Chương 74: The Hamster

Zelier whipped around and found himself staring into Cyr's smiling eyes.

"I thought you weren't coming." He let out a quiet sigh of relief. At the same time, he couldn't help feeling a chill run down his spine. Even with his guard fully up... He hadn't sensed her approach at all.

"You came to invite me personally." Cyr's smile grew teasing.

"How could I refuse?" She leaned in until her lips were close to his ear.

"So..."

"What kind of important commission is worth paying an extra five gold?" Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"... Need someone killed?"

"Nothing like that." Zelier instinctively took half a step back.

"It's actually a very simple job."

"We're accompanying a rookie adventurer on his first commission." As he spoke, he pointed toward Lante.

"H-Hello..." Lante greeted her timidly. The moment he'd laid eyes on Cyr, an instinctive fear had gripped him. It felt as though some dangerous predator had fixed its gaze upon him. Seeing his reaction, Cyr immediately understood the situation. She let out a quiet laugh.

"Hmph." The razor-sharp killing intent surrounding her disappeared without a trace.

"Well, that's certainly a new one." Stretching lazily, she raised her arms overhead. The movement caused the hem of her short cloak to slide upward, revealing the graceful curve of her slender waist.

"Fine."

"If you're paying, then I don't have any objections." With everyone assembled, the only thing left was choosing a commission. The guild staff had just pinned up the day's newly arrived requests, leaving them with plenty of options. Zelier was currently Level 7 (40/250). He still needed 210 EXP to level up. Based on previous experience, a [Difficult] monster usually awarded around one hundred experience points. That meant this expedition needed to involve at least two [Difficult] monsters...

Or one [Difficult] monster accompanied by a sizeable pack of weaker ones. At minimum, they were looking for a Low-Rank Two-Star commission. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He skimmed down the board.

"Exterminate Carrion Wolf Spiders..."

"Drive off the wild boars near the northern farms..."

"Help Lady Zeri find her missing cat..."

"Catch fresh riverfish..." Nothing caught his interest. Then one notice made him stop. [Kobold Extermination - No. 3 Abandoned Mine Shafts] Recently, the patrol has discovered a small tribe of migrating kobolds occupying an abandoned mine east of Blackstone Town. If left alone, they will eventually threaten the nearby active mining operations. Adventurer parties are hereby requested to eliminate the infestation. Commission Rank: Low-Rank ★★ Objective: Eliminate every kobold within the abandoned mine.

Reward: Intelligence estimates at least twenty ordinary kobolds, accompanied by two Giant Kobolds. Bounty: Giant Kobold — 5 Gold each Ordinary Kobold — 5 Silver each Guild Note: Kobolds are infamous for their cunning and especially skilled at digging traps. Due to the mine's complex layout, parties are strongly advised to recruit an assassin to scout ahead.

"How about this one?" Zelier pulled the commission from the board. With a mid-tier assassin like Cyr, scouting and trap detection would be effortless. As for the Giant Kobolds... They were basically oversized Beastman Goblins. Bigger. Stronger. But not especially dangerous. To him and Vaelis, they were little more than moving targets. Normally, four people would be enough to clear the commission. Bringing Lante would actually make things harder.

But now that Cyr was covering their weak points, the mission felt practically foolproof.

"The abandoned mine kobold extermination?" Grey raised an eyebrow.

"No objections." Marcus thought for a moment before nodding.

"Works for me."

"And you, Lante?" Zelier looked at him.

"Got the nerve for a commission like this?" Lante nodded vigorously.

"I do!" Before they could register the party, Lante still had one thing left to do. He had to become an adventurer first. After giving Aila his information, it wasn't long before he received his very own adventurer's badge. A simple iron badge. Exactly like Zelier's. Yet Lante turned it over and over in his hands as though he'd discovered priceless treasure, unable to hide the excitement on his face.

"Mr. Zelier," Aila said admiringly, "you're amazing. You've brought another mage to the guild." Zelier glanced at the overjoyed Lante and smiled helplessly.

"He'll probably only be here this once." After registering both the commission and the party members, everyone went their separate ways, agreeing to meet the following morning at Blackstone Gate Pass.... Early the next morning... Zelier finished preparing before sunrise. But when he reached Blackstone Gate Pass, everyone else was already there. Marcus, Grey, and Vaelis were chatting beside a rented carriage. Cyr stood a short distance away with her eyes closed, quietly resting.

Why do they always arrive before me...? Zelier wondered.

"Morning, everyone." He waved.

"Morning." This time, Marcus had rented a carriage as well. In the past, they'd probably have walked. But after earning a string of lucrative bounties recently, the team no longer cared about such minor expenses. Saving time and conserving energy mattered far more. Zelier also noticed that Marcus and Grey had upgraded their equipment. Marcus had replaced his hardened leather armor with reinforced scale mail.

The vital areas were strengthened with iron plates, his composite shield had been fully repaired, and the saber at his waist was now forged from refined iron. Grey's improvements were equally obvious. He now wore a flexible hauberk woven from countless iron rings, providing much better protection without sacrificing mobility. At that moment, Lante arrived at the town gate. The entire party stared. He wore a beautifully tailored azure robe trimmed with intricate silver-embroidered runes.

Even at a glance, it screamed expensive. At his waist hung an immaculate magic staff crafted with flawless precision, crowned by a massive sapphire that practically sparkled in the morning light. Not only did passing pedestrians keep looking back... Even Zelier's party stood there speechless.

"Good morning, everyone!" Lante greeted them cheerfully.

"... Morning." Grey stared blankly for a second before slowly turning toward Zelier, his gaze traveling from head to toe.

"What?"

"Nothing..." Grey scratched his cheek.

"I was just wondering why you don't have robes."

"And... what happened to the gemstone on your staff?"

"Because I'm broke!" Zelier answered irritably. A quiet chuckle escaped Cyr. Lante hurried over to Zelier. Then, with both hands, he presented a pile of glittering crystals. Like a hamster proudly emptying out the food stored in its cheeks to share with someone it trusted.

"Zelier!"

"Look!"

"I brought you some spare Source Power Crystals!" The entire party froze again.... He's really that straightforward?

"Hey, hey." Cyr narrowed her eyes with an amused smile.

"Do you know what 'don't flaunt your wealth' means?"

"If you wave valuables around like that..."

"... Big Sister might not be able to resist robbing you." Marcus let out a long sigh.

"Lante."

"Remember this."

"If you ever go on another commission..."

"Never do something like that in front of other people."

"Otherwise..."

"You might not make it back."

"Understand?"

"... Oh." Lante obediently tucked the Source Power Crystals away.