Now that the worst was over, Hiroki decided to head back to the abandoned house with Aya. With dark cloaks covering their heads and facial features, both Hiroki and Aya managed to hide their white hairs from the rest of the town. 

It was the first time Hiroki had walked beside Aya in this town. She wasn't used to not having his constant encouragement and advice constantly on her mind. 

Although she didn't hate their new kind of change, she couldn't help feeling empty, knowing that Hiroki might not rely on her anymore.

After arriving at the abandoned house without getting spotted as strange individuals, both went to the basement, before Aya took out all of the materials from the dimensional pocket that they had gathered.

While Hiroki had fallen onto his own thoughts as he was glancing at all of the tree materials that they gathered, Aya used her own cloth to prevent the terrible smell from poisoning her.

“You can go rest for now. You don't need to stay here while I figure this out.” 

Hiroki suggested after seeing Aya forcing herself to stay in the basement, waiting to assist the ghost in any way she could.

However, seeing how she wasn't needed at this part of the work, Aya gave a small nod before heading out of the basement, releasing a small sigh from not having to inhale the terrible smell of the tree Hiroki had gathered.

Once Hiroki was completely alone, he shifted back into his ghostly form. The usual form, where he is always floating.

‘Now, where should I begin?’ He asked himself while looking at all of the materials scattered all over the basement.

Right in front of him were several cooking pans, water, and several glass containers where his final result will be held. 

He knew of a certain method to prepare this certain drink, however, he never replicated it when he was a human. But that didn't stop him as he tried appraising the tree trunks once again.

When Hiroki was exploring the wild forest on his own before meeting Aya, he came across this place. It seemed strange at first, but after evaluating almost everything that would help him, he discovered this tree that he could use.

He knew that humans in this world were not that advanced, but if he is right, what he can create out of this piece of dry wood is…

‘An energy drink.’ 

One of the most popular kinds of drinks that is loved by many teens or workers who had to work all night. 

However, if this kind of beverage becomes popular in this fantasy world, demand for it will undoubtedly increase. That was another reason why Hiroki had planned in advance to become a merchant and create his own network of information.

After planning out all of the necessary steps, he focused his mental energy into the 'mind's force' skill, allowing him to manipulate objects without ever touching them. 

With a flick of his wrist, he levitated a pot and a chunk of the rare Funky Tree into the air. Then while using ‘air blade’ skill, he deftly sliced the tree into thin pieces before tossing them into the pot along with some water. 

In this world, there was no way to light up wood for cooking unless someone had a special kind of stone or the cooker itself had any special skill that allowed him to use fire for lighting it up. That's why Hiroki pondered for a moment before looking at his own status once again.

‘Now…which skill should I sacrifice…..’

He had many important skills. However, if he wanted to create this drink in secret, he had to do something about fire on his own.

‘Aya is already strong to a certain degree, so I don't think she will need my help to keep most monsters away.’ Hiroki thought to himself. ‘Hm... yes, I will use this skill.’

Then, after making a confirmation to himself, he sacrificed ‘Ruler’s Wrath’ in exchange for a skill that will allow him to manipulate fire.

After confirming his new skill, he levitated the cooking pot filled with Funky pieces and water. 

Then he focused on using his new skill, which allowed him to create a small fire at his will, slowly boiling the water at the right temperature.

* * *

Morning had arrived, and Aya was already up, following her usual routine with practiced ease. However, as she looked around the empty room, she realized that something was amiss. 

Hiroki was nowhere to be seen, and the silence of the morning only served to amplify her unease. 

Without wasting any time, she changed into a fresh set of clothes and made her way down to the basement, where she suspected he might be. And as she descended the stairs, she could hear the faint sounds of activity, confirming her suspicions. 

Hiroki was still working on his latest project, an energy drink of his own design.

She watched as he meticulously filled several glass containers with the concoction, the liquid swirling like a potion in a fantasy tale. However, in contrast to the horrible odor that nearly poisoned her lungs, she now noticed a pleasant fragrance of freshness in the room that completely woke her up.

