Hecate’s expression shifted slightly, her curiosity piqued by my comnt. Before talking about the mutated creatures from the exam, I exaggeratedly looked around and asked, "By the way, where's a? I thought she just stepped out for a mont."
"...She went to the alliance," Hecate replied after a brief, aningful pause, as if questioning whether I was trying to change the topic.
"She had to give testimony regarding the last training session and also handle so work related to the recent examination."
"Oh."
Now that I thought about it, this faction was in a precarious position. If they were removed from the regular factions, all their financial support from the city would be cut off. Without a sustainable business model or active inco from explorations like other factions, Telema would be hit hard.
Like any company that survives solely on governnt grants and support funds, it was a delicate situation. My exclamation, filled with worry and sympathy, triggered an automatic defensive reaction from Hecate.
"It’s fine! Since you joined, we've filled up the numbers, and with the money you gave us last ti, we’ve managed to cover so of the urgent expenses!"
The minimum number of mbers required for a faction was eight. Originally, there were five mbers. With , it made six. As for the remaining two, we could figure out sothing. If worse ca to worst, I could borrow Ray and Leif's nas just to fill the slots.
They probably already filled those two empty spots with ghost mbers just to et the minimum requirents.
"a's points from your training also helped a lot. It feels like everything's thanks to you, Roman."
"Well, you're not entirely wrong. I’ve basically provided the required number of mbers, operational funds, and evaluation points."
"Oh, by the way, a ntioned she’s planning to descend into the Abyss again."
When in doubt, change the subject. That was Hecate’s way of dealing with things.
Her skill at shifting topics so smoothly was a testant to her leadership as the head of the faction.
"I heard a didn’t join a guild, though."
"Yeah, so she’s probably going to form a new team."
Since she ntioned having business with the alliance, it seed like a intended to gather so independent explorers like herself.
"But it’s not easy for a demon warlock to find a team."
I had made a promise not to reveal anything about . Though Hecate had figured so things out, I didn’t want any further ntion of to spread. If a didn’t clarify her ability to offset the costs of her skills, she would be held back by the bias against demon warlocks.
"She’ll be fine."
"Why’s that?"
Hecate smiled confidently and shrugged.
"a's skill level isn’t just at the senior level. If anything, she’s more like an expert."
I see. That made sense. Even though a was technically in the sa senior category as Priscilla and Jake, the gap in skill was significant.
Still, having an expert didn’t necessarily an much in terms of faction strength.
"But aren't there plenty of experts in most factions? Holson said the real asure of power is how many masters they have."
That’s what I was about to say.
In front of Ray’s innocent question, Hecate’s head drooped like a willow branch.
"...Yes, well... Our faction is still a small one without any masters."
"Cheer up! Now that you have Roman, you’ll get one soon!"
Before that, I thought Hecate could probably beco an explorer herself, but I suppose she had her reasons.
"Enough about a. So, what were you saying earlier? Sothing about things being 'complicated'?"
"Ah, right..."
I began explaining what had happened to us.
As I spoke, Hecate's expression grew more serious. By the ti I finished, she was covering her mouth with her hand, her face darkened.
"This... This is a real ss."
"Your registration is confird."
a had completed the registration of her team. While it wasn’t mandatory to register a team like a guild, it was recomnded for safety reasons. Keeping records could prevent most shady dealings from happening.
Of course, now she still needed to recruit mbers. But by posting a recruitnt notice on the alliance's job board, a had achieved her goal for the day.
'Maybe I’ll listen in for a bit before I leave.'
It was currently a busy ti, filled with chatter from newcors.
The explorer profession had high turnover rates. Many died, and many joined.
Because of this, organizations often paused their expeditions and stayed in the city to recruit talent whenever there was a large influx of new explorers. Right now, it was one of those tis. The pub section of the alliance was buzzing with talk about new recruits.
a ordered so milk and sat in a quiet corner. With her sharp hearing, she could pick out any conversation she wanted, even in a noisy environnt.
Sipping her milk, a focused on one table's conversation.
"I heard the new recruits this ti are exceptional."
"Are they the 'Golden Generation'?"
"Guilds are already fighting over them."
The competition for talent mainly occurred between guilds. Factions rarely participated. Guilds and factions had fundantally different goals.
Factions were essentially societies of mages. Mages joined factions to study magic, train, and pursue knowledge and mysteries to share with the world. As a result, factions mostly recruited novices who wanted to beco mages. Those who had already beco accomplished mages had likely already found a faction that suited their class or preferences.
Guilds, on the other hand, were more focused on exploring the Abyss and gaining wealth and fa. They were profit-driven groups that encompassed a wide variety of professions, aning they had a much larger talent pool than factions. Unlike factions, guilds preferred ready-made talent rather than focusing on developnt.
While factions dedicated about 30% of their ti to Abyss exploration, guilds devoted closer to 70%. Consequently, those interested in Abyss exploration often rely kept their nas registered with a faction while actively working in a guild.
It was rare for soone to be dual-registered in a faction and a guild, but it was common for faction mbers to work with guilds.
All told, about 50 new explorers were licensed in the alliance’s regular license exam, and hundreds more were licensed through large guilds and factions that held the authority to issue licenses.
With so many new explorers entering the field, guilds were eager to snatch up the best talent.
