Temporary Party

Most of the rewards ranged from a few dozen copper nails to a few Silver Scales, and almost none exceeded five Silver Scales.

By comparison, He Xi couldn't help marveling again at how generous Annis had been when she casually gave him that Gold Shield. It was more than enough to cover the entire wall of Iron-tier contracts, with plenty left over.

Naturally, he had no interest in these trivial contracts.

The reward was meager, of course, but more importantly, he needed to kill monsters to obtain more potential traits.

Whether it was [Swarm Leader] or [Bloodline Solidification], both had shown him that every trait could serve a unique purpose if used wisely.

He could also equip Bruce with any extra traits, improving his companion's combat ability.

There were very few Iron-tier monster-clearing contracts. He only saw a handful.

"[Clearance] Clear the giant rats from the eastern farms. Paid by the tail: two copper nails per tail."

"[Clearance] Clear the sharp-beaked birds from the southern quarry. Paid by the beak: five copper nails per beak."

The parchment for these contracts was a little larger than the others, and each bore a thorny rose emblem in the upper-right corner.

He noticed similar contracts in the Bronze and Silver sections, too.

"They must be long-term contracts issued by the authorities in Rose Town."

"Too bad these low-level clearance contracts pay by the number of kills. The popular areas have probably been swept clean over and over already."

He searched the contract board for a long while, but couldn't find anything that suited him.

Then he remembered what he'd seen outside the guild before entering, and turned toward the door.

Sure enough, quite a crowd had gathered in the square outside the guild.

"Looking for a ranger! Must be skilled with a longbow! We're leaving right away!"

"Bronze-tier self-reliant party recruiting a ranged damage dealer! Beginners welcome—as long as you can harass and distract the enemy!"

Just as He Xi had expected, this was where people formed temporary parties.

Many contracts were impossible to complete alone, and their rewards were relatively generous.

Lone adventurers without a regular party, or groups temporarily short a member, often came here to find companions.

As soon as He Xi emerged with his shiny new Iron-tier badge pinned on, a warrior in chainmail with a longsword hurried over.

"Hey, young man! New around here? Want to join our party? We're short a good ranged fighter! I see you've got a dog with you, too."

Before he'd finished speaking, another man pushed his way over, carrying a long-handled battle axe and sporting a golden beard.

"Join our party! We're going to clear out a wolf pack! All you have to do is slow them down. Those beasts run too fast! You'll get thirty percent of the contract reward, and the four of us will split the rest!"

He Xi politely shook his head at the chainmail warrior first. "Sorry, I'm not a ranger."

Then he looked at the warrior with the golden beard. But when the man heard that he wasn't a ranger, the enthusiasm on his face immediately faded.

Gold Beard glanced at the ordinary-looking dagger at He Xi's waist and curled his lip. "Tsk, not a ranger... If you're a rogue, stick to picking locks and finding lost cats and dogs. Those jobs are safe, and they're more your speed."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Does it have to be a ranger?" He Xi asked. "Don't you just need someone who can slow the wolves down?"

Before he'd finished speaking, he focused his mind.

Pfft!

A sharp, half-meter-high Earth Spike suddenly shot up from a crack between the stone slabs at Gold Beard's feet, stopping less than an inch from his boot.

The sudden appearance of the spike made Gold Beard jolt in alarm. He spun around to stare at He Xi, his eyes wide with shock. "A mage?!"

The commotion immediately drew everyone's attention in the square.

"Hey, look over there! There's a mage!"

"A mage on the loose? Am I seeing things? You can actually find a mage at the temporary-party gathering outside the guild?"

Just as the receptionist Clara had said, spellcasters were a rare breed among the adventurers of Rose Town.

Those who did exist mostly had regular parties of their own or had already been recruited by powerful groups.

Most low-level adventurers were warriors and rogues. Even rangers weren't all that common.

The warrior with the golden beard, who had looked so dismissive just moments ago, hurried back over, his face wreathed in an awkward but eager smile.

"Please, you have to join our party!"

Before he'd finished speaking, three others nearby, dressed in matching leather armor and apparently part of the same party, crowded around and began talking over each other.

"Don't listen to him, young mage. Come join our Clover Party! The three of us are brothers, and we're great at defense. We'll keep you safe in the middle while you cast. We can negotiate the reward."

Seeing someone else make a bid—and others nearby looking ready to join in—Gold Beard hurriedly raised his offer. "Forty percent! You get forty percent of the reward! Join our party!"

As far as he was concerned, having a mage in the party meant they could take on high-reward contracts they'd never dared consider before.

Giving up an extra ten percent was a bargain!

While the groups argued heatedly over him, a tall man in full chainmail approached.

"Young mage, come join our party. No offense, but these rookies here probably lack the experience and ability to keep a spellcaster safe."

"Hey! Who are you calling a rookie?!" Gold Beard was about to lose his temper.

"Shh... Keep your voice down. That's Hulk, the 'Immovable Mountain'!" someone nearby whispered.

When Gold Beard saw the man's gear and the gleaming Silver badge on his chest, he fell silent at once.

The knight known as Hulk ignored the others and turned his attention to He Xi.

"My name's Hulk, and as you can see, I'm a knight." He gestured to the person beside him. "My friend here has already told you my nickname. Our party's looking for a spellcaster. Would you be interested in talking?"

Compared to those hastily assembled parties that didn't look very reliable, He Xi naturally preferred the knight named Hulk.

Judging by his gear, bearing, and the reactions of those around him, he was a genuinely capable adventurer.

That was exactly the sort of meat shield a fragile mage needed.

Hearing him say he was a knight, He Xi couldn't help thinking of a certain young knight who blushed whenever she got nervous.

"I wonder how Isla's doing now..."

But for the moment, improving his own strength was what mattered most.

Only by becoming strong enough could he have more chances to reunite with her and make his own choices in the future.

"Hello, Mr. Hulk," He Xi replied politely. "My name's Galen. What kinds of contracts does your party usually take?"

Hulk held out his hand, clad in an iron gauntlet, and gave He Xi's hand a light shake. "Mostly clearance contracts. We can talk about the details as we walk. I'll introduce you to my teammates first, and I'll need to make sure they're on board, too."