“Hiroki….?” She called out, her eyes curious to know how Hiroki’s progress had gone.

“Aya, you’re already awake. If you’re ready, then we have to head to the merchant’s guild so I can register. I'm gonna need your dimensional storage as well since we can't really keep this many potions in two bags.” 

Hiroki responded, his eyes still focused on the last glasses of potions that were slowly filling up with yellowish liquids.

She took a look around the basement, which was previously dusty and filthy, and found that there were hundreds of potions scattered about, all filled and contained so they wouldn't spill in a nice new clean ambient.

Aya knew that Hiroki was rather engrossed in this merchant thing, which is why she did as she was told and stored all of the energy drinks that were prepared by Hiroki. And after they were done preparing all of their stuff, both Hiroki and Aya walked out of the house in order to head to the merchant's guild.

They also didn't forget to wear their usual cloak to hide their hair. They knew that unnecessary attention was going to be rather troubling. 

But that didn't seem to be troubling Hiroki at all, even though he was going to register as a merchant.

The merchant’s guild was a few meters away from where the center of this town was. Therefore, it didn't take that long before both of them finally arrived at their destination. 

The merchant’s building was rather similar to the adventurers' one. However, if Hiroki had to compare them, this one was a lot fancier in design.

Soon after Hiroki and Aya entered the merchant’s building, they were met with an almost empty environment. There were a few staff members that were scribbling on their documents, but even so, this place felt murky as if everyone had already lost their motivation to work. 

Upon arriving at the main desk, where the receptionist was working on her own documents, she looked up and saw two individuals wearing dark cloaks had entered the building. 

From their perspective, they did look like mercenaries, which is why her expression did not change. But despite that, she was still a receptionist, and she must greet anyone with a professional manner.

“Welcome to the merchant’s association. What can I help you with today?” The receptionist greeted with an emotionless look on her face.

“I’d like to register as a merchant.” 

Hiroki answered as he came a little closer to the desk. He knew that he was going to be a little suspicious with the cloak covering his hair, so he tried acting as respectfully as possible.

The receptionist was a bit apprehensive about this duo of cloaked individuals before continuing the procedure with the request that Hiroki had.

“Registering as a merchant is a job where a form of education is a requirement. And based on our rules, you must first complete a basic test. I hope you’re aware of that?” 

“Of course.”

The woman closed her eyes for a moment, waiting for the guy in a dark cloak to give up. However, even though Hiroki was respectful and confident in his response, the receptionist wasn't sure how to drive away this mercenary-looking guy. 

He does seem interested in becoming a merchant. However, becoming a merchant requires skills that not everyone possesses. 

Her job as a receptionist was to explain and proceed with the process, but she still wanted to avoid any trouble that this mercenary-looking guy could cause in the future.

‘This town is already declining in new merchants….. Having a new guy like him will surely help our situation..’ The receptionist thought in her head. ‘However, he doesn't seem the type to understand what it takes to become a merchant….’

Hiroki, after noticing the doubtful look on the receptionist’s face, gave a small sigh before continuing to softly smile.

“I can see that you are doubting me due to my looks. However, I want to mention that I already am kinda of a merchant—”

The receptionist gave Hiroki a suspicious yet confused stare as he continued to explain his situation.

“—But due to an unfortunate event, all of my belongings, products, clothes, and identification cards were stolen by ‘The Thieving Wolves’ while I was on the way to this town. That's why I am trying to get a new license and start fresh.”

The receptionist looked at Hiroki with a stern expression before softly closing her eyes in thought. 

“If that's the case, then I can help you apply for a new license in our guild. But you still must take our exam to evaluate your knowledge. And in the end, you must proceed to a meeting with our guild master to give the final decision.”

“That's fine by me.”

After Hiroki gave his confirmation about reapplying for his merchant license, the receptionist pulled out two papers and gave them to Hiroki. 

