Chapter 79: The First Quest as a Team

  The campfire crackled softly, its golden light flickering against the surrounding trees. A gentle breeze carried the scent of roasted meat and simmering herbs, blending with the crisp night air. The party had set up camp for the night, their first together as a fully formed team.

  Arixa leaned back against a log, arms crossed, her usual smirk in place. “Alright, I’ll bite. How the hell did you make this taste so good?”

  Across from her, Thalron, sleeves rolled up and a smug look on his face, simply wiped his hands on a cloth. “It’s all about technique.”

  Marcus raised an eyebrow as he took another bite of the meal in front of him. The dish—some kind of slow-cooked meat with a side of roasted roots and foraged greens—was leagues beyond anything that should have been possible with their meager supplies. “Seriously, this is better than half the stuff I had in Xenor.”

  Vira chewed thoughtfully before nodding in approval. “I won’t admit it twice, but yeah, this is damn good.”

  Thalron smirked as he adjusted his posture. “A good adventurer isn’t just strong; they need to know how to survive. And survival isn’t just about fighting—it’s about eating well too.”

  Arixa laughed. “So what, you secretly a chef?”

  Thalron shook his head. “Not a chef. Just a man with refined taste.”

  Marcus chuckled. “Alright, ‘refined taste,’ let’s put those skills to work on something else—figuring out how to find Arixa’s parents.”

  At that, Arixa’s smirk faded just a little. She shifted, suddenly more serious. “Yeah… that’s the real problem. They’re out there somewhere, but the Wildlands are massive. We don’t even know if they’re together.”

  Thalron tapped his chin. “Which is why we should let the Adventurers’ Guild do the work for us.”

  Arixa tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

  Thalron gestured with his fork before taking another bite. “Simple. We post a request at the Eryndral Guild branch, pay the fee, and let bounty hunters, informants, and scouts do what they do best—gather information. Instead of wandering aimlessly, we put out the call and wait for results.”

  Arixa blinked. “Wait. Hold on.” She sat up straighter. “I’ve been an adventurer for months now, and I had no idea Eryndral even had a guild branch.”

  Thalron smirked. “That’s understandable. The Guild here is easy to miss.”

  Marcus narrowed his eyes. “You say that like there’s a catch.”

  Thalron simply grinned. “Oh, you’ll see.”

  The sun had barely risen when the party arrived at their destination.

  It wasn’t what Arixa had expected.

  “This… is the guild?” Arixa muttered in disbelief.

  Before them, in the middle of a small forest clearing, stood a single wooden table beneath a tall, ancient oak tree. Next to it, a weathered message board leaned at an angle, filled with tattered parchment. And behind the table sat an ornery-looking Satyr, one hoof propped on the table, arms crossed, a permanent scowl fixed on his face.

  Vira whistled. “Huh. You weren’t kidding.”

  Thalron shrugged. “Told you.”

  The Satyr, gold-ranked by the insignia on his leather vest, eyed them with something between disinterest and mild amusement. “Newcomers? Great. Fantastic. Just what I needed today.”

  Thalron approached the table and placed a small pouch of silver down. “We’d like to submit a request.”

  The Satyr eyed the pouch, took it, and barely glanced up. “Name?”

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  “Arixa. We’re looking for information on her parents—half Minotaur, half Centaur, currently unknown location.”

  The Satyr sighed, scribbling lazily on a parchment. “Big ask. Means the fee’s non-refundable. You don’t get results, tough luck.”

  Arixa crossed her arms. “I’ll take that risk.”

  The Satyr shrugged, pinning the request to the board. “Fine. It’s up. Maybe someone picks it up, maybe they don’t. Either way, you’ll hear back if something turns up.”

  While Thalron and Arixa handled the request, Marcus and Vira drifted toward the message board, scanning through the other posted quests.

  That’s when they saw it.

  [Gold-Rank Request: Remove the Red Orcs from the Broken Plains] Reward: 5,000 gold pieces

  Vira’s brows furrowed. “Red Orcs…”

  Marcus glanced at her. “You know them?”

  Vira nodded. “Yeah. And they’re bad news.”

  Thalron, having finished his business, overheard and frowned. “You’re looking at that one?”

  Marcus crossed his arms. “It’s a Gold-Rank request. Meaning dangerous.”

  Thalron exhaled. “Red Orcs aren’t normal orcs. They’re more beast than man. Driven by some kind of blood curse. Even high-ranking adventurers avoid them if they can.”

  Vira folded her arms. “And we’re not high-ranking adventurers.”

  Marcus and Arixa exchanged a look.

  Arixa grinned. “That’s a lot of coin.”

  Marcus smirked. “And a guaranteed promotion if we pull it off.”

  Thalron sighed. “You do realize we’re Iron Rank, right?”

