I wake up and see the familiar ceiling of my usual inn, the room is still dimly lit and the sun seems to have just risen outside.
　When I sit up, tears run down my cheeks.

　I wipe my cheek roughly with the cuff of my nightgown, a dream I've had every once in a while since that day three years ago.
　I still feel like my mood is sinking after this dream.

　I stretch out with a guffaw to shake off the mood and take a deep breath. Once, twice, three times...

　'Yes! It's a big day, I'm going to go wash my face.

　I change into my practice clothes and then leave the room.
　As I'm walking down the stairs by my room, I greet a man who has just come out of the kitchen of the dining room.

'Good morning, old man,'

Oh, you're early, Temma. Good morning.

　This man is Dzur, the owner of the inn's innkeeper, Manpuku-tei, where I've been taking care of him. He used to be a veteran adventurer, but retired ten years ago when he got married.
　As his name suggests, he has a rugged build, but he often gives advice to new adventurers and is respected by many of the town's adventurers.

　After leaving Namitaro, I wandered from town to town for about a year, and since I came to Gunjo City two years ago, this is where I've made my home.
　This Gunjo City is located in the 'Sangha Duke's Domain', which is located beyond several small territories to the west of the Haust Frontier Count territory.

''Your food will take a little longer,''

'Not yet. I'll go sweat a little in the yard.

　The old man said, "Okay," and went back to the kitchen.

　The first floor of this Manpuku-tei is the reception and dining room of the inn, the kitchen, the second floor is for shared rooms and the third or fourth floor is for private rooms. My father's house is next to the inn. It's a popular inn where the food is cheaper than average at 500G for a private room and 300G for a shared room with two meals a night, and it's reputed to be a restaurant in the daytime and serves good sake at night.

　We went out to the garden and went to the well to get water and wash our faces. Then I open my dimension bag and wake up Shiroumaru and Surarin, who are sleeping inside, and let them out.

'Good morning Slarin, Shilomar,'

"Won.

　Shiroumaru barks in reply to my greeting, and Slarin shudders.
　I put some dried meat and vegetable scraps and water in front of them for breakfast.

　I watch them begin to eat and then take out a stick made of hard wood, one meter long and three centimeters in diameter, from my magic bag and begin to lightly train them. I repeat the swing from the top, the spear, the thrust, the cleave and the sweep.

　After about an hour of training, I heard a sound from my belly urging me to eat, so I put the stick away and drew water from the well to work up a sweat.　

　Once back in my room and dressed again, I headed to the dining room. Shiroumaru and the others are waiting in the yard.
　When the innkeeper sees me coming to eat, she brings me some food.

Today's breakfast is vegetable soup, bacon, cheese, a fried egg and white bread. Eat it all up!

　He lays it out in front of me. The woman's name is Kanna, and she's a slender but powerful miss-skinned landlady.

'Itadakimasu,'

　I put my hands together and then split the bread to the side, tucking the bacon, cheese and fried egg between them and taking a bite.

'That's a bold way to eat,'

　Maybe it was because there weren't many people here today, but an old man came up to me.

'You were up early today, what's the matter with you?'

　He sat down in the front chair while asking, "What do you think?

''Yeah, I thought I'd head over to the guild a little early since I can register for the main guild today too,''

　I replied back.
　Most of the guilds in this world require registration from the age of 15, and no one can register below that age. However, there is a provisional registration so that even those under the age of 15 can sell materials and other items.

　Provisional registration can be done as long as the registration fee of 500g is paid, and it doesn't matter which guild you register with. However, you will be treated as the lowest rank in the guild and will not receive any privileges (such as accepting requests, debts, and information).
　But if you register, you can sell materials to both civilians and children, which is why there are a large number of provisional registrants.
　That's why I registered provisionally in the first town I stopped in three years ago.

'It's kind of late now, isn't it?'

I agree with you, but it's more convenient to register.

　There's no rule that a temporary license is not allowed to hunt demons, so after I registered provisionally, I became famous there if I kept living my life by hunting a lot of demons when I was about to run out of money, then going to sell them as materials and spending my time slowly.
　That got me into trouble at times, though.

'Thanks for the food.'　

　He drank the remaining soup and clasped his hands together. I got up from my seat and was about to head outside.

Are you going to get a request earlier today?