Hiroki, of course, since he couldn't really touch anything, pretended to grab the papers by hand, but in reality he was using his skill ‘Mind’s Force’ to levitate them, giving the illusion he was actually holding them like a human being. 

Even Aya, who was watching, was impressed and amazed at how smoothly her benefactor was performing it.

"Please fill out your personal information on the first page, and the exam on the second page. You have time to finish them by the time the sun reaches its peak. So please don't make any mistakes.” 

The woman instructed, her eyes still unimpressed by this new guy's obstinacy.

“Thank you.”

And as soon as the rules were confirmed, Hiroki sat down near an empty desk with Aya by his side before carefully filling out his details on the paper while still using 'Mind's Force'. 

Hiroki had his legs crossed with one another, while moving his hands in a professional way that matched the rhythm of his moving pen.

“I'm amazed…. I had no idea you could read and write......" Aya said in awe while looking at the fancy way Hiroki was writing.

“It's not that hard once you know the symbols you’re writing. If anything, this written language is much easier than the ones I know.” Hiroki gave a soft smile. 

Aya gave an amazed look at Hiroki after hearing his story of how he knew how to read and write. However, what he said about knowing more than one written language made her suspicious.

“Is something wrong?” Hiroki asked after sensing the perplexed look on Aya’s face.

“Hiroki…” 

“...yes?”

 “....There are no other languages besides the common one…”

Hiroki, who was already done writing his personal information, suddenly stopped as he looked at Aya with a stern expression on his face.

‘That should be impossible… A world that only has one written and spoken language?’ 

He debated in his head. 

‘I still haven't found a map of this world to figure out how big it actually is… But if what Aya is stating is true, then that either means this world is tiny…. Or someone has influenced the world so much that no other spoken languages are known anymore. But even so, there should have been at least some legends or information about ancient languages. Did someone from my world do this after they were summoned? They do speak the same language as my world with the exception of the written alphabet…. So how come?’

“Hiroki?” 

Aya confusingly called out after seeing the quiet state of the thinking ghost.

“Are you sure that there are no spoken languages? Even from other races? Like elves or demons?” He inquired once more, his eyes narrowed in disbelief.

“I don't know if demons spoke our language, but yes, even elves speak the common language. And they have never stated or confirmed that they speak other languages." Aya confusingly explained.

After confirming this new discovery, Hiroki fell on his thoughts once again, his eyes slightly strained by many conclusions he had on his head. But for the time being, he needed to finish this paperwork, so he returned to Aya and smiled softly.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“Ah, no…. I didn't do much….” 

She softly responded after not understanding what she had done. She had only given him basic information that everyone knew, so she was unsure about her benefactor's gratitude. 

But despite that, she still felt happy about being thanked by the person who was with her the whole time. The one who saved her and stayed with her until the very end...

After a few more minutes of scribbling on his paper, Hiroki stood from where he was pretending to sit and went to the receptionist’s desk once again. She, of course, had a slight expectation in her eyes about how this would turn out before coughing twice on her head to clear her throat.

“I know that the test might be a little hard, but despite that, this is our poli–”

“I'm done.” 

“Eh?”

As she was giving another explanation about this guild policy, Hioki cut off her sentence while handing over his papers.

The receptionist was perplexed by this unexpected turn of events. After giving him this type of test, she expected him to give up and return the papers. Her eyelids widened to their full extent as her eyes shifted on the test sheet at breakneck speed.

“H-how?” was all she could say.

“Are there any problems? I'm certain I answered all the questions.” Hiroki responded confidently, fully knowing that he had answered everything correctly.

However, before she could give an answer to Hiroki’s question, she looked at him with a whirlwind expression.

“P-please wait here. I’ll be right back.” 

She requested before heading out of her desk and rushing towards the stairs that lead to the second floor of this building.

Then, after a few seconds of waiting, the same receptionist rushed back downstairs at top speed before leaning against her desk to catch her breath. 

