Tresed scanned the gathered adventurers with a casual yet commanding presence before calling out:
"Alright, clear the way! We've got things to do!"
At his words, the crowd of onlookers quickly stepped aside, not wanting to block the path of the strongest Gold-ranked team in Wittes.
But before moving forward, Tresed suddenly grinned mischievously and added,
"And let be clear, if anyone dares to insult my dear Shatinara again, I might just break their legs!"
The adventurers froze, their expressions shifting between amusent and nervousness.
Shatinara, however, was less amused.
She shot a sharp glare at Tresed, her erald eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Cut it out," she huffed. "I've heard so many of these dumb comnts that I'm practically immune to them now."
Despite her irritation, everyone knew Tresed was just teasing. He had always been like this; loud, dramatic, but ultimately good-natured.
Still, as the Swift Wind Adventure Team moved forward, they changed course, heading straight toward Raymond and his group.
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Sylph, usually brimming with confidence, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
"Uh… guys… they're coming toward us. What do we do?"
For the first ti in a while, she actually looked nervous.
"You don't think… they heard , do you?"
Lorene paled slightly, whispering, "Sylph, elves have enhanced hearing. With those long ears… she probably heard every word."
Sylph swallowed hard. "…Oh. Crap."
Arya, standing beside them, tensed up as well.
She turned to Raymond, her voice slightly shaky. "Raymond… what do we do?"
She rembered his warning from before, about how conflicts between adventurers weren't always settled with words.
Bounties, ambushes, and deadly fights in the wilderness weren't unheard of.
And now?
They had offended the strongest Gold-level team in town.
Arya subconsciously gripped her bow tighter.
Instead of panicking, Raymond smiled reassuringly.
"Relax. It'll be fine."
Sylph turned to him, eyes wide. "How are you so calm?! What if they start sothing?"
Raymond chuckled. "Think about it, they're Gold-ranked. They have a reputation to maintain. Do you really think they'd cause a scene over sothing this small?"
But deep down, Raymond had another reason for staying calm.
He had t Tresed before.
And based on their last encounter, Tresed wasn't the type to hold petty grudges.
If he were that sensitive, Raymond would have been in trouble the last ti he got caught staring at Shatinara.
Instead of getting angry back then, Tresed had laughed it off and even joked with him.
That alone told Raymond everything he needed to know.
This wasn't a group that picked fights over small things.
The surrounding adventurers had also noticed Tresed and Shatinara's movent.
As they saw the Gold-ranked team approaching Raymond's group, their curiosity piqued.
"Wait… are they heading toward Raymond's team?"
"Looks like it… I wonder why?"
So adventurers imdiately recognized Raymond and his teammates.
"That's the dual-class adventurer Raymond and the Explosion Mage Sylph! Maybe Tresed wants to check them out?"
Another adventurer nodded in agreent.
"It wouldn't be surprising. With their current team setup, Raymond's party could easily reach Gold rank in the future."
At this, another adventurer's eyes widened.
"Oh yeah! I just ca from inside the guild, did you hear about the new female archer who joined Raymond's team? Her magic affinity is 4.2!"
"Wait, seriously?! That's insane!"
"And it's not just her. Sylph's magic affinity is 2.6, and Lorene's is 2.4. That's ridiculously high too!"
Newer adventurers, just arriving, overheard the conversation and beca even more curious.
"That high?!"
"What about Raymond?"
The adventurer who had been explaining shrugged regretfully.
"No idea. He didn't test it."
At that, so adventurers sighed in disappointnt.
"Damn. I was really hoping to find out."
But the truth was, they wouldn't have to wait long.
Because Tresed and his team were about to get answers firsthand.
Speculation and Surprise
The murmurs among the adventurers didn't stop.
One of them, a hunter, narrowed his eyes and whispered, "I don't think Tresed and his team are just casually walking over to chat."
His keen eyesight and hunter's instincts had picked up on Shatinara's earlier reaction.
"When the female elf looked at Raymond and his group just now… she seed a little angry."
A ripple of unease spread through the listeners.
"No way… You think they're mad because there's a team that could one day rival them?"
"That doesn't sound right. Tresed's team has always had a good reputation. I've never heard of them causing trouble out of jealousy."
"Still… if they used to think they were unmatched in Wittes, and now another team is rising fast, maybe it's throwing them off balance?"
Their hushed discussions reached Shatinara's ears and she couldn't help but laugh.
The female magician beside her raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Shatinara, what's so funny?"
Tresed and the rest of the team also glanced at her curiously.
"You'll love this," Shatinara said, tilting her head toward the group ahead.
"The four people who just called flat-chested? Turns out, they're none other than Raymond, the dual-professional and Sarifi, the infamous Explosion Mage."
The mont she said it, Tresed and his team perked up.
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The nas 'Raymond' and 'Sarifi' had been everywhere in the Wittes adventurer circles lately.
Even the Swift Wind Adventure Team had heard of them, especially Raymond, the dual-class adventurer, an extre rarity in history.
"Oh? It's them?" Tresed's expression brightened with interest.
He had been curious about them for a while, but until now, they had never crossed paths.
Shatinara smirked, "And guess what? I overheard soone saying that we're upset because Raymond's team might surpass us soday, and we're here to cause trouble for them."
"Pfft—!"
The entire Swift Wind Adventure Team burst into laughter.
"Seriously? These adventurers sure love their drama," the female magician chuckled.
"What a wild imagination!" the burly shield warrior added.
Tresed shook his head with amusent.
"Well, now I have to et them," he said. "I wasn't paying attention earlier, but let's go see what they're like."
With that, the five Gold-ranked adventurers approached Raymond's team.
Raymond and his team watched as Tresed and his companions stopped right in front of them.
Tresed studied Raymond, then grinned. "So, you're the famous dual-class adventurer, Raymond?"
As he said it, a flicker of recognition passed over his face.
There was sothing familiar about Raymond…
Before Raymond could respond, Tresed's female magician teammate snapped her fingers in realization.
"Tresed, you really need to work on your mory," she teased. "Isn't he the guy who was staring at Shatinara in front of the guild when we ca back from the Ogre expedition? You two got along pretty well back then."
Tresed's eyes widened as the mory ca rushing back.
"Oh!"
He suddenly pointed at Raymond. "That was you?!"
Raymond chuckled. "Yeah. But back then, I hadn't awakened my 'Warrior' class yet."
Tresed let out a loud laugh, then threw his arm around Raymond's shoulders.
"Well, what do you know? I'm lucky today! It's not every day you et a dual-class adventurer!"
Tresed's genuine excitent was obvious.
Despite being one of the strongest adventurers in Wittes, he didn't look at Raymond with jealousy or intimidation, only fascination.
After a mont, Tresed turned his attention to the rest of Raymond's party.
His eyes scanned Arya, Sylph, and Lorene before he grinned again.
"Alright, which one of you is the Explosion Mage, Sylph? I've been wanting to et an Explosion Mage for ages!"
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