The room was, rge enough to allow the dozen adveo stand fortably around the table in the tre, which was also suitably rge. The room was cool, the stone around them doing little to warm the group, though the tiny crystals set within the rovided plenty of light.

  The Vice Master stood at the head of the table, still adorned in his breast pte. The other adventurers also wore parts of their armour, carrying their ons at their side, save for a half elf, who, like his two panions, wore no armour, though they carried their ons proudly.

  “Thank you again for answering my summons,” Paul began, nodding his head to the adventurers in gratitude. “The Adventurer’s Guild appreciates your rapid response.”

  “As long as we’re paid well,” one of the adventurer’s replied, a young devilkin woman, a panion to another devilkin who shot her a look. The young woman smiled ily, a charming smile which lightehe mood in the air.

  Paul tapped the four different outposts on the map. “It is fortunate we had created such outposts previously, two years prior. I will send the Red Scarves deal with the outpost to the south east, for it is the which requires the least support.”

  “Uood,” Red Neck Stephen replied, nuing the point, and no one else dared to suggest anything by Paul’s words.

  “The Grave Sword will take the outpost to the north, the Firewalkers to the south east, and finally, Fate’s Golden will take the outpost to the south west.” Paul tapped each of the outposts on the rge map of Red Oak and its surrounding area.

  “Which is the most difficult outpost?” a Grave Sword asked.

  “The south western outpost,” Paul replied.

  “We should take it,” the Grave Sword said, their eyes falling onto Adam and the Iyrmen. “No disrespect to you Iyrmen, but we have more experience.”

  Adam eyed up the Aldishman, an older man, in his te forties or so, with pale skin, bck hair and bck eyes, which was so on in the north. He wore a breast pte made of darker steel, and he carried on his back a rge bde made of jagite. Not the same kind of jagite Adam had bought previously, but true jagite.

  “I respect your advice, but may I ask he is yroup?”

  “We are six total,” the Grave Sword replied. “We will be supported by several other adventuring parties, each also at bronze rank, like yourself.”

  “We number almost forty, with the weakest of us being Experts,” Adam replied. “Well, teically the weakest of us are direwolves, but they don’t t. No, actually, the weakest of us are elks, magical steeds, but you know what I mean.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty one, just like my panions around me,” Adam said, motioning his head to Jurot and Kitool.

  “I uand why the Iyrmen are here, but why do you stand among us?”

  “I’m the leader of Fate’s Golden.”

  “You?”

  “Yes.”

  “…”

  “What?”

  “A boy like you?”

  “Yeah, a boy like me.” Adam returned a smile towards the older man, his neck pulsing as he did.

  “Adam and his panions are dependable,” Paul stated.

  “I have no doubt the Iyrmen are dependable, but have you ever taken part of an outbreak?” The northerared at the young man before him, who was as new as the dawn.

  “Funny you should mention that, sidering the outpost the Vice Master wants us to andeer is the very same we built,” Adam replied.

  “An outpost which was led by another,” Paul informed the Grave Sword. “However, Adam and his panions pleted the request with a great performance.”

  “I do recall allowing you to pay someone else more when we did most of the work,” Adam replied, standing up a little taller, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tio smile.

  “The Adventurer’s Guild pces great trust in Adam,” the Vice Master stated, noting the way Adam was beginning to smile. ‘Please, Adam.’

  “You are rather young,” one of the Red Scarves stated, crossing his arms as he gnced betweerio. “It is no offeo you, young man, but if you fail, we will also be effected by the rumours.”

  “Adam is strong,” Jurot finally said when Adam let out a sigh, which meant he was ready to blow.

  “Yeah, I got third in the Noonval Tour,” Adam said.

  “Third?” the young devilkin woman asked, before her eyes soaked in the sight of the Iyrmen around Adam. “I thought I reised those faces! Didn’t you pce first, and didn’t you pce sed?”

  “Yes,” Jurot replied, while Kitool bowed her head.

  “I thought another Iyrmen had taken third?”

  “I came third iher segment,” Adam stated.

  The devilkin woman squi Adam. “You’re Purple Adam?”

  Adam let out a sigh, frowning slightly. “Yeah. That’s me.” ‘Why couldn’t I get a cool niame?’

  “Third pce is impressive, but you’re still third among cubs,” the Grave Sword said.

  “I olitely asked not to beat Sir Roseia and Sir Karra, so I surrendered against them,” Adam replied, recalling how annoying the politics had been.

  Paul cleared his throat. “We have heard he outbreak will be full of birdcats, duabears, and fme wolves. There are rumours of a tyrantbhting, so please take care.”

  “A tyrantboar?” Jurot asked, perking up.

  ‘That sounds cool,’ Adam thought. “How powerful is a tyrantboar?”

  “I would be able to face it alone, but others may not,” Jurot replied.

  “That strong?” Adam whistled, raising his brows in shock. “I guess we gotta be careful then.”