  Vira pinched the bridge of her nose. “You both realize that, right?”

  The Satyr, still lounging behind his table, let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, this is rich. You morons are Iron-Rank and you’re talking about fighting Red Orcs?”

  Marcus glanced back at him. “Yeah. So?”

  The Satyr shook his head. “You’re stupid. But I won’t stop you.” He leaned back in his chair. “Hell, if you survive, I’ll personally approve your promotions.”

  Marcus smirked. “Good to know.”

  Vira groaned. “You’re actually doing this.”

  Marcus turned to her, grinning. “We’re actually doing this.”

  As the group left the clearing of the Eryndral Adventurers’ Guild—or what barely qualified as one—Vira suddenly frowned, a thought nagging at her.

  “Wait…” she muttered, crossing her arms. “What are everyone’s actual ranks?”

  Arixa raised a hand. “Iron.”

  Thalron adjusted his gloves. “Iron.”

  Vira exhaled sharply. “Iron.”

  Marcus, who already knew, pretended to check his own rank, rubbing his chin. “Huh. Steel.”

  Arixa’s head snapped toward him. “Wait, what? Since when?”

  Marcus smirked. “Fillia promoted me back in New York.”

  Arixa groaned. “You were already ahead of us?”

  Thalron rolled his shoulders, raising an eyebrow. “Figures. Guy builds a city and wins a war, and he still wants to take high-risk jobs with the rest of us lowly Iron-Ranks.”

  Vira jabbed a finger at Marcus’ chest. “And you were just gonna let us think we were all the same rank?”

  Marcus grinned, hands up in mock surrender. “I mean, I wasn’t hiding it.”

  Arixa huffed, crossing her arms. “Tch. Well, don’t get too cocky, ‘Steel Rank.’ We’ll catch up soon enough.”

  Marcus chuckled but didn’t say anything. Truth be told, he already knew all of their ranks before the conversation even started.

  Because for the first time since coming to this world—he’d used Inspect.

  It had happened back at the message board, just after they’d accepted the quest.

  Marcus had felt something—an awareness settling into him, like another layer of sight peeling open.

  At first, it was subtle. The way his gaze naturally drifted to the adventurers' badges pinned on his party members’ gear, the weight of an unspoken truth hanging in his mind.

  Then, Stem’s voice cut through his thoughts.

  “Observation. Awareness. These are not merely passive traits—they are tools.”

  Marcus stiffened slightly but kept his posture relaxed. “You doing something, Stem?”

  “I am providing you with a sample of the Inspect skill.”

  Marcus blinked as something shifted in his vision. His eyes flicked toward Arixa, and suddenly—

  Arixa – Iron Rank Level: 21 Class: Heavy Striker Primary Weapon: Warhammer

  Primary affinity: Ki

  System Blessing: "unyielding rage"

  He turned toward Thalron—

  Thalron – Iron Rank

  Level: 19

  Class: Spellblade level 2

  Primary Weapon: Arcane Rapier

  Primary affinity: Mana

  And finally, Vira—

  Vira – Iron Rank

  Level: 22

  Class: Battle Caster

  Primary Affinity: Mana

  Marcus blinked, letting the information settle in his mind. He hadn’t actively cast a spell or used any special ability—Stem had simply given him the perspective to see.

  “Huh. Neat trick.”

  “It is more than a trick.” Stem’s voice hummed with something akin to curiosity. “The more you understand the flow of battle, the more you will realize that knowledge itself is a weapon.”

  Marcus exhaled. “Alright, Yoda. What’s the catch?”

  “The Inspect skill is tiered. Right now, I am only showing you basic information—ranks, levels, classes, and primary weapon affinities. At higher mastery, you will be able to glean deeper insights: skill proficiencies, energy capacities, even weaknesses.”

  Marcus felt a smirk tug at his lips. “Sounds kinda busted.”

  “It is only as strong as the one who wields it.”

  The vision faded just as quickly as it had come, leaving Marcus with a lingering sense of clarity.

  And now, as he looked at his party bickering over their ranks, he knew exactly what each of them was capable of.

  Marcus let out a quiet chuckle.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, casually draping an arm over Arixa’s shoulder. “I’ll carry you guys if I have to.”

  Arixa immediately shoved him off. “Tch. You wish.”

  Thalron smirked. “With how reckless you are, you’ll be the one needing to be carried.”

  Vira scoffed. “He already does. I swear, between him and Arixa, they have a combined brain cell.”

  Arixa elbowed Marcus. “You hear that? We’re tactically inclined.”

  Marcus grinned. “Damn right.”

  As their laughter filled the air, the weight of their first real adventure settled onto their shoulders.

  They had their mission.

  And soon, they would have their ranks to match.