My adventures in another world with my brother Chapter 10 The unexpected hiccup part 1

As we strolled through the city towards the Adventurer's Guild, we encountered various species. For some reason, I had assumed that elves were reclusive conservationists who preferred to keep to themselves rather than mingle with other races. Apparently, I was very wrong. We walked past many beings similar to ourselves and some that were completely out of this world—though that expression might not fit since this is a different world.

As we continued down the path, we noticed more details about the roads, observing how finely they had been crafted from mud or some kind of primitive cement. It was quite different from the city streets we were used to. The buildings, many perched up in the trees while others stood on the ground, were large wooden houses mostly covered in moss on their roofs.

When we finally reached the Adventurer's Guild, we were greeted by a lively scene. It was truly a sight to behold—parties examining different jobs while others sat around ordering food. Approaching the counter, we experienced the long-forgotten tedium of waiting in line, something we hadn't done in years due to the prevalence of electronic transactions in our world. But I guess it was nice to stand in line for a change.

Finally, we reached the receptionist, a catwoman for lack of a better word—a humanoid girl with purple hair, cat ears, and what seemed to be cat hands. I assumed she had a tail somewhere, but I couldn't quite see it.

"Excuse me, please. Next person in line, step up to the counter," she called out.

"Hi there, Miss...?" I asked hesitantly, unable to tell by the voice whether this was a woman or a man.

With a smile, she responded, "Miss Abecca is the name."

"Ah, Miss Abecca, good to meet you. I am Deserter, and this is my brother Overon."

"Hi," Overon said, stepping up next to me.

"Hello there, it's good to meet you. I heard you two were new recruits for the Adventurer's Guild. I am very happy to be of service. Please let me know what you need."

"Well, my brother and I would like to go on a quest that involves traveling to the northern human kingdom. We heard there was an escort mission we could maybe take?"

"There is, but I have to inform you that you two don't fit the rank requirements for this mission, nya," she said apologetically.

Overon and I just stared at her. She was truly a cat girl, ending her sentences with "nya"—something we had only ever seen in anime and manga.

"My brother and I are pretty new to this area. Could you explain what you mean by that?" I asked.

"Well, of course. You two are at Rank G. For the escort mission, you need to be at Rank E at the very least. There are eight ranks in total, ranging from the top being S Rank, followed by A, B, C, D, E, F, and lastly G. In order to level up, you must complete missions posted on the billboard. For this specific mission, it requires you to be at Rank E, which involves taking out at least five bandits, nya."

"Okay..." I looked at Overon. "Looks like we have quite the job ahead of us."

"That is putting it mildly, Deserter. Where are we going to find these bandits and goblins?"

"If you would let me interrupt you two," Abecca chimed in, "there is a goblin extermination quest posted on the billboard. We've had a recent increase in the goblin population, usually kept low near the west side of the Great Forest. You can find a cave they have been spotted in. If you head that way, I'm sure you can get many of the required goblins, nya."

"Well, thank you for the information. I guess we'll do that then."

"Perfect! I'm glad you took the job. I will sign you up for it right now, nya," she said, licking her hand.

Overon and I exchanged glances again as she said "nya" and licked her hand. It was a curious sight.

We were given a map showing the general location of the goblin hideout. As we made our way towards the Westgate, we discussed our attire. We really didn’t blend in; Overon’s body armor and my nobleman-like clothes made us stand out. But how could we remove it? It was the highest-ranked armor we had and probably the best for repelling anything we didn’t know about. The problem was, we just stood out too much.

When we arrived at the Westgate, our jaws dropped. The sheer size of the massive door letting in and out people, pulling in wagons, and adventuring parties entering the city was quite a sight to behold.

We gave our permission slip to the guard and were let out to find the goblin nest.

As we made our way through the dense forest, the sunlight filtering through the canopy created a dappled pattern on the forest floor. The path ahead was overgrown, but the map Abecca had given us was detailed enough to guide us.

“Keep your eyes peeled for any signs of goblins,” I said, scanning the surroundings.

Overon nodded, his eyes sharp and alert. “This shouldn’t take long.”

We trekked deeper into the forest, the sounds of the city fading away until all we could hear were the rustling leaves and distant animal calls. After an hour or so, we spotted the entrance to the cave—a dark, yawning maw in the side of a rocky hill.

“Ready?” I asked, gripping my staff tightly.

“Always,” Overon replied with a grin, cracking his knuckles.

We stepped into the cave, the air instantly cooler and damper. It didn’t take long before we encountered our first goblin. The small, green creature snarled at us, brandishing a crude spear.

Overon didn’t hesitate. With a swift movement, he punched the goblin square in the chest. The impact was so powerful that the goblin exploded into a shower of green blood and bits.

“Well, that’s one way to start,” I remarked, smirking.

“Guess I don’t know my own strength,” Overon said, shaking his hand clean of goblin remains.

We continued deeper into the cave, navigating the winding tunnels with ease. Each goblin we encountered met a similar fate—Overon’s punches turned them into green mist, and any that managed to get close to me were incinerated by my fire magic.

“Fireball!” I shouted, launching a blazing orb of fire at a group of goblins. The explosion lit up the cave, and the goblins were reduced to ash in an instant.

Overon chuckled. “You really like your fireballs, don’t you?”

I grinned. “I don’t care how small the room is, I cast fireball.”

We both laughed, the joke lightening the mood as we pressed on. We moved with purpose, clearing out the goblins with ruthless efficiency. My fire magic cut through them like a hot knife through butter, and Overon’s punches were devastatingly effective.

After navigating a particularly winding tunnel, we reached a large cavern. In the center of the room sat a goblin king—larger and more imposing than the others, with a crown made of bones and a massive club in its hand.

“So, you’re the boss,” I said, stepping forward.

