Freya looked back and forth between Raymond and Sylph, both of whom had identical puzzled expressions. Finally, she sighed, as if their confusion was contagious, leaving all three of them looking equally perplexed.
"Wait, don't you know? Raymond's been awakened for less than twenty days."
"Um?" Sylph frowned, tilting her head slightly. 'Awakened for less than twenty days? What's so special about that?'
She blinked a few tis, and then sothing seed to click. Her mouth fell open slowly, and she covered it with both hands as realization dawned. Turning to Raymond, her eyes were wide with disbelief.
In the past, whenever she looked at Raymond, there had always been a subtle sense of superiority in her mind. She couldn't help it,bshe was an 'Explosion Magician', a rare and powerful specialization, while Raymond seed like a fairly ordinary awakener by comparison.
But now, that superiority had evaporated like morning dew under the sun.
"You an…" Sylph said slowly, her voice unsteady, "Raymond mastered a skill in less than twenty days?!"
Freya nodded with certainty, her expression smug. "Exactly. I thought you knew that already, why else would you team up with him?"
Sylph felt a twinge of annoyance. 'How would I know? He didn't even tell !' she thought, biting her lip. Suddenly, she understood Raymond's calm indifference whenever other adventurers sward her, eager to team up.
'So that's it. He's not just ignoring them, he knows he's just as much of a genius as I am. If not more!'
"Um…" Raymond's voice broke through her thoughts, completely ruining the dramatic tension. "Is that… rare?"
Both Freya and Sylph froze, staring at him as though he'd just asked if water was wet.
"What do you 'think?'" Freya snapped, her bright eyes narrowing in frustration. "Do you not realize how insane that is?"
Raymond scratched his head, frowning. 'I thought Freya figured out I'd awakened a second profession… but this is about mastering a skill?'
Freya crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh. "Do you know how long it took to awaken my first skill? 'Two months!' And back then, I thought that was 'fast.' It was! People called a prodigy for that."
Sylph raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Two months? Really?"
Freya nodded, puffing up slightly with pride. "Two months is already considered impressive. But Raymond…" Her voice trailed off, and a complicated look crossed her face. She glanced at Raymond, then seed to rember sothing that made her expression shift into outright disbelief.
'The day after we captured Raymond, he asked how to awaken skills,' she thought, her heart racing. 'That ans he didn't even know how it worked back then. But by the ti he completed that commission with Sylph, he'd already mastered a skill!'
Her thoughts spiraled further. 'So if he mastered a skill during the mission… does that an he learned it in just one day?!'
Freya's hands clenched at her sides as she tried to suppress the thought. It was too terrifying to dwell on.
"Do you have any idea," she finally said, glaring at Raymond, "how ridiculous that is? Learning a skill in less than twenty days is unheard of. It's, it's insane! And you're standing here asking if it's rare?! Ugh!"
She threw her hands in the air, her frustration spilling out as she paced back and forth.
Sylph, anwhile, was staring at Raymond with newfound respect and a hint of competitiveness. 'Less than twenty days… That's…' She tried to compare herself. 'I awakened as a magician three months ago and mastered Explosion Magic two months later. That's still impressive. But…'
Her mind whirred. 'Explosion Magic is far more advanced than whatever basic skill Raymond learned. So maybe he's just quicker with simple skills? Yes. That makes sense. My talent isn't worse, he's just working with easier material.'
As she reached this conclusion, Sylph's shoulders relaxed, and her usual confidence returned.
Raymond, oblivious to her ntal gymnastics, was watching Freya with mild concern as she continued her rant. Eventually, she stopped abruptly, her expression shifting to one of mild embarrassnt. "Oh, great. I got so worked up that I didn't notice Captain Andel and the others left without ."
She sighed, then looked at Raymond and Sylph with an apologetic smile. "Well, I guess I'd better go catch up with them. Don't let keep you any longer."
Before leaving, she turned to Raymond one last ti, giving him a sharp glare. "And for the record, next ti you accomplish sothing crazy like this, 'act like you know it's impressive.'"
Raymond, still looking completely innocent, gave her a small wave as she disappeared down the stairs.
Sylph watched her go, then glanced at Raymond, her expression pensive. "So… less than twenty days, huh?" she muttered.
Raymond shrugged. "I guess. It's not like I was counting."
Sylph let out a low sigh, then straightened up and crossed her arms, her competitive spark reigniting. "Well, I might've taken two months to master Explosion Magic, but I'd like to see you pull off sothing like that. My talent's still ahead of yours."
"Sure," Raymond said, too tired to argue. "Now, can we finish the paperwork? I've still got things to do."
With a satisfied nod, Sylph gestured toward the guild office. "Let's get it done."
As they walked, Raymond couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease. Freya's insights had been sharper than expected. 'I'll have to be more careful,' he thought. 'If soone figures out I've awakened more than one profession, things could get complicated fast.'
