Commission Ranks

Since it had already happened, he had to accept it no matter how helpless he felt.

Shien once again demonstrated his ability to accept reality.

Besides, Shien was merely afraid of trouble, not afraid of danger—let alone cowardly. There was no need to keep dwelling on it.

So Shien followed Vivian and the others to the guild's notice board, ignored the gazes around him, and examined the notices.

The Adventurer's Guild's notice board, used to post all manner of commissions, was really just a decorated wall.

Sheets of parchment covered it, each in a different color. Some were black iron, some bronze, some silver, some gold, and some platinum. The later colors became increasingly scarce and were posted higher up.

In other words, black iron parchments were the most numerous and placed at the bottom, while platinum ones were the rarest and posted at the very top.

Vivian began explaining things to Shien.

"These are all commission notices that have been screened by the guild. As you can see, every notice has its own color, and that color represents the difficulty of the commission recorded on it."

The guild employee had previously told Shien that adventurers were also divided into ranks. From first-rank adventurers to seventh-rank adventurers, the Adventurer's Guild awarded seven kinds of medals: black iron, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, and obsidian.

The guild made corresponding commission notices based on the materials of those medals, using them to indicate the difficulty of each commission.

"Generally speaking, a first-rank adventurer with a Black Iron First-Class Junior Medal can only accept black iron commissions. By the same logic, platinum commissions can only be accepted by fifth-rank adventurers with a Platinum Fifth-Class Special Medal."

"At the same time, low-rank adventurers cannot accept high-rank commissions, but high-rank adventurers can accept lower-rank commissions. That is the system the guild uses."

"Of course, there are exceptions. It is not impossible to accept a commission above your rank, but you must form an adventurer party, and the party's strength must be recognized by the guild before you can accept higher-rank commissions."

That was what Vivian said.

"For example, our party should ordinarily only be able to accept commissions of the same rank as the highest-ranked adventurer in the party. However, the guild has permitted us to accept commissions one rank higher."

That was one reason so many adventurers were willing to form parties.

For one thing, having companions naturally made it easier to carry out adventures and made adventuring safer.

For another, forming a party could grant them the right to accept higher-rank commissions like this.

"Of course, simply forming a party is not enough. If the members' abilities vary too widely, or if they cannot work together properly and fail to form a more effective fighting force, the guild will not grant permission. So you cannot just pad the party with useless people or randomly gather numbers. Establishing a party is a more serious matter, one that affects treatment, achievements, and so on. You will need to think it over carefully in the future as well."

As Vivian said this, she continued her explanation.

"Also, the higher the commission's rank, the harder it is to complete, but naturally, the reward is also more generous. You have already noticed that, haven't you?"

Shien had indeed noticed.

For example, one platinum commission notice posted high at the very top of the board contained the following.

—Elixir of Immortality—

Mission: Explore the ancient civilization ruins sleeping in the deepest heart of the Felusigane Marshlands, and bring back the legendary elixir capable of granting eternal youth and immortality.

Reward: 100,000 gold coins.

Both the contents and the reward of this commission were enough to stir people's desires.

Leaving aside how valuable immortality was to people with limited lifespans, the reward of 100,000 gold coins alone was enough to drive countless people mad.

In this world, one copper coin could buy an apple, while one gold coin was worth 10,000 copper coins. Wouldn't 100,000 gold coins be equivalent to billions, or even tens of billions, in his previous life?

However, this was the highest-rank commission on the board, and even among platinum commissions, it was the one with the greatest difficulty and reward.

Black iron commissions, on the other hand, offered much more modest rewards. There were commissions that paid several copper coins and others that paid several silver coins. Their contents were equally varied, ranging from gathering herbs to searching for missing people, making the difference seem enormous.

If I hadn't joined a party, I probably could only accept commissions at this level too, right?

Thinking of that, Shien was grateful for joining this party for the first time.

"Oh, right." Shien suddenly noticed something and asked Vivian, "Aren't there also mithril and obsidian ranks? Why aren't there any commissions of those ranks?"

Vivian laughed at that.

"Mithril and obsidian commissions generally do not appear on the notice board," Vivian explained. "Mithril commissions usually involve matters directly tied to the survival of an entire town or a noble family. They do not appear casually. Obsidian commissions are the highest-difficulty commissions, concerning a nation's fate. Even when they do arise, they are handled in secret, with the King or members of the royal family directly appointing renowned seventh-rank adventurers to carry them out. So forget Lamigium—even the Adventurer's Guild in the royal capital would not easily have mithril- or obsidian-class commission notices."

Only then did Shien understand.

In other words, under normal circumstances, platinum class was the highest level of commission.

Just as Shien figured that out, Vivian and the others began selecting commissions. They tore them from the notice board and went to the guild employee at the counter to register them.

Commission notices torn from the board had to be brought to the counter to complete the execution procedures. Only after a guild employee approved them could the commissions be considered officially accepted.

Vivian's Squad had torn down three commission notices.

—Spring Water Collection—

Mission: Recover three bottles of spring water from a source of magical power. The source must be at least medium-sized.

Reward: 20 gold coins.

—Fire Lizard Hide—

Mission: Travel to the Mangal Mountain Range, where Fire Lizards dwell, subjugate thirty Fire Lizards, and bring back their hides.

Reward: 10 gold coins.

—Clearing Blood Sucking Vines—

Mission: A large number of Blood Sucking Vines have grown along the main road leading to the northern town of Fressia, causing serious harm. Please clear them away as soon as possible.

Reward: 10 gold coins.

Of these three commission notices, one was gold class and two were silver class.

Moreover, they were all the sort that could be completed in a short time.

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