The goblin king roared, charging at us with surprising speed. Overon met its charge head-on, ducking under a swing of the club and delivering a powerful punch to its gut. The goblin king staggered but didn’t go down.

“Strong one, aren’t you?” Overon taunted.

I took the opportunity to show off my fire magic. “Inferno!” I called, and a massive wave of fire erupted from my hands, engulfing the goblin king. The heat was intense, and the cavern lit up with the flames.

When the fire died down, the goblin king was still standing, albeit heavily scorched. It growled, swinging its club at me, but Overon intercepted it, grabbing the club and snapping it in half with ease.

“Time to finish this,” I said, conjuring a massive fireball. “Meteor Flame!”

The fireball shot forward, hitting the goblin king square in the chest. The resulting explosion rocked the cavern, and when the smoke cleared, the goblin king was nothing but charred remains.

“Guess that’s that,” Overon said, dusting off his hands.

“Yeah, let’s head back and report our success,” I agreed, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

We made our way out of the cave, the journey back through the forest feeling much shorter than the way in. With the goblins dealt with, we were one step closer to reaching Rank E and taking on the escort mission.

As we approached the city gates, I turned to Overon. “You know, this escort mission might actually be interesting. Who knows what we’ll find in the human kingdom?”

“Yeah, and that library sounds promising,” Overon replied. “Might be just the place to learn more about this world and how to control our powers better.”

As we made our way back through the forest, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows on the path ahead. The air was cooler now, and the sounds of the forest were starting to come alive with the chirping of crickets and rustling leaves.

“Can you believe we took out over 200 goblins?” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

Overon grinned. “Yeah, it was almost too easy. I mean, I expected a challenge, but they went down like paper targets.”

“Not to mention the goblin king,” I added, a hint of pride in my voice. “That fireball was something else.”

Overon laughed. “Yeah, you really went all out with that one. I thought the whole cave might collapse.”

“I don’t care how small the room is, I cast fireball,” I said, repeating our earlier joke.

Overon chuckled. “That one never gets old.”

We walked in companionable silence for a moment, the forest growing darker around us. The path was familiar now, and we navigated it with ease.

“You know,” Overon said after a while, “I think this mission was a good test of our abilities in this world. We’re definitely overpowered, but it’s good to know we can handle ourselves.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s reassuring. And it’ll make our journey to the human kingdom a lot easier, knowing we can take on whatever comes our way.”

Overon glanced at me. “Do you think we should reveal our true strength to anyone, or keep it hidden?”

I pondered the question for a moment. “For now, let’s keep it hidden. It’s better to have an ace up our sleeve. Besides, we don’t want to cause unnecessary panic.”

“Good point,” Overon agreed. “Plus, it’s kind of fun being the underdogs who are secretly the top dogs.”

We both laughed at that, the sound echoing through the forest. The city gates were coming into view now, and we could see the faint glow of the city lights beyond.

“Ready to report our success?” I asked, a sense of anticipation building.

“Definitely,” Overon said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Let’s go show them what we’re made of.”

As we approached the gates, the guards recognized us and waved us through. We were tired, but there was a sense of accomplishment that made the journey back feel worthwhile.

As we walked into the adventurers guild, it was still bustling with activity, though it had thinned out a bit since the morning. We made our way to the counter where Miss Abecca was helping another adventurer. When she noticed us, her eyes widened slightly and she quickly wrapped up with her current task.

“Deserter, Overon! Welcome back!” she greeted us, her usual cheerful tone in place. “How did the goblin extermination mission go?”

Overon and I exchanged grins. “It went really well,” I said, reaching into my bag and pulling out a handful of magic gems. “We took out over 200 goblins and even got the goblin king.”

Miss Abecca’s eyes grew large as saucers. “Over 200 goblins?” she repeated, her voice a mixture of disbelief and awe.

“That’s right,” Overon said, placing a particularly large magic stone on the counter. “And here’s the proof. We also got this from the goblin king.” He pulled out a massive, intricately carved stone that shimmered with an otherworldly light.

Miss Abecca’s mouth fell open as she stared at the pile of loot on the counter. Her eyes darted from the gems to the stone and back to us. Her face slowly transformed from surprise to complete horror, her ears flattening against her head and her pupils narrowing into thin slits. She seemed to struggle to find her voice, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“Th-this is… incredible!” she finally managed to stammer, her voice trembling. “I-I didn’t think you would… I mean, this is way beyond what we expected!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction. “Yeah, it turns out we’re a bit stronger than we thought,” I said casually, though I was enjoying her astonishment.

She continued to stare at the loot, her face a mix of disbelief and growing anxiety. “I need to… I need to get the guild master,” she said abruptly, her voice almost a whisper. “Please wait here.”

Without another word, she turned and hurried off, her tail flicking nervously behind her. Overon and I exchanged amused glances.

“She’s really freaked out, huh?” Overon said, barely suppressing a laugh.

“I guess we made quite an impression,” I replied with a grin.

After a few moments, Miss Abecca returned, followed closely by Garrick, the guild master. His imposing figure seemed even more intimidating up close, and his expression was one of serious curiosity.

“Gentlemen, please follow me,” Garrick said, his deep voice commanding attention.

We gathered our loot and followed him to a nearby meeting room. As we entered, he closed the door behind us, turning to face us with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Miss Abecca tells me you’ve completed the goblin extermination mission with remarkable success,” he began, his eyes flicking to the pile of gems and the large stone.

“Yes, sir,” Overon said, straightening up. “We took out over 200 goblins and their king.”

Garrick’s eyes widened slightly, though he quickly masked his surprise. “I see. This is quite an impressive feat for adventurers of your rank. Please, have a seat.”

We sat down, sensing that this conversation was about to get very interesting.