The surrounding adventurers couldn't resist gossiping.
"Wait… Raymond and Tresed already knew each other? That's unexpected."
"Yeah, and look at them. They seem to be getting along pretty well!"
"See? I told you the 'Swift Wind Adventure Team' aren't the type to be jealous of competition."
One older adventurer spoke with a more practical perspective.
"It's true that Raymond's team has potential, but potential alone doesn't make a Gold-rank adventurer."
Another nodded in agreent.
"Exactly. Learning a skill is one thing, knowing how to use it effectively in battle is another. Talent alone won't save you in a real fight."
A third adventurer crossed his arms, adding, "Yeah, plenty of talented adventurers have died because they overestimated themselves. They took commissions above their level, thinking they were stronger than they really were… and they never ca back."
The chatter continued, but both Raymond's and Tresed's teams ignored it.
Until Shatinara suddenly spoke up.
"I overheard so of the adventurers talking about your magic affinity," Shatinara said casually, turning her sharp green gaze toward Arya.
"You're Arya, right? I just heard soone say your magic affinity is… 4.2?"
The mont Shatinara said it, Tresed's reaction was imdiate and loud.
"WHAT?!"
His shout echoed across the guild hall, drawing even more attention.
Tresed's usual casual confidence completely shattered, replaced by pure shock.
"4.2? Are you serious?!"
The rest of Tresed's team also froze, their expressions mirroring his disbelief. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire
Even for a Gold-ranked team, encountering soone with a magic affinity this high was unbelievable.
Shatinara had ntioned it casually, but now, even she looked intrigued.
Arya, caught off guard, hesitated before nodding.
"...Uh, yeah. It's 4.2."
A stunned silence followed.
Tresed still hadn't recovered, staring at Arya like she had just grown dragon wings.
His team was known for its talent, but none of them, not even their most gifted spellcasters, had an affinity that high.
"No way… 4.2?!" Naimila muttered, clearly struggling to believe it.
Even in major cities, such a number was considered rare.
Arya, anwhile, fidgeted under their intense stares, looking like she wanted to disappear.
She wasn't used to this kind of attention and now, even Tresed's legendary team was treating her like an anomaly.
For the first ti, Arya truly realized what 4.2 ant.
As soon as Arya confird her magic affinity, all five Gold-ranked adventurers turned to look at her with expressions of shock and amazent.
Arya froze, feeling like a small animal trapped under the intense scrutiny of five powerful hunters.
"Well… yeah. It's really 4.2," she said hesitantly.
"It's actually true!"
"That's incredible!"
The Swift Wind Adventure Team couldn't hold back their astonishnt.
Even for seasoned adventurers like them, a magic affinity that high was extrely rare.
Tresed shook his head in disbelief, then turned to Naimila, the team's magician, with a teasing grin.
"Naimila, did you hear that? Her magic affinity is even higher than yours!"
Naimila simply rolled her eyes at him.
"My affinity is only 3.2. That's not incredibly high to begin with. It's normal for so people to surpass ," she said, crossing her arms.
Then, her expression grew serious as she added, "But… 4.2 is almost unheard of. In the entire kingdom, there are probably only a handful of people with a magic affinity that high."
She wasn't exaggerating.
Tresed turned back to Raymond, wrapping an arm around his shoulder once again.
"Raymond, your team's potential is insane! With this kind of talent, it's only a matter of ti before you all reach Gold rank… maybe even Platinum!"
Raymond let out a small, exasperated laugh.
"Tresed, don't joke like that. Talent is one thing, strength is another. They're not the sa."
But then, his expression shifted, his eyes steady with determination.
"That said… I do believe that one day, our team will reach Gold rank and maybe even Platinum."
Tresed grinned.
"That's the spirit! That's exactly the kind of determination an adventurer needs!"
He gave Raymond a strong pat on the shoulder, approval shining in his eyes.
Naimila, sensing they were blocking the entrance to the guild, sighed and spoke up.
"Alright, Tresed, we should get moving. Raymond and his team have a commission to complete, and we're standing in their way."
She gestured at the growing crowd of adventurers gathered around them.
"Not to ntion… we're completely blocking the road. If we don't leave soon, the guild staff might co out and start chasing us away."
