■ World Name
Astoria Continent
■ Races
Humans, beastmen, elves, and other humanoids are the main inhabitants. The east is mostly humans, the north is mostly beastmen, and the west is mostly elves. The royal capital and the south have a relatively large human population, but all races live there. While there are some frictions between races, they are united in the face of the common threat of monsters. Apart from these humanoids, some friendly humanoid monsters are called 'demons' and live in harmony with human society in all regions except the west.
■ Overview
A single giant continent surrounded by the great ocean on all four sides. The royal capital sits at the center of the continent, from which the 'Four Great Highways' extend to the east, west, north, and south. The highways are jointly managed by the Royal Knights and the Adventurer's Guild, and regular monster extermination and barrier post maintenance allow even ordinary people to travel long distances relatively safely. Lands outside the highways are called 'Outer Regions' and become territories dominated by monsters.
■ Magic Power and the World's Creation
A flow of magic power called 'Star Veins' runs beneath the continent. Where Star Veins are exposed on the surface, springs of magic power and crystal ore deposits are formed, and monsters also gather there. Human civilization has developed in parallel with the threat, while utilizing the blessings of the Star Veins.
■ Monsters
A general term for creatures that can obtain nourishment from magic power in addition to regular food. Their appearances vary widely, including plants, insects, beasts, humanoids, and dragons. Generally, they compete with humans for Star Veins, but there are also friendly monsters that seek to coexist with humans. Normal monsters are very selfish, lack sociality, and are unorganized, but occasionally powerful monsters calling themselves 'Demon Lords' may lead other monsters and act in an organized manner.
■ Demons
A general term for humanoid monsters friendly to humans. They can converse and possess high intelligence comparable to humans. While monsters try to seize Star Veins by force, demons are granted a small portion of magic power in exchange for cooperating with humans. Humans and demons coexist due to mutual interests, but fundamentally distrust each other. Occasionally, demons betray humans.
■ Royal Capital, Central Chronos
- A circular city built exactly at the center of the continent.
- The royal castle 'Chronos Castle' is at the center, surrounded by five concentric rings: the noble district, commercial district, artisan district, adventurer district, and outer wall district.
- The adventurer district houses the 'Grand Guild,' the largest adventurer's guild headquarters on the continent, which oversees rank certifications for all branches.
- Beneath the city lies a massive intersection of Star Veins, which powers the city's barrier and magical tools.
- It has four great gates (North Gate: Velg, East Gate: Shinri, West Gate: Alfen, South Gate: Sorane) that serve as the starting points of the Four Great Highways.
■ North, Frostland
- Climate: Long winters and short summers. Temperatures do not rise even in summer, and permafrost covers the land.
- Terrain: Frozen mountain range 'White Fang Peaks,' ice caves, frozen lakes.
- Major Cities: Fortress City 'Eizenburg' (city of ore and blacksmithing), Frontier Village 'Shirogane Village'.
- Culture: A culture of mutual aid born from the harsh environment. Furs and iron are the standards of wealth. They enjoy sake and songs.
- Industry: Magic ore mining, blacksmithing, furs, ice crystals (material for preservation magic tools).
- Monsters: Ice wolves, frost golems, ice dragon species (high rank).
- Features: Ancient dwarven ruins lie deep underground, and the excavation of lost blacksmithing techniques is the main objective for adventurers.
■ East, Oriental Province
- Climate: Distinct four seasons. There are rainy and typhoon seasons.
- Terrain: Misty sacred mountain 'Tenkyo Mountain,' basins with terraced rice fields, bamboo forests, hot spring areas.
- Major Cities: Castle Town 'Tenryu Kyō' (ruled by the leader of the eastern lords), Post Town 'Kiri-juku'.
- Culture: Emphasizes family status and etiquette. Various schools of swordsmanship and archery flourish, and dojos hold power.
- Industry: Rice, silk, sword forging, medicines produced by alchemy.
- Monsters: Oni species, giant centipedes, kitsune, false gods claiming to be mountain gods (high rank).
- Features: A system of 'arts' using breathing and ki has developed, rather than the 'magic' of the West.
■ West, Elder Forest
- Climate: Warm and humid. Foggy throughout the year.
- Terrain: Ancient forests with trees over a thousand years old, spirit springs, floating magic crystal clusters.
