As I sat down, I saw everyone discussing the quests and the excitement from the rewards.
I smiled, seeing Orin talk to Zek about his magic and how it works. Araki and Aaron were deep in discussion about stealth tactics. But sadly, Ark sat quietly, just listening to everyone.
I sat down next to him and asked, "Is something wrong?"
Ark shook his head and said, "No... it's just... I've never been around a group like this before, so I'm not sure what to do."
I smiled and said, "You don't need to push yourself. Just opening up to us this much is more than most people do in their entire lives."
Leaning back, I added, "It's kinda weird. This group has been open about a lot of things so far, and we're all comfortable with each other... I wonder if it has something to do with 'them'..." I whispered the last part to myself, but Ark still heard me.
"Something to do with who?" he asked.
I smiled and said, "Nothing you need to worry about. Just something I remembered from a long time ago."
He nodded and didn't press further.
I leaned back, thinking about what Brakos told me about the Moirai. Shaking the thought off for now, I let everyone finish their discussions.
When they finished, we all sat around, and I started.
"Okay, so you're all more than halfway to E-rank and will probably rank up tomorrow if all goes well. But for today, we've got a massive payment from our quests," I said, placing all our coins on the table.
"We got 94 silver and 120 copper coins. Converting that, it's 95 silver and 20 copper."
Ark shyly raised his hand and asked, "Sorry, but how valuable is each type of coin? I'm guessing 1 silver is 100 copper. Is it the same for the others?"
I softly smiled, remembering what Ark said last night about being from Bestia. They don't use coins there—trade is done through resources rather than pieces of metal.
"You're right. In the main kingdoms around here, there are five types of coins: Copper, Silver, Electrum, Gold, and Platinum. Each higher coin is worth 100 of the lower one, except for electrum, which is worth 50 silver and typically used by merchants for easier transfers," I said, taking out some paper and a pencil to make a quick diagram for him.
100 Copper = 1 Silver | 50 Silver = 1 Electrum | 100 Silver = 1 Gold | 100 Gold = 1 Platinum
His eyes widened. "So we have almost an entire gold coin? How much is that worth?"
I paused, thinking of the best way to explain, but Aaron beat me to it.
"Five copper is enough for a day's worth of basic food here, and two silver covers a decent inn for the night," Aaron explained. "A single gold coin is enough for someone to live comfortably for almost two months if they manage it right, and that's with renting an inn. If they own a house, it can be a few years."
Ark stared at the pile of coins, wide-eyed.
I nodded. "Since you guys did most of the work, you should divide the rewards." I pushed the pile toward them.
They hesitated. I noticed the guilty looks they exchanged, and that's when it hit me—I knew exactly what I'd just done.
By offering them the money without asking for anything in return, I was unintentionally planting a seed of loyalty. It wasn't deliberate, but the gesture could be seen as a subtle form of manipulation, making it harder for them to turn against me because I'd been 'generous.'
The realization left a bitter taste in my mouth. That's not who I am. I don't build bonds through manipulation—I value trust, honesty, and equality.
Before I could say anything, Orin spoke up. "You helped us a lot today, so you should take some."
The others nodded in agreement.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah... that was a bit unintentional."
They gave me confused looks, so I elaborated.
"I didn't mean to, but what I just did was... slightly manipulative. Giving you all the rewards without expecting anything in return creates a sense of loyalty, like you owe me something. Even if it's unspoken, that's how it works. And that's not the kind of relationship I want with any of you."
There was a brief silence. Then Zek gave me a knowing look, his eyes reflecting a quiet understanding.
"I promise it wasn't intentional," I continued. "I've just had some bad experiences with adventuring parties in the past. People who only stuck around because of what they could gain, not because they cared. It's made me a little... cautious."
For a moment, no one said anything. Then Araki leaned back with a soft chuckle.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm here because I like stabbing things with Aaron," he joked.
Aaron elbowed Araki in the ribs and said, grinning, "I'm here because I like hanging with people who don't judge me for who or what I am."
Zek went next. "We both intend to learn more about magic, and we agreed to work together on it. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
Orin clapped a hand on my shoulder, his grin wide. "Relax. You're stuck with us now. No unintentional manipulative schemes needed."
Ark gave me a small, genuine smile. "I'm here because... you all make me feel like I belong."
The warmth in my chest was unexpected but welcome. Maybe I didn't need to worry so much after all.
We all sat there for a minute when I noticed another man across the room staring at the table of coins.
Ahem. "We should probably take care of the coins now, yeah?" I said.
Everyone nodded, and Zek asked, "So how do we divide them up?"
"Well, normally, the party leader would divide up the reward equally among the members but could withhold it if someone did nothing. If the leader hates a member, they can be petty and give them nothing—so this plan can backfire."
"But since we don't have a leader yet, how about we just divide up the coins evenly among ourselves?" I explained and looked at everyone.
They all nodded, and Zek took the paper and pencil I had before and did the math.
