts. First, get the cleaning tools and clean the guild floor thoroughly. Then, please organize the shelves.”
“Understood!”
I went to get the cleaning tools and cleaned the guild floor carefully. It’s just odd jobs from the first day, but it’s all part of the job. Mii-chan is spreading charm on the counter. The guild staff and hunters seem to be fond of Mii-chan.
After finishing cleaning and organizing the shelves, Pamil called out to me.
“You’ve done a great job, Nero. Next, go to the guild warehouse and check the necessary supplies. The list is here, so please check according to it.”
“Yes, understood.”
I headed to the warehouse and checked the supplies according to the list. This is also an important job. The first day is busy, but there’s a sense of accomplishment.
Around the time I finished all the tasks, Gais came over.
“You did well today, kid. I’ll count on you from now on.”
“Thank you. I’ll do my best!”
As a member of the guild, I’ll continue to work hard. Mii-chan is also working hard with me, so let’s continue to do our best together.
“Wha- it’s a panacea! No way… So all of those were low-grade panaceas? At least ten normal ones… I drank enough to buy ten gold coins… Haha…”
Gais collapsed right there, looking up at the ceiling and laughing. What’s so funny?
But seriously, one bottle equals ten gold coins? I feel like I’m in danger here. I absolutely won’t mention that I can summon these. If word gets out, I could get caught by some authority and… well, it’s terrifying. I don’t want that. This has to stay a secret.
I quietly put the bottle back into my bag. “No one’s watching, right?” Yeah, everyone’s definitely looking over here… I also collected the empty bottles while I was at it.
“Hey! What are you doing during this busy time?! Get back to work! And Gais, what are you up to?”
“Pamil… Sorry, but I’m out for today…”
“W-Wait, what are you saying?”
Gais stumbled out of the guild building as if his soul had left his body. It’s not my fault, right?
“What happened, Nero?”
“W-Well?”
“Oh well. Things will go smoother without Gais around. Nero, come over here.”
I followed Pamil, and she led me to a room behind the most prominent notice board in the guild. The front notice board was up near the ceiling, but this one in front of us was at eye level.
“Starting today, you’ll be handling tasks exclusively here, Nero. Make sure to remember everything.”
The bulletin board here is used to post requests for hunters. It’s divided into three sections: monster hunting requests, non-hunting requests, and yesterday’s unresolved requests.
First, I start by transferring yesterday’s unclaimed requests to the unresolved section. This bulletin board is really handy, as it connects seamlessly between the front and back sides—anything written here appears on the front. Quite high-tech…
I lay a towel on the table beside me for Mii-chan to rest on. She’s quite something to sleep through Gais-san’s yelling. She’s peacefully snoring away without a care in the world.
Once everything’s set, I use a dedicated pen to copy down the details of the requests: the task, timeframe, rewards, and any notes. When I finish, Pamil-san hands me a sheet filled front and back with requests. Looks like I have to write all these. Can I finish by the guild’s opening time at 6 AM? I better hurry.
“Listen while you work. First task in the morning is this. Then stay here and check the bulletin board based on info coming in from the reception. You’ll hear it from this box where the receptionist’s voice comes through, so listen carefully.”
There’s a speaker-like device next to the bulletin board. Pamil-san demonstrates by going to the reception and trying it out.
“Do you hear me?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I ran out to the front and waved to signal I could hear.
“Haha… Sorry, sorry. I didn’t explain how to use it.”
While holding down the button next to the speaker, you can hear the other person’s voice. It’s not two-way communication, though. Basically like a walkie-talkie. Even though the God called this world immature, the technological level here seems surprisingly advanced, right?
“Nero-kun, are you listening? When this light’s on, someone’s talking.”
“I’m fine. I’ve used something like this before.”
“Oh really? This is a Hunter Guild exclusive patent, you know? They won’t sell it unless it’s really necessary.”
“Haha… Just a coincidence.”
Finally, I managed to finish writing everything just before 6 AM. Phew. During that time, Mii-chan woke up, looking puzzled as she stared at me from an unknown place.
“Mii~?”
“Good morning. This is the Hunter Guild.”
“Mii~”
I pour the mineral water into the wooden plate borrowed from the innkeeper and offer it to her. She drinks it happily, lapping it up. With this, Mii-chan’s health is perfectly taken care of. I might as well have some too. Oh, it feels refreshing. Like something bad has been purged from my body, and my drowsiness has vanished. More than anything, it tastes great! It’s the first time I’ve ever thought water could taste this good.
“Nero-kun, you ready? The Hunter Guild is opening!”
And so, my work at the Hunter Guild begins.
“Mii~”