- Major Cities: Tree City 'Sylva Lane' (Elven capital), Trading Town with Humans 'Border Market Armeria'.
- Culture: The values of elves, a long-lived race, are dominant. Negotiations with humans are often difficult as they think in terms of decades.
- Industry: Magical potions, spirit silver, grimoires, education in advanced magic.
- Monsters: Mutated trees, possessed spirits, fallen ancient guardians (high rank).
- Features: Home to the 'Elder Academy of Magic,' the continent's foremost magical educational institution. Human mages can also enroll, but the screening process is extremely strict.
■ South, Vermilion Jungle
- Climate: Everlasting summer. Divided into dry and rainy seasons; travel outside the highways is practically impossible during the rainy season.
- Terrain: Multi-layered tropical forests, giant river 'Crimson Serpent River,' coral reef coastlines, terraced ancient temple complexes.
- Major Cities: Port City 'Coral Port,' Exploration Base 'Frontline Village Regalia'.
- Culture: Numerous tribal communities. A frontier where the central government's rule is weak and might makes right.
- Industry: Spices, fruits, magic bird feathers, excavated relics from temples.
- Monsters: Giant carnivorous plants, venomous species, chimeras, ancient temple automatons (high rank).
- Features: Numerous ruins of the ancient civilization 'Vermilion' are scattered throughout, attracting countless 'ruin hunters' seeking ancient languages and lost magical artifacts.
■ Adventurer's Guild Headquarters 'Grand Guild' Overview
- Organizational Structure: Headquartered in the Royal Capital Central Chronos, with branches in major cities and strategic villages.
- Functions: A quasi-governmental organization responsible for maintaining public order and resource procurement by centrally managing requests for monster extermination, escorting important individuals, and exploring uncharted territories.
- Guild Card: A special metal plate with registered magic power. It serves as an individual's identification, records proof of extermination, manages funds, and has multiple enchantments for simple location tracking.
■ Rank System (E to S)
- [E Rank]: Apprentice adventurer. Can only accept basic requests such as gathering around town and exterminating pests, where personal safety is guaranteed.
- [D Rank]: Beginner adventurer. Responsible for basic extermination missions and maintenance/guard duty on highways; small party activities are recommended.
- [C Rank]: Competent individual. Allowed to enter outer regions and accept requests for exterminating medium-sized monsters and investigating dangerous areas.
- [B Rank]: Veteran adventurer. Entrusted with clearing difficult dungeons and special exterminations; eligible for preferential weapon crafting and discounts at high-class inns from the guild.
- [A Rank]: Elite on a national scale. Possesses authority to respond to crises in regional cities; granted custom-made equipment by guild-dedicated master craftsmen and free use of the highest-class facilities.
- [S Rank]: Legendary class, only a few exist on the continent. Handles only special missions such as national crises and extermination of natural disaster-level monsters; granted inviolability equivalent to royalty.
■ Promotion Regulations
- Evaluated based on the number of subjugations,依頼 completion rate, recommendations from others, and completion of trials by each branch master.
- Requests also have ranks from E to S, with higher-ranked requests having a greater impact on evaluation.
- Any fraudulent activity, violation of regulations, or harm to ordinary citizens will result in immediate revocation or expulsion. Furthermore, failure to complete requests for an extended period will result in demotion.
■ Church and Resurrection System 'Star Vein's Light'
- Resurrection Principle: Utilizes the circulation of 'Star Veins' beneath the continent to re-anchor a soul that has begun to detach from the body using divine magic.
- Conditions: The body must not be severely damaged, and a certain period (within three days) must not have passed since death.
- Resurrection Cost: A donation based on rank and status, or the offering of high-difficulty materials specified by the church.
- Penalty: Immediately after resurrection, severe magic sickness and physical weakness remain, requiring a period of rest for full recovery. Furthermore, repeated resurrections in a short period are forbidden as they can lead to the alteration of the soul.
■ Prices
- Unit is G. There is no distinction between gold and silver coins.
- Generally, an average adventurer consumes 100G per day for food and lodging. Living with higher-quality meals and better inns costs 500-1000G per day.
- Average request rewards are approximately 200G for E, 500G for D, 1000G for C, 2000G for B, 5000G for A, and 10000G for S.
- Basic equipment is inexpensive at 100G due to subsidies from the kingdom's policies.
- Average equipment costs around 1000-50000G.