　The old man asked me if I had a good one, so I returned it and headed for the garden.

'Slarin, Shilomar, I'm waiting for you. Let's head to the guild.

　He said, and walked off to the guild.

　There were a lot of people coming and going in the city, but most people were not surprised to see Shiroumar.
　Every once in a while, someone who would be new to the city would be surprised, but they were calm when they saw the red tag through the red cord around Shiroumaru's neck.

　The red cord and the red tag around Shiroumaru's neck are given to him by the guards and others as proof that he has been "tamed" and is obligated to wear it. If they are not allowed to wear them, they may be fined.
　By the way, in Slarin's case, he was given a special red cloth and placed it near the surface of his body.

　After about ten minutes, they arrived at the Adventurer's Guild. Shiroumaru and the others can't go inside, so they are waiting in a corner outside.

　As I enter, a few eyes turn to me.

''Temma!''

　We are approached by three women near the reception desk.

'Good morning, Lily, Nellie and Millie,'

　When their names are called, three women run up to them, their ears twitching and their tails wagging.

　They are beastmen of the cat tribe and are adventurers of the triplets. The three of them form a C-ranked party called the Wildcat Princess, and they are also C-ranked.

　There are seven ranks, from F to SS, and except for the F rank, which is a provisional registration, there are seven adventurer ranks.
　The party rank is determined by the average rank of the top three members.

''Temma, you're going to register for this, right?
I'll take the case with you.
Would you like to join our party at least?

　He speaks to me in rapid succession. They are followed in turn by Lily, Nellie and Millie, a quintessentially breathtaking combination.

'Oh yes, Lilly,'
I could do with a better one, Nellie.
You always say no to that, Milly.

　These three, in turn, met when I first arrived in the city.

　It all started when I went out to gather materials a little way out of town, and I happened to find myself being attacked by two ogres and rescued them, and they latched onto me. They're supposed to be two years older than me, but...

　When I casually asked him about it, he said it was because he was shocked that I, an F-ranked man, had instantly killed a B-ranked ogre. From then on, whenever he sees me, he calls out to me.

　Lily is smiling at my words, Nelly has gone to look for a request, and Millie is booing. All three of them have similar basic personalities but are different in places, so there's never a dull moment when talking to them.

''Anyway, I'm going to go quickly register for the book,''

　I said, and I left quickly. Because the eyes of the other male adventurers were painful.
　All three have well-defined faces, lacking a little volume in the chest, but they have a toned-down style and can be called beautiful girls, which is not a problem. On top of that, they almost always act together, so they stand out. And because of that, she's very popular with men.

　In contrast, I'm 165cm tall with a slender, muscular body, and my face is, according to the three girls, a little childish but well-groomed and promising, my black hair and black eyes are unusual and noticeable, and my hair is soft and smells good.

　That's why the three girls try to come close to me to smell my hair, and every time they do, I get a murderous look from the three fans.

　I walked up to the counter at the reception desk and told them what I wanted to do.

'Yes, here's the main registration form. Please fill it out. And the registration fee will be 1000G.

　He handed me three sheets of paper and asked me if I wanted a substitute to write for him. I said no, because I could write it myself, and then I wrote down the necessary information.

　The name and age of the registrant, whether or not he or she could use magic, the type and name of his or her household, and whether or not he or she had a criminal record, are written on two of the papers, and the other one is a note, in a nutshell.

1. Basically, you can only accept requests up to one rank above your own, and you should take requests that fit your stature.

2. Disputes between adventurers and requests received from non-guilds are basically at your own risk.

3. Failure to request and fraud will result in fines and other penalties, with some exceptions.

4. Don't bother the guild.

5. We'll listen to the guild leader or acting guild leader.

6. If you have any other questions, please contact the guild staff

　This was the one that I was going to do.

　I handed the written form to the receptionist. I had to wait for a while, and a staff member brought the card from the back. I pay the registration fee and receive the card.

Please check the contents of your guild card. Even if they say it's wrong, we can't replace it. Also, please be aware that you will need 3,000g to reissue the card.

　I looked at the card and saw that there was no mistake except for one thing.

'Excuse me, my rank is a D,'

　I asked him, pointing to the place where it should be E. Then.

''No problem. Tenma-sama had hunted C-rank and above demons many times since he was F-ranked, so it was decided that he didn't need to bother starting at the beginner's rank.

