Lin Feng should have been delighted to obtain a monster distribution guide for the Sumeru region so easily.
Yet the arrival of the green-clad middle-aged man before him added a peculiar little episode to his relaxed, pleasant morning.
"—President Kamal, please mind your personal image. Do not cause trouble for passing adventurers."
Katheryne spoke flatly, her tone far from friendly.
"If you continue your current behavior, I will have to consider reporting your 'glorious' recent achievement of scaring off thirteen new adventurers in a row to headquarters."
Apparently quite familiar with the man's conduct, Katheryne still delivered her warning coldly despite him being the branch president of the Adventurers' Guild.
"Sorry! Sorry!"
"—Please, don't do that!"
"I'll explain why I grabbed this young man just now. Please spare me!!"
The middle-aged man, who radiated the aura of an expert, surrendered at lightning speed. He obediently stepped away from Lin Feng and began explaining what had happened:
—Recently, the monsters around the outskirts of Sumeru City had somehow become unusually active, and sightings were occurring with alarming frequency.
Meanwhile, the Corps of Thirty had always been responsible only for clearing out the areas close to the city, leaving them no time to attend to the wilderness.
Under such circumstances, commissions involving the extermination of wild monsters had surged in number within a short period, becoming exceedingly common.
Such commissions usually paid poorly and carried a certain degree of danger.
The Eremites, who valued money as dearly as life itself, generally had no interest in taking on such cleanup jobs. Instead, they took advantage of the increased monster activity to raise their escort fees for merchant caravans.
With all these factors combined, the Adventurers' Guild—which had been squeezed out of most of its living space by the Eremites—had suddenly become the main