Chapter 243: 243 New Recruits
People gathered from early morning on the street where the guild’s main facilities were clustered.
To preempt the good missions.
To prepare for expeditions.
To conduct business with the rcenaries who gathered there.
And among them, the building where people gathered the earliest was the rcenary Recruitnt Center.
A place that was the most active, yet filled with the deepest sense of tension.
Countless unaffiliated rcenaries sat on chairs in the waiting room, glancing around and gauging one another’s presence.
So observed the passersby incessantly with anxious expressions, while others sat staring straight ahead, pretending to be composed. Still, others spent their ti sighing with their heads bowed.
The ways they spent their ti varied, but they were all gathered here for the sa purpose.
They were rookie rcenaries who had yet to find a rcenary group.
Complete novices who had paid the entry fee to join the guild and received their qualification to operate, but were not yet part of any group and had never completed a mission.
In this city overflowing with rcenaries, few groups bothered to take in those with absolutely no experience.
If a rcenary had no particular talent to boast of, they had no choice but to wait endlessly for a newly ford rcenary group—those desperate enough to need even such recruits—to choose them as a companion.
On one side of the recruitnt center, several bulletin boards were fixed to the wall, densely packed with countless mos.
They were a type of resu, where rcenaries squeezed their brains to list their specialties and introductions.
"Who is Sarah?"
"H-here! That’s !"
rcenary captains looking for people passed by constantly in front of the boards, and occasionally, a mo that caught soone’s eye would be pulled off as a na was called.
Every ti a called rcenary answered and ran out, the envious gazes of the sitting rcenaries followed them.
Arriving at the recruitnt center, Ian looked around at the rcenaries sitting in the waiting area.
Though it hadn’t been a long ti, Ian, who had beco sowhat accustod to life here, exuded the aura of a rcenary captain in his own right.
The seated rcenaries intuitively felt that Ian was a captain who had co to find people.
Ian turned his gaze toward the boards where the rcenaries’ personal details were posted.
Over there, in their own way, other captains were scanning through countless resus to find the most useful people possible.
Since Ian didn’t necessarily need to see the introductions written by the rcenaries themselves, he instead moved toward the rcenaries sitting on the chairs.
Since there were occasionally captains who picked people based solely on first impressions like this, the rcenaries straightened their posture with tense expressions whenever Ian passed by them.
Ian moved slowly, examining each of the anxious-faced rcenaries one by one.
Most of the rcenaries didn’t suit his fancy, but choosing the right person wasn’t a task that could be finished in a single day anyway.
Ian had been coming here every morning to check what kind of rcenaries were available.
It had already been several days of doing so.
Finally, Ian’s steps stopped in front of soone.
Clutching a staff as tall as herself, the rcenary who had been frozen in tension slowly lifted her head.
?????? ＊ ＊
It was morning, the sun having fully risen and the streets brightening to the point where lanterns were no longer needed.
Since the busiest dawn hours had passed, a quiet and relaxed atmosphere flowed through the first floor of the inn.
Rin, who had co downstairs yawning with a relaxed face, took over a large table all by herself.
Since it was a bit late for breakfast, only a few rcenaries—also on their day off—were enjoying a leisurely late al on the first floor.
Rin picked up her fork toward the breakfast nu that began to be served before her one by one.
Creak—.
The inn door opened with a small creaking sound, and Ian walked inside.
Ian, returning from an early outing, spotted Rin having breakfast on the first floor.
"Ah. Captain."
"You’re awake."
Ian, who had planned to go up and wake Rin if she was still sleeping, thought the timing was perfect and pulled out a chair to sit across from her.
Perhaps because she hadn’t been awake for long, Rin yawned as she stretched.
"Hooo... where have you been since so early in the morning?"
"I had things to do at the guild."
"Does a captain have that much to do?"
While they were conversing, the innkeeper approached and set a new plate down on the table.
Ian looked at the lavish breakfast laid out before Rin.
"The nu is quite fancy for breakfast..."
"Well, we got a big reward last ti."
Breakfast at the inn usually consisted of a bowl of stew from a large pot and a loaf of bread. However, when it wasn’t too busy, the innkeeper would cook and bring a fresh desired dish if given an extra fee.
In addition to the basic stew and bread, a slab of grilled at and a roasted potato sat before Rin.
The basic nu was sothing Ian had paid for in advance along with the room fee, but the other plates were items Rin had ordered with her own money.
After receiving a large reward, Rin would often indulge in such luxuries with food.
No matter how large the reward, spending like this every day would empty her pockets quickly... but Ian decided not to point it out. After all, the reward was hers to spend as she pleased. Besides, the words ’rcenary’ and ’savings’ probably didn’t go well together in the first place.