"95 silver becomes 9,500 copper. Plus 20 is 9,520. Divided by 6 is... 1,586.66 copper. We have some uneven distributions," Zek said, doing the math in his head, shocking the rest of us.
'I guess it's a good skill to have when calculators don't exist... well, not ones you can just buy anyway,' I thought to myself with a smile.
I smiled and offered, "I'm fine giving up what's needed to even it out. I have plenty stored up."
Everyone nodded after a second, and Zek did the math again.
"Okay, so if we take away two copper from Jack, that leaves the rest of us with... 1,586 copper or 15 silver and 86 copper."
Orin spoke up. "We don't have enough copper for that, though."
I smiled. "Don't worry. We can exchange them here at the guild or deposit them in the Guild Banking System."
Orin asked, "Banking system?"
I nodded and explained. "Yeah. It's a more recent development with The Mage's Tower because so many people get robbed when they carry coins on them."
"The way it works is simple. If we leave our coins with the guild, they'll be stored on our IDs, and we can withdraw them from another guild, no matter where we are, as long as they have the necessary funds."
"Keep in mind that for now, the coins are just stored on the card. If you want to buy something, you have to withdraw the actual coins from the guild first."
I smiled, thinking about how this system was somewhat similar to how banks and bank cards worked in my old world, though with some differences.
Orin's eyes went wide. "That's amazing! How does it work?"
I shrugged and lied. "Absolutely no idea. I just know it does."
I could easily find out how it worked thanks to Brakos, and with enough time, I could even alter my deposited amount if I wanted. But they didn't need to know that.
I added, "Though I should mention that if the guild has to pay for something you broke, the coins will be taken from your account automatically—whether you like it or not. And you aren't always informed about it either, which is annoying."
Orin hesitated and asked, "Would they take my money like that?"
I nodded. "They can make money from it pretty easily. And this is also the risk of giving your coins to someone else, especially a large organization like the Adventurers' Guild."
Orin nodded, deep in thought.
After some more discussion, the others decided to deposit their coins in the guild banking system.
Personally, I preferred holding onto my coins in my ring since it was safer, so with permission from the others, I took my share from the pile and stored it away while putting the rest into a pouch for them.
Once the others had stepped away to deposit their coins, I decided to pull out the letter from the Guildmaster.
When I opened it, I found something odd—a scroll inside.
The letter had been completely flat before I opened it, yet the scroll showed no creases or signs of folding.
That wasn't what concerned me, though. It was the very distinct and powerful magic leaking from it.
I instantly created a barrier using Spiritual Energy to conceal it from the others around me.
Looking at the wax seal, I immediately recognized the symbol pressed into it. Instantly, all the questions I had about the scroll's oddity were answered.
I used Spiritual Energy to check for any hidden spells or traps.
Finding none, I let out a sigh and muttered, "Fuck it," before breaking the wax seal.
The moment the seal broke, the entire room fell silent.
I looked around. Everything had turned gray and lifeless. Everyone and everything was frozen—even the beer being poured at the bar had stopped midair.
It wasn't hard to realize what had happened.
Time had stopped, and breaking the seal was the cause.
I sat down with a calm expression, not opening the scroll any further.
It didn't take more than five minutes before I sensed a presence at the top of the stairs.
Turning, I saw a tall man standing there—the only thing still in color.
He was dressed in a flamboyant, well-fitted suit and tie, dyed bright crimson with black accents and a white undershirt.
His face was human-shaped, finely built, and carried a handsome smile that most people—regardless of their preferences—would fall for if he willed it.
His eyes, hair, and horns were black as coal, and his skin was a deep, dark red. Behind him, a slim, snake-like tail with a spear-like tip swayed lazily.
I stared at him, instantly recognizing what he was.
The one who made the scroll.
Standing in front of me was a seven-foot-tall incubus.
And a strong one at that.
"Aren't you going to read it? I've been waiting five minutes," he said.
I grabbed my spear, charged it with lightning, and threw it at him, causing a sonic boom despite time being frozen.
He caught the spear an inch from his chest, gripping the blade with ease.
"Now, now, Jackie," he said with a smile. "Is that any way to greet the one you love?"
A cloud of gray smoke consumed him.
I grabbed my wand and dagger, keeping my stance firm.
When the smoke cleared, the demon was gone.
And in his place stood Ark.
With Ark's voice, the incubus spoke. "Is this better? I thought you'd prefer a familiar face. Makes things… easier."
'This one is strong. Rank 5 or 6. A lot stronger than the hellhounds. guess I'm lucky it doesn't have a flesh body' I thought
Keeping calm, I got ready for a fight.
[1] The reason Jack holds onto his coins is that he can easily figure out how to 'hack' his account, and if he can, so can other people.
He isn't worried about the others, as since they are new adventurers, people are unlikely to think that they have a lot of coins, especially on their first day.
Plus, even if the accounts can be 'hacked,' it is safer than keeping the coins on them, and Jack isn't willing to hold onto them either.