Preparing to Resign

Judging by how this guy operated, even if he had stolen the spotlight this time, he definitely would not take on any clearing missions that required charging into hordes of monsters afterward.

He would most likely retreat back into his shell and continue taking those inconspicuous gathering commissions.

Those involved the dirtiest, most exhausting, and most thankless jobs.

Crawling through bushes, digging through muddy swamps, identifying monster droppings.

It was practically a match made in heaven.

It would be perfect for letting his old friend's precious apprentice experience what the life of a true bottom-tier adventurer was really like.

"Let's throw this delicate violet into the mud and see what happens."

Necros curled his lips into a wicked smile.

Let Raven thoroughly stain that young lady's pristine white skirt.

He could barely wait to see the wonderful expression on his old friend's face when the internship ended and he saw his formerly polished apprentice looking all dusty and bedraggled.

"Hahahahahaha!"

His hearty laughter echoed through the office in the early hours of the morning.

The old man picked up a quill pen and solemnly wrote the name of the independent adventurer Raven beside Cecilia's name on the internship roster.

All that remained was to have a proper chat with that adventurer the next time he came in to accept a mission.

That night, Lance slept deeply and even had a bizarre dream.

In the dream, he was no longer a scribe at the town guild, but a renowned legendary adventurer.

His footsteps had crossed every corner of the world.

He was surrounded by beautiful companions with all manner of personalities.

There was an adorable Catfolk girl with a pair of fluffy ears and a long tail that swayed nimbly behind her.

Her distinctive slit pupils changed color with the light, and the two tiny fangs revealed when she smiled were cute, though they also looked a little sharp.

There was also a Snow Woman with a frosty, aloof temperament.

She had long silver-white hair tinged with pale ice-blue, and she always looked at him with those gentle teal-blue eyes.

Just as the two beautiful girls of different races were arguing over who got to stand beside him.

Lance suddenly felt a chill run down his back.

When he turned around, he saw a girl with long white hair standing behind him with her head lowered.

He could not see her face, only the staff in her hand, its icy tip pressed firmly against his lower back.

"Go... die... scum..."

"Hiss!"

Lance sucked in a sharp breath and sprang out of bed.

The soreness in his waist was unmistakable.

Turning his head, he saw the culprit lying quietly on the bedsheet.

It was the brick-thick Basic Guide to Class Advancement.

He had stayed up reading too late last night, and it had accidentally slid off the desk, landing right against his waist.

"What kind of ridiculous dream was that..."

Lance rubbed his aching back and grumbled helplessly.

No wonder it was only a dream. In reality, he would never be caught so easily.

After washing up, Lance looked at the energetic face in the mirror and spat out the foam in his mouth.

He had two clear plans for the day.

First, he would go find Flora and ask about the Hemostatic Ointment.

If the potion sold well, he would prepare to submit his resignation to the Adventurers' Guild.

He had only applied for the scribe position in the first place to make a living while he was weak, and to seek the guild's protection while he was at it.

Now that he had enough strength to protect himself, that clerical job would become rather dispensable if the potion business could provide a steady cash flow.

He had never been the sort to hide in the beginner village until he reached max level before venturing out.

He preferred a life that was vivid and full of the unknown.

Otherwise, he would not have made the grand vow to visit prosperous Ostella as soon as he arrived in this world.

Of course, all of that depended on ensuring his own safety.

As his horizons broadened, a corner of the veil shrouding the mysterious world of class holders had already been lifted before him.

Once he was strong enough, he truly wanted to measure the vastness of this world with his own eyes.

Perhaps even achieve something like in his dream...

I'm getting ahead of myself.

Lance shook his head, changed into a comfortable set of everyday clothes, and headed out.

Before going to the potion shop, he deliberately made a detour to the town's most famous pastry shop.

By the time he arrived at Morwenna Potion Shop, nearly two hours had passed.

The desserts he bought today were all freshly made and available only in limited quantities.

Competing with a crowd of town girls for pastries had been far too difficult.

No matter the world, desserts could still drive girls crazy.

Morwenna Potion Shop was located on the eastern side of town.

An oak sign hung above the entrance from thick iron chains, swaying faintly in the morning breeze.

Two small blackboards were prominently displayed in the window beside the front door.

The neat, elegant handwriting advertising the promotions was clearly Flora's work.

One read: [Adventurer-Grade Insect Repellent Powder: Buy Two, Get One Free]

The other read: [New Product! Special Hemostatic Ointment, Effect Comparable to Troll's Blood, Only 25 Copper Coins!]

Lance could not stop the corners of his mouth from lifting as he looked at those words.

He had casually mentioned that pricing strategy yesterday when he stuffed the ointment into her shoulder bag. He had not expected the girl to execute it so efficiently.

It seemed she had already successfully persuaded Aunt Morwenna, or at least gotten her to agree to put it out for a trial sale.

"Ding-a-ling."

As he pushed open the wooden door, the brass bell above it gave a clear ring.

"Welcome!"

Flora, who had been reading with her head lowered behind the counter, immediately stood up by reflex, a professional sweet smile on her face.

However, when she saw that the person entering was Lance.

That sweet smile froze instantly, then collapsed at a visible speed.

The girl's originally fair little face puffed up like a bun, her lips pursed high.

"Hmph."

She snorted through her nose, plopped back into her chair, and lifted the thick book again to block her face.

Yesterday, she had run around handling the task Lance gave her. She had finally persuaded Aunt Morwenna and had even waited in the shop until closing.

And what happened?

Until the shop closed that evening, she had not seen even a glimpse of Lance.

Later, Aunt Morwenna told her that someone had seen Lance slipping into the bookstore.

That guy had completely forgotten about her!

And she had even deliberately saved room, looking forward to the promised feast.

Being stood up like this made honest Flora extremely unhappy.

"Customer, please choose your potions yourself. They're all on the shelves."

The girl's voice came out muffled from behind the book, her tone so perfunctory that she could not even be bothered to pretend.

Lance found the sight of her deliberately ignoring him rather amusing.

But he did not rush to explain. Instead, he put on an act, walked over to the display shelf, picked up a few bottles of potion, and clicked his tongue as he examined them.