"So, between the purchase price for the materials and the proof of subjugation parts, the total comes to one platinum coin and eight gold coins. Please, confirm the amount."
Rei stood at the 1F counter of the guild, checking the gold and platinum coins Lenora had handed him. As far as the monster materials he had brought in this time were concerned, he had held back rare items like the Spriggan. Considering that the majority of the high-value Emerald Wolf materials were still inside the Misty Ring, unskinned, he felt he had received a very fair price for what he had actually turned in.
Satisfied with the sum, Rei tucked the pouch of coins into the folds of his Dragon Robe.
Once she saw he was finished, Lenora spoke again.
"Now then, Rei-san. Regarding the request we discussed earlier..."
"Right. I’ll leave it to you."
The two continued their conversation with a practiced rhythm—not quite in perfect sync, but certainly with a comfortable familiarity. From her spot at the adjacent counter, Kenny, who was tending to another adventurer, shot them a look colored by a faint tinge of jealousy.
Lenora caught the look and offered a small, knowing smile, thinking it was good medicine for her friend every once in a while. She reached under the counter and pulled out several documents.
"All right, please write the details of your request here. Generally, the guild’s commission fee is fixed based on the rank of the request, so please keep that in mind. The guild will ultimately decide the rank once we’ve reviewed the contents."
"Understood. Do I just write it all out myself?"
"Yes. We can offer a scribe for those who can't write, but..."
"That won't be necessary."
"Then please, use this form. Oh, you are more than welcome to take it back with you and submit it later if you prefer?"
As noon approached, the guild was filling up with adventurers seeking a meal, and even some ordinary citizens were having lunch at the attached tavern. Lenora had suggested he take it with him to avoid the noise, but Rei shook his head and began filling out the document on the spot.
(Request: Material stripping for monsters. Targets: A large number of Water Monkeys, a fair amount of Emerald Wolves, and one rare Spriggan. Note: The Spriggan hide is already removed and the magic stone has been extracted. Also, a fair number of various low-rank monsters. Reward: One gold coin, to be split among applicants. Bonus possible depending on the quality of the materials.)
He finished the form and handed it back to Lenora.
"How does this look?"
"Let’s see... please wait a moment."
Lenora scanned the document and then shook her head slightly.
"I think it would be better to specify where the stripping will take place and include penalties for anyone caught embezzling materials. Also, I believe the reward is a bit too high."
"Too high?"
"Yes. Considering the work involves stripping materials in a secured, safe environment without the need for combat, this price is exceptional."
"Maybe, but considering the sheer volume, the labor is going to be grueling."
Lenora looked over the request form again at Rei’s remark.
"I suppose... you're right. If there are nearly fifty Water Monkeys..."
She thought for a few seconds before glancing over at Kenny.
"Hey, Kenny. Have we ever had a request specifically for material stripping before?"
Sensing an opportunity to be part of Rei’s business, Kenny shook her head with a smile.
"I don't think so. Most people work in parties, so they handle their own skinning without much fuss. At least, I haven't seen a request like that since I started working here. Besides, if a normal party took their time like that, the meat would start to rot."
"So we don't even have a precedent for the reward... Very well, Rei-san. We will accept the request with the amount you've offered. Now, what about the penalties? If you’re going to be supervising them, perhaps they aren't needed?"
"No, put them in. Honestly, if I had the time to sit and watch fifty monsters get skinned, I’d rather be doing something else. Let’s see... please write that if any theft is discovered, the perpetrator will be used as a test subject for my magic. That should do it."
At the mention of "test subjects," Lenora’s brow furrowed slightly, while Kenny let out an amused giggle.
"Just out of curiosity, what kind of magic would that be?"
"Well, I haven't decided yet. I'll think of something when the time comes... though, considering my specialty is flame magic, I think they'll have a general idea of what to expect."
Rei spoke with a smile that matched Kenny's own. There weren't many adventurers left in the guild hall, but those who heard his words and saw that smile immediately swore to themselves that they would never dream of stealing if they took the job. Flame magic was almost exclusively offensive; very few support spells existed for the element. Since a spell's effect was shaped by the caster’s intent, fire was synonymous with destruction.
"Oh, Rei-kun, you're so strict when it comes to work. It’s so cool!"
Naturally, there were those like Kenny who found everything about Rei positive, regardless of the context.
"Also, since the list includes a Spriggan and Emerald Wolves, please add a note that anyone with prior experience skinning those two species will be given priority."
"...Understood. I have everything. Please wait a moment while the official in charge determines the rank of the request."
Lenora bowed and hurried off. Seeing that no adventurers were currently at her station, Kenny turned to Rei.
"Hey, hey, Rei-kun. You just finished a big job, right? Are you taking a break? If you're free, how about a date with your favorite big sister?"
"Ah—sorry, but I have this request to worry about. Once this is settled, I want to get back to work."
