Once again, Nova found himself in front of a large building, wondering how he should enter. The buttons syndrome had worked last time, but he might do better without the boastful attitude. After all, this time, he wouldn't be trying to negotiate.

'I might have to demonstrate my usefulness, but if any of them can use Assess, it should be fine. Maybe I'll call myself a halfling?'

The hunter's guild reminded him of places where adventurers would gather in some of his previous lives, and it seemed to serve a similar purpose: assisting people who journey out into the untamed wilds to collect some form of resource.

People of all kinds walked in and out of the main doors, carrying weapons and magical equipment. Most of them wore shabby armor, but the material seemed to be of high quality, like the smith had been unable to process it properly.

'... Now I'm getting very curious about equipment in this world. Would the resulting weapons of a forging give system prompts as well? Showing stats and quality and so on?'

Excitement bubbled in his heart, yearning back to the days of forging masterpiece after masterpiece. None of the other lives had really allowed him to go back to the forge, pulling him from one crisis to another. And so far, this world seemed to be similar.

'Well, some things are more important. But if it will help me grow stronger, I'd be a fool not to use the next fragment when it unlocks…'

"Hey, kid, you wanna join the hunter's guild?" a man laughed as he passed by. He wore an elegant set of green armor, obviously of higher quality than most. But also one that had seen little combat by the looks of it.

"Yes, actually," Nova responded straightforwardly. "And I'm a halfling, not a kid. Can I just go inside?"

The man stopped in his tracks, staring at Nova more intently this time. "A halfling? Oh, yeah, you do have a decent Soul Power… Wow, I've never seen anyone like you before." He walked around Nova, curiously taking in every detail. "Yeah, you can just enter. You should get some equipment first, though."

"I'm broke, although… Can I sell stuff in there?"

"Yup, they take most materials that can be found in the wild, offering you a decent price. Souls will have to be traded at a soul trader, though. Going directly to craftsmen pays better, but the guild can handle all the work for you."

"Huh," Nova replied, slightly surprised by the helpful attitude of the stranger. "Well, then, I'm headed inside. Good luck with your hunt."

"Thanks, little man! Maybe I'll see you there!" He waved after Nova as he walked inside.

'... Nice guy. Maybe I should stop expecting everyone here to be complicit in the Gardens. Hunters are people who risk their lives for gain, so I expected them to be less… helpful, I guess. By the looks of it, he is either strong, or born to wealthy parents.'

Nova crossed the doorway, entering a large common area filled with all kinds of people. It was half cozy restaurant and bar, and half professional counters with clerks and poster boards. Everything was made in unpainted wood, and with a warm and lively atmosphere.

Hunters were dining in groups, preparing to head out for the day by the looks of it. Packed backpacks and maps strewn across tables made it seem like the place was about to be empty soon.

Several people looked at him as he entered, but no one seemed to mind much besides his strange look. It seemed they all could tell he had a high Soul Power.

'Next time I have some time to myself, it will be spent learning that stuff. It seems very useful, too useful to ignore. They even seem to notice stronger Soul Powers than their own, something Assess cannot do.'

Since no one was going to cause trouble for him, he walked over to the worn wooden counter, hoping to get the help he needed. As he peered down at him, the old clerk's weathered face creased with curiosity.

"Hello there. How do I hunt?" Nova asked, standing on his tiptoes to see over the counter's edge.

The clerk leaned forward, resting his elbows on the dark wood. His eyes pulsed with the telltale yellow pulse of an assessment spell. "... Sorry, what are you exactly? You're too strong and serious to be a child."

"A halfling, from far, far away."

"Yeah?" the man replied, clearly skeptical. "What's it like there?"

"Oh, it's very cozy and peaceful. We all live in these houses underground, with large round doors. As far as you can see, there are gardens and fields of wheat!" Nova stared into the air, trying to recall what the scenes from those movies were like. "Everyone knows everyone, and we have large parties to celebrate birthdays. But we're usually quite a content people, so you rarely see us away from home."

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The clerk glanced at a group of hunters who had paused their breakfast to listen faces showing varying degrees of amusement and curiosity. "Hmm… Well, it's not like it matters much. Hunting is mostly just going to the outlands to gather some form of resource, either material from monsters, souls, rare minerals, or herbs. Most people go there in groups to increase the chance of survival, while others take chances on their own."

Nova nodded sagely, hoping his act remained convincing. "Aha, that's about what I expected. What kind of monsters can I expect to meet? And how strong are they usually?"

"Oh, you've got a lot of options. Predators often roam the land, so it's usually impossible to predict exactly what you'll be meeting." The clerk began counting off on his fingers. "There are greywolves, goblins, trolls, golems, bears, ents, elementals, swiftscales, ghouls, specters, nokkens, salamanders, swarmers, slimes, griffs, roos, basilisks, chimer—"

"Okay, so basically anything, thank you." Nova raised a tiny hand to halt the increasingly enthusiastic list. "And strength?"

