Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Turning in the Quest

When it was the squad’s turn, a guard with gaunt cheeks lowered his Long Halberd to block their path.

"Routine inspection."

The guard’s voice was hoarse and cold. "Names, origins, purpose for entering the town. And show me your identification."

"Adventurers."

Marcus answered concisely, "They’re all my squad members. We’re here to turn in a quest at the Association."

He took a bronze badge from his pocket and handed it over. It was the identification issued by the Adventurer’s Association.

The badge’s surface was smooth from years of friction, engraved with Marcus’s name and a pattern of a crossed sword and shield.

Gray and Valles also took out their badges and handed them over.

Zelir remembered he had a badge like that too. After fumbling around for a moment, he handed it over as well.

However, while the other three had bronze badges, Zelir’s was the simplest iron, looking rather shabby in comparison.

The guard took the badges, glanced over them, and confirmed their identities.

Then, his gaze fell upon the men themselves.

Bulging backpacks reeking of blood, dried bloodstains on their clothes, and Gray’s exposed, injured arm—it was all perfectly normal.

The guard nodded slightly and returned the badges. "Welcome back to town. Go get that wound treated."

The Long Halberd was raised, and the group passed through the gate.

Upon entering Black Stone Town, a completely new scene unfolded before Zelir’s eyes, as if the melodious sound of a Lute were playing just for him.

Most of the town’s buildings were two-story structures with stone lower levels and wooden upper levels, their roofs covered in dark red or brown tiles.

The main road was paved with bluestone slabs of varying sizes, flanked by shallow drainage ditches.

The clamor of merchants hawking their wares, the rhythmic CLANG CLANG of hammering from the Blacksmith Shop, and the carefree chatter of passersby...

All these sounds mingled together, instantly pulling Zelir from the monotonous Gray Wood Forest.

Before him lay a vibrant world, one completely different from the concrete jungles and steel forests of his past life.

A plump, aproned woman was busy at a bakery’s entrance, arranging a basket of soft, freshly baked bread dusted with powdered sugar on a display shelf.

A Minstrel sat on a street corner, recounting the great deeds of heroes as a moving melody flowed from his strings.

Adventurers sat in twos and threes at outdoor tables, polishing their weapons and loudly boasting about their latest quests.

"Hey! Watch where you’re going!"

The sharp rebuke startled Zelir.

He quickly retreated two steps as a farmer’s cart, pulled by a draft horse, rumbled past, narrowly missing him.

"What are you thinking about? Spacing out while you walk? Did you use too much Magic and drain all your energy?" Valles said, patting Zelir on the head.

"No, it’s just that..."

Zelir struggled for a moment before finding the words. "It just feels... so magical."

Valles shot Zelir a strange look.

After crossing two streets, the squad finally arrived at the Adventurer’s Association.

It was a rugged-looking building.

It was a three-story wood and stone structure, its walls mottled with age from years of exposure to the elements.

A relief of a crossed sword and shield was carved above the entrance. The paint had faded, and the edges were marred with scratches of varying depths.

Pushing the door open, they were met with a wave of boisterous noise.

"Mist Cave goblin subjugation quest! Need a Vanguard!"

"Clearing out Gnolls deep in Gray Wood Forest! Need two Warriors! We’re gonna twist all those bastards’ heads off! Pay is fair, and equipment damage is covered!"

"Caravan escort quest! Rangers get priority! Must be at least Junior Professional Tier!"

Zealous calls for teammates rose and fell, one after another, making one’s ears ring.

The faint smell of blood mixed with the sour stench of sweat, making the atmosphere even more intense.

The scene inside the Association was more or less what Zelir had imagined.

A massive, mounted wolf’s head hung on the wall, empty wine barrels were stacked in a corner, and Adventurers carried all manner of weapons at their waists.

It was all filled with the kinds of fantastic sights one might only find in a fantasy novel.

Zelir could feel his heart begin to race.

’These are all people who live with their lives on the line.’

Every day, Adventurers died on quests, but a steady stream of new blood continued to pour in.

They were driven by money, by ambition, and by a refusal to live out their lives in mediocrity.

Marcus expertly navigated the crowd and made his way to the counter. The receptionist was a young woman with a few freckles dotting her cheeks.

"Hello, my name is Eira. I’m a receptionist. How can I help you?"

"I’m here to turn in the wolf extermination quest."

Marcus took off his cloth sack and poured a large pile of skinned wolves’ left ears onto the special counting tray.

"Alright."

Eira first shuffled through some documents. After confirming the quest existed, she began to count the wolf ears with a small pick.

"A total of thirty-six wolves. According to the quest’s terms, your reward is one hundred and eight Silver Coins."

"Okay."

"Also," Marcus said, "I’d like to report an encounter with a Demon."

"An encounter with a Demon?" Eira’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Yes, we ran into a juvenile Fog Demon," Marcus said.

"So it was that..."

Eira’s expression grew more serious.

Even though it was a juvenile, the threat it posed was not as high as an adult Fog Demon’s.

But a Challenge-rated Demon was no laughing matter. It was the kind of threat that could easily get people killed and had to be reported.

"Which area did you encounter the Fog Demon in? What kind of creature’s body was stitched to it? Its movement speed couldn’t have been too high, right? Otherwise, it would’ve been difficult for you to escape..."

In response to Eira’s questions, Marcus simply shook his head.

"We didn’t run. We killed the Fog Demon."

"..."

Eira’s brown eyes widened slightly, and the main hall fell silent for a moment.

The loudly talking Adventurers all glanced over, their attention captured by Marcus’s words.

"You... killed the juvenile Fog Demon?" Eira asked in astonishment.

Marcus said nothing more, simply taking the spoils, wrapped in thick cloth, from his pocket.

Seeing this, the previously skeptical Adventurers had no choice but to believe him.

That prismatic crystal, wreathed in mist, was without a doubt a Fog Demon Core!

"Marcus Squad actually killed a Fog Demon..."

"How did they do it? A Fog Demon’s Energy Barrier is practically immune to all physical attacks."

"An Adventurer squad I knew was completely wiped out by one..."

"I know Marcus. He’s a Junior Warrior who hasn’t even mastered Fighting Qi. Gray and Valles are about the same... So it was the new guy who broke the Energy Barrier? I heard he’s a Mage."

"I saw him a few days ago. I think his name is Zelir... It’s rare to see a Mage taking quests from the Adventurer’s Association nowadays..."