Chapter 29 - 13: [Gugu Chicken, Wheat Grain Bag, and Super Painful Magic Potion]

Chapter 29: Chapter 13: [Gugu Chicken, Wheat Grain Bag, and Super Painful Magic Potion]

"Good afternoon, sir," Samael waved.

"Good afternoon, Monk. We thought..." Guard One hesitated.

"Where is that kid Randall?" Guard Two asked. "Did that brat ditch you?"

"No, no! Sir, we get along very well with Randall, and we’re planning to officially join his team tomorrow," Samael explained. "It’s just that the Alliance has a rule. Newly registered rookies need to participate in at least one team-following internship mission before they can independently execute missions or join other teams."

"Oh, oh! I see. I thought that kid had connections at the front desk and could directly skip the process to pull you into his team..." Guard One was halfway through his sentence when Guard Two raised a hand and slapped it over his mouth.

"Nonsense! There is no such thing. Even if the Demon Monarch came to be an adventurer, he would have to follow the standard procedure!" Guard Two spoke with righteous indignation. "Rules are rules. Everyone is treated equally!"

"Yes, indeed," Samael said. "That’s the honest truth. It really is."

THUD. A muffled sound rang out. Samael looked down to see Talia’s black armor boot stepping on his foot.

He struggled against the weight for a moment, keeping his helmet steady, and pulled his foot out from under Talia’s boot.

"If we shy away from this, it will only make us look suspicious!" Samael tried to convey this long sentence with his eyes or facial expressions, but he had no eyes, no face, and no expressions. In the end, he could only symbolically nod his helmet in response.

"So the rookies’ internship mission was snatched by that loudmouthed nuisance, Roster?" Guard One frowned, glaring at Luken Roster.

"Hey! Show some respect! How can a gatekeeper like you go around insulting people? What do you mean, ’loudmouthed nuisance’? I am an adventurer about to be promoted to level three! I am the glorious Claw Warrior, Roster!" Roster waved his fist aggressively.

"The occupational code for Alliance Guards requires us not to insult innocent adventurers without cause," Guard Two chimed in. "In other words, we are merely stating a fact."

The two guards exchanged a glance and chuckled.

"I am magnanimous, so I won’t lower myself to argue with you." Roster snorted. He plucked a stalk of weed from the roadside and held it in his mouth.

"We practically saved you the day of the Rotting Dust Storm, and this is the attitude you give us?" Guard Two said.

"What do you mean ’saved’ me? You mean stopping me from going out to complete a grand mission?" Roster chewed on the stalk of grass, glaring sideways at Guard Two. "You guys are just jealous of my heroic warrior bearing and my bountiful harvests in the Barren Land, which is why you stopped me from going out to hunt."

"Yes, yes, yes, we’ve learned our lesson. The next time a Rotting Dust Storm comes, we won’t stop you. We’ll just let you go out," Guard Two laughed.

"It’s a real shame that you’re merely obnoxious and not an actual criminal," Guard One muttered. "If you ask me, acting like a jerk and being a public nuisance should also be considered crimes recorded in the Adventurer’s Codex. The punishment should be a fat beating. I really want to beat you up."

"Tch, just two gatekeepers," Roster curled his lip, chewing on the weed. "I have to lead rookies on an internship today. Don’t interfere with my mission."

Roster’s five-person team passed through the gates of Luojie City and set off into the wilderness.

"You guys are really unlucky, you two Monks. I truly feel sorry for you," Guard One said sincerely from behind them. "If you ask me, the Alliance should compensate you for emotional damages. If they don’t, you can find a lawyer and sue the Alliance. I believe you would definitely win the case."

"Don’t listen to them. What do two gatekeepers know?" Roster said. "Let me teach you from my experience. This is the Barren Land, a terrifying and brutal realm for adventurers.

"Logically, when rookies first arrive here, they should start with the simplest tasks. But if we do that, it’ll be too relaxing. How could that inspire fighting spirit? Therefore, we are going to hunt the most terrifying and ferocious Magical Beast—"

"The Split Claw Bird," Samael answered.

"Exactly!" Roster said solemnly. "The Split Claw Bird!"

Samael felt that Roster’s talents were truly being wasted as an adventurer. With his phrasing, acting skills, and ability to mobilize emotions, he would definitely be outstanding if he switched careers to become a Minstrel, wandering the streets and alleys to tell stories. Perhaps a poor career choice many years ago had cost the Minstrel world a rising star, while simultaneously blessing the adventurer world with a completely dispensable—and preferably absent—piece of dog shit stuck to the bottom of a shoe.

He led the team, tiptoeing across the plains and stepping over several bone-white boulders before gesturing for the others to gather.

"Look! The Split Claw Birds!" he whispered, hiding behind a boulder with the team. He eagerly poked his head around the side of the massive rock, quietly calling the people behind him to take a look.

The Little Fatty Swordsman ran over excitedly, only to be shoved aside by Roster.

"You’ve seen them before, and you’ll have chances to see them again in the future. Let the rookies look first! I’m here to guide the new adventurers and help them learn!" he beckoned Samael and Talia with an air of self-importance.

Talia ignored him.

"Oh, oh, let me take a look." Samael played along and leaned in. After all, as a Transmigrator, he hadn’t seen anything in this world yet and was curious about everything.

Behind the boulder was a small, flat area overgrown with short, withered yellow weeds. Over a dozen massive brown birds, each more than half the height of a person, strode through the weeds. They dragged their long tail feathers, pecking at something scattered in the brush.

"Do you see them?" Roster lowered his voice. "These are the Split Claw Birds. They are beasts with true warrior spirit and will never use their numbers to bully the few. Next, we need to select one that looks like a worthy, powerful opponent to challenge. We’ll charge straight over and create a simple dueling ring..."