Chapter 158: Instead of the Crocodile Swarm 3
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The lobby of the guild was unusually full, with people seated at every table.
Top-tier adventurers, who were normally hard to spot, had gathered en masse, chattering away.
This left the usually not-so-busy receptionists looking frazzled.
Ellis, trying to avoid the hassle, naturally approached our table.
The other receptionists had to deal with high-ranking adventurers demanding information, making a ruckus.
Their behavior resembled drunk, unruly customers in a restaurant.
"Hey, any talks with the Magic Tower and the guild?"
"What's the plan for the next supply carriage?"
"Are we going to send mages to research the 30th floor?"
"Are there any magical tools for detoxification in the Magic Tower or the Artisan district?"
Some experienced receptionists skillfully managed the adventurers, deflecting questions they didn't know and answering those they did.
However, that was a skill reserved for the more experienced receptionists.
Most receptionists were merely bullied by the adventurers, with tears brimming in their eyes.
I could understand their anxiety.
Suddenly, there were major changes on the 31st floor they had been exploring all their lives.
Clear ponds had turned into purple poisonous puddles.
Their distress was understandable.
-The guild is a mess.
-Feels like a turning point in the story? The tower's changed a lot.
-Wow an area like that in VR where all senses are implemented
-Meanwhile someone's looking very calm because they have a 5 Saint Candidate.
"Hey, calm? Can't you see I'm stressed? Everything's a mess!"
[Mr. Blind donated 10,000 won!]
Right, your face does look stressed.
"...Your username definitely matches your comment."
Receiving a pouch mixed with gold and silver coins from a thankful adventurer, Han Se-ah returned to our table, enjoying her chat with the viewers.
Just then, the guild's door flung open, and in came the mages.
It seems they heard of the upheaval on the 31st floor shortly after the gate was completed, around the time our party returned to the city.
Excited by the news, they'd raced from the Magic Tower to the guild.
"I heard there's been an incident on the 31st floor?"
"Is there any adventurer who brought samples from the 31st floor?"
"I'll pay handsomely for any mana stones or materials brought back!"
"If there's an adventurer who descended from above the 31st floor, I'm willing to buy their information!"
Adventurers demanding information from the guild, and mages seeking stories from the adventurers.
With these two groups vying for attention, the guild turned into a bustling marketplace.
It was clear why Ellis wanted to stick with our table.
The surrounding area became chaotic, while Rebecca, who had her arm wrapped around Katie's shoulder, relentlessly asked questions unrelated to the 31st floor.
Meanwhile, Ellis was pretending to talk with me to waste time when a loud shout erupted from the second floor of the guild office.
"Enough!"
It was the shout of 5 Graham.
"The incident on the 31st floor will be investigated by adventurers commissioned by the Adventurers' Guild! This information will be provided to the mages of the Magic Tower as per our agreement! If you're curious, go up there yourselves!"
Normally, the old man wouldn't be in the guild building, but today, due to the incident, he was in, receiving reports and organizing information.
His powerful shout, infused with mana, resonated throughout the building.
The strength was enough to flutter the robes of mages, yet it didn't leak outside, showcasing his precise control.
His yell was so meticulously controlled that it was probably a special skill.
Quite different from someone like me, who only knows how to amplify physical power.
If I shouted with such force, tables would be shattered, mages would be rolling around, and windows would be broken.
His skills truly live up to his title of 'Cunning Old Man'.
-That was a strong shout
-Maybe cuz he's older, his voice is softer than Roland's.
-But Roland shouted from outside the building, while he shouted from inside.
-Are they kids comparing characters based on the volume of their voices?
-Lol, anyways, a 6 would be stronger than a 5, you idiots~
[Chat deleted by the mod]
"Really? Is this what you all find important right now? The guild is collaborating with the Tower to investigate the Tower's changes, and you're seriously discussing a vocal battle between the guild master and Roland...?"
With Graham's yell, the guild's lobby fell into silence.
Ellis, who was quietly hiding behind a table, stood up, cleared her throat, and addressed our party and Rebecca.
Rebecca, who was previously looking at Katie, now tilted her head to look at Ellis.
Ellis promptly took out pre-prepared documents from her bag.
"This is a list of investigation requests for the 31st floor. I've already sorted out the easy and straightforward ones. What do you think? Are you in?"
"You prepared the list in advance?"
