---

Chapter: 279

The Adventurers’ Guild created by Julius… didn’t receive much of a warm welcome at first.

From the perspective of ordinary folks, adventurers? Those rowdy people? They weren’t keen on supporting an organization for such adventurers.

In fact, they were worried that supporting such a guild would just lead to more adventurers popping up in their vicinity.

To be fair, since it was a project initiated by the Emperor himself, they probably kept their discontent under wraps.

The nobles who had to create branches of the Adventurers’ Guild due to the Emperor’s orders also didn’t benefit from it; if anything, it was a hassle.

They had to give up buildings for the guild and use their own assets for initial capital.

Throwing money at something so pointless must have felt like a waste to them.

If the Emperor hadn’t asked them as if he were just making a friendly request, or if it hadn’t been a direct order from him… they’d likely have brushed off such matters.

However, what made it hard for the nobles to dismiss this was the fact that the leader of the organization was none other than the Sword Emperor, Arthur.

The most powerful swordsman. Who would dare underestimate that name? His fame was even known across different races, thanks to the former emperor.

They’d rather hang themselves than disregard the former emperor.

Anyway, through various factors, the nobles from different regions went ahead and established branches of the Adventurers’ Guild.

As for the adventurers…

Most of them were like, “What’s this?”

Adventurers were those who hunted monsters, wielding their own weapons.

With lives as fleeting as mayflies, they earned money by hunting monsters.

Now they were supposed to belong to something? It didn’t make any sense to them.

And the fact that it was the Emperor setting it up?

To top it off, the leader was the Sword Emperor?

That must have felt like the world was being turned upside down.

Some adventurers viewed this organization negatively.

“Adventurers’ Guild? If I’ve got time to join that useless thing, I’d rather hunt one more monster!”

“I’ve already caught one! A plump wild boar it is! This’ll fetch a good price!”

The adventurer hauling the massive boar showed a slightly dazed expression at the sight of the newly established Adventurers’ Guild, but it didn’t take long for them to notice a guide waving them over.

“You’re looking to sell your materials, right? We’ll handle that for you.”

“Ah, um. I used to just hand them over to the tavern owner… Things have changed a lot, huh?”

“Yes, today marks the official operation of the Adventurers’ Guild.”

The adventurer nodded at the guide’s words. There were a lot of people around, and they weren’t quite used to the much cleaner building.

“So, can you give me the tag that proves my adventurer status?”

“Tag? What’s that?”

“Oh, I see you’re an adventurer not affiliated with the Guild. There will be extra taxes when selling materials, is that alright?”

“Extra taxes…?”

Julius didn’t just make the Adventurers’ Guild beneficial for everyone.

In fact, he’d set traps so that anyone not associated with the guild would end up at a loss.

“Extra taxes? That’s never been the case before!”

“From now on, you’ll have to pay additional taxes when selling monster materials. However, if you belong to the Adventurers’ Guild, those taxes will be reduced.”

“No, what’s with that…?”

“It’s an imperial decree, so there’s nothing we can do about it. By the way, there are several benefits you can gain from being in the Adventurers’ Guild, so we recommend joining if possible.”

Benefits. That word perked the ears of the adventurer who had been grumbling with discontent.

“Benefits? What kind of benefits?”

“First, tax reductions. Discounts when using the Church of Life. If you get seriously injured and can’t operate for a while, you’ll receive financial support during that period. There’s also compensation for your family in case of death.”

“Huh, huh…”

“Besides that, there are discounts for equipment at contracted blacksmiths, and you can use the library inside the Adventurers’ Guild. There are also discounts for the guild’s restaurant and tavern. Additionally, for those above a certain rank, applying for soldier positions will grant you extra points.”

The adventurer was simply dazed, listening to the guide’s words.

“If you achieve a high enough rank and decide to stop being an adventurer, the guild will offer you job proposals, like being a rank examiner or instructor. Although no one has had that chance yet.”

“O-Oh, really…?”

It seemed like they had quite a bit of support.

