7: Chapter 7 Adventurers' Guild Encounters

As morning arrived, Richard bought a piece of black bread for breakfast and hurried toward the Adventurers Guild.

The Adventurers Guild was the only multinational organization not under the jurisdiction of any nation, with its headquarters located in the Dark Gold City of the Free City-States.

The history of the guild could be traced back two thousand years, having originally formed as a mutual aid alliance among a group of explorers who delved into dungeons.

It had since evolved into a behemoth possessing a comprehensive ranking system, a mission distribution network, and a supply chain.

Adventurer ranks, from lowest to highest, were divided into six tiers: Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Legendary.

Promotion to each tier required completing tasks of a specified difficulty and passing a review by the guild's council.

Black Iron adventurers were usually limited to entry-level tasks like cleaning sewers, dealing with goblin bandits, or escorting merchants. Meanwhile, adventurers of Platinum rank and above were capable of soloing high-difficulty dungeons or hunting adult dragons.

The Blackwater City branch of the guild was located in the plaza district. It was the most conspicuous building on the entire street, quite grand, and occupied a large area.

The three-story stone structure's facade was wider than the bank and the chamber of commerce on either side combined. A massive black iron sign hung on the front, depicting crossed swords and a torch. It had never been cleaned despite years of exposure to wind and sun, yet everyone recognized that mark.

The main gate stood two stories high, with two heavy oak doors standing open like the jaws of a giant beast that could never be shut, constantly swallowing and disgorging the adventurers coming and going.

When Richard walked through the doors, the hall was crowded with people.

A half-orc warrior, covered from head to toe in bandages, lay sprawled on a bench. In a corner, two gnomes were arguing until they were red in the face over the rights to a mission scroll; short as they were, their intensity was not lacking in the slightest.

The bulletin board against the wall was crowded with people craning their necks. Dozens of mission requests were pinned to it, their edges frayed and torn.

The counter was at the very back, a long, stone-built desk separating the staff from the adventurers.

Sitting behind the counter was a young woman in her early twenties with her hair in a ponytail. Her expression appeared somewhat impatient and rather bored.

Just as Richard was about to head toward the counter, he was drawn by the sound of an argument and stopped in his tracks.

"The mission your guild posted wasn't clearly written at all!"

The voice came from the waiting area to the side of the front desk. It wasn't loud, but the tone was filled with uncontrollable anger.

"The sewer cleaning mission... it was listed as entry-level! How can an entry-level mission feature a Demonized Giant Rat King? That is absolutely not a monster we can handle!"

Richard turned his head to look.

The speaker was a young woman with long golden hair, appearing to be around eighteen or nineteen.

Her features were exquisite and beautiful, possessing an angular, striking quality—high brow bones and a straight nose bridge. Paired with those blue eyes, now slightly reddened by anger, she exuded a stubborn spirit that refused to back down.

She wore a set of half-plate armor, the metal plates and rivets glinting coldly under the guild's chandeliers.

A plain longsword hung at her waist, and she gripped a kite shield in her hand. Engraved on the shield was a slightly worn family crest: a griffin standing on its hind legs.

Standing beside her were a man and a woman.

The man looked even younger than her. He had black hair and wore a simple, beige apprentice's robe. Around his neck hung a small silver holy emblem, which, judging by the pattern, was the symbol of Jua, the God of Healing.

His posture lacked confidence, his shoulders slightly hunched. He clutched a tattered, dog-eared holy tome, looking as though he wanted to speak but dared not.

The young woman beside him, however, was of a completely different style.

Her short hair was the color of rust. She wore leather armor and wrapped cloth trousers, and the muscles on her exposed arms were well-defined. Her knuckles were thick—clearly the result of years of training in hand-to-hand combat.

Her features weren't particularly pretty, but those amber eyes were startlingly bright.

At this moment, they were wide as copper bells, and she looked like she couldn't wait to vault over the counter and drag the person on the other side out for a beating.

"Shouldn't something like this have been clearly stated beforehand?!" The red-haired female fighter's voice was more than twice as loud as the golden-haired warrior's, and the entire floor could hear her clearly.

"We had to pay out of pocket to treat our teammates' injuries, and we haven't even gotten back the money for our mortgaged gear! And now you're telling me to take it or leave it?"

The staff member behind the counter was a thin-faced man wearing the guild's gray uniform. He rested his crossed fingers on the desk, a smirk playing on the corner of his mouth.

"Mission grading is assessed uniformly by the guild. If you have any grievances, you may submit a written appeal and wait three to five business days."

"Written appeal? What kind of bullshit is that?!" The red-haired female fighter was like a stick of dynamite with a lit fuse; she slammed her fist onto the counter with a loud bang.

"We almost died in there! And now you're telling me this?!"

"Val." The golden-haired warrior reached out and pressed her hand onto her companion's shoulder, forcibly pulling her back half a step.

Her voice had calmed, though her expression remained furious. "Enough. Don't be impulsive."

"Cecilia, how can you swallow this?!" Val shouted at the golden-haired warrior.

The red-haired fighter named Val looked as if she wanted to say more, opening her mouth, but ultimately gritted her teeth and stepped back.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the staircase on the second floor of the hall.

A formidable-looking man walked down the stairs.

He was in his early thirties with short, silver-gray hair. His features were cold and stern, like a stone statue carved by a knife, and he possessed a lean, tall build. He wore a set of deep blue enchanted armor, with subtle magical patterns faintly flowing across its surface.

The sword he carried was not hung at his hip but slung diagonally across his back, with the hilt protruding above his right shoulder. A thumb-sized, sea-blue gem was embedded in the pommel.

A Magic Swordsman—Heifeis, nicknamed the "Azure Blade," a Silver-rank adventurer.

When Richard saw him appear, he had the illusion of being targeted by a vicious beast, and every hair on his body stood on end.

The hall fell silent by at least half in that instant.

Several adventurers who had been clamoring shut their mouths, and one of the two gnomes arguing in the corner shrank back.

The Magic Swordsman walked to the counter, stopped, and swept his gaze over the faces of the three adventurers.

"Rookies, looking to cause trouble?" The Magic Swordsman's voice was low, yet his presence was incredibly oppressive, like an impending storm.

Val's face flushed red, her lips trembled, and the veins on her clenched fists bulged.

The golden-haired warrior stepped in front of her and gave a slight shake of her head at the Magic Swordsman. "No, honored Lord Heifeis. We were just..."

"Good." The Magic Swordsman interrupted her rudely, his tone flat and cold.

"If you find a mission too difficult, pick another one. If you have an issue with the Guild, file an appeal. Intelligence errors are inevitable, but that is the daily life of us adventurers."

He paused, his gaze shifting from the golden-haired warrior Cecilia to Val, and then to the male priest apprentice who had been cowering in the back.

Under his gaze, the apprentice stepped back, nearly dropping the holy tome in his arms.

"The Guild didn't force anyone to take that mission, and no one is stopping you from walking out the door. Any further questions?"

"No... none."

Cecilia released her hand from Val's shoulder and said quietly, "Let's go."