The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary

Chapter 31: Meeting after Increase

The quest from the guild was for taking Shayna Lonbaltear back to the city-state of Hanza.

Back at the inn, as soon as Loren and Lapis got back from buying everything they needed, word came from Jack that there was a meeting the next day with the other adventurers they would be joining for quest at the guild.

Loren’s debt to Lapis had increased quite a bit.

A new set of leather armor costed fifteen silver coins.

The black coat that Lapis had recommended him to buy costed five gold coins

The weapon that Lapis found him costed fifteen gold coins.

She also bought him stuff like medicine and daggers and such.

They bought everything adventurers needed from armor and weapons, to tools for maintenance, rations, and a change of clothes.

“Along with the amount that you already owe as well as rounding down the cost, your debt is now twenty-three gold coins and eighty silver coins. You don’t have to worry about the copper coins.”

“That sounds like a small fortune right there.”

“Adventurer equipment itself is worth a small fortune, after all.”

As soon as Lapis paid the frowning store owner, Loren had finally got everything to be able to work as an adventurer.

Loren thought the meeting with the other participants was pretty sudden, but proceeded to cancel the room for two that Lapis had checked in and switch to two separate rooms. He left Lapis, who looked dissatisfied, and spent the night alone, and the next morning he met up with her and headed to the guild.

As soon as they got there, Loren went to the counter and told them that they were recommended by Ritz for the quest.

In the room that they were brought to, was a female employee that posted the quest as well as Shayna herself, wearing travelling clothes instead of the dress that they found her in.

Around them were around twenty iron rank adventurers who decided to participate in the quest.

If a handful of them were from one party, it meant that there were a few parties participating in the quest.

Among the iron rank adventurers, Loren noticed the red-haired boy that he had met at the store the day before, who had snatched the sword in front of his eyes.

At the same time, the boy noticed Loren as well, pointed at the copper tag on his chest, and complained to the employee.

“Hey. Isn’t this quest meant for adventurers who’re iron rank and above?”

“Those two have been accepted to join this quest by the recommendation of silver rank adventurers.”

“So they used connections.”

On the laughing boy’s waist was the black longsword he purchased the day before.

His armor was well made as well, reinforced with steel plating.

“There is a rule by the guild that if recommended by a silver rank adventurer, a copper rank adventurer can be treated the same as an iron rank adventurer. There is no problem for the two of them to participate in this quest.”

As the employee gave an explanation to all the adventurers who were staring at Loren and Lapis, trying to judge their worth, Loren smiled slightly at the fact that the employee didn’t deny the fact that it was all about connections.

But apparently the explanation irritated the boy even more, and he stuck his finger at the tag on Loren’s chest.

“I already told you yesterday to know your place, low rank. I don’t know what kind of tricks you played to get beneath a silver rank adventurer, but you’d better not get in our way.”

In fact, Lapis was a copper rank adventurer just like Loren.

But she didn’t look interested at all in what the boy was saying, but instead was just looking at how the situation was playing out with a troubled expression.

Loren then reluctantly replied to the boy’s words

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll be on the edges and make sure not to get in your way.”

“Don’t you even have the guts to talk back?”

Loren wasn’t sure what do say at the boy’s further provocation, but the employee decided to butt in.

“Please leave it at that. You’re all here to join the same quest.”

“Don’t lump me in with them.”

“If you don’t stop, I’ll take it that you want to get in the way of completing the quest and penalize you by the guild’s standards.”

That was enough to make the boy close his mouth, and after glaring at Loren, he walked back towards where the rest of his party was.

“You two as well, please be aware that participating in quests with this manner is an exceptional case. Please try not to stir up any trouble.”

“Sorry about that. I’ll apologize so can you let us off the hook this time?”

As Loren bowed his head and apologized, the employee didn’t have anything else to say, so she turned back and scanned around the room at all the adventurers inside and said in a loud voice.

“I’d like to thank all of you that decided to participate in this quest. This quest will be an official one from the guild itself. You must safely take Shayna Lonbaltear to the city-state of Hanza.”

The blonde haired girl named Shayna looked scared at all the adventurers standing in front of her, but managed to bow her head when the employee mentioned her.

“Shayna is the daughter of the president. Please make sure not to be disrespectful. It will take three days to get to Hanza, and the guild will provide carriages for you to ride. We want you to guard her on the way there. The reward will be twelve silver coins per person.”

To Loren, the amount that the employee showed seemed like quite a bit of money, but it was a three-day trip getting there and another three-day trip coming back.

It meant two silver coins a day, and since it cost around fifty copper coins for an adult to live for one day, it wasn’t that good of a reward either.

