The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

In the bustling Hunter's Guild of Mir, waiters carrying trays laden with beer, stew, and bread weaved through the crowd from the hall to the kitchen.

Hunters of all sorts gathered in the hall, drinking, eating, laughing, and making a ruckus.

At the edge of the hall, a large noticeboard displayed various requests and bounties. Shelo stopped in front of the board, glancing at a few of the postings, and frowned. "Strange, why are the rewards so low…"

"Of course they're low. In such a lively guild, the tasks left on the board are mostly the undesirable ones," Nox said, his fingers interlaced behind his head in a relaxed manner. "Stop staring at it, or you'll be mistaken for a newbie. Come on, let's find a place to sit."

"Oh, alright. I'm a bit hungry anyway," Shelo replied, turning her attention from the board and instinctively looking for Osar and Girunini.

She quickly spotted them already seated, with Osar laughing and drinking with a group of hunters as if they were old friends.

"Heh, look at him, he's a natural at this." Nox chuckled before going over and taking a seat himself.

After exchanging a couple of sentences, Nox was making merry with the bunch and clinking beer mugs with them.

"Hah, and aren't you proficient at it yourself," muttered Shelo.

Shelo didn't have such prior experience herself, nor was she used to freeloading off others, so she flagged down a server and ordered some food and drinks before joining Osar and Nox.

Initially, the man she took a seat beside looked annoyed at having an armored stranger barge in. But when Shelo removed her helmet and let her hair down, the man's eyes lit up. Any annoyance vanished as he placed a beer in front of Shelo.

"A new face, huh? This one's on me," he said heartily.

"Uh, thanks…" Shelo replied, slightly flustered, instinctively accepted it, then quickly said, "Um, I ordered some too. I'll get you a drink too once mine arrives."

"Hah! No need for such formalities here, miss. Cheers!" The hunter clinked his mug with hers and took a big gulp.

Shelo, feeling a bit out of her element, hesitated before taking a large swig from her mug.

"Pfft." Nox, watching her awkwardness, couldn't help but guffaw.

Shelo swallowed her beer with difficulty and glanced at Nox in puzzlement.

"Haha, miss, you're a good sport!" The hunter laughed, patting Shelo on the back.

Just as things were getting lively, an elderly bespectacled man carrying a stack of rough parchment stepped up to the hall's central platform.

The boisterous hall fell silent as everyone turned their attention to the old man.

Curious, Shelo looked toward Nox, who leaned in and whispered, "Listen carefully. Fresh opportunities are coming."

As soon as Nox said that, the elderly man raised the papers and read from the first one, "Hunting commission: eight intact black wolf pelts. Reward: 8,800 Kaga. Additional materials can be kept."

"Whoo!" Some polite cheers came from the crowd, although no one seemed particularly interested.

After a few moments, a small, modestly equipped team stood up. Their leader shouted, "We'll take it, Master Luo!"

"Catch." The elderly man called Master Luo flicked the paper into the air, and it landed precisely in the team leader's hand. "Come back safely!"

"Yes!" the team members acknowledged and sat down.

Evidently, they weren't in a rush to leave. They still had food to finish, and hunters loved sticking around for the spectacle of task announcements, even if they weren't planning to take any.

"Well then, next," Master Luo continued. "Hunting commission: hunt a unicorn bear. Paws must be intact! Reward: 12,600 Kaga. Additional rewards will be paid based on condition. Capture alive for double reward. No poison to be used!"

The hall buzzed with excitement at the higher stakes and rewards.

Three teams expressed interests, and after verifying their credentials, a lot drawing was held to determine the winner.

The winning team celebrated, ordering drinks for the team that didn't clinch it as a gesture of camaraderie.

"This place has a great atmosphere," Girunini remarked. "I've never seen such a lively hunter's guild back home."

"Well, things are tougher there. People are always on edge," Osar replied with a shrug.

Master Luo continued announcing a few more hunting commissions, similar in nature, and they were quickly snapped up by various teams.

Seeing no reaction from Nox all this while, Osar nudged him and whispered, "Hey Old Master Nox, what kind of job are we going for?"

"We're going for the lucrative ones, of course." Nox smiled. "You know that the good stuff comes at the back. Just be patient."

"While that might be so, I remember that we said we'd start with something simple to get a feel for things." Osar scratched his head.

While they were conversing, Master Luo spoke once more.

"Ahh, the next task is a bit more challenging. Collection request: ten mature Shadow Mushrooms, uprooted intact. Reward: ten gold Kaga. Additional mushrooms will be paid one gold Kaga each. Maximum payment of 20 gold Kaga."

The hall erupted with cheers. One gold Kaga was equivalent to 10,000 Kaga. The total potential reward of 200,000 Kaga was a huge incentive, especially for a collection task that could avoid direct combat with beasts if handled skillfully.

Eight teams immediately expressed interest. After credential checks, only four teams remained for the draw.

Despite the excitement, Osar couldn't shake his concern.

"Old Master Nox, this isn't good. They're verifying credentials before drawing lots. We're new here and have no record. What do we do?"

"Hey, what are you fretting for," Nox remarked nonchalantly. "We'll get a job. Just watch."

Seeing Nox's confidence, Osar could only scratch his head.

For some reason, he didn't have a very good feeling…