The Commission

It was precisely because of the generally lukewarm performance of most mages.

Despite appearing outrageously all-around capable, mages weren't actually chosen by that many people.

Lu Cang was still at the counter, standing on his tiptoes slightly as he spoke with Xili...

Before long, Lu Cang returned.

He held four commission slips in his hand.

"Xili said the last commission for a Tier 2 dungeon was just taken," he reported.

Commissions couldn't be given to two parties simultaneously.

Otherwise, when it came time to settle the commission, the rewards would be unclear.

For instance, if one party explored a dungeon but returned midway for supplies, and another party happened to sneak in and defeat the final BOSS during that time, the quest couldn't be resolved fairly.

Therefore, the quest was only issued to one party; whoever accepted the quest would receive the reward.

Even if the dungeon was cleared by someone else, as long as the quest was in your possession, the reward was yours.

If such a situation truly occurred, most adventurers would be delighted, considering it equivalent to getting paid for doing nothing.

"Huh?"

At this moment, Jidi, Zhou Er, and Gaiton were sitting together, all waiting for Lu Cang's next assignment.

They had already agreed on the way back to earn some more money with Lu Cang.

If there were no Tier 2 dungeon commissions, it would be troublesome.

After all, among the Level 2 adventurers, they were among the lower-middle tier in terms of strength.

They certainly couldn't just give up on work that allowed them to earn money so easily.

Lu Cang said, "Xili asked if I wanted to take a Tier 3 dungeon quest."

"Or try hunting some bounty-posted wild Demonic Beasts."

Gaiton: "Hmm..."

"If it's a Tier 3 dungeon, we probably wouldn't be much help."

That was true...

If they were to explore a Tier 3 dungeon, Lu Cang intended to recruit Level 3 adventurers.

He had hired these individuals with a cautious mindset.

The Demonic Beasts in Tier 2 dungeons posed no real threat to Lu Cang; the recent adventure had proven this.

The Demonic Beasts could be described as utterly defenseless.

Lu Cang hired them purely as a safeguard.

Lu Cang was worried about encountering unknown dangers or falling into some trap due to a momentary lapse in reaction.

This was another world, and there was much he didn't understand. Iz had also said that exploring dungeons required attention not only to Demonic Beasts.

One also had to be wary of traps, ambushes, and even in some low-tier dungeons, there were things that absolutely should not be touched.

It wasn't uncommon for powerful adventurers to die in low-tier dungeons.

There were even rumors of a powerful elf saint stumbling in a Goblin Nest.

Lu Cang considered himself not an experienced adventurer and couldn't guarantee he wouldn't flip his boat in the gutter.

Regardless... hiring three teammates for 60 silver coins would greatly improve his margin for error.

It was equivalent to buying a safety rope for 60 silver coins.

But if it were a Tier 3 dungeon...

Then the three of them were indeed insufficient in strength.

Lu Cang hired them to provide a safety net for himself, not just to feed one more mouth.

Could a Level 2 Defender withstand a Tier 3 Demonic Beast?

In Lu Cang's opinion, it was uncertain.

"I also believe we should proceed step by step, so I've accepted the commission to hunt wild bounty-posted Demonic Beasts."

"Four in total."

Wild bounty-posted Demonic Beasts...

Traces of Demonic Beasts appeared not only in dungeons but also outside towns. When someone discovered these beasts and reported them to the guild, the guild would issue "Investigation" type quests.

After verification, "Hunting" quests would be issued.

Of course, if an adventurer felt they could handle it during the investigation, they could also complete the hunting quest then and there.

However, sometimes the adventurer on the "Investigation" quest was alone and unable to undertake the hunt, so the quest would be posted at the guild for other adventurers to accept.

Not all Demonic Beasts would be hunted; only those deemed to pose a significant threat of Tier 2 or higher would be posted by the guild for bounty hunting.

If it were just a Slime by the roadside...

There wouldn't be any need to go to such great lengths.

Everyone looked at the quest request Lu Cang had spread out on the table.

Zhou Er examined it closely. "Three D-rank extermination quests, all for second-tier Lord-class Demonic Beasts."

"And one C-rank extermination quest, for a third-tier Lord."

"All Lord-class, huh."

Then again, considering Lu Cang's immense strength, it was understandable that he would only take quests for Lord-class Demonic Beasts.

A Level 2 adventurer party challenging a second-tier Lord carried risks.

It wasn't a guaranteed death, but it certainly wasn't safe. Exterminating three in one day would lead to problems with recovery and supplies.

Most adventurers didn't recover from injuries in half a day; it depended on how strong the Healer in the party was.

Lu Cang's youthful voice didn't sound like someone who would hunt Demonic Beast Lords.

"Mhm, I want to give it a try."

"How do you think the Lords in the dungeons compare to the Lords outside?"

Zhou Er, with the most experience, replied, "Strength-wise... the dungeon Lords are a bit stronger, but if you really had to say, the difference isn't that big."

Lu Cang nodded upon hearing his answer.

"Then, let's finish the remaining quests today."

"The spoils go to me, and the three of you split 48% of the quest rewards. How about it?"

Money was a secondary issue. Whether he gave them 10 silver more or 10 silver less didn't really matter.

The total reward for the four quests was 4 gold. The biggest chunk of that came from the third-tier Demonic Beast, accounting for half.

He could easily earn several gold from a single dungeon run, so ten-odd silver... he didn't need to concern himself with it at all.

What Lu Cang primarily wanted was to understand the specific strength of different Demonic Beasts.

Especially... that third-tier Demonic Beast Lord.

If he could defeat it, it would prove he had the strength to adventure in third-tier dungeons.

Lu Cang wasn't a reckless fool who thought having two god-tier talents meant he could venture into unfamiliar dungeons without any knowledge.

Safety always came first.

Acting steadily before moving was Lu Cang's principle.

"I... I don't have a problem with that," Jidi replied.

Having witnessed Lu Cang's strength, Jidi fully believed he could defeat a third-tier Lord.

Even though she hadn't fought a third-tier Lord herself.

The stout Defender beside her also nodded.

Uncle Collector scratched the back of his head. "Mhm... with Captain's strength, it should be fine."

"Or rather..."

Uncle looked at the quest request.

"Well, never mind."

He had initially wanted to say that the reward might be too much for them.

But then he thought, why worry about having too much money?

Let it be.

Seeing that the plan was set, Lu Cang smiled. "Oh right, everyone..."

"I've come from a rather distant land and am not very familiar with the environment here. If I encounter any problems I don't understand, I hope to ask for your guidance, older brother and sisters."

Lu Cang displayed a child's innocent smile.

It made Uncle pause for a moment.

Oh, right... this genius with immense strength was actually still a child.

After witnessing Lu Cang's power, he had almost forgotten that he was a child.

The extermination in Guishe Forest took less than two hours round trip.

They had set out at 8 AM, and it was only around 10:30 AM now that they were setting out again.

This efficiency in clearing dungeons was truly unprecedented for them.

The four set out once more.

In the carriage, Lu Cang subtly asked questions about things he had read in the common knowledge books but didn't fully understand...

Received their unique answers.

As expected, the gap between knowledge from books and reality is quite large.

That common sense book is already a 20-year-old version.

In the last 20-plus years, dungeons have become significantly more dangerous.

The death rate for adventurers in dungeons of the same tier has reached 1%.

1% doesn't seem like much, but considering most adventurers only earn 20-30 silver in tier 2 dungeons, when converted to current prices.

It's almost like gambling a 1% death rate for the equivalent of 6,000 yuan on Earth...

It truly is a dangerous profession.