“Wait a second. Those copper ranks are getting the same amount?”

The one who asked was a young man.

“Shouldn’t you lower the amount of rewards for those two?”

“Although it’s just for this quest, they will be treated as if they are iron ranked adventurers. There will be no difference in the reward.”

“You’re kidding, right? It’s already difficult to have newbies on the same quest, but now you’re saying that they’re going to get paid the same as us? Hey, you guys say something too.”

Loren cocked his head at the adventurer who was shouting at him with his forehead turning slightly purple with rage.

“Say something? What kind of thing do you want me to say?”

“Of course you should say that you only need half the amount and you’ll share the rest with us iron ranks! Can you not even think of that with you own head!?”

Loren stood in silence at the young adventurer who continued to walk towards him, shouting.

He somewhat understood what the adventurer was trying to say, but if someone asked him if he would say what the adventurer wanted him to say, the answer was no, as he had no obligation to do so.

But while Loren stood there trying to figure out a peaceful way to make the adventurer in front of him to shut up, Lapis spoke up from beside him.

“But if it’s a rule that the guild itself has set up, there’s no reason for us to give up half of the rewards, is there?”

“What did you just say, bitch? I dare you to say that to me one more time!”

He changed his focus to Lapis and tried to grab her, but his attempt ended in failure.

It was because Loren grabbed the young man’s wrist of the arm reaching for Lapis.

“Hey you, you want to have a go…”

Since anything was fine as long as you didn’t kill your opponent, it was a common agreement among adventurers that if you didn’t fight back, it was your loss.

Loren remembered that as he looked at the young man trying to escape from his grasp with a smile. He then slowly started to strengthen his grip.

“What are you…Come on!”

The adventurer had leather gloves on, but his face turned pale as ripping sounds erupted from where Loren was squeezing and he let out a cry of pain.

Loren was one who used a hunk of iron as a weapon.

In order to use a greatsword, you not only needed strong arms, but you needed a strong grip as well.

Loren had the required strength, and was crushing the adventurer’s wrist, glove, muscle, bone and all.

“Damn it…Let go, damn you!”

No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t escape Loren’s grip.

The sound coming from his wrist started getting louder and louder, and it was obvious that it would become a fatal injury, so he gave up trying to escape. Instead, he reached for the dagger hanging from his waist with his free hand.

As soon as he saw him move, Loren flicked his wrist, still holding onto the adventurer’s wrist.

That alone was enough to fling him into the wall, breaking it, and the adventurer fell unconscious as he dropped to the floor.

It wasn’t like the man was small.

He was quite muscular and he had all his adventurer equipment on him as well.

Loren’s strength spoke for itself, as he could fling the adventurer away with ease.

“It’s fine as long as you don’t kill your opponent, right? So, anyone else have anything to say to me? If not, I’d like if you could continue on with the details of the quest.”

As Loren said that with a smile, a part of the adventurers looked away, while the rest looked at him, impressed.

If they thought about it for a bit, they could see that Loren had a large package that was as tall as him on his back.

Even if they didn’t know what was inside it, it was obvious that it was his weapon, and they should be able to guess that Loren had the strength to wield it.

They weren’t stupid enough to fight someone who possessed way more physical strength than themselves.

“Moving on, the guild has already sent several messengers to Hanza. Of course, they were sent to inform them that we have the head’s daughter under our care, but none of them has been able to reach Hanza.”

That meant that there was some sort of danger on the way there.

In addition to that, it was something that not even a single messenger sent from the guild was able to get past.

It was up to each of them to guess how dangerous it is, but still, one of the adventurers raised his hand and asked the employee.

“You know it’s going to be dangerous, yet that’s it for the reward? That’s way too low, don’t you think?”

“At this point, we are not sure what the danger is exactly. We will provide medicine and equipment maintenance. Also, we will change the reward based on what you encounter during the quest.”

A few of the adventurers’ faces brightened at the sound of extra rewards, but others had scowls on their faces.

It was because they understood that what the employee was saying was that if they wanted the extra rewards, they had to prove that the danger was indeed worth more money than they were offered.

“As I have already mentioned before, this is an official quest from the Adventurer’s Guild. You can decline the offer at this time, but if you do you will be penalized. Also, if this quest ends in success, there will be a certain amount of benefits from the guild along with the reward.”

“Everyone, please take me to my hometown. I cannot promise anything right now, but I will make sure to inform my father of your kindness.”

Shayna finally decided to open her mouth and bowed her head deeply.

Loren knew that since he was there not only because of Lapis but because of the recommendation from Ritz as well, there was no backing off. While he scanned the room to see what the other adventurers’ actions were, Lapis went to receive the contract for the quest and started looking through it.