　That being said, this was lucky. Normally, to move up in rank, one would have to complete at least ten requests and take the guild's promotion test. And the E rank basically only received cheap jobs, then it would be better to take advantage of the guild's favor.

''Thank you.''

　When I bowed my head, he nailed me with a warning that the promotion test would be conducted as prescribed, so don't get me wrong.

　As I left the counter while putting my card away, Lily and the others came in.

''It's over, Tenma.''

　He asked with a hamo. I told the three of them I was done and looked at my guild card.

'I didn't start with a D-rank, sass~'
Come with us as soon as possible to get your commission.
Let's have a party, party!

　And just as we were about to be taken to the bulletin board where the request form was posted, three men stood in front of us.

'Lily-chan, rather than being such a rookie, why don't you team up with us~'
That's good, because you're definitely stronger than that guy, Nelly.
Yeah, yeah, that's not a good idea if you're trying to babysit the new guy, Millie.

　And he talks to the three of them with a smile full of ulterior motives. Or rather, they're rude in front of him.

''We decline!''

　The three of them hammily rejected my hand as they walked past me, hamming it up once and for all.

"Wait a minute, you should reconsider, I swear!
You'll be safer with the same rank!
And we're pretty strong.

　The three men who persisted in soliciting me, even after I had been rejected, finally began to humiliate me.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time with them.
　If they don't know me, then these guys probably haven't been in this town long enough. People around me are looking at the men with sympathetic eyes.

　The three of them could no longer tolerate the continued solicitation of the men and opened their mouths.

It's annoying. You're refusing, so please give up quickly!
'No need for ten or twenty of you, as Temma is stronger than you!
'Temma smells good, but you guys stink. Please leave quickly!

　One of the men says something slightly off, but I don't care. The men are blushing and shaking at the words from the three of them. Laughter is breaking out around them.

'Let's go, Temma,'

　Lily is about to walk away from me, when a man shouts at her.

'Don't be silly, don't f*ck with us!

　A man tries to grab Lily, and then my secret technique goes off.

"Secret move, golden opportunity!　

　The man was caught off guard and sank with a single kick from me. The man who was watching around me was on his inner thighs, his face slightly pale.

''Duh, are you okay!''
That's disgusting, you son of a b*tc*!

　The two remaining men stared at me as they took care of the cowering man. At that moment, about ten men intervene between me and the three men and surround the men. I look closer and see that they're from the three girls' unofficial fan club.
　The men from the fan club are talking to me in small voices. The men who got involved were shaking a bit.

Sometimes I hear things like, "You've got some nerve trying to mess with those girls," or "The fan club's constitution," or "He's special. Occasionally there was some kind of kill or curse word directed at me.

　When Lily and the others thanked the guys in the fan club, their stern faces changed to delirious. It was honestly freaky.
　We headed to the bulletin board as we watched the guys head outside.

'Nellie, did you get any good ones?'

　I asked Nellie, who had just gone to look at the request.

'There's a few things. How about this one among them?

　And Nelly presents us with a single request form.

C-Rank Dashboa Defeat"...At night, several dashboas appear in the village's fields, damaging the crops. This is a request for you to defeat them.　　Reward...5000G and the defeated dashboa　　

　It said. A dashboa is a boar-shaped demon that can grow up to about 1.5 meters in length. Its rank is D-. The main method of attack is a lunge, which can be fatal if eaten properly.
　It's also a very tasty demon whose fur and tusks are used to make weapons and armor, and whose flesh is rich and tasty and hard to dispose of.

'That's fine, I've hunted dashboa many times.

If you like the Temma, I'm all for it.
Me too.

　Lily and Millie followed my words, and Nellie quickly took the request form to the receptionist.
　When she returned, Nelly said with a smile, "I made Temma the leader, so please do me a favor.

　Since the location of the requested village is a few hours' walk from this city, we decided to prepare for it and leave before noon tomorrow.

　We went out to the city to make plans and buy the tools and other items that are in short supply.

We've got potions, magic potions, poison remover, paralytic and disinfectant, the rest are water bottles and portable food. The rest are water bottles and portable food...that's about it.

　Lily asks me, checking her fingers.

'Also, a rope or a hand towel would come in handy.

　I told him that I had to go and run to the grocery store to buy some things.

