Chapter 4 The Adventurers Association

There stood Jack, in front of a large building not too far from the city center. It wasn't too imposing or heavily decorated, unlike Jack's original thoughts. Looking almost rundown and worn from long time use, it was simply a large building with a sign saying, "Adventurers Association." Jack hoped that the inside would be in far better shape and entered.

There weren't too many people in the open room. On one side was a bar that wasn't even half full despite being near sundown and the other was a reception area to welcome guests. A head popped up from behind the reception counter and greeted Jack, "Welcome to the Adventurers Association. How can I help you?"

"My name is Jack, I'm interested in joining the association," said Jack with a slight smile to the cute, brunette behind the counter.

"Really!?" she shouted in excitement, standing up to see Jack properly.

"Yeah, is that surprising?" Jack asked.

"We rarely get visitors, let alone adventurers wanting to join. My name is Maura. I'll take you upstairs, but first I'll need some basic information. What's your full name?" said Maura enthusiastically.

"Jack J. That's it," said Jack, implying to not ask further.

"Okay…" said Maura, weirded out by the lack of a last name. "I'll need your level and class before I can take you upstairs for an interview."

"Umm, I can tell you, but can you please keep it a secret?" asked Jack nicely.

"Sure, but I'll have to at least tell the branch chief, he's the one in charge of the association within the whole kingdom," stated Maura, intrigued to hear more.

"That's fine," Jack agreed. "I'm a lv. 1 hero."

"What? Lv. 1?" Maura was disappointed to hear such a low level. "Wait, you said, 'hero' is your class?"

"Yes, I'm a lv. 1 hero. Can I go see the boss now, or do you need to know if I'm a virgin too?" asked Jack with a wry smile.

"No, no, that's enough," uncomfortable, Maura went up the stairs and left Jack alone at the reception desk.

"Hey, brat!" a voice yelled across the room from the almost empty bar.

"Huh?" responded Jack, appearing to be annoyed.

"You said you're a hero. That true?" a large, bald man covered in scars and past wounds turned around, obviously buzzed.

"Yeah, what of it?" asked Jack as he walked across the room.

"That's great news!" yelled the man, throwing his arms to the sky. "A hero in the Adventurers Association, could anything be better?"

Jack sat down beside him and noticed that there was no one serving the bar, the few people there were serving themselves. He asked, "Why is that so great? There must be plenty of strong adventurers in your ranks."

"Nah, we don't got nothing!" the drunken man laughed loudly. "But with you here, we can change everything! What's your name boy?"

Having second thoughts about the Adventurers Association, Jack tried to calm the man down. "Relax old man, I'm just checking it out. I'm not joining anything just yet."

"Say that again," said the man, suddenly acting more serious.

"It's no big deal, I'm just curious about the association. That's why I came to see—"

"You've already applied, and I've already accepted you. You're already a member and wish to quit without a reasonable explanation? You'll have to prove your able to with your strength," stated the man. He pounded his fist on the bar, splitting it in half and leaving only splinters where his fist made contact.

Confused and concerned for his safety, Jack looked at the others who used to be peacefully drinking at the bar. They were unaffected by the large man's attitude, almost like they expected it.

"There you are!" Maura shouted as she came back down the stairs. "I forgot you were at the bar. We have a new appli—"

"I know, I've already accepted Mr. Hero and he's already wanting to quit," the man interrupted her.

"Wait, your—"

"I'm Zariff, chief of this here branch," the drunken man interrupted Jack all the same. "I've already accepted your application and you've already become a member of the Adventurers Association, are you sure you want to quit now?"

"You can't just force me to join! What would everyone think about your precious Adventurers Association after they hear about this?" Jack threatened.

"I don't care if I have to curse out the king himself, let only you. All I know is that I have an unruly association member and he needs to learn his place," Zariff glared at Jack with ice-cold eyes.

"But—"

"No buts! Come with me brat, let's get you geared up," Zariff motioned to the stairs, not caring about Jack's personal feelings or whatever rumors may spread about him.

"Please Jack, just follow him," Maura plead with puppy dog eyes, one of Jack's few weaknesses.

