Two days after posting his request for material stripping, Rei was back at the guild. He hadn't arrived at his usual hour to avoid the crowds; instead, it was still early morning.
Having completed Elena’s escort mission, he had dedicated one day to rest and another to restock his consumed supplies. He had come today fully prepared for work, but...
"Talk about bad luck."
The subjugation requests Rei considered his bread and butter had been snatched up by other adventurers on a first-come, first-served basis, leaving almost nothing behind.
The few remaining hunts were either Rank A or B, or the permanent open requests for things like Goblins.
If Rei had been part of a party, he could have accepted B-Rank missions, but as a solo adventurer, he was restricted to jobs only one rank higher than his own. In other words, he was capped at C-Rank.
(I really need to rank up soon,) Rei mused as he scanned the board.
Ranks D through F were the most crowded tiers, and the competition for Rank D quests was fierce. For a solo player like Rei, beating the crowd was often the hardest part of the job.
It wasn't every day that a rank-exempt mission like the Orc settlement raid or a nomination request like the one from Elena came his way.
(Maybe I should just take a permanent Goblin request and practice those new skills with Seto. If I’m lucky, I might even run into a monster I’ve never seen before.)
He was about to turn toward the permanent request board when a specific flyer caught his eye.
It was posted on the Rank C board, offering a reward of one gold coin and five silver coins. Given the cost of living in the frontier City of Gilm, it was a remarkably high-paying job. Rei wasn't hurting for money, but the unusual payout drew him in.
The request was for an escort. However, because it involved a long-distance journey, there was a high probability of encountering bandits or monsters not typically found in the local area. Food expenses would be covered by the client, and the duration of the job was roughly ten days. The reward was calculated daily; a ten-day commitment would total one platinum coin and five gold coins. They were looking for five people.
"The pay is incredible... so why is it still sitting here?"
The reward was staggering for a C-Rank job. If no monsters or bandits attacked, it would essentially be a paid ten-day stroll.
It seemed far too easy, yet there it hung. Rei stood there pondering the catch when he felt someone approach and stand beside him.
It was a woman in her mid-thirties—a warrior who looked just a bit too young to be called an "old lady." Valuing mobility, she wore monster-hide leather armor reinforced with a few pieces of metal plate.
Noticing his gaze, the woman turned away from the board to look at him.
"Something the matter, lad? Need something from me?"
Rei was stunned for a moment by her rough, masculine tone, but he shook it off and looked back at the board.
"Oh? You thinking of taking this one, lad? I mean, is your rank even... wait. A hooded robe and a baby face. You’re that Rei everyone’s been whispering about lately, aren't you? The one who supposedly travels with a Gryphon."
"That’s me. I don't know about the whispers, but I'm definitely the one with the Gryphon."
"Heh... We’ve been away from Gilm for a while and just got back, but your name was the first thing we heard when we walked through the gates. I suppose it’s no wonder, if you’ve actually tamed one of those things."
"We?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I’m in a two-man party. See that drunkard over there?"
She pointed toward the guild’s tavern, where a man barely 140 centimeters tall was already drinking despite the early hour. He was short, but he radiated strength. If he stood next to the 165-centimeter Rei, Rei was the one who would look fragile. The man was a solid block of muscle, and leaning against his table was a massive hammer with a handle nearly a meter long. The head of the weapon was forged from a pitch-black metal that seemed to swallow the light. Even without magic power, Rei could tell it was some kind of magic metal. But his most striking feature was his beard.
Short but sturdy, a chest-length beard, a love for booze, and a massive hammer. With those four clues, even Rei realized who he was looking at.
"A dwarf."
"Spot on. He does nothing but drink given half a chance, but he’s a hell of a warrior."
The woman chuckled at Rei's muttered realization.
"Right, I haven't introduced myself. I’m Phron. That drunk over there is Brasso. We’re a Rank C party called the Crushing Warriors. Good to meet you."
Rei took the hand she offered and shook it. "I’m Rei. A Rank D solo adventurer."
"Yeah, I figured. Now, a word of advice... that request you were looking at? Don't touch it."
Phron glanced toward the Rank C board with a look of pure disgust.
"Why? You were looking at it too."
"The man who put that out is a big name in Gilm. To put it simply, he’s the coordinator of the weapon shops in this city. He has a massive amount of political weight. You follow?"
Phron frowned, her expression soured by the mere mention of the man.
"I see. So he’s just another arrogant noble type."
"Worse. Gilm is lucky to have a lord as competent as Margrave Larkus, so we don't have many of those idiot nobles around here. That just makes this guy’s tyranny stand out more."
"...I see. Based on that, I'll pass. No matter how good the pay is."