A mont later, bread and stew were placed before Ian as well.
Ian waved at the innkeeper and spoke.
"Ah, please bring two plates of steak here... and a fruit salad."
Watching from across the table, Rin smirked upon hearing Ian’s order and said,
"You’re not exactly in a position to lecture
either, Captain."
"No, this isn’t for
to eat."
"Oh... then is it for ?"
Just then, the sound of the inn door opening rang out once more.
Two rcenaries, stiff as boards from extre tension, walked into the inn.
Scanning the interior, the two soon spotted Ian’s face and rushed over to stand upright in front of the table.
"A-ah, good morning, sir!"
"Hello."
They were the rcenaries Ian had gone to find at the recruitnt center this morning.
Ian, who had been checking the rcenaries there for the past few days, finally found the ones he wanted today and hired them.
After finishing the remaining procedures at the guild, the two had packed their belongings and co to the inn Ian had specified.
"Who are they?"
"New recruits."
Rin, who had her fork in her mouth, blinked. It seed she hadn’t considered at all that new people would be joining the group.
"We’ll need more people if we’re going to take on D-rank missions from now on."
"Wow!"
Rin, who had grown accustod to working with just the two of them, widened her eyes at the word ’new recruit.’
Until now, despite the na ’rcenary group,’ Ian the captain and Rin had solved missions with just the two of them. Of course, they had gotten used to each other and there was a certain humble charm to it, but... a true rcenary group was supposed to have many mbers.
Thinking this, Rin’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the two standing before the table.
When a brief silence followed, one of them stepped forward and greeted the two, seemingly thinking it was ti for an introduction.
"I’m Tanya! I’ve joined as a general laborer!"
A rcenary with red hair tied back in a braid, possessing an aura that didn’t seem to fit the rcenary trade, bowed her head deeply.
"I... I’ve never fought before, but I’ll work hard at anything, so please leave it to !"
A general laborer. In other words... a porter.
A laborer was a mber who handled chores, al preparation, and various errands within the rcenary group. The reason such a helper was hired as a formal mber was that they participated in expeditions as well.
A mber who carried equipnt, guarded luggage during battle, and handled the loot. Hearing this, Rin’s eyes shone.
Having a porter was a symbol of a successful rcenary group. While porters were the first to be cut when a group fell on hard tis, hiring a new one ant the group was growing smoothly.
After Tanya’s introduction, Rin’s gaze turned toward the other rcenary standing beside her.
Unlike Tanya, who was stiff and tense, this rcenary—holding a staff with her long, straight hair flowing—introduced her na while maintaining a sowhat composed atmosphere.
"I’m Mika."
However, she was rely trying to act composed. In the end, she couldn’t hide the tension unique to rookie rcenaries, and it was clear she was struggling to appear calm.
"My position is... Mage."
"...!"
With an expression much more shocked than before, Rin leaned in close to Ian. She asked in a voice small enough that it wouldn’t reach the two of them,
"Aren’t mages’ fees incredibly expensive?"
"Well... I did give her a bit more than a regular rcenary."
Rin stared at Mika with shimring eyes. While many of her fantasies about the rcenary life had been shattered through actual experience, the word ’Mage’ stimulated Rin’s sense of romance once again.
A Mage... has joined our group!
"What kind of magic is your specialty? Fire?"
"...No."
"Then Lightning?"
"No, well, you see..."
Mika, the Mage rcenary who had seed dignified, saw her voice grow smaller as the questions continued. Eventually shrinking back like a typical rookie, Mika answered Rin with her confidence hitting rock bottom.
"I, um... haven’t actually learned any spells yet..."
"...Then you’re not a Mage?"
"...."
Under Rin’s gaze, from which the sparkle had instantly vanished, Mika bowed her head deeply. Ian, who was watching the scene from the side, interjected and said a word to Rin.
"Rookies are like that. You were also full of confidence after catching just one goblin at first."
"...."
This ti, it was Rin who bowed her head deeply.
That was how most rookie rcenaries were. Even for a swordsman, there was no place to formally learn swordsmanship, and even if one had the talent of a mage, there was no way a youth from a rural village could afford to learn expensive magic.
In the end, whether swordsman or mage, they would arrive at Labyrinth with nothing but their bare bodies and the cheapest sword or staff.
"First, both of you have a seat."
Ian spoke while pointing at the empty chairs for the two of them.
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Na: Tanya
Level: Lv. 1
Affiliation: Ian rcenary Group
Traits: [Endurance E] [Cooking D] [Timid] [Desire to Serve]
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Na: Mika
Level: Lv. 1
Affiliation: Ian rcenary Group
Traits: [MP Increase E] [Magic Power Increase E] [Curiosity]
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