　I figured I wouldn't be missing anything since I have a magic bag full of stuff in my case.

　Speaking of magic bags, they have recently improved and expanded quite a bit.

　It can now easily hold up to 10 tons. By the way, the dimension bag also expanded successfully... but it's almost a house for Shiroumaru and his friends, and they get angry when you try to put this or that inside it.

　By the way, the Shiroumaru's are currently resting in the bag.

　We decided to have lunch in a place where we bought everything. We bought and ate at a nearby food stall.
　We ate even dessert, such as skewered pork and other steamed buns, cold fruit and baked sweets. The three people seemed to be a little painful, as if they were full of stones.

　On the way back to the inn where the three of us are staying, I took them to the Manpuku-ji.

Give me your f*cking wig.

　I was surrounded by three of the most persistent people in the guild, and since it was a pain in the ass, I ignored them and slipped out of the enclosure and walked out.

''Wait and see, you little brat!''

　And he surrounds himself again. I sigh.

What the hell is it with you guys, you're honestly annoying, but if you need anything, just say so.

　When I asked them what they were doing, the guys were upset and shouting something.

The men were shouting something like, "Don't act cool," "Shut up and follow me," or "Don't be a brat," but I didn't hear them very well (or didn't hear them).

　I didn't have a choice so I followed the men and proceeded to the alleyway, and after walking for a while, the men stopped at an unpopular place.

'You did a good job of that earlier.
You've got to be kidding me.
You know what happens.

　And he laughed in a vulgar voice.

I'm not interested in politics, so...

　He raised his hand in the air with a schtick and tried to turn back the way he came. But I've been turned around.

'I'm telling you to f*ck off,'
Don't get cocky.
You're going to get your ass kicked.

　And then he yelled at them and said that we would be the three of them on the bed for them and that we would be the ones to adore them instead, or something that I can only assume had maggots in my brain. I was pissed off.

Hey, what did you say to me, you piece of shit?

　He said the words. The men petered out for a moment.

What the f*ck did you just say?

　He asked back, so once again.

'What did I just hear you say out of your rotten mouths, you scum?

　I asked them. The guys got it figured out, and they got angry and attacked me.

'Don't think you're a rookie kid against us!
No one cares if one of the new kids is dead!
Die quietly!

　Three of them came at me at once, and I punched one of them in front of me, and continued to chase him down.

　The first blow knocked him unconscious, but I didn't care, I kicked him in the stomach, crushing the bone in one knee and shut him up with a kick to the face, though he was screaming and writhing around.
　By the time you turn around, the other two men are trying to escape, so you use your body strength to pass the men.

　As he passes, he fires a kick to the knee of one of the men, cracking his bones, and then swings his fist at the man's face as he passes. The man collapses, but I ignore him for now.
　I pass the man who was running away a little further and stand in front of him.

Where are you going to leave your friends?

　I asked with a smile.
　The man sat back and begged for his life. Liquid was pouring out of his crotch.
　Ignoring the man's words, I fired a kick to his chin and the man's jaw shattered with a gurgling sound. He drags the crying man to the first man he half-killed, not forgetting to collect the man who shattered his leg on the way.

　I line the three men up on the ground and cast a recovery spell at random with the bones crushed. I stop them when the bones are stuck to a certain extent and spray them with water magic to wake them up.

　The three of them were terribly frightened, but I didn't care.

So, tell me again what you said about f*cking my guys.

　I asked with a smile. The men were all shivering together, wetting their crotches all the time.
　No one had seen three men in this town since the next day.......apparently.

　After I finished talking to the trash, I returned safely to the Manchuria Pavilion.

　My father knows that I've been talking to him, but he just tells me to keep it to a moderate pace.

　In addition, I told him of my plans for tomorrow. I did so, and thankfully, the old man said he would keep the room I was using open for a few days from tomorrow, unless he was busy.

　I went back to my room, but it was still early, so after working out in the garden and sweating, I went to the nearby bathhouse for a leisurely soak in the hot tub.

　By the time I came back, the dining room was packed just in time for dinner. I had no choice but to eat in my room and bring the dishes to the dining room, but Shiroumaru and the others were happy to eat with me, so I felt a little sorry for myself.

　It was a little early after we ate, but we decided to sleep for tomorrow.

　I wished I didn't dream about this morning, but I also wished I could see my mom and dad in my dreams.