“Of course, there’s a contract that prevents you from selling materials elsewhere, and you must pay a monthly fee that corresponds to your rank to the guild. This gathered money is what helps maintain the benefits and facilities of the guild.”

After saying that, the guide showed a chart that listed the amounts each rank had to pay every month.

“And what’s this rank…?”

“We decided to grade adventurers based on their skills. If you perform excellently as an adventurer, your rank will increase. Of course, you’ll need to take a ranking exam.”

The adventurer nodded slightly as they looked at the chart. Starting from F, rising to A, and culminating at S, every rank listed.

The payment amount for rank C, which was in the middle… was something they could manage.

If they cut back on drinking a little, they could easily afford it.

If it meant receiving such benefits for that cost… well, they weren’t entirely sure, but it seemed like a solid deal.

“Then, how do I join the Adventurers’ Guild?”

“Please move to the new member registration desk over there.”

The adventurer looked at the direction the guide pointed and scanned the line of people stretched out there.

With each passing moment, they saw one less person in line. How long would it take for that line to disappear completely?

Not sure, but the adventurer sensed that they weren’t gonna be hunting anymore today.

“Let me sell this guy’s materials first. If I wait in that line, I doubt I’ll sell any today. I need to get it sorted while it’s still fresh…”

“Understood. So you plan to join the Adventurers’ Guild, right?”

“Of course! With all those benefits being offered, skipping out would be plain stupidity!”

“Yes, understood. Then please take this.”

The guide handed a small wooden board with a number written on it to the adventurer.

“What’s this?”

“After handing the materials to the dealer, they’ll calculate the price according to the market and pay you. This tag serves as proof that you are the adventurer who provided the materials. Once that’s done, you can give me the tag and I’ll hand over your payment. If you haven’t joined the Adventurers’ Guild by then, the extra tax will be deducted from it…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be joining. But ‘dealer’? Everything’s changed a lot, huh?”

“It’s because we used to operate in a haphazard way. If the dealer processes it and prices it accordingly… you’ll likely get about 20% more than before.”

“Twenty percent?!”

“Yes. The middleman merchant has been cut out of the process.”

Previously, they’d hand materials to the tavern owner, who’d pass them to a merchant… but with that intermediary process gone, it seemed they were getting a better deal.

“Wow… If the selling price has risen that much, I could probably just sell it for a similar amount as before.”

“But if you join the Adventurers’ Guild, you’ll profit even more.”

The adventurer nodded at the guide’s words.

Sure, there’s a bit of a joining fee for the Adventurers’ Guild, but that expenditure was nothing compared to the future profits.

And so, adventurers started joining the Adventurers’ Guild one by one.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“This… is this okay?”

“What is?”

The captain of the knights wore a worried expression at Julius’s words.

“It’s about the Adventurers’ Guild. No matter how I think about it, aren’t the expenses greater than the income?”

“Not just yet.”

“Not just yet?”

While the joining fees from adventurers were trickling in, it was still far from covering the operating costs of the guild branches or the various benefits.

That was primarily funded by taxes, though.

“It’s a necessary expense. If we don’t spend this much, we won’t attract people. If more adventurers keep coming in, it’ll balance out the spending.”

The trend of adventurers joining the guild was steadily on the rise.

“But the number of adventurers isn’t infinite, is it? What will you do if new adventurers stop appearing?”

“In that case, we’ll just have to find another solution.”

Since it had barely been a while since the Adventurers’ Guild was established, not many were selling materials yet… but over time, many would start selling monster materials.

At that point, the funds used to pay adventurers would cover the rest of the costs… and all remaining funds could be used for the operations of the Adventurers’ Guild.

Previously, the tavern owner would pocket 50% of the sales from monster materials, but the guild would only take around 40%.

The more people selling materials, the better the financial situation for the Adventurers’ Guild would become.

“Will that be enough?”

“According to calculations, yes. Of course, there could be unforeseen circumstances… but for some reason, I feel like it’s gonna be fine.”

The captain of the knights merely sighed softly at Julius’s airy words.

 

---