Delivering the Quest

When it was the party's turn, a gaunt-cheeked guard lowered his halberd to block their path.

"Routine inspection."

The guard's voice was hoarse and cold. "Names, origins, reason for entering the town, and identification. Show them all."

"Adventurers."

Marcus kept it brief. "They're all members of my party. We're here to turn in a quest at the Association."

He took a copper badge from his pocket and handed it over. It was an identification badge issued by the Adventurers' Association.

The badge had been worn smooth from years of rubbing, engraved with Marcus's name and the image of a crossed sword and shield.

Gray and Vales also took out their badges and handed them over. Zeliel remembered that he had one too, fumbled around on his person for a while, then handed it over with the others.

The other three badges were bronze, but Zeliel's was the plainest sort of iron, making it look rather shabby.

The guard took them and gave them a quick glance, confirming their identities.

Then his gaze fell on the group again.

Their bulging backpacks reeked of blood, their clothes were stained with dried blood, and Gray's injured arm was exposed. Nothing seemed unusual.

The guard nodded slightly and returned the badges. "Welcome back to town. Go get those wounds treated."

The halberd was withdrawn, allowing them through the checkpoint.

Once they entered Blackstone Town, an entirely new sight unfolded before them. Zeliel almost felt as though the gentle sound of a lute was playing beside his ears.

Most of the town's buildings were two-story structures with stone lower floors and wooden upper floors. Their roofs were covered in dark red or brown tiles, while the main road was paved with uneven blue-gray flagstones, with shallow drainage ditches dug along both sides.

The cries of merchants hawking their wares, the rhythmic clang-clang of the blacksmith's hammer, and the carefree laughter and chatter of passersby all blended together, instantly pulling Zeliel out of the dreary Graywood Forest.

Before him lay a living, breathing world, utterly unlike the concrete cities and steel forests of his previous life.

A plump middle-aged woman in an apron bustled outside a bakery, arranging a basket of soft, freshly baked bread dusted with sugar on the shelves.

A bard sat on a street corner, recounting the great deeds of heroes as a moving melody flowed from his strings.

Adventurers sat in small groups at outdoor tables, polishing their weapons while loudly boasting about their latest quests.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

The sharp rebuke startled Zeliel.

He hurriedly stepped back two paces as a farmer's cart pulled by a packhorse rattled past at a gallop, nearly crashing into him.

"What are you thinking about? You can space out while walking? Did you use too much magic and exhaust yourself?" Vales patted Zeliel on the head.

"No, I just think..."

Zeliel held it in for a long while before finally speaking. "I just think it's amazing."

Vales gave Zeliel a strange look.

After crossing two streets, the party finally arrived at the Adventurers' Association.

It was a rugged-looking building.

The main structure was a three-story wood-and-stone building. Years of wind and sun had left the walls mottled with color. A relief was carved above the entrance, its crossed sword and shield faded with age, with scratches of varying depths still marking the edges.

The moment they pushed open the door, a wave of noisy voices hit them.

"Goblin subjugation quest in Misty Cavern! Need one vanguard!"

"Gnoll cleanup in the depths of Graywood Forest! Need two warriors! I want to twist off every one of those bastards' heads! Fair pay, and all equipment damage covered!"

"Caravan escort quest! Rangers preferred! Must be at least lower rank!"

Passionate cries recruiting companions rose and fell one after another, making everyone's ears buzz. The faint smell of blood mixed with sour sweat, making the atmosphere even more heated.

The Association's interior was more or less what Zeliel had imagined.

A massive mounted wolf's head hung on the wall, empty ale barrels were stacked in the corners, and adventurers carrying all manner of weapons at their waists filled the room. Everything was full of strange sights that seemed to exist only in fantasy novels.

Zeliel could clearly feel his heartbeat quicken.

These were people who risked their lives every day. Adventurers died on quests constantly, yet fresh blood continued to pour in without end.

For money, for ambition, and for the desire not to spend their entire lives wallowing in mediocrity.

Marcus expertly squeezed through the crowd and reached the counter. The receptionist was a young girl with several freckles scattered across her cheeks.

"Hello, I'm receptionist Ella. How can I help you?"

"I'm here to turn in the wolf extermination quest."

Marcus removed his cloth sack and poured a large pile of skinned left wolf ears onto the designated counting tray.

"Very well."

Ella first searched through the documents. After confirming that such a quest existed, she began counting the wolf ears with a counting pick.

"Thirty-six wolves in total. Based on the quest terms, you will receive a reward of one hundred and eight silver coins."

"Good."

Marcus said, "I also want to report an encounter with a monster."

"An encounter with a monster?" Ella's brows furrowed slightly.

"Yes. We encountered a juvenile Mist Demon," Marcus said.

"It was actually one..."

Ella's expression grew more solemn.

Though it was only a juvenile Mist Demon, and not as dangerous as an adult.

A monster rated [Challenge] was no joke. This was already serious enough to cost lives and had to be reported.

"Which area did you encounter the Mist Demon in? What kind of creature's body had been sewn into it? It shouldn't have moved very quickly, right? Otherwise, it would have been difficult for you to escape..."

Facing Ella's string of questions, Marcus merely shook his head.

"We didn't escape. We killed the Mist Demon."

"..."

Ella's brown eyes widened slightly, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

The adventurers who had been talking loudly all turned their heads slightly, their attention caught by Marcus's words.

"You... killed that juvenile Mist Demon?" Ella asked in surprise.

Marcus said nothing more. He merely took out the trophy wrapped in thick cloth from his pocket.

The adventurers who had still harbored doubts had no choice but to believe Marcus after seeing it.

That diamond-shaped crystal wreathed in mist was undoubtedly a Mist Demon magic core!

"Marcus's party actually killed a Mist Demon..."

"How did they do it? That energy barrier on a Mist Demon's surface can practically nullify all physical attacks. An adventuring party I knew was wiped out by one."

"I know Marcus. Lower-rank warrior, and he hasn't even mastered battle aura. Gray and Vales are about the same... Was it that newcomer who broke the energy barrier? I heard he's a mage?"

"I saw him a few days ago. His name seemed to be Zeliel... A mage actually came to the Adventurers' Association to take quests? That's really rare..."