A shadow passed over the clerk's face as he straightened up. "Anything from one to one million, depending on age and available prey. The odds of meeting strong monsters increase as you go deeper, but you're never guaranteed to be safe."

'Hmm… I'm confident in escaping almost anything if I use the fragment, but stuff like ancient beasts will probably kill me before I can think about it. But what are the odds of that happening?'

"So… Go there, hunt, come back and sell stuff, repeat. Correct?"

"You've got it." The clerk tapped his fingers on a stack of quest notices pinned to the counter. "You can also upgrade equipment with the material drops. We've got a good blacksmith a few houses down that way," he gestured west through one of the guild's grimy windows. "Or you could find your own somewhere. But that guy specializes in beast materials."

"Got it! Oh, what would you give me for this?" Nova rummaged through his rags and pulled out the black soul stone, holding it up to catch the light. "It's a soul stone, as you can probably tell. It also has a…"

Nova stopped himself, suddenly noticing the soul had disappeared from the stone. 'When did this happen? Did that clerk take it during the commotion? I am liking her less and less…'

The clerk's eyes lit up like he'd just spotted a rare jewel. "Ooh! This is very nice!" He grabbed a jeweler's lens from under the counter and held it to his eye. "I'd have to get someone to look at it, but I'd say somewhere around one thousand gold."

Only then did Nova realize how bad his grasp on the local economy was. Quinn had said he wouldn't be able to afford a standard soul even with a year's income, but comparing it to this stone was difficult. Perhaps it was worth more than the soul he just lost?

"You think I'll be able to prepare for a hunt with that?"

"Oh, yeah." The clerk grinned. "You could even bring a few servants if you wanted. Get yourself a whole party setup."

"That won't be necessary; just a backpack and a decent bedroll will do fine. I'd prefer to get a weapon and some protection as well, though."

"You'll be able to get something from the smith. Anything custom will cost more, though. As for the other stuff, I can take care of it for four gold."

"Oh… Then, please do!"

"Sure thing!" The clerk started pulling basic adventuring gear from shelves behind him. "Do you have a bank account to put the rest on, or will you take the cash?"

"Mmh, cash is fine for now," Nova replied, making a mental note to visit a bank after the smith. Carrying around a fortune of gold as a small child was a bad idea, after all.

'Though it could bring me a few free souls… Nah, Nihil would probably get involved again.'

The process of evaluating and finishing the deal went smoothly, even bringing him more gold than estimated. So now Nova was the proud owner of a backpack, a bedroll, provisions for a week of travel, and a bag of eleven hundred gold.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" The clerk beamed, probably happy with his commission.

"I don't think so..." Nova paused. "Is there anything I should take care to bring back from the monsters I hunt?"

"Well, just bring it all?" The clerk's brow furrowed in confusion. "Or do you have a limit on how much you can bring?"

'Oh, is this another part of the system I haven't heard of? Loot is stored in the core or something?"

"Yeah, makes sense." Nova hoisted his new pack, feeling it embrace his entire back. "Then I'll be going. A pleasure doing business with you!"

He could feel the stares from the dining area as he headed out, but ignored the potential party members. This was going to be a solo run.

'On to the smith to get some proper weapons, and then a visit to the bank. I think I'm sticking with this halfling story for now; it seems to have worked well.'

An hour and a half later, Nova stood on a street near the outer walls, feeling adequately equipped for the first time in this life. Everything was a bit oversized to allow for growth, but it was still way better than the rags he left behind with the tailor. She had practically cried as he entered the store.

'This will suit me well for a year or two, at least. And this sword should work as a shortsword even when I'm an adult, though I doubt I will use it anymore after this trip. The same can be said for the bow.'

He pulled the sword from the sheath on his hip, studying the middling quality with a hint of sadness. It was sharp, but he could tell the steel was hammered with too much force after cooling and then poorly quenched.

The bow around his shoulders was of similar quality—serviceable but uninspired. Still draw weight was perfectly matched to his current strength, and the arrows were straight and true.

'... I expected better. The forge looked impressive, unlike the results. But fine, I'll accept that my standards are unusually high.'

The clothes were much better, though they were fashioned for children. It at least made them easy to move in, and the dark color would help him sneak through the shadows at night.

Nova stared at the tall gate, which was guarded by tens of armored guards. The gate seemed to remain closed most of the time, only opening to let hunters in and out. But this made sense since it led to the desolate north, where only monsters roamed.

Now, will they be kind enough to open it, or will I have to climb?'

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