Raymond and Sylph quickly located the auditor who had overseen their case. As soon as the man spotted them, he waved over a recorder, and the four of them made their way to the guild's report room.
The atmosphere in the room was professional, but the air was thick with anticipation. Once everyone was seated, the auditor wasted no ti. "We've completed the review of your case," he began, his tone steady. "We've verified everything you reported and confird it to be true. As for the compensation, it has been finalized."
Reaching into his satchel, the auditor pulled out a leather pouch and placed it on the table with a soft 'thud.' The unmistakable clink of gold coins resonated in the room, and both Raymond's and Sylph's eyes imdiately locked onto the bag.
Raymond's heartbeat quickened. 'If that bag is full of gold coins… it's got to be at least fifty!'
Sylph leaned forward slightly, her eyes glued to the pouch.
The auditor chuckled at their reactions. "Don't worry, I won't keep you in suspense," he said, amused. "Here's the breakdown:
"First, the giant mutant rat you killed is considered no less than a Bronze-level threat. For completing this task, the guild has awarded you a reward of two gold coins."
Raymond's excitent dimd slightly, but he nodded. Two gold coins were a respectable sum for most adventurers at their level.
"Second," the auditor continued, "we acknowledge that the guild's registration staff frequently recomnd new adventurers take on mutant rat commissions, which may have influenced your decision. As a result, the guild has decided to compensate you with an additional five gold coins for any undue risk you faced."
Sylph's eyes sparkled, and Raymond felt his interest rekindling. Seven gold coins? That was already far more than he had expected.
"And finally," the auditor said, his tone growing more serious, "the Alchemist Association has also reviewed the matter. Since they were the ones who issued the commission and created the mutant rat problem in the first place, they've confird that the giant mutant rat was caused by an accident years ago. The president of their association also assures us that no other rats will reach that size, thanks to the resolution of this case. To express their gratitude; and as compensation, they are awarding you fifty gold coins."
"'Fifty?!'" Sylph exclaid, her voice rising.
Raymond's jaw nearly dropped. "Fifty…?"
The auditor smiled. "That brings your total compensation to fifty-seven gold coins."
The two adventurers exchanged wide-eyed glances, their expressions a mix of disbelief and elation. Neither of them had expected this. Raymond had assud he might receive ten gold coins at most, but this sum was beyond anything he had imagined.
"The Alchemist Association must be loaded…" Sylph murmured, staring at the leather bag as if it held her future.
Raymond couldn't help but agree. 'How much money do these 'pharmacists' and 'craftsn' make?' The thought tempted him, and he glanced at his awakening panel.
[Craftsman] Awakening requirents: Kill monsters using five different types of weapons. Progress: 3/5.
[Pharmacist] Awakening requirents: Collect ten different herbs in the wild and have them all made into potions by a pharmacist.
Raymond frowned slightly. 'I've used gloves, daggers, and swords so far, only two more weapons to go for Craftsman. That seems doable. But the Pharmacist requirents… gathering herbs and getting them turned into potions sounds tedious.'
He made a ntal note to focus on awakening Craftsman first, saving Pharmacist for later.
anwhile, the auditor reached into his bag and produced two pieces of parchnt. "Now, there's just one formality. These are agreents drafted by the temple's priests. Once you sign them, the compensation will be officially yours. Be aware that these are binding contracts enforced by divine power. Breaking the agreent will result in imdiate sanctions."
Raymond's thoughts flickered back to the Sun Goddess statue he'd seen earlier. The scales in her left hand symbolized justice and contracts were her domain.
The two took the parchnts and skimd through the contents. The agreents were straightforward, stating that the compensation was fair and final, and that neither party would pursue the matter further. Seeing no hidden traps, they both signed without hesitation.
The mont Raymond signed his na, the parchnt glowed faintly before burning up in a burst of warm, radiant light. He felt an invisible force settle over him, a quiet but undeniable reminder of the contract's weight.
"All done," the auditor said with satisfaction, sliding the leather bag across the table. "The fifty-seven gold coins are now officially yours."
Raymond reached out and hefted the bag. It was heavier than he'd expected, the weight of their reward tangible in his hands. He exchanged a grin with Sylph, who was practically beaming.
"Thank you," Raymond said sincerely.
The auditor nodded. "You earned it. Good luck on your future endeavors."
As the two adventurers left the room, Raymond's mind buzzed with plans. 'Fifty-seven gold coins. That's enough to invest in new gear… or maybe even save for future training.'
Sylph nudged him with her elbow. "So, what are you spending your share on?"
Raymond chuckled. "I'm still deciding. You?"
"Explosion Magic is expensive," she said with a grin. "I need to stock up on materials for my spells. Maybe a few new robes, too."
Raymond smirked. "Let's just not blow through all of it in one day."
Sylph groaned. "Ugh, don't ruin the mont with practical advice."
The two laughed as they stepped out of the Adventurer's Guild, their spirits high and their purses much heavier than they had expected. For Raymond, this was just the beginning of a larger journey and he was already thinking about what lay ahead.
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