"My, you really are a tease... fine. Next time you're free, you're coming shopping with me."
Kenny gave him a wink before returning to her seat. Almost immediately after, a group of adventurers entered the guild and headed for her counter. Rei watched them idly, only to spot a familiar face among the group. The man seemed to recognize Rei at nearly the same moment; a look of shock crossed his face. He spoke a few quick words to his party, split off, and approached Rei.
"It’s been a while. I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors about you lately."
"I haven't heard a peep about you, though, Luno."
The man who had just approached Rei was Luno, a C-Rank adventurer.
When Rei had first arrived in the City of Gilm, he’d had a run-in with a D-Rank party called Falcon's Claws. Luno had been working with them as a temporary member during a dungeon dive, using his Magic Eye—which allowed him to see mana—to detect traps. He had mentioned back then that he usually worked solo and was only with Falcon's Claws temporarily. It seemed the group he was with now was his new temporary party.
"Don't compare me to you. I'm just your average, everyday adventurer."
"Funny. I’m an adventurer too."
Luno waved a hand with a wry smile at Rei’s muttered response.
"Give it a rest. You took down an Orc King in single combat at an Orc settlement, jumped from Rank G to E in one go, then cleared a special rank up exam on your first try to hit Rank D. The rumor that you're the fastest rank-up adventurer in the history of Gilm’s guild is everywhere. And to top it off, you’ve got an A-Rank monster for a partner."
"...Is that right?"
Rei didn't care much for rumors about himself, so he simply gave a noncommittal shrug.
"Typical... though I guess that attitude is exactly why you're so famous."
Luno shook his head with a sigh.
"So, what's your business at the guild today? You don't look like you're here to pick up a job."
"Exchange monster materials and proof of subjugation parts for cash, mostly. Also, I have a pile of monster corpses that’s too big to skin alone, so I just put in a request for help."
"Huh. Where’d you bag that many monsters?"
Interested, Luno leaned in. Rei replied with a wry smile.
"The dungeon. You said you went there with those Goblin Drool guys once."
"...Seriously? You went solo? I mean, even with a Gryphon, you dove into the dungeon with just one person and one beast?"
"No, I received a nomination request to act as an escort. The client told me I could have whatever we killed."
"Phew... that's one generous client. So, where are the corpses? Bringing that many back must have been a nightmare."
Luno’s eyes gleamed with the scent of profit. Rei let out a sigh and showed him the Misty Ring on his right wrist.
"Did you forget? I have an Item Box. Every corpse I killed is inside this bracelet. Fortunately, time doesn't flow inside the Item Box, so I don't have to worry about them rotting."
"Right... I forgot. So, what’s the reward for the skinning request?"
"What, are you interested? It would be a help if you were."
Since they were acquaintances, Rei looked at him with a bit of hope. He knew Luno was unlikely to embezzle materials, unlike the strangers he and Lenora were worried about.
After all, Luno had seen Rei effortlessly thrash Falcon's Claws—a party that had been quite confident in their strength. Luno was smart enough to know that crossing Rei was a death wish. Luno simply shrugged at the question.
"Depends on the pay. And if it's too much for you to handle alone, it’s probably too much for me to do by myself, too."
Rei was about to respond when Lenora returned.
"Oh, Luno-san? Ah, that’s right, you two were acquainted."
Lenora looked surprised to see them together for a moment, but she quickly smoothed her expression with a professional smile, bowed to Luno, and turned to Rei.
"Rei-san, regarding the material stripping... the problem is that we’ve never had a request solely for skinning, especially not for such a large volume of monsters. We’re having a difficult time deciding what rank to assign it."
"...Is it that complicated?"
"Well, yes. If we look only at the skill required for stripping, even an H-Rank adventurer could do it. But because the reward is so high, if we post it as a low-rank request, we'll be swamped with applicants who have zero experience handling C-Rank monster materials. On the other hand, if we list it for C-Rank adventurers, they’ll complain that one gold coin split among several people is far too low for the amount of work involved. I’m sorry... especially since I just said the reward was too high a moment ago."
Lenora bowed her head apologetically. Rei let out a small sigh.
"Does that mean you can't take the request?"
"Oh, no. We will definitely accept it. However, since there’s no precedent in this guild, we need to contact other branches to see if they’ve handled similar requests before we can officially post it. Would that be acceptable?"
"...I suppose. It's not as if the corpses will rot while they're in the Item Box. Let’s go with that. Just please, decide on the rank as soon as possible."
"Yes. I’m very sorry for the delay."
"Come on, now. There’s a first time for everything. Don't take it so hard, Lenora-chan."
Luno spoke up playfully, trying to lighten the mood. Lenora managed a smile, and the three of them spent a few more minutes chatting.
Meanwhile, Kenny watched Lenora with pure envy—a sight that was, in its own way, just another ordinary day at the guild.