“Haa… haa… haa….. I'm sorry…haa… for ….. Your…. Wait….” 

Sweat was going down her forehead before she looked at Hiroki with a wry smile on her face.

Even Aya was seen looking at the receptionist, concerned about her sudden burst of energy. 

Then, after a couple more moments, the receptionist fixed her composure and looked at Hiroki with the same kind of wry smile as if she hadn't just run a full marathon inside the building.

"The guildmaster wishes to speak with you. I hope that you’re fine with that, dear sir?” 

“I'm fine with it.” 

Ignoring the sudden change in how she addressed him, Hiroki responded.

Once Hiroki had given his confirmation, the woman motioned for him and Aya to follow her up the stairs to the second floor, where a fancy-looking door could be seen from the outside. That was the main office, which also housed the guildmaster. 

But the moment they entered inside, they noticed how the main office desk was filled with many piles of paperwork that the guildmaster seemed to be working on.

“Is that them?” The voice of a woman inquired behind two towers of paperwork at the main desk.

“Yes.” The receptionist responded before bowing then leaving the room.

And once the inquiring voice received confirmation from the receptionist, all of the paperwork in this room flashed blue before disappearing in an instant, revealing a certain woman sitting in the main desk office. 

She was a lovely blonde woman in her twenties, dressed professionally in greenish clothes and a mini skirt paired with dark colored tights. Her breasts were rather big from the tight jacket she was wearing, indicating that they could be much bigger if she wore a more revealing dress. 

However, since she was the head of this guild, she knew that keeping a professional look was a must.

“So you must be this new guy that was interested in reapplying for a license in our guild?” The woman gave a soft, yet confident smile as she asked.

“Indeed, but I never thought that I would have the chance to meet the guildmaster like this.” Hiroki took a step forward before responding with a confident, yet poker-faced expression.

The guildmaster softly smiled with her eyes softly narrowed at the response she got. 

“That is indeed true. But we also don't usually get new, talented individuals like you this often.”

“Talented? I don't recall doing anything that would attract the merchant's guild's attention."

The guild master gave another soft smile before staring right straight into Hiroki’s eyes. Hiroki, on the other hand, remained motionless and expressionless, returning the beautiful woman's stare without flinching a bit.

“What my staff informed me was about a new mercenary-looking fella that seemed interested in us. While we are happy to welcome anyone as a new member, recently we have gotten way too many requests and complaints from new merchants. Which eventually led to their bankruptcy." 

The guildmaster briefly explained. 

“This is why we prevent any adventurer or someone who already has a title in his or her name.”

“Is that really the whole reason? Because I looked like a mercenary and somehow was qualified?” Hiroki suspiciously asked.

“No.” The guildmaster responded as she shut one of her eyes. “The other reason was that you somehow managed to complete one hundred percent correctly our hardest tests that only well-experienced old merchants are capable of figuring out.”

Hiroki fell silent for a moment. 

'...so that's why they're so worked up... In my world these mathematical calculations were pretty basic things that every student had to learn. However, due to a lack of education in this world, they have not expanded their physics field...' He thought to himself in defeat. ‘I should’ve expected this kind of scenario in this fantasy world….’

“I did mention to the receptionist that I used to be a traveling merchant, so I do have a bit of knowledge about this kind of work.” Hiroki lowered his head as he smiled.

“Yes, I was informed of that as well.” 

The guildmaster responded back with a smile on her face before looking straight at Hiroki’s face with all of her fingers crossed together. 

“It is a shame that you are a traveling merchant, because I'm sure you would find great success... I'm sure that you have a reason behind that—” 

Hiroki remained motionless while the guildmaster continued looking at him with the same kind of expression. 

“—Such as your white hair, I suppose?”

The room fell silent as Hiroki and the guildmaster stared at each other, neither of them showing any emotion. If someone were to describe this type of atmosphere, it would be one of sudden, intense cold.