"That man's a Bronze Adventurer!"
His teammates were astonished. Their gazes shifted back to Marlin, their eyes full of disbelief.
They'd worked together at the Blacksmith Shop? That meant the other man couldn't have become an adventurer much earlier than Marlin.
"Are you sure you saw that right?" Marlin asked in disbelief. Though he hadn't been in the business long, he knew what Bronze Rank meant, and he reflexively denied it.
"How could we be wrong? Didn't you see the green badges hanging on their chests?"
Only then did Marlin vaguely recall seeing a flash of green on Gauss's chest during that brief glimpse. But he'd been so embarrassed at the time, wishing the man would leave as quickly as possible. How could he have paid close attention?
A Bronze Adventurer.
Could it be real?
And how had he advanced so quickly?
A hard-to-describe confusion and envy rose in Marlin's heart. In his understanding, the most untouchable people in town were the professionals. And now Gauss had become one of them, too?
A little over a year ago, the man had been nothing more than a temporary worker at the Blacksmith Shop, with no one to rely on.
Even a small-town commoner like Marlin had found plenty to feel superior about. One day, he'd brag about eating meat; the next, he'd casually mention that his family had given him more pocket money.
Back then, seeing the undisguised envy in the other man's eyes had given him a considerable sense of satisfaction.
But what about now?
The contrast between their circumstances felt nothing short of bitterly ironic.
The only consolation was that Gauss didn't seem to be the sort to show off like he was.
Otherwise, Marlin would have been utterly mortified.
"M-Marlin, do you think there's any chance you could