Tresed looked around and saw that she was right, the guild entrance was packed with curious adventurers eavesdropping on their conversation.
He chuckled. "Yeah, fair point."
Turning back to Raymond, he extended a firm handshake.
"Alright then, we won't keep you. We've got our own mission to take anyway."
With that, both teams waved their goodbyes and parted ways, leaving the crowded guild entrance behind.
Once they were clear of the bustling square, the tension that had built up finally dissipated.
Sylph exhaled loudly, wiping a hand across her forehead.
"Phew! That was intense. I was so nervous back there!"
Raymond glanced at her, his expression turning serious.
"Good. Maybe now you'll think twice before running your mouth," he said flatly.
Sylph blinked. "Huh?"
Raymond crossed his arms.
"If you keep talking without thinking, you're going to get us in trouble sooner or later."
His tone wasn't angry, but it was firm.
"This ti, we got lucky. The 'Swift Wind Adventure Team' are well-known and don't pick fights over petty things. But if we run into a Gold-ranked adventurer who isn't so tolerant, things could get dangerous."
Sylph flinched slightly, realizing that Raymond wasn't joking.
She had been careless with her words, and if Shatinara had been the type to take offense easily, the situation could have escalated.
For once, Sylph didn't argue.
She sighed, her usual cocky deanor fading just a little.
"Alright… I get it. I'll be more careful."
Arya and Lorene exchanged glances but didn't say anything.
They knew Sylph hadn't ant any harm, but in the world of adventurers, even an innocent joke could lead to serious consequences.
Lorene finally spoke up. "To be fair, Sylph didn't expect Shatinara's hearing to be that sharp… and she wasn't trying to be an."
Raymond nodded in agreent.
"Yeah, I know. But we still need to be cautious. Not everyone will take things as lightly as they did."
The group fell into thoughtful silence for a mont before Sylph let out a dramatic sigh.
"Alright, alright. Lesson learned. Now let's focus on this commission!"
With that, the group set their sights forward, ready to finally get to work.
Sensing the tension between Raymond and Sylph, Arya stepped in to shift the conversation.
She turned to Raymond, crossing her arms with a playful smirk.
"So, Raymond… turns out the last ti you t Tresed and his team, you actually talked to them and got to know them. And yet, you never told ."
Her tone was lighthearted, but there was a clear teasing edge to it.
Raymond imdiately felt a headache coming on.
He knew exactly what Arya was doing, changing the subject to stop him from scolding Sylph any further.
"Oh, co on, Arya," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "It's not like we 'know each other.' I just chatted with Tresed for a few minutes back then. You saw for yourself, he didn't even recognize at first!"
Arya grinned, satisfied that she had successfully deflected the conversation.
"Mmm, if you say so," she humd, clearly not letting him off that easily.
But Raymond wasn't going to play along anymore. He let out a resigned sigh and decided to drop the matter altogether.
"Alright, enough of that. Let's go get the supplies."
With that, the group resud their walk toward the pharmacy, the tension now completely gone.
As they moved through the streets, Raymond subtly opened his panel, checking his current stats.
[STATUS PANEL]
Na: Raymond Kelton
Age: 15
Magic Value: 1137.2 / 1137.2
Professions: Fighter, Warrior, Craftsman, Magician, Swordsman, Hunter, Pharmacist, Archer, Thief, Assassin
Skills:
Bone Crushing
Taunt [Upgradable]
Wind Slash
Camouflage
Forging [Upgradable]
Primary Mana Recovery Potion
Skill Points Available: 1
Cumulative Experience Toward Next Point: 15%
[NEW SKILLS AVAILABLE FOR LEARNING]
Locked Arrow (Archer) – Cost: 1 Skill Point
Wind-breaking Arrow (Archer Hunter) – Cost: 3 Skill Points
Raymond frowned slightly as he examined his options.
'Wind-breaking Arrow is a powerful skill, but it costs three points… I only have one right now.'
That ant he had two choices:
1. Save his skill points and wait until he had enough to unlock Wind-breaking Arrow, which was a more advanced skill.
2. Use his single skill point now to learn Locked Arrow, a foundational skill that might still prove useful.
For now, he decided to wait and think it over later.
He closed his panel and continued walking, focusing instead on the task ahead, buying supplies and preparing for their mission.
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