An unexpected guest arrived in Loran Forest in the early morning.

Her slender frame was enveloped in a magnificent, deep purple robe with gold-embroidered trim. Beneath the wide brim of a pointed hat, her face was delicate and beautiful. Fiery red hair cascaded down her back. An amethyst pendant hung from her slender, snow-white neck, and below her faintly visible collarbones, her chest was strikingly full.

Its fullness was a stark contrast to her slender waist, forming a curve that seemed carved by a Demon, one that held a fatal allure.

Pinned to her chest, a silver insignia bearing two violet petals was propped up high, making it particularly conspicuous.

The girl strode with light steps through what the locals called the depths of Loran Forest, seemingly unconcerned by the dangers of the deep woods.

RUSTLE—

A faint rustling came from the undergrowth. A Frost Shadow Wolf was hiding in the shadows, observing the "prey" before it.

This dangerous Elite Level Demon was known as the nightmare of Professionals. Every year, many new Professionals were ambushed by this insidious Demon, their careers cut short just as they had begun.

Even veteran Adventurers, Professionals with years of experience, were extremely reluctant to provoke such a troublesome Demon, known for its speed and deadly attacks.

The distance gradually closed.

A dangerous light glinted in the wolf’s eerie green eyes. In the next moment, a cold aura enveloped it, shrouding it in a thin layer of frost. A layer of sharp ice coated its claws.

SWOOSH—!

It burst from the bushes, its body a blur like an afterimage, lunging at the girl with a ghostly blue trail of light in its wake.

The girl in the purple robe watched the Demon suddenly appear, her eyes utterly devoid of emotion. She seemed neither surprised nor panicked.

She simply waited for the Demon to draw near, slowly raising a hand and chanting a Spell.

A fiery red curtain of light enveloped her. The scorching heat made the Frost Shadow Wolf’s pupils contract.

But the die was cast; there was no turning back. The wolf could only steel itself and slam its claw into the Barrier.

The Ice on its claw vaporized instantly, and its snowy fur ignited. Its entire paw felt as if it were being cooked, yet the Barrier didn’t show the slightest hint of a crack.

The Frost Shadow Wolf howled in agony, realizing its opponent was far beyond its league.

It quickly turned, limping away on its three remaining legs as it fled into the woods.

"Tsk."

The girl’s red lips parted. She chanted another Spell, and a disc-sized Fireball materialized in her hand.

She didn’t need to throw it. With a gentle "push" of her Magic Power, the Fireball shot forward at incredible speed, catching the fleeing Frost Shadow Wolf and striking it squarely in its vulnerable flank.

The searing Flame burned a massive hole in the Demon’s body. The Frost Shadow Wolf collapsed with a final howl, the blood from the wound vaporized by the intense heat. The spreading fire slowly consumed its internal organs...

"The local Demons are so rude."

She shook her head, turned, and continued toward Roland Town.

...

"This is the last one."

Lin Mo picked up the Slime Condensate from the ground and took stock of the Condensates in his bag. He had encountered and killed twenty-one Slimes today. Learning from the past two days, he was much more proficient now; he hadn’t made a single mistake and had managed to perfectly preserve the Condensate from every Slime.

With these, plus the twenty-nine Slime Condensates he had already deposited at the Association, his quest was complete.

Since it was still early, he hurried back. Once he was out of Loran Forest, Lin Mo focused his thoughts and looked at his panel.

[Name]: Lin Mo

[Profession]: None

[Attributes]:

Strength: 6

Agility: 8

Constitution: 4

...

[Skills]:

Stealth Lv3 (29/40)

Slashing Lv4 (4/100)

That’s right. After today’s battles, Lin Mo’s Slashing skill had successfully reached Level 4. It was significantly more powerful than it had been at Level 2 just a few days ago.

With his current Attributes and Skills, if he could go back to the encounter with the Mutated Goblin, he was confident that even if he couldn’t win a direct fight, he could at least hold it off long enough for his squad to avoid a total wipe.

’Once the squad members were safe, I could have escaped whenever I wanted. I might have even been able to save Rhein’s sister...’

’If Rhein were still alive, maybe she would have found the courage to go on living.’

With a soft sigh, he shook off the jumbled thoughts.

’The past is the past,’ he thought. ’There’s no point dwelling on it. I should focus on the present and take things one step at a time.’

Back in town, he went straight to the Adventurer’s Association.

This was the peak hour for Adventurers to return, which should have made it the Adventurer’s Association’s busiest time aside from the morning rush.

However, Lena’s counter was as deserted as ever. There was only one person ahead of Lin Mo, and they were just making an inquiry, not accepting or turning in a quest. Still, Lena answered their questions patiently.

After about two minutes, the person left dejectedly, and Lin Mo stepped up to the counter.

"Mr. Lin Mo, are you here to deposit more Slime Condensate today?"

The somewhat dispirited Lena looked up. When she saw Lin Mo, her expression visibly brightened, and her voice softened.

"No, I’m here to complete my quest today."

As he spoke, Lin Mo took out all twenty-one Slime Condensates from his bag.

"So many..."

Lena’s mouth fell open in surprise, but her hands moved with practiced efficiency, quickly placing each Condensate into its own small pouch to prevent damage.

"With the twenty-nine Condensates you deposited the other day, your quest is complete, meow!"

As she spoke, Lena took out 5 Gold Coins from beneath the counter and placed them on the countertop.

"Speaking of which, do you get a commission when I complete a quest?"

Lin Mo asked curiously as he pocketed the Gold Coins.

"I do, meow~"

Lena nodded. "When a client posts a quest with the Association, they have to pay the quest reward plus an additional commission of one percent. That part is the Association’s income, and we receptionists get a small portion of that."

"How much will you get from this quest, for instance?"

"About 5 Copper Coins."

’So, one percent of one percent? That’s one-ten-thousandth of the total quest reward?’

’It didn’t sound like much, but for a busy counter like the one next to Lena’s, it could add up. They probably gave out a hundred quests a day. Even if only thirty were completed, at an average reward of 5 Gold Coins per quest, the commission would come out to a full 150 Copper Coins.’

’For an Adventurer, that amount was nothing, but for an ordinary person like a guild receptionist, an income of 150 copper a day was quite substantial.’

’After all, even back in the more peaceful days, a low-level laborer only earned about five to eight Copper Coins a day.’

"That’s not bad at all. Does that mean you’re practically rich, Lena?"

"Oh, please don’t tease me, meow~"

Lena gave an awkward laugh. "It’s just enough to scrape by. I don’t get many people taking quests from my counter. In the last two months, I’ve only earned one silver and fifty copper in commission..."

Just as they were talking, a commotion erupted behind them, followed by an uproar.

Lin Mo turned to look, and he froze...