Chapter 14: The Lady in the Guild

"S-Six?"

Staring at the Goblin ears lined up in front of Raine, Blind Shot left his mouth half-open. He instinctively rubbed his eyes, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.

The sense of superiority that had just filled their corner of the room instantly deflated, like a balloon popped by a needle.

All the rookies' eyes were firmly drawn to the six shriveled ears, their faces full of disbelief. Most of them had only handed in one, or at most two. But six was far beyond what "luck" or "assists" could explain.

Blind Shot resentfully withdrew his gaze, his face burning with embarrassment. The rookies who had just been arguing about who was better or who had more ears now tacitly shut their mouths. Instead, they forced awkward laughs and began discussing completely irrelevant topics, acting as if their previous bragging had never happened.

Raine paid no mind to the corner behind him. He had earned these, and exchanging them for a bounty was only natural.

"Exchanging for a bounty?"

A slightly hoarse female voice came from behind the counter. It wasn't as gentle and sweet as Raine had imagined; instead, it carried the same roughness as the Adventurers around him.

It belonged to a young woman with wheat-colored skin and short, neat chestnut hair. She wore a sturdy linen shirt with the cuffs casually rolled up to her forearms, revealing well-defined muscles on her wrists. If it weren't for the clear Guild insignia pinned prominently to her chest proving she was a staff member here, Raine would have thought he had walked into the wrong place.

"That's right, six in total." Raine gave a slight nod. It was his first time handing in a quest, and he appeared a little reserved.

The female receptionist asked no further questions. She briskly put on a pair of mottled old leather gloves and nimbly sifted through the bloodstained green ears, expertly counting them.

"Six, confirmed." She took off her gloves, her voice flat and devoid of emotion. She then counted out twelve Silver Lions from under the counter and pushed them toward Raine with a CLANG. "Count them here. We take no responsibility once you leave the counter."

With that, she pulled out a strange, faintly glowing gray stone tablet and began writing on it with a feather pen. Without even looking up, she held her hand out to Raine. "Hand over your badge."

"I don't have a badge." Raine paused for a moment before realizing she meant an Adventurer's Badge. That was something only Adventurers officially registered with the Guild could possess.

"A rookie?"

It was only then that the young, wheat-skinned receptionist finally looked up and met Raine's gaze for the first time. For a fledgling rookie to produce six Goblin ears all on his own was a rare sight in the Guild.

Soon, a flicker of confusion flashed through her surprised eyes. She had clearly recognized Raine as the young man who, according to rumors, could never achieve such a feat. Or perhaps she was mistaken? How could a kid who had been scared witless by a Goblin change so drastically?

After a moment, she suppressed her astonishment and returned to a businesslike tone. "Do you want to register?"

"What are the benefits of registering?" a hint of curiosity surfaced on Raine's face.

"You can take on commissions corresponding to your Adventurer Level and earn bounties. Your combat record and the number of completed commissions will be recorded in your personal file. Once you accumulate enough, you can increase your Adventurer Level." She spoke rapidly, as if reciting the rules from memory, before adding, "The Guild is short on hands lately, so the registration fee is only two Silver Lions."

"I'll register." Raine didn't hesitate to give an affirmative answer.

A form was quickly pushed in front of him. Its contents weren't complicated. Aside from basic information like name and age, it asked for his weapon of choice and his future career path. Raine filled it out quickly and handed it back.

The female receptionist took the form, her gaze lingering on his name for a second. She then picked up the strange stone tablet again and began writing, evidently registering his information.

Finally, she took out a brass Adventurer's Badge, tapped it lightly against the stone tablet, and handed it to Raine. The badge was slightly cool to the touch and felt rather heavy. The front bore the Guild's insignia—a sword and staff crossed over a Shield—while the back featured a string of incomprehensible, twisted characters, presumably his personal Adventurer number.

Raine tucked away the badge and his remaining ten Silver Lions. After saying his thanks, he turned and left.

Next, he had more important things to do.

Raine hadn't taken more than a few steps before the undisguised teasing of several Veteran Adventurers echoed behind him.

"Oh? How did our 'Lady' get so gentle today?" a gruff voice called out, intentionally dragging out its words. "That's even rarer than seeing a Giant in a skirt dancing in the woods."

"Isn't it? Heh, I saw it! She paid special attention to that kid's name just now!" another shrill voice immediately chimed in, dripping with sarcasm. "Who would've thought our 'Lady' would ever have a romantic awakening? I thought she only cared about bounties and commission slips!"

"That young man is well-groomed and easy on the eyes. How could she treat him the same? He's not like you, reeking of sweat and booze!" The gruff voice burst into laughter. "The 'Lady' might have a short temper and love to yell, but she is a woman after all!"

"You old geezers got too much time on your hands, huh? Keep running your mouths and I'll push all your commission settlements to next month!" the wheat-skinned receptionist couldn't help but curse, her irritated voice abruptly rising in pitch. "And stop calling me 'Lady'!"

Hearing the roar and the even more enthusiastic bursts of laughter from behind, Raine shook his head slightly, a helpless smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He finally understood why she was so stern and unsmiling. When she had to face so many overly energetic guys every day and deal with their incessant teasing and banter, one couldn't exactly expect her to smile sweetly, could they?

Leaving the Adventurer's Guild, Raine headed straight for his next destination: the best armor shop in town. It was about time he bought himself the set of armor he had been longing for.

[Mottled Town • South District • Fallen Stone and Rib Armor Shop]

[Description: Run by former Adventurer "Hard Skin Robert."

During Robert's first and last adventure, his overreliance on a gorgeous but structurally fragile Chest Armor resulted in Six Ribs being broken by falling stones from a trap.

After luckily surviving and earning the nickname "Hard Skin," he realized two truths:

First, surviving depends on solid equipment. Therefore, the armor he sells is of unquestionable quality—the absolute best in town.

Second, making money relies on rookies' coin purses, because he was once that rookie who spent his entire fortune on a flashy Chest Armor.]

"It seems buying a piece of ideal armor at a reasonable price won't be an easy task."

Raine murmured, raising an eyebrow slightly before walking toward the door of the armor shop.