Dyren, Mira, and Mara walked along the main street of Velderath City until they finally arrived in front of the Adventurers' Guild building. The sky was already very dark. Magic lamps hanging along the street had begun to glow, casting a soft light across the entire area.
The guild's door was still open when they arrived. They stepped inside. Inside, the atmosphere was the same as usual—bustling with adventurers returning from missions. Some were laughing loudly while raising their mugs, some sat slumped from injuries, and others were arguing over loot distribution.
Dyren walked casually toward the receptionist's desk. Mira followed beside him, while Mara stayed a bit behind, silent and not saying much.
The elven girl at the receptionist desk that night looked up when she saw them approaching. Her smile was professional.
"Welcome back. You went out to complete the Thornboar extermination mission, didn't you?"
"Yes," Dyren replied while handing over the mission form.
"Was the mission completed?" she asked while picking up a pen and beginning to write.
"Of course," Mira answered calmly.
"Alright," said the girl. "Please place the materials here. We'll record and report them to the evaluation department. They will determine the reward to be given."
She pointed at a long table beside her, a spot where adventurers usually dropped their materials or hunted goods. The table was made of thick wood, about four meters long, its surface marked with weapon scratches and monster blood stains.
Dyren glanced at the table briefly. "This place... is too small," he commented casually.
The elf girl furrowed her brows and chuckled. "Don't worry. We usually handle five Thornboars or more. Just place them here—we're used to it."
Dyren scratched his head. He wanted to say something but instead just shrugged. He opened his inventory menu—visible only to him, appearing as a thin glow in front of his eyes. At first, he wanted to take everything out, but he really did feel that the space was too tight.
"Are you sure?" Dyren asked once again.
"Just do it! Even ten Thornboars would fit on this long table. Even if you killed something larger, just place it beneath it. It's not a problem at all."
Dyren nodded. With a light gesture, he summoned a large, solid corpse shaped like a massive boar with black spikes protruding from its back.
Thud!
The carcass slammed onto the table with a heavy thump. The entire table trembled. The elf girl quickly bent down and stared wide-eyed at the huge corpse. That was only one, but they had defeated seven of them.
"W... what is that?" she shouted.
"Nightfang Thornboar," Mira replied flatly.
Immediately, the noisy guild began to quiet down. Heads turned toward the receptionist's desk. Dyren remained calm. He brought out another one. The adventurers who saw the Nightfang Thornboar gulped in disbelief.
Thud!
The second body appeared, stacking on top of the first. Dried blood and gleaming spikes shone under the magical light. The wooden table was nearly breaking from the excessive weight. Dyren only released two. He knew anything more would collapse the table.
"There are still five more," Dyren said.
The elf girl froze in place. Stunned by just two Nightfang Thornboars.
"Is this enough?" Dyren asked.
There was no answer. Dyren took that silence as a cue to continue. One by one, he released the rest, covering the floor in front of the desk with a total of seven Nightfang Thornboar corpses, all slain cleanly. Though their bodies were severed in half, the cuts were precise.
The entire area around the receptionist's desk was now filled with Nightfang Thornboar remains. The elf girl could no longer even see Dyren and his party members clearly.
The guild was completely silent now. All conversations had stopped. Even the music playing from the corner of the room ceased. The silence was like that of a forest.
"...Seven Nightfang Thornboars?" someone muttered from the bar.
"A rank A+ monster... hunted by only three people...?" another adventurer asked, his voice trembling.
The elf girl finally snapped out of her trance. She quickly turned around and ran toward the back. She was going to report this to the guild master. Not long after, the elf girl returned along with the guild master and several guild staff members.
When they saw the seven Nightfang Thornboars, they were all shocked. Even the guild master's expression turned serious. Fighting Nightfang Thornboars at night was practically suicide.
"Who did this?" asked Gorath.
"They did," the elf girl replied, pointing toward Dyren's party.
Gorath examined Dyren from head to toe. He didn't sense anything strange from him. He didn't even feel like Dyren was strong. He turned to look at Mara—he recognized her.
Then he looked at Mira. His expression instantly grew intense. "Why is a being this powerful in this city? What does she want?"
Gorath held himself back. He walked toward Dyren's party with a forced, polite smile. He stood before Dyren, once again trying to assess him, but couldn't.
"Guild Master Gorath," Mara greeted nervously.
"This is your hunting result?" he asked quietly but firmly.
"Yes," Dyren answered.
Gorath stepped forward, inspecting the wounds on the monsters' bodies, analyzing the clean cuts, and sniffing the lingering scent of magic. He sensed traces of dark magic. He glanced briefly at Mira, then looked back at the corpses.
He stood up again.
"...Everything checks out. These are real Nightfang Thornboars. And seven in total." He turned to the receptionist. "Record this: perfect completion. Give them one hundred gold coins and... promote their rank by one level."
All the adventurers were stunned to hear that. The three of them had just become adventurers. It didn't make sense for them to level up this fast—but no one dared complain. Nightfang Thornboars were rank A+ monsters. Taking down seven of them was already unbelievable.
Want to protest? They'd only embarrass themselves.
"Yes, Guild Master," replied the elf girl.
She looked at Dyren and his party, signaling them to return to the desk. The rest of their mission report would be handled by the guild staff. They didn't have to do anything else. Dyren looked at the Nightfang Thornboars again, then glanced at the elf girl.
"Isn't one hundred gold coins too cheap? I'm sure the monster's fangs alone are worth at least twenty coins. Am I wrong?"
The elf girl wanted to get angry at Dyren for complaining, but Gorath raised his hand. She immediately nodded and went back to writing their report.
Gorath smiled at Dyren. "You've got a sharp eye. That hundred coins is only for the meat. The rest will be handed to you tomorrow morning. We can't afford to buy too much now. The guild's finances aren't in the best condition."
Dyren rubbed his chin. "How about you take all of them for two hundred gold coins, but leave two for me? How does that sound? I don't have time to sell them."
Gorath stroked his beard. Dyren's offer was very tempting, but the guild's budget wasn't that great. Still, letting this opportunity pass would be a waste. Eventually, Gorath nodded.
"Alright."
He extended his hand. Dyren took it, and their deal was sealed.