Jack took a second to exhale and relieve the little tension he could. He said, "Fine, but you owe me one."

"Really? Thank you, Jack!" said Maura happily.

"Wait up you old fart!" Jack yelled, running to catch up to Zariff who was halfway up the stairs.

"Try and keep up brat! If you don't hurry, I won't give you anything," replied Zariff. He led Jack to a back room on the second floor and pushed Jack instead before closing the door behind himself.

"What was that for?" asked Jack.

"This is our armory, your only lv. 1 so don't get too greedy," stated Zariff, still ignorant of Jack's attitude. Quickly, Zariff handed some clothes to Jack and a pair of boots.

Jack had appeared in this world wearing the simplest of peasant clothing, so anything was better than what he was wearing. It saddened Jack that he had walked away from the king's offering of luxurious, top-of-line gear, but he just kept his sour face and changed clothes.

He didn't dislike the outfit. It was a dark leather cloak over a thick, wool-like shirt. The pants were also thick, resembling medieval jeans. Though they were a little big for him, the boots fit well and were comfortable to walk in while giving plenty of support.

"Good, now for weapons," said Zariff. He walked to the opposite of the room where weapons, armors, and shields were scattered all over. "What's your subclass, brat?"

"Mine's different, and stop calling me that," answered Jack.

"Anyone who talks back without the strength to back it up is a brat. So, what's your sub-class brat?" barked Zariff.

Jack temporarily accepted Zariff's logic and said, "Just like my class, my subclass is unique."

"Wait, what do you mean?" asked Zariff, sobering slightly as he tried to realize the peculiarity that was Jack.

"Like I said to Maura, I'm a lv. 1 hero. My subclass is achievement junkie."

"Huh? What kind of garbage is that?" laughed Zariff. "What are you really, Mr. Hero?"

"I already told you. I'm a lv. 1 hero, subclass achievement junkie. I know just as much about it as you, I was only summoned a few hours ago."

"Summoned?" Zariff's eyes went wide. "You're a summoned hero?"

"Yeah, what's the big deal?"

"HAHAHA!!" Zariff couldn't contain his laughter and fell to the floor. Jack tried to pull him up but was stopped by Zariff, who said, "That idiot of a king, Leodoro Reinolt pissed you off didn't he?"

"Of course! Who in their right mind wouldn't be?" said Jack.

"This's great!" Zariff kept laughing as he stood up and pulled out a large chest from beneath a pile of armor. "If you're not specialized in anything, just take your pick. All of these are great for starting."

Jack caught sight of the chest's content and was happy to see all kinds of weapons. During his long walks between the castle and the association, he messed with his hero menu settings. He made sure to activate his status bar, letting him always see his health and status.

Also, he activated notifications. This let the menu automatically show him info on any items or enemies he came into contact with. It would even give him updates on any missions or achievements, but he didn't know that yet.

Thanks to the hero menu, he knew which weapons to consider and that all of those weapons were just as good as the ones offered him by the king.

"Got anything in mind?" asked Zariff.

"I'll take this," said Jack, happy to find something familiar to him.

"Oh, a hero choosing a bow. That's new."

"Really?" asked Jack.

"Yeah, I've never heard of a summoned hero with a bow. They were always powerful mages or spectacular warriors. I would know, I was trained by a summoned hero who wielded a war axe. The bow is typically a coward's weapon," explained Zariff.

"So, what's wrong with that?" asked Jack, catching Zariff off guard. "If I can guarantee victory and survival without coming face-to-face with anyone, why argue over the tactics? In the end, the winner will be remembered, and the loser will be forgotten."

"Hmm, you're pretty interesting for a brat, Mr. Hero," Zariff chuckled. "Anyways, we're glad to have you. Just don't get any thoughts about my daughter, got it?"

"What do you m…" Jack swallowed his words as he caught on to the situation. "I would never try anything with Maura, I promise."

"Looks like you do have a good head on those shoulders after all. So, I can disregard you being a pervy virgin, right?" joked Zariff.

"Hey, hey," Jack tried to defend himself.

"Good luck brat, you'll need it if you're after Maura," said Zariff as he left the room.