Adventurer of Many Professions

The following morning, early hours.

The light of dawn barely illuminated the streets of the East District, casting a soft, dim glow. By this time, many adventurers had already risen, eager to secure the best commissions before others could beat them to it. Naturally, chatter between companions was common, as these adventurers swapped stories and news.

Most would rest for a few days after finishing a commission, each one was a life-or-death challenge, demanding constant vigilance. Few were willing to stay in that state for long. So, the adventurers heading to the Adventurer's Guild were largely those who had recently taken a break, though some were still a bit out of the loop.

Others, however, frequented the street taverns near the guild, where they'd chat over drinks, exchanging gossip and boasting. These tavern-goers were usually the ones with the freshest news.

At that moment, an adventurer with a few scars across his face leaned in toward his red-haired companion and said, "Hey, did you hear? Raymond's team, the dual-class guy and 'Explosion Magician' Sylph, just added a female archer to their squad yesterday. Now they're looking for a warrior to join them too!"

The red-haired adventurer's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that true?"

"Of course!" the scarred adventurer responded, shaking his head. "It's the talk of the town! Everyone at the tavern was gossiping about it yesterday!"

Seeing the doubt in his friend's eyes, the scar-faced adventurer scoffed, "What, did you stay home all day yesterday? This was big news, man. How could you miss it?"

The red-haired adventurer blushed, realizing that he had stayed at home, away from the buzz of the tavern. After a commission, he preferred to retreat into solitude, no tavern drinks, no chit-chat. He liked to rest, away from the noise and the drama, savoring his own quiet space.

Scarface, knowing his friend's habits all too well, had often been the one to share all the gossip. But today, it seemed his friend wasn't in a hurry to fill him in.

Waiting patiently for his teammate to continue, the red-haired adventurer soon grew restless. "Well? You're really not going to tell me more?" he asked, unable to hold back.

Scarface hesitated, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Hmm... Let me guess. Last time I told you something like this, you were practically rolling your eyes, like you couldn't care less. Honestly, I figured you didn't want to hear it this time, so I was just going to leave it... You don't want to hear this gossip, right?"

"You did that on purpose!" the red-haired adventurer growled, realizing his friend had been intentionally withholding the news.

In the past, the red-haired adventurer often found his friend's constant stream of rumors and tavern gossip tiresome. Though he'd endure the conversations to humor him, he didn't have much interest. But this time was different.

The talk of Raymond's team piqued his interest, not only because of the special bond between Raymond and Sylph, but also because of the way Raymond had been mocked for carrying a long sword, only to later reveal he was a dual-class player. The adventurers who had laughed at him had been silenced, and it brought the red-haired adventurer a great deal of satisfaction to see them embarrassed.

What bothered him most was the arrogance of those adventurers who thought they knew everything. Watching them get a reality check from Raymond felt like sweet vindication.

And the fact that dual-class adventurers were so rare only made Raymond's success all the more impressive.

"Come on, just tell me what happened with Raymond and Sylph! What's the deal with the 'female archer,' and why are they recruiting a 'warrior' teammate?" The red-haired adventurer, now burning with curiosity, couldn't hold it in any longer.

The scar-faced adventurer grinned at his friend's impatience. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you now!" he said, settling in for the story.

"I heard that when Raymond and Sylph went to the Adventurer's Guild yesterday, people noticed something. In addition to the priest, Lorene, there was also a female archer, one with an actual bow slung over her back."

"Wait, what?" the red-haired adventurer interrupted, his voice filled with disbelief. "You're telling me that this 'female archer' is some novice who just registered as an adventurer?"

The scar-faced adventurer nodded. "Exactly. At first, everyone thought she was just tagging along out of kindness, like they were just helping her out. After all, she hadn't registered as an adventurer yet. It was Sylph who actually took her to the guild to sign up. But in the end, it turned out that Raymond and his crew were serious about adding her to their team!"

The red-haired adventurer nearly shouted, his voice rising in disbelief. "Wait a second, she joined Raymond's team? A complete novice?!"

