Chapter 275

In this world, there exists a profession known as adventurer.

They are the ones who hunt monsters threatening cities and villages.

And they do so not just to protect settlements, but also to obtain valuable materials like mana stones, sturdy bones, tough hides, and even meat from these monsters—using weapons or traps to take down dangerous creatures in the process.

It was a highly risky job, yet the materials harvested from monsters were always in short supply.

So today, as always, many people were risking their lives hunting monsters.

“Which is all well and good, but…”

After observing one such adventurer’s perilous hunt through my heavily modified LD, I let out a small sigh.

He appeared to have been a lumberjack in a past life, wielding an axe with practiced ease to slay monsters.

His main targets? Monsters born from corrupted trees—Trents, as they’re called.

These tree-like monsters, with two arms and two legs, could swing their heavy wooden limbs like clubs or stab with sharp branches. Thanks to their thick bark, swords and arrows struggled to pierce them, making Trents notoriously tricky foes for most adventurers.

Of course, a mage could easily torch them into oblivion—but mages rarely ventured into such dangerous work anymore.

Shooting fire arrows was another option, though it carried the risk of igniting the surrounding forest and causing a catastrophe. And since forests are considered property of the lord, setting one ablaze carelessly could result in your entire family being wiped out!

Thus, the best method remained chopping down these tree-born monsters with an axe, much like cutting down a normal tree.

Still, Trents were relatively slow-moving. Sever their legs, and they’d topple over, flailing helplessly. As long as you avoided getting smacked by their blind swinging arms, taking one down was relatively safe—for someone experienced, at least.

The lumberjack-turned-adventurer I observed was clearly an expert at dealing with Trents.

With deliberate precision, he struck at the monster’s heel with his axe, evaded its sluggish attacks by keeping his distance, then relentlessly targeted that same vulnerable spot until the Trent finally fell. Afterward, he systematically dismantled the creature: carefully avoiding its swinging branches, paying attention to its twigs, and skillfully chopping off its limbs before trimming the trunk itself.

Clearly, this adventurer was a master of Trent-hunting.

Once the Trent’s head was cleanly severed and its massive trunk reduced to a log, the adventurer tied ropes around it and began dragging it away. But just as he finished his task and turned back…

A wolf-type monster suddenly ambushed him!

This evolved beast had mastered stealth, blending seamlessly into the shadows. Before the adventurer could react, it pounced, leaving deep claw marks across his back. Despite the grievous injury, the adventurer managed to fight back and survive—barely.

Such is the life of an adventurer: risking death to earn money. Thankfully, he lived—but the mana stone obtained from the Trent went straight toward covering his medical costs at the Church of Life.

I cast a minor blessing of improved luck on this unfortunate soul before ending my observation.

Earning money is fine, but if jobs are this dangerous… shouldn’t there be some basic safety measures in place?

Like… insurance? No, maybe that’s too extreme.

Perhaps something more collaborative—a mutual aid society? Or better yet… something even more specific!

An Adventurers’ Guild! Of course, every fantasy world needs an Adventurers’ Guild!

An organization dedicated to protecting adventurers, managing quests, classifying adventurers based on skill level, and assigning appropriate missions according to rank—all designed to make monster-slaying safer and more stable!

Yes, we need an Adventurers’ Guild! Now, how should I go about creating one?

Partnering with the Church of Life? Hmm… probably not. They’re already growing too powerful, and adding an Adventurers’ Guild might push them over the edge.

Sure, they’ve got plenty of pilgrims providing military might—and some members secretly being dragons doesn’t hurt either—but giving them even more external power isn’t wise. The Church should remain a religious institution, free from provoking others’ suspicion.

So, no Church of Life involvement. What other options are there? Let’s see…

The city of Procyon? Too far removed from adventurers to be relevant.

Elves and dwarves? While some of them do adventure, racial tensions often flare up among their groups. Plus, most adventurers are humans or beastmen anyway, so they wouldn’t fit well together.

Lizardmen? Their raw strength is undeniable, but can you imagine them running an Adventurers’ Guild? Would things really run smoothly under their management? Doubtful, especially since they’re still loosely organized as tribal confederations.

How about the beastman nations of Rattkinia or Vistia? Not bad ideas, but let’s table those for now—they’d make excellent cooperative partners later though.

Therefore… perhaps Romania is the best choice after all.

This has absolutely nothing to do with favoritism toward humans. Nothing at all.

Both Rattkinia and Vistia are located somewhat off-center geographically.

To the east of Sagarmatha and various mountain ranges lies the so-called Eastern Continent, which we’ll skip for now. In the center of the Western Continent stands Romania, while further west near the sea lies Vistia, and beyond that, Rattkinia.

Building an Adventurers’ Guild in countries situated on the western edge of the Western Continent would likely hinder smooth information exchange.

Thus, Romania remains the ideal location! Definitely!

Of course, some voice in my head keeps whispering, “You’re just favoring humans,” but I’m ignoring it. Ignoring completely.

Alright, assuming we decide to establish the guild in Romania, what steps should we follow?

Noble support? Regular nobles wouldn’t suffice to create the grand-scale Adventurers’ Guild I envision.

Here, we’ll need to leverage the Emperor’s authority. Using his power and prestige, establishing the main headquarters in the capital, ordering each lord to set up local guilds, and weaving them all together into a vast network should do the trick.

Creating a nationwide guild right from the start would be difficult even with imperial backing, so starting with smaller, regional guilds connected loosely makes more sense.

Alright, time for a little nudge toward the Emperor, shall we?

By the way, the current Emperor isn’t Arthur—it’s Julius, Bibi’s son and Arthur’s adopted heir.

What happened to Arthur, you ask?

That guy? He’s still kicking around lively as ever.

Having handed over the crown—the symbol of immortality—and transferred both sword and flag, he now resides in a small stone cottage within the palace gardens, uninvolved in ruling affairs.

Occasionally seen eating meals or practicing swordplay at the knights’ training grounds, otherwise, he spends all his time holed up in that little stone house. Quite the stubborn fellow.

At nearly sixty years old, he still looks like he’s in his prime, sparking rumors that the royal bloodline of Romania holds mysterious powers—but no such thing exists.

Rather, thanks to the immortality crown extending his lifespan and maximizing his internal mana reserves… Well, let’s say his body suppresses aging using magic power. If we compare it to martial arts terms, he uses his inner energy to halt the aging process.

Arthur has transcended human limitations in many ways.

At this rate, he might even attempt reverse-aging techniques in a hundred years or so. Given his current state, it seems entirely plausible.

Speaking of which, does he have any intention of crossing over to the underworld? With a 100% chance of entering paradise after judgment, meeting him there could lead to some interesting conversations!

But judging by his current trajectory, it may take decades before that happens.

Anyway, enough about Arthur. Let’s talk about Julius, the present Emperor.

Though possessing talents that could be called prodigious compared to ordinary humans, Julius lacks self-esteem when measured against his predecessor and birth mother.

Still, he governs Romania competently enough. It’s hard not to pale in comparison to the legendary figures of Arthur and Bibi, after all.

Julius, despite his remarkable gifts and tutelage under the greatest teacher in the world, suffers from a lack of confidence and self-worth due to constant unfavorable comparisons.

Let’s use this slightly pitiable current Emperor to establish our Adventurers’ Guild.

If done properly, it could become a significant achievement and accomplishment for Julius, boosting his confidence.