"I've only included relatively simple ones. Like collecting water from the pond, collecting toxic mud from the swamp, obtaining ashen wood samples, gathering mana stones from mutated monsters, and so on."
It's obvious, but there's a limit to collection requests.
If there are too many mana stones, they won't sell, which is why some people go West to sell them.
But what about easily obtainable items like water and branches?
Even if the mages want them for experiments, they can't possibly buy the huge amounts senior adventurers can bring to them.
As Ellis pulls out a stamp from her bosom and stamps the documents, Rebecca's eyes narrow slightly.
"Hey, is it okay to do that?"
"These are just the orders we had to place. We receptionists discussed it this morning and decided on the number of orders for the day. This just happens to be the first batch."
"Then give me one. You're not only going to give them to Roland, right?"
"Of course not. I have exactly five forms, and by chance, two of the recipients are right in front of me."
Rebecca, about to complain at the blatant favoritism, softens her face when she sees Ellis smoothly pull out another order form.
Who would refuse an easy and convenient way to make money?
Most of the senior adventurers sitting at the table would likely pester the receptionists and then leave with just a mana stone request.
"Should we head to the Artisan district? Hanna, can you make an antidote?"
"Well, I was thinking of buying a store one, but if it gets too expensive, I might have to make one. But to make it, I'll need clay from the 31st floor for analysis."
"Hmm, that makes sense. Creating an antidote without a research sample would be impossible. But Rebecca, are you planning to come with us?"
"Of course not. You guys will be wandering the 31st floor. I'll buy a bunch of antidotes and go up first. I wonder if those alchemist bastards have antidotes for horses."
As the guild tables become noisy with talk about requests, Rebecca, who had been grumbling softly, pats Katie's shoulder and stands up abruptly.
She may be foul-mouthed, beast-like, and seemingly indifferent to others' affairs, but she's still the leader of a mercenary group.
Known for deeply caring for her subordinates, she'd likely buy various antidotes and paralysis remedies from the Artisan district and then make her way barehanded to the 40th floor and above.
"And you, if you ignore me and don't greet me the next time we meet, you're dead, okay?"
"Uh, I understand..."
"That's right. I recommended you because you're skilled and have guts. But now that you've switched parties you're ignoring me. How detestable."
It was a highly impolite attitude towards a noble, but strangely it sounded correct and our Northern brat, found herself inadvertently using polite language.
With her characteristic agility, Rebecca pushes past the crowd and dashes out of the guild after giving another firm pat on the hunched shoulders of our Northern brat.
After that, we also stepped outside the guild.
Although Graham's shout had diminished the uproar that resembled a bustling market, the guild's congested space filled with receptionists, adventurers, and mages still felt rather stifling.
"Shall we head to the Artisan district and purchase some antidotes?"
"Hmm, Roland?"
As we headed towards the Artisan district, the same place that was chaotic during the Full Moon Wolf attack, Irene discreetly approached and gently tugged at my sleeve.
It looked a little like she was blocking the way, so the curious gazes of the group turned to her.
Feeling those gazes, Irene's cheeks briefly reddened.
Straightening her shoulders, she opened her mouth,
"Earlier, when I purified those adventurers... At that level, my divine energy might be enough... It's a bit embarrassing to say this, but I'm confident in my purification skills."
"Is that possible?"
"As long as we're not standing in a poisonous pit for days on end, yes."
Irene always quietly assisted the party members from behind without boasting or flaunting her abilities.
But now, she was confidently highlighting her skills.
Because of that, the magnificent pouches of divine power that were concealed under her thick nun's robes briefly stood out.
The viewers went wild, and even I was momentarily distracted, but that wasn't the main point.
It would be natural to prepare antidotes in case of emergencies.
But if she doesn't want us to do even that, there must be a reason.
Normally, the question regarding this would be posed by Han Se-ah, the party's leader.
But why was she, like her viewers, captivated by Irene's figure?
"Do you think this way because the opponent is undead?"
"Yes. Whether these lifeless creations of the Demon King became undead, or if they merely wear the guise of undead, as someone who serves the Goddess, I can't stand idly by. Those cursed beings in that unholy place should be purified."
Irene's voice, now stern and cold, was a far cry from her usual tone.
Even Han Se-ah was taken aback by her icy demeanor.
Hmm, it seems our saint candidate, Irene, might have a character quest.
With Irene following after Grace and Katie, it would be a perfect sequence of 3-4-5.
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