His mind was racing. He'd heard rumors that many archers, some even at the bronze level, were trying to get in with Raymond's crew. But to hear that a total rookie, someone fresh out of registration, had been recruited? That sounded too bizarre to be true!

"Exactly," the scar-faced adventurer confirmed, his grin widening at the red-haired adventurer's reaction. "I know, it sounds crazy, right? But that's what happened."

For a moment, the red-haired adventurer struggled to process the information. This was just too wild, how could Raymond's team, one that had already proven itself, bring someone so inexperienced into their ranks? It didn't make sense. If anything, this would be a huge disadvantage for the whole team. And yet, his friend didn't seem to be joking.

He wanted to believe it was some mistake, some misunderstanding, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be something more. "Does she have some kind of connection to Raymond or his team? Is that why they brought her on?" he asked, suddenly hopeful for an explanation.

The scar-faced adventurer scratched his beard thoughtfully. "Well, now that you mention it... there is something. Some adventurers said they'd seen her hanging around with Raymond a lot, and apparently, they even spent time together at the Temple Library. So yeah, there's definitely some kind of connection."

The red-haired adventurer's expression hardened, as if a veil had lifted. "I knew it," he muttered to himself, feeling vindicated. The whole thing just reeks of favoritism. Of course, Raymond wasn't recruiting someone out of the blue. They had to have some personal connection.

He shook his head in disbelief. It couldn't be that simple, could it? But then again, his gut told him this was all part of some tangled, personal web. Still, he didn't want to believe that Raymond, whom he had admired for his ability to shut down the arrogant adventurers who'd mocked him, would let something like this slide.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. After all, when Raymond had shown those arrogant adventurers the consequences of their ridicule, the red-haired adventurer had been impressed. It had been like a slap in the face to everyone who thought they were above others. He respected that, even admired it. But now, hearing about how he'd brought in someone clearly through personal ties… well, that felt like a betrayal.

"Wait a minute," the red-haired adventurer said, narrowing his eyes. "Are you telling me that the 'female archer' just used her relationship with Raymond to join the team?" He crossed his arms, not entirely sure he was ready to hear the truth.

The scarred adventurer looked at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well... not exactly."

"Not exactly?" the red-haired adventurer asked, frowning. "What does that mean? What's going on?"

The scar-faced adventurer held up his hand, signaling for his friend to calm down. "I think you're jumping to conclusions. You're not seeing the full picture."

The red-haired adventurer's mind was reeling. "So… what, then? What happened? Tell me!"

He felt a sudden shift in his gut, maybe he'd been too quick to judge. Perhaps he'd misunderstood the whole situation.

"Hehe... Of course not!" The scar-faced adventurer chuckled, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "At first, many people thought, just like you, that the 'female archer' only joined the team because of Raymond. But Raymond and his crew must've wanted to shut those rumors down, so they sent her to the 'magic crystal ball' for testing."

The red-haired adventurer's eyes widened. "What was the result? What's her 'magic affinity'?"

Now, even though the magic crystal ball also shows the 'magic value', everyone tends to care more about a different aspect: magic affinity. The scar-faced adventurer didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gave the red-haired adventurer a mischievous smile. "Guess. Go on, guess higher!"

"Guess too little?" The red-haired adventurer stared at his friend in confusion. A part of him was annoyed that his friend always dragged out the gossip, but he had to admit, he did learn a lot of useful info this way.

For example, the highest magic affinity in the town of Wittes was held by Naimira, the magician from the 'Gale Squad' a gold-level adventurer team. Her magic affinity was an impressive 3.2!

The red-haired adventurer thought for a moment. In his mind, anything over 1.5 was already impressive. But since his friend asked him to guess higher, it had to be more than that. But surely not higher than Naimira, right?

He scratched his chin and finally said, "Two and a half?"

The scar-faced adventurer shook his head with a grin. "Nope! Way too low. Guess higher!"

"Oh, right, right…" The red-haired adventurer frowned, trying to adjust his expectations. "I forgot to ask, Sylph and Lorene also took the test, right? What were their magic affinities?"

