Completely unaware of the gossip brewing behind them, Raymond and his team continued toward the Adventurer's Guild, focused on the next step of their journey, preparing their team for the future.
Raymond and his companions had long since left the East Gate, completely unaware of the growing buzz their presence had caused. Instead of stopping, they moved swiftly through the bustling streets of Wittes Town, heading straight toward the Adventurer's Guild.
Of course, their group didn't go unnoticed. A team that had suddenly expanded from three to four mbers was bound to draw attention.
Adventurers who had been familiar with Raymond's party imdiately noticed the addition of Arya, their newest mber. Confused murmurs followed their steps, eyebrows raised in disbelief.
"Wait... since when did Raymond's team have an archer?"
"I thought they only had three people before. When did they recruit soone new?"
"Damn, they're growing fast. Does this an they're aiming even higher?"
For those who already knew the situation, this was a perfect opportunity to show off their knowledge. They took pride in explaining to the clueless onlookers how Arya had been personally recruited and had astonishing talent.
Hearing all the chatter around them, Arya shifted uncomfortably.
Raymond, noticing her change in expression, leaned in slightly. "Arya, are you okay?"
She let out a small sigh, forcing a wry smile. "I just didn't expect so much talk. I thought people wouldn't care this much, but clearly, I was wrong."
Sylph chuckled. "Heh… welco to our team. We stand out whether we like it or not. Every ti we change even a little, the whole town gossips about it." Despite her smirk, there was a tinge of resignation in her voice.
Lorene bit her lip, then hesitated before speaking. "And… we're about to recruit another mber soon. If there's this much discussion now, imagine what it'll be like when we announce we're looking for a warrior."
Raymond nodded in agreent. "Exactly. As soon as we put up a recruitnt notice, it's going to stir up even more excitent. There'll be plenty of adventurers, especially warriors, lining up to join. And since we can't just accept anyone blindly, we'll need to hold proper interviews to choose the right person."
Arya thought for a mont before suggesting, "Then let's make sure we set a clear threshold for applicants. If we're too vague, we'll get flooded with people who aren't skilled or talented enough, and we'll just end up wasting our ti."
Raymond grinned. "That's exactly what I had in mind."
He explained, "Here's the plan: we'll post a recruitnt notice today, but instead of accepting applicants right away, we'll hold a unified interview session in three days. We'll go through at least two rounds of selection, maybe three if necessary, to make sure we find the best fit for our team."
Sylph's eyes widened. "Three rounds of interviews?! That's the first ti I've heard of an adventurer team going through so much trouble to recruit soone."
Most teams just accepted new mbers on the spot if they seed compatible. But Raymond had a different approach.
"Think about it," he reasoned. "What if we accept the first person who seems decent, but then soone much better cos along later? Holding multiple rounds lets us compare and make the best choice."
Arya nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. So, how exactly do you plan to handle this?"
Raymond stopped walking for a mont, turning to face them. "The first round of interviews will be handled by you three. You'll filter out anyone who obviously isn't suitable. Then, I'll personally conduct the second round and narrow it down further. If we find a great candidate at that stage, we'll stop there. But if we're still unsure, we'll do a final third round to make the decision."
Sylph smirked. "Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this."
Raymond shrugged. "It's necessary. If we're building a team that can go all the way to Gold or even Platinum Rank, we need to recruit carefully."
With that settled, they resud their pace, heading toward the Adventurer's Guild.
Submitting the Commission Report
The Adventurer's Guild lood ahead, its grand stone structure bustling with adventurers of all ranks. The four of them entered, bypassing the usual crowd of guild mbers engaged in discussions, bartering, or waiting on new assignnts.
They didn't stop on the main floor. Instead, they headed directly to the second floor, where reports were officially submitted.
As they approached the auditor's desk, Arya hesitated slightly.
"Raymond, what exactly do we have to do for this commission report?" she asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
Since she had only just registered as an adventurer that morning, she hadn't yet gone through the formal process of reporting a completed commission.
Raymond glanced at her and gave a reassuring smile. "It's pretty simple. We'll give a brief rundown of how we completed the mission. The guild auditor will listen and confirm everything."
Then, he added in a quieter tone, "They'll also use a Lie Detector to make sure we aren't lying about anything. The guild has to prevent adventurers from cheating or taking shortcuts that could put others in danger."
