Chương 10: Turning In the Quest

When it was finally their turn, a gaunt-faced guard lowered his halberd across the gate.

"Routine inspection." His voice was hoarse and emotionless.

"Names. Place of origin. Purpose for entering the town. And your identification."

"Adventurers." Marcus kept it brief.

"They're all members of my party. We're here to report to the Adventurer's Association." He pulled a bronze badge from his pocket and handed it over. It was an official insignia issued by the Association. Years of use had polished the surface smooth. Marcus's name was engraved beneath the emblem of a crossed sword and shield. Grey and Vaelis each presented their own badges. Zelier remembered that he had one as well. After fumbling through his clothes for a moment, he handed over his.

Unlike the others, however, his badge was nothing more than plain iron instead of bronze—a humble little thing that practically screamed rookie. The guard gave each badge a quick glance and confirmed their identities. Then his eyes swept over the party. Bulging packs that reeked of blood. Clothes stained with dried gore. Grey's bandaged, exposed arm. Nothing unusual for returning adventurers. The guard nodded and returned the badges.

"Welcome back to Blackstone Town. Get those wounds treated." The halberd lifted, allowing the party to pass through the gate. The moment they stepped inside Blackstone Town, an entirely new world unfolded before Zelier's eyes. It almost felt as if the melody of a lute had begun playing somewhere in the distance. Most of the buildings were two-story structures, stone on the ground floor and timber above, topped with dark red or brown tiled roofs.

The main streets were paved with uneven slabs of blue-gray stone, shallow drainage ditches running along both sides. Merchants shouted over one another, advertising their wares. From the blacksmith's forge came the rhythmic clang of hammer against steel. Laughter drifted from passing townsfolk. The countless sounds blended into one lively chorus, instantly washing away the monotonous silence of the Ashwood Forest. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

This wasn't the concrete jungle of his previous life. It was a world that was truly alive. A plump baker in an apron arranged baskets of fresh bread dusted with sugar outside her shop. A bard sat on a street corner, singing tales of legendary heroes as gentle melodies flowed from the strings of his lute. Groups of adventurers lounged around outdoor tables, sharpening their weapons while loudly exaggerating the exploits of their latest quests.

"Watch where you're going!" The sudden shout jolted Zelier back to reality. He instinctively stepped backward. A farmer's wagon, pulled by a sturdy draft horse, rattled past just inches from him. He'd nearly been run over.

"What're you spacing out for?" Vaelis smacked him lightly on the head.

"Cast too many spells? Fry your brain?"

"No..." Zelier hesitated before finally saying,"I just... think all of this is incredible." Vaelis gave him a strange look. After passing through two more streets, the party finally arrived at the Adventurer's Association. The building looked exactly how Zelier imagined an adventurers' guild should. A rugged three-story structure of timber and stone. Years of wind and rain had weathered its walls.

Above the entrance hung a faded relief depicting a crossed sword and shield, its edges scarred with countless scratches. Marcus pushed open the heavy wooden door. A wave of noise crashed into them.

"Goblin extermination in the Mist Caverns! Need one vanguard!"

"Werewolf cleanup in the depths of Ashwood Forest! Looking for two warriors! Fair pay, equipment repairs covered!"

"Merchant escort! Rangers preferred! Minimum Lower-Tier rank!" Voices rose from every direction as parties recruited teammates. The smell of sweat mixed with the lingering scent of blood, making the guild hall feel even hotter and more alive. The interior looked exactly like something out of a fantasy novel. A gigantic wolf's head mounted on the wall. Stacks of empty ale barrels piled in one corner. Adventurers carrying every imaginable weapon. Everything radiated the unmistakable atmosphere of a true guild.

Zelier could feel his heartbeat speeding up. Everyone here lived with one foot in the grave. Every day, adventurers died on quests. And every day, new faces arrived to replace them. For money. For ambition. Or simply because they refused to spend their lives trapped in mediocrity. Marcus expertly threaded through the crowded hall until he reached the reception counter. The receptionist was a young woman with freckles scattered across her cheeks.

"Hello. I'm Aila. How may I help you today?"

"I'd like to turn in a Wild Wolf extermination quest." Marcus set down a large sack and dumped a pile of skinned wolf left ears onto the counting tray.

"Certainly." Aila first located the corresponding commission in her records before using a counting pick to tally the ears.

"Thirty-six Wild Wolves."

"According to the commission terms, your reward comes to one hundred and eight Silver Coins."

"Good." Marcus nodded.

"I'd also like to report an encounter with a monster."

"A monster?" Aila frowned slightly.

"Yes."

"We encountered a juvenile Mistwraith."

"... A Mistwraith?" Her expression immediately turned serious. Even a juvenile Mistwraith was nothing to take lightly. It might not possess the full threat level of an adult, but a creature officially rated [Challenge] could easily cause fatalities. Such incidents had to be reported immediately.

"Which part of Ashwood Forest did you encounter it in? What creatures were fused into its body? Its movement speed shouldn't have been particularly—" Marcus simply shook his head before she could continue.

"We didn't escape."

"We killed it."

"..." Aila's brown eyes widened. For a brief moment, the entire guild hall fell silent. Conversations stopped. Nearby adventurers turned toward Marcus.

"You... killed the juvenile Mistwraith?" Marcus didn't answer. Instead, he quietly unwrapped the thick cloth bundle he'd been carrying. The instant everyone saw what was inside, every trace of doubt vanished. A diamond-shaped crystal shrouded in swirling mist. A genuine Mistwraith Core.

"Marcus's party actually killed a Mistwraith..."

"How the hell did they manage that? That energy barrier shrugs off almost every physical attack."

"I knew a whole party that got wiped out by one..."

"I know Marcus. Lower-Tier Warrior. Still hasn't awakened Aura. Grey and Vaelis aren't much different..."

"... Was it that rookie who broke the barrier?"

"I heard he's a mage."

"I saw him a few days ago... Zelier, right?"

"A mage taking commissions from the Adventurer's Association? That's a rare sight..."