"Well, Sylph, the 'Explosion Magician,' got 2.6, and Lorene, the 'Priestess,' scored 2.4," the scar-faced adventurer confirmed. "Both of those are pretty much what you guessed."

The red-haired adventurer nodded, but the moment his friend's smile deepened, he had a feeling the number was about to skyrocket. His mind raced. "And Arya, the 'female archer'... she's higher than that?"

The scarred adventurer leaned in, his eyes twinkling. "Oh yeah. A lot higher."

The red-haired adventurer swallowed hard, trying to prepare himself for the revelation. "Is it… higher than Namira?"

The scar-faced adventurer grinned widely. "Yes! You're going to be shocked."

Taking a deep breath, the red-haired adventurer braced himself. "Alright, alright... three point five?"

"Hahaha..." The scar-faced adventurer laughed loud enough to draw attention.

The red-haired adventurer shot him a confused look. "What? Did I guess too high?"

The scar-faced adventurer shook his head, still chuckling. "No, no. It's just funny how hard you're trying to guess. But Arya's magic affinity is actually higher than 3.5..."

"Higher than 3.5?!" The red-haired adventurer gasped, disbelief spreading across his face. "Wait... what?"

"Yup," the scar-faced adventurer nodded with a smug grin. "Arya's magic affinity is... 4.2."

"Four point two!" The red-haired adventurer's jaw dropped. "No way! So, you're telling me, she joined the team purely on her own merit, not because of Raymond?"

The scar-faced adventurer gave a satisfied nod. "Exactly. With a magic affinity like that, she could join any team she wanted. No need for any favors or connections."

The red-haired adventurer stood frozen for a moment, trying to process the information. He'd heard rumors about powerful adventurers, but to think someone with that much raw potential had just joined Raymond's team… It made sense now why she'd been brought on board.

"Shocked yet?" the scar-faced adventurer asked with a smile.

The red-haired adventurer finally snapped out of his daze, nodding slowly. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Well, you're not the only one," the scar-faced adventurer continued. "The whole Adventurer's Guild was stunned when they saw her magic affinity on the crystal ball. A 4.2? That's something you don't see every day."

The red-haired adventurer nodded again, still trying to wrap his head around it. Then, after a brief pause, he turned to his friend with another burning question. "So, what about Raymond? Sylph and Lorene already tested their magic affinities. Raymond must've tested his too, right? What was his score?"

Unexpectedly, the scarred adventurer just shook his head. "No, although Sylph, the 'Explosion Magician,' Lorene, the 'Priest,' and Arya, the 'Female Archer' who just joined their team, all took the test, Raymond didn't."

The red-haired adventurer sighed, looking somewhat disappointed. "So that's the case…"

Even though he already knew the magic affinity of Raymond's teammates. Sylph with 2.6, Lorene with 2.4, and the newly recruited Arya, it was still Raymond's magic affinity that interested him the most. Unfortunately, it seemed that Raymond hadn't gone for the test.

That left him uneasy.

Given how high the others' magic affinity scores were, the fact that Raymond hadn't taken the test made the red-haired adventurer nervous. He couldn't help but imagine what other adventurers might think. People could easily jump to conclusions and start whispering that Raymond's magic affinity was so low, he was too embarrassed to take the test. He knew those kinds of adventurers, especially the ones who had mocked Raymond in the past, would waste no time trying to make him look bad.

Sure, it was possible that Raymond would end up slapping those same adventurers in the face again, but that might not happen this time. If Raymond's magic affinity wasn't too low, surely he would have tested it already. No need to hide it, right?

The red-haired adventurer himself thought that even if Raymond's magic affinity was on the lower side, it wouldn't change his opinion of him. He had already shown incredible talent in other ways, and that was more than enough to earn his respect.

Still, the thought of those despicable adventurers mocking Raymond again made him uncomfortable. Though, he knew they'd never dare to go too far. After all, if they insulted Raymond in front of him, they'd be making enemies of a team of top-tier adventurers. Any adventurer who did that would have to watch their back on every mission from that point on, always looking over their shoulder for an ambush.