Those n talking at the table didn’t seem to belong to a guild themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so relaxed, talking as if it wasn’t their concern.
Those actively working in guilds were already running around the city and the first level of the Abyss, trying to recruit promising talent.
"So, who do you think will win this recruitnt race?"
"Frontier or Conquerors, obviously. They’re the top two guilds, aren’t they?"
Frontier and Conquerors—two guilds that held Pioneers, the top-tier explorers, had always co out on top in these recruitnt wars.
"I heard Frontier’s guildmaster has a new apprentice in this batch."
"The 'Heavenly Sword'? I’ve heard they’re quite skilled."
"Not just that. Ahem... Here’s so inside info I picked up. There was an incident at the training camp recently, right?"
a's long ears perked up.
'A training camp incident?'
Roman had co from a training camp...
While a thought of Roman, the n continued their conversation, revealing that they were quite inford about the incident.
Though the alliance and the noble houses had done their best to suppress the rumors, word still spread quietly beneath the surface.
For those in the know, the Abyss-worshippers' attack on the training camp was an open secret.
One of the younger n at the table lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"It was the Heavenly Sword who repelled the attackers."
"As expected. So the top talent of this generation is the Heavenly Sword after all. Even the Grand Duchess and the Storm Sword can’t compete?"
"Pioneers produce exceptional talent. The noble houses and factions are impressive, but they can’t compare to Pioneers."
Just as they were saying this, a man sitting alone at a nearby table stood up roughly, his chair scraping loudly. With just one large stride, he reached their table and slamd his hand down on it.
"Are you guys from a faction?"
"What the—?"
"What’s your deal?"
"Clans."
The oldest of the three n answered.
"Ah, clans. That explains why your ears are so closed."
Guilds, factions, and clans—three major groups for explorers, excluding the alchemists’ Golden Intellect.
Clans, being the most secretive, were often less up-to-date on the latest information. The man who approached them seed to think so.
"The Heavenly Sword isn’t the top talent of this generation. There are three contenders."
After drawing them in with that teaser, the man fell silent. The clan representative let out a derisive laugh and flipped a coin onto the table. It was gold.
"Is that enough?"
"Of course. The top talent is either the demon warlock, the spirit summoner, or the beastfolk battle mage. That’s for sure."
"...Are you joking?"
One of the n reached for his sword, looking like he was about to draw it. ntioning all three classes commonly considered low-tier was akin to saying, "I’m ssing with you."
But the man was serious.
"Calm down. I was the examiner for this round. You’ll see I’m right soon enough."
Showing his credentials as the examiner, the clan mbers seed reluctant but willing to let it go. The gold coin likely didn’t hold much value for them anyway.
"Well, good luck to you. It’s tough finding people for clans, isn’t it?"
"You too. If you’re willing to sell this kind of information, you must be desperate for money."
"Not really. This is more like paying back a favor."
The man, Jake, thought of the three people who had saved him and smirked.
They were so capable, yet they were still independent. They were likely holding off on joining a group to increase their value. Since he owed them his life, he felt he should help out a bit.
As he scanned the pub, wondering where to spread the next bit of gossip, Jake suddenly sensed soone behind him and turned reflexively.
‘No one?’
"Down here."
Jake’s head lowered at the soft voice that ca from below.
A dark elf. A very small one.
"...Do you need sothing?"
"You were talking about Roman, weren’t you?"
"Are you...?"
Jake vaguely rembered hearing that demon warlocks had their own factions... Before he could finish that thought, a spoke.
"I’ve found one team mber."
"...What?"
A team mber? ? While Jake was still processing, soone else seized the mont.
" too! Can I join as well?"
"Hmm."
It was her. a gave Priscilla a dissatisfied look.
The woman who had tried to seduce Roman. To a, Priscilla was nothing more than a scheming snake.
"What about your faction?"
"Well, ever since that day, I’ve been a bit isolated in the faction... No one wants to work with . Couldn’t you please...?"
Though the situation had been difficult, Priscilla had ended up as the failed leader of an expedition that had lost six mbers. Explorers lived with death constantly looming over them, so many were superstitious about working with those considered unlucky.
Even mages, who claid to be seekers of truth, were prone to such beliefs. In martial circles, it was even worse.
a could sense Priscilla’s desperation. It reminded her of Hecate’s struggles with the faction’s reauthorization. Priscilla’s connection to Roman also played a role, but ultimately, she was soone a had t before. Despite coming from a large faction, she was now willing to join a newly ford team, which was already a sign that things weren’t normal.
"...Fine. I’ll accept you."
"Thank you! I’ll do my best!"
Priscilla, pleading earnestly, and a, reluctantly accepting her—this power dynamic played out before Jake’s eyes, causing him to stifle a laugh.
Wasn't she from the Blochstorm Faction? What could possibly make her so desperate...?
‘Roman, just who are you? After Frontier, Alexandria, and the city guards, now you’ve even got Blochstorm?’
Terrifying. It was terrifying just thinking about how far Roman’s web of connections stretched.
In the end, Jake, 90% unwilling and 10% willing, handed over his na to a.
Thus, Priscilla Rwanston and Jake Muren were added to the team a had created, Chosen. And the recruitnt notice that a had posted disappeared from the job board within a day.
The reason? "Recruitnt complete."
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