  Paul’s eyes fell to Adam, hoping the young man was going to be careful even without the news of the tyrantboar. “It is no ordinary tyrantboar, for it’s grown into something beyond a typical tyrantboar. Even I couldn’t deal with it alone.”

  Adam whistled, throwing a look to Jurot. “You want to take it on together?”

  “Okay.”

  “You would deny an Iyrman the right food story?” the Grave Sword asked. “If he has no respect for you, you may join roup instead.”

  Adam’s brow pulsed, his eyes snapping to the older Aldishman. “There’s nothing wrong with brothers sharing in their glory.”

  “Brothers?”

  “A tyrantboar would probably be a nice souvenir t back to the Iyr,” Adam said. “Right, I should probably go shopping for some gifts too.”

  “How you talk about shopping when we’re having an important discussion?”

  “With my mouth?”

  “Are you a fool?”

  “Yes,” Adam replied, letting out a soft chuckle, befng to his side to see his brother nodding his head. “Oi.”

  The Grave Sword turo face Paul, who was sighing, rubbing his head. He had fotten how troublesome Adam was, even if he did good work.

  “Haven’t I matured, Vice Master?” Adam asked, smiling towards the Vice Master. “If it had been a younger me, I would have said so much more to aggravate the elder and coax him into a fight, but I decided against doing it. Though, I wonder if you would have stepped up if I had started to defend myself against the old man?”

  “They do not uand how valuable you are.”

  “If I’m valuable, then why don’t you speak up?” Adam asked, his smile growing wider. “Even I have my limits, you know? Just because I’ve grown, I do spend most of my time with Iyrmen, and I’m more than happy to draw my axe and shield to show some no good punks what’s what.”

  “If you wish to fight, I would be eager to py,” the older Aldishman said, his lips showing the hint of a smile.

  “What do you think, Jurot?” Adam asked, eyeing up the Aldishman. “Think I could take him?”

  “You would defeat ahin this room, six to four,” Jurot replied, crossing his arms. ‘I wish to fight too.’

  “You must not know who I am for you to say that,” the Grave Sword said.

  “Eddard Bck Blood, son of Edward Grave Sword,” Kitool said, finally speaking up. “You slew many drakes in North Aldnd. You cshed with Bck Bde a few years ago, though were uo cim the title.”

  ‘Bck Bde, eh?’ Adam thought. ‘So is this guy on the same level as the old man?’

  “At least one of you knows who I am,” Eddard said.

  “I agree with Jurot,” Kitool said. “Even the Vice Master would find Adam troublesome.”

  Paul straightened up, narrowing his eyes at the young Iyrman. He raised a brow towards the Iyrmen, who both nodded in response. “Adam, are you free for a bout today?”

  “Yeah, but I wish you would have asked me yesterday,” Adam replied. “I had two crits in my back pocket.”

  “Crits?”

  “Nothing. Anyway, what do you need?”

  “I would like to assess you to rank up,” Paul replied. “If you are that strong, you will he appropriate ranking.”

  “Aren’t I already going to rank up once I’m doh the quest?”

  “Depending on the results of the test, you may receive additional stamps.”

  “Ah? What about Jurot and the others?” Adam asked.

  “What about Jurot and the others?”

  “Well… I’d rather just stay the same rank as them. Anyway, it’s not like I’m strong because I’m strong, I just fight in a way that allows me to punch above my weight. Without this axe of mine, I’d probably lose against you.”

  “Would you be willing to fight Braun?” Paul asked. “It would be off the record.”

  ‘Wouldn’t that give me a lot of XP?’ “Sure.”

  “Would it not be best for him to face me?” Eddard asked. “It would allow us to deal with our issues.”

  “No killing, right?” Adam asked.

  “I wouldn’t dare to kill within the domain of the guild.”

  “Oh? What about outside?”

  “I’m from the north, boy,” Eddard replied, his eyes growing darker.

  “I’ve heard only good things about the north from my brother,” Adam replied, bowing his head lightly.

  “Ohe bout ends there will be no issues,” Eddard replied, almost instantly calm again.

  “I’m down to fight you, but what about betting on it?”

  “What is the bet?”

  “One hundred gold?”

  “What of your axe and my bde?”

  “What’s your bde?”

  “Greater Enhanced.”

  “Oh yeah? What does it do?”

  “What does your axe do?”

  “It smite, and more,” Adam replied.

  “My bde strikes harder than most,” Eddard replied.

  “Hmmm…” Adam thought for a long moment. “It’s a bit awkward if we bet our ons, sihe entire reason we’re here is to help Red Oak out. How are you going to do that without your trusty on?”

  “You’re wiser than you look.”

  “Plus, what am I going to do with a greatsword?” Adam asked. “I’m a nephew of the Rot family, don’t you know?”

  ‘Rot?’ Eddard thought.

  Adam getting into trouble for that sweet, sweet XP.