Chapter 119 - 118: Sought-after
Chapter 119: Chapter 118: Sought-after
Most people were pulling strings through various channels, trying to find a backdoor to secure a spot on the Escort Team.
Some were even willing to pay a hefty referral fee just for a chance to join.
The competition was exceptionally fierce, demanding not only connections and wealth, but also a minimum standing of Silver Level Adventurer.
At the very least, one had to be a Middle Level Class to even dare to consider it.
Against this backdrop, the Marcus Squad, having all its members selected, seemed particularly conspicuous and outstanding.
Marcus had just been promoted to Middle Level, and Valles was also a newly promoted Middle Level Ranger. Their qualifications were still shallow, and there were no rumors of them having any special connections within the Association.
What was even more surprising was... on what grounds did that guy named Gray get in?
He was just a Junior Warrior!
Of course, no one was naive enough to believe that this squad was chosen purely on its own strength.
That left only one possibility...
The only Mage in the squad!
In an instant, all the gazes on Zelir, both overt and hidden, grew fervent.
’How could such a good teammate be so willing to stick by Marcus’s side all this time...’
Zelir calmly ignored all of it.
After his promotion, although his Perception only increased by two points, his sensitivity to his surroundings had still improved slightly.
It was enough for him to clearly detect the complex emotions contained within those gazes.
"I don’t know if you guys have ever experienced this,"
Gray said lazily.
"When you attend a party with a particularly beautiful date, all the men in the room can’t help but fix their eyes on her."
"You’ve attended a party? Which one has such low standards?" Valles shot a sideways glance at Gray.
"The point isn’t me, it’s the date."
Gray paid no mind to Valles’s taunt.
"Not only do they look, but they also want to pry her away from you. They’ll take any opportunity to come over with a glass of wine and ask her to dance."
"Zelir is that radiant date right now... I bet there are at least eight or ten Adventurer Squads that want to poach you."
Gray nudged Zelir with his elbow.
"Hey, you’re not actually going to ditch us and run off with someone else one day, are you?"
"Try using that weird analogy one more time..." Zelir said, suppressing his anger.
Marcus sighed, interrupting the pointless conversation.
He walked to the quest board and scanned it with his eyes.
"The quest board is pretty empty today."
Valles also looked up and found that basically all the high-level quests had been taken.
All that remained were some small, miscellaneous jobs.
The Adventurer’s Association didn’t guarantee work year-round. When there weren’t many Demon-related quests, you just had to rest.
"It’s fine."
Marcus appeared quite composed.
"We weren’t expecting to take on any big money-making quests anyway. The main point this time is to be Zelir’s Swordsmanship sparring partner."
After picking and choosing, the group finally selected a quest.
...
「On the outskirts of Black Stone Town.」
On the plains, the distant mountains had shed their summer green, their hues gradually growing deeper.
A cool autumn breeze caressed the land, and the pasture grass in the vast fields rose and fell like golden waves.
The Marcus Squad strolled leisurely across the open plain.
There were no oppressive, dense forests, no muddy swamps—only the peace and joy of a bountiful harvest season.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve been this relaxed on a mission."
Zelir couldn’t help but spread his arms and close his eyes, as if to embrace the autumn wind completely.
"Of course. This is just a standard-rated mission,"
Valles said, walking beside Zelir.
"If this were a Junior-level quest, we’d probably be diving headfirst into the Gray Wood Forest right now, carefully guarding against ambushes from Demons."
A three-story wooden house came into view.
Thick logs formed the main structure of the house, which was topped with a thick thatched roof. Wisps of smoke curled from the chimney.
In front of the house was a spacious yard. A small mountain of golden haystacks was piled in a corner, and next to it sat an old horse-drawn cart filled with pumpkins and corn.
"This should be the place."
Marcus pulled the quest contract from his coat and double-checked it.
This mission was to eliminate the wild boars rampaging at Ersha Farm.
The group walked to the front of the wooden house.
KNOCK KNOCK...
Marcus raised his hand and knocked on the sturdy wooden door.
Before long, the wooden door opened with a CREAK.
A lady with silver-gray streaks in her hair and a few wrinkles on her face appeared at the door, her expression downcast with worry.
"Are you Madam Ersha? We’re the Adventurer Squad that accepted the wild boar extermination quest." Marcus showed her his Adventurer’s Badge and the quest contract.
"Thank the gods, you’re finally here!"
Upon seeing them, Madam Ersha’s furrowed brow finally relaxed.
She quickly stepped aside and welcomed them into the house.
The light inside was a bit dim, but the house was kept very neat and tidy.
A few polished farm tools and an old bearskin rug hung on the wall, and the Flame in the fireplace was crackling.
A young man with a limp emerged from an inner room.
He looked to be in his early twenties, clearly a farm boy, and was carrying a tray with several cups of steaming tea.
"Please, have some tea."
The young man placed the teacups on the table one by one.
Zelir glanced over and saw that the man’s right leg was wrapped in thick bandages, making it very difficult for him to move.
"Thank you..."
Marcus took a teacup and then turned to Madam Ersha.
"Madam Ersha, could you tell us the details of the situation?"
"Sigh... those damn beasts! They’ve rooted up and ruined the fields we worked so hard to plant!"
Madam Ersha sighed, the wrinkles on her face deepening.
"A pack of wild boars came from the forest a while ago. We can’t drive them away no matter what we do, and they come to our farm to wreak havoc at random times every day."
"Look out the window. A lot of the wheat was ruined before we could even harvest it. If this continues, we’ll starve this winter."
As she spoke, Madam Ersha looked at her son with a pained expression.
"My eldest son went away to sell goods in another town a while ago, leaving only my poor second son at home."
"He tried to drive the boars away, but one of them gored his leg with its tusks, breaking it. He nearly died... That’s why we had no choice but to ask the Adventurer’s Association for help."
"I see..." Zelir nodded slightly.
Madam Ersha’s second son scratched his head, his face flushing red.
"Those boars are just too ferocious. They’re huge, and when they charge, it’s like a small mountain coming at you. I couldn’t even stop them with a pitchfork; I was knocked over in an instant."
"Madam Ersha, please show us."
Marcus finished the hot tea in his cup, stood up, and said, "We’ll take care of this problem."
Led by Madam Ersha, the group crossed the yard and went to the back of the farm.