“ I still highly recommend a dive through Twilight Peek. I know it is a forty-five to fifty dungeon, but it will be a good refresher on darkness element dungeons.”

  Jeff looked at the map and the route the two had planned as a whole. The thought of the warning that the contract might be in jeopardy if he reached level fifty before getting to the Burning Peeks came to his mind though.

  “ It will largely be determined by my progress at that point. Normally, I am all for getting as much experience as I can but I want to remain under level forty-five after the contract is complete. I will write it down as...”

  He and Lisa then turned their heads as there was a knock on the door, with a nod of his head the maid construct by the door moved to greet their visitor. Which was a human woman in her early twenties they both recognized as a guild employee.

  “ Sir, your next appointment is here.”

  Jeff sighs and nods to his boss who starts rolling up the maps before replacing them with a fresh set with everything Lisa saw when she first entered the room.

  “ It’s been nice, but times up. It is refreshing to actually meet someone who is not trying to take advantage of me. I swear if one more prick suggests me to go through Left Limb Bog I might just stab someone.”

  Lisa could not help but giggle at that before she realized what she had done and blushed slightly.

  “ Guess... guess that means I should go? We never really did the interview, did we?”

  Jeff chuckled at that and flicked his hand and a strange card appeared in his hand, then it split into four.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “ Take these, they are your invites to the final selection in two days at noon. Or you can go to the new town my guild is building, even if you do not get the job. We can always use some help from a seasoned monster hunter like you. These will signal you are under my care.”

  This caused Lisa to perk up a little bit. She quickly snatches the cards and slides them under her chest armor.

  “ Thanks, I will see you in two days.”

  Lisa then realized she was smiling toward him, and he was smiling in return. Their silent stare was, however, quickly interrupted when the door was knocked on again. This time, she turned and did not stop moving as the maid opened the door to see a new team she did not recognize.

  “ Oh, and try talking to some of the other otherworlders. But know we all are not like that.”

  Lisa could not help but chuckle as the new team flinched hearing that. However, she paid it no more mind as she left the room and slowed down to really consider what just happened.

  -----

  Jeff smiled as he returned to his spot to perform the ‘interview’ again. The next interview was a pair of dwarf twins he thought were an okay pair, but he could tell their interests came before his own. He still gave them a single card and asked the pair if they would be interested in a secondary position of guarding his support people from the guild. Who was going to be at the next stage of the recruitment. Other than them, however, he gave no other cards away.

  The night after the last interview Jeff gathered all the ruined maps done by greedy and incompetent adventurers and shoved them into a bag for disposal. Next to follow was a stack of notes that he had to pretend to take seriously. As he put the last of it into the bag he straightened up.

  “ Most people consider it polite to knock before barging into another mans room.”

  “ Apologies, but sometimes one has to make a dramatic entrance. Lord Trever, I see you are not happy with the selection?”

  Jeff turned to see a dragonkin man he met before his lunch on the first day.

  “ It is your house, that being said, I am more annoyed than displeased. Half the interviews were just greedy idiots that wanted to bleed me of my gold. I bet at least a third of them are part-time bandits and the rest are in some merchant's pockets or another. Probably family, but still corrupt. The majority of the rest are either old people who never took a risk in their lives or are lucky to be alive.

  The only ones worth a anything is those dwarf twins and that beastkin Milisa. More than likely I will have the dwarves as guards for my support people and take Milisa with me.”

  The dragonkin nods at this.

  “ Acceptable, so the second meeting is just formality then.”

  “ Yes, unless something happens during that time or if they decide not to take the risk with the actual job and move to the guild town or some other reason. I have a couple of alternates in mind of the older people, but that will cost me long-term potential for short-term safety.”

  “ Understood then, I’ll have someone come in a few minutes to see you out. I got some house cleaning to do still.”