Arya's eyes widened slightly. "A Lie Detector?!"
Raymond chuckled. "Don't worry. Just tell the truth about what happened. If you're honest, there's nothing to be nervous about."
She exhaled, still looking a bit uneasy. "Alright... I'll just follow your lead."
With that, they stepped forward, ready to officially wrap up their mission.
"Yeah, okay, I see," Arya nodded, though she still looked slightly nervous.
At that mont, the two Adventurer's Guild auditors finished their final preparations. As they turned their attention to Raymond and his team, their expressions betrayed a flicker of excitent.
It was clear they recognized them.
The guild employed many recorders and auditors, rotating their duties so that adventurers rarely dealt with the sa personnel each ti. These two, however, had never processed a commission for Raymond's team before. Given the growing reputation of his party, they seed eager to conduct the review.
One of the auditors, a middle-aged man with a sharp gaze, cleared his throat, shifting into a formal deanor. He then placed a Polygraph Crystal on the table—an enchanted device designed to detect deception.
"Please place your adventurer ID badges on the table for verification," he instructed.
"Understood."
Raymond and his companions unfastened their identity badges from their belts and laid them before him.
Three Black Iron tags glead under the guild's lantern light. One was stark white.
That one belonged to Arya, still a Porcelain-level adventurer.
anwhile, Lorene's badge was now Black Iron. Just yesterday, after receiving the Blessing of Courage from the Sun Goddess, she and Sylph had visited the guild to confirm her promotion. After verification with the temple, the guild had processed her rank-up.
The auditor slid the four badges over to the recorder beside him, who quickly copied down their information. Each adventurer's details; rank, class, team affiliation, and commission history, were ticulously logged into their respective guild files.
Once completed, the recorder returned the badges to Raymond and his team.
The auditor straightened, then addressed Raymond directly.
"Are you Raymond Kelton?"
Raymond nodded. "Yes, I am."
The auditor glanced at the Polygraph Crystal, then asked in a firm tone:
"Did you complete this commission by threatening others or using any improper ans?"
"No," Raymond replied without hesitation.
The crystal remained still, showing no signs of deception.
The auditor continued, "Did you fra or betray your teammates during the commission?"
"No."
Again, the crystal stayed silent.
Satisfied, the auditor nodded and turned to Sylph.
"Sylph Vargas?"
"That's ," she confird, placing a hand on her hip.
"Did you complete this commission using threats or unethical thods?"
"No."
"Did you attempt to fra or betray your teammates?"
"Nope."
The crystal remained inert.
The sa questioning process followed for Lorene and Arya. Both answered truthfully, and the crystal did not react to their responses, confirming their honesty.
Once all four had passed the verification, the auditor relaxed slightly.
"Alright. Now, please hand over the official authorization letter confirming the completion of this commission."
Raymond reached into his satchel, retrieving the signed letter of authorization from Village Chief Gans. He carefully placed it on the table.
The auditor took the docunt, unfolded it, and began reading through the commission details.
Commission Report: Budak Village - Red-Eyed Crow Extermination
• Objective: Eliminate the Red-Eyed Crows occupying Budak Village. The estimated number of crows: 10 to 13. (The mission is considered complete if at least 10 crows are exterminated or all are driven out of the village.)
• Location: Budak Village, five miles south of Wittes Town.
• Incident Report: Two days prior, a flock of aggressive 'Red-Eyed Crows' descended upon Budak Village, forcibly occupying villagers' hos. Two families were left holess, and multiple villagers sustained injuries. Two seriously injured, three with minor wounds.
• Urgency: Imdiate action required.
• Reward: 10 silver coins per crow killed.
• Ti Limit: Two days.
• Client: Gans, Mayor of Budak Village.
• Commission Level: Black Iron.
As the auditor finished scanning the letter, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Everything appears to be in order."
Now ca the final step, the actual report of how they completed the mission.
The auditor's sharp eyes flickered over the signed authorization letter as he read the details aloud.
"Client: Gans, Mayor of Budak Village."
"Confird extermination count: Twelve."
Satisfied with the details, he set the letter down and turned his attention back to Raymond and his team.
"Alright, then. Let's begin the final commission report. Who wants to go first?" His gaze moved between them expectantly.
Before anyone could answer, Raymond raised a hand slightly.
"Hold on a mont," he said calmly. "We have another completed commission to report as well."
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