"The pay is only that high because his reputation is so bad that no local adventurers will work for him anymore. His power only reaches as far as the city walls. Once you’re in the wild, his authority won't stop a monster from eating him or a bandit from slitting his throat. Hell, a bandit might kidnap him for ransom, though they'd probably find out nobody wants to pay to get him back."
"If he's that much of a problem, why is he still the coordinator of the weapon shops? Shouldn't someone have dealt with him by now?"
Phron shook her head with a frustrated sigh.
"His family has held that position for generations. And as much of a bastard as he is, he gets results. He manages the wholesale of weapons made from monster materials to other cities and brings in a lot of coin. He pays a massive amount in taxes, and as long as he's profitable, no one is in a hurry to get rid of him."
"How annoying. He’s not a useless fool, but a competent one. That’s even worse."
"Exactly. You’ve been making a name for yourself lately, so keep your guard up. If you see a nomination request from a man named Boruntar, turn it down. By the way, his business is the Azoth Firm—the name on that flyer."
Rei looked back at the request. Sure enough, the client was listed as the Azoth Firm.
"Got it. I'll be careful. Thanks for the heads-up."
"Don't mention it. It’s a self-serving tip—if you’re as good as they say, I might want to hire you to help us on a tough job one day. Now, come on. I want to introduce you to that drunkard, if you don't mind."
She gestured toward Brasso.
(I'm not much for drinking, but... I don't have a job to do today anyway. And I am curious about meeting a real dwarf.)
Rei thought about it for a few seconds and then nodded.
"Sure. I've got nothing better to do today. I was hoping for a good subjugation mission, but the board's dry."
"Hahaha! So the rumors are true—you really do live for the hunt. Can't say I blame you."
"With a dwarf in the party, can't he just do blacksmithing?" Rei asked curiously.
Phron gave him an exasperated look. "Listen, lad. Just because he’s a dwarf doesn't mean he’s a blacksmith. If every dwarf was a smith, how would they get anything else done? You think they use hammers to knead their bread?"
"Point taken," Rei admitted. Most of the stories he'd read back in Japan had conflated the two so much he’d just assumed it was a racial trait.
"And do me a favor—don't bring up blacksmithing around Brasso. He actually tried to be one once, but it turns out he didn't have the temperament for it."
Phron whispered the warning into Rei’s ear as they approached the tavern. Rei nodded.
Nearby, a cat beastman guild receptionist was radiating a sudden wave of murderous intent at the sight of them whispering, but she was quickly restrained by the ponytail receptionist beside her.
"Oi, Brasso. Give it a rest. Drinking this early when we’ve got work to do..."
Phron sat down with Brasso and sighed. The dwarf ignored her, pouring another drink from a small keg into his cup.
"What're ye whinin' about? To a dwarf, ale is like water is to you humans. Phron, if someone told ye to stop drinkin' water, could ye do it?"
"Don't talk rot. Ale and water aren't the same thing. Good grief, you old drunk..."
Phron sighed again, but Brasso slammed his cup onto the table.
"Now hold on, Phron! Ye think I’d get drunk on a few cups of this swill? Don't ye be underestimatin' me now."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. It’s still not normal to be this deep in the cups before a mission. Think about what I have to put up with."
"Hmph! Ye should be grateful a woman with no husband prospects like yerself has a warrior like me to watch her back."
"What was that, you?!"
The two of them began bickering as if Rei wasn't even there. He suppressed a sigh and took an empty seat.
Noticing their guest, Brasso stopped arguing and turned his attention to Rei.
"Phron, who's the lad?"
"We just met. You’ve heard the rumors since we got back, haven't you? The adventurer who tamed a Gryphon. This is him."
Brasso’s eyes sharpened as he looked Rei over. Despite the amount he’d drunk, his gaze was clear and focused.
"Hoh... so ye're the one with the Gryphon. Ye certainly don't feel like an ordinary boy."
Brasso pushed a brimming cup toward Rei.
"Here, have a drink! We've met, so we drink. That’s the dwarf-style. Gah-hah-hah!"
"Uh, I'm not really much of a drinker..."
Rei looked at Phron for help, but she just averted her eyes.
"Sorry, lad, but just humor him for a bit. If Brasso's offering you a drink, it means he likes you."
In the end, Rei was trapped in their drinking bout until well past noon.
He was eventually rescued by Lenora, while Phron and Brasso headed off to start their mission.
Despite the marathon session, Brasso didn't show a hint of intoxication. Phron, who was used to his antics and had barely touched her own drink, led him out with perfectly steady steps.
Rei, however, ended up completely passed out, far too drunk to think about taking any requests for the rest of the day.