The early morning sun began to pierce through the dense canopy of the Goblin Region, casting long shadows across the camp. While the rest of the camp slept, Trevor remained standing near the perimeter—a motionless, vigilant sentinel who hadn't closed his eyes once through the night.
Inside the tent, Mona’s replenished mana had allowed her to finish fully healing Nigel and Tasha. By the time the campfire was stoked, the wounded pair stepped out on their own feet, their color restored.
Over a quick breakfast, Xian’s party expressed their deep gratitude.
"What's your plan after this?" Trevor asked, leaning against a tree trunk with his modular briefcase resting at his side.
"We'll continue our boss hunt," Xian replied, adjusting his two-handed sword. "We still have three B-minus regional targets left to clear."
Mona smiled warmly at the duo. "Thank you, Trevor and Alister, for trusting us and giving us a safe place to recover."
"We owe you a debt," Tasha added, adjusting her quiver.
Nigel clapped a heavy fist against his armor. "If you ever need help, just contact us. We'll lend you our strength."
"Thank you for keeping us safe through the night," Xian said, extending a hand to Trevor.
Trevor shook it briefly with a firm, metal-reinforced grip. "No worries, guys. As long as you don't commit crimes, we're all good."
"Watch your guard against evil plunderers," Alister warned, waving a hand.
With warm farewells, Xian’s party headed deeper back into the Goblin Region. Trevor and Alister turned in the opposite direction, making the trek back to the sector stronghold.
"So Trevor, what's the plan?" Alister asked as they walked.
"We're going back to Terra Nova to set up a new party and take the one-month boss quest," Trevor answered smoothly.
"That'd be great," Alister agreed. "No point floating around without progress. We can continue our farming expedition once the contract is signed."
At the stronghold's landing pad, they boarded the scheduled airship and took flight back toward the port city of Terra Nova. Upon landing, their first stop was the Guild Hall loot counter. Handing over their recent goblin harvests, the clerk tallied up the materials, yielding a total of 1,475 Terra Coins. Though it was a modest pile of loot, the payout was surprisingly solid.
The following day, Trevor accompanied Alister to the sprawling recruitment floor of the Guild Hall. Alister held up a wooden placard bolded with simple text:
[Boss Hunt — Rank C Sector Rank-Up Quest]
Finding reliable temporary members in Rank C was notoriously difficult due to the sheer density of desperate, stuck adventurers. Trevor stood half a step behind Alister, discreetly activating his internal optics. Eelon ran constant HUD scans on everyone who approached, allowing Trevor to subtly signal Alister with a small head tilt or tap on his forearm to filter out poor stat spreads.
While they filtered through candidates, a stunning Kunoichi with long black hair paused in front of their table. It was Miko Ashikaga, an acquaintance of Alister.
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"Hey, Miko," Alister smiled. "Just putting together a team for the C-Rank monthly boss circuit. How's your current expedition going?"
"Busy as usual," she replied smoothly, chatting for a few moments about recent regional news before wishing them luck and moving toward the high-tier counters.
As she walked away, Eelon completed a full tactical analysis in Trevor's field of view:
[Target Scan: Miko Ashikaga]
Rank: B Adventurer
STR: 90 | AGI: 125 | INT: 25 | VIT: 74 | STAM: 162 | MANA: 0
Main Weapon: Ninjato (Epic Grade - Passive: +175% Critical Strike Dmg)
Inventory: Smoke Bombs (3x), Shrapnel Grenades (3x), Poison Kunai (12x), Stun Blowdarts (15x)
Ninjutsu: Water Walk (Duration: 25s)
Armor: Ninja Garb (100% Stun & Paralysis Resist)
Footwear: Kung Fu Shoes (100% Silent Steps)
Trevor watched her depart, muttering under his breath. "A one-shot killer assassin... excellent asset. But she's too far ahead of us right now. One step ahead in rank."
An hour later, Alister entered negotiations with a tall, 21-year-old blonde Barbarian named Haina, who carried a massive Greatsword on her back.
"I'm solid on the frontlines, but I don't wear heavy shields," Haina stated bluntly, leaning against the table. "Plus, I hate perverts peeping when I'm bathing in waterfalls or lakes."
"We understand," Alister said with a nod.
Haina crossed her arms, looking Alister up and down. "Do you have any women in your party?"
"You're the first one we're interviewing," Alister admitted.
Haina snorted playfully. "What do you think of me? Can't you see I'm a tomboy? I like women, too."
"So, are you in?"
"I'll only agree to join if you recruit another woman to the party," Haina countered flatly. "I'm not being the solo girl in a guy squad."
"Fair enough. I'll let you know."
Thirty minutes later, Alister spotted an 18-year-old Martial Artist with short black hair carrying a polished bronze staff. Her name was Xiao Hsu, a Rank C adventurer.
Alister approached her with the contract outline. "What are your terms and conditions to join?"
"Nothing complicated—just show respect to a lady," Xiao said resolutely. "I just want to rank up and get freed from this hellish C-Rank bottleneck."
"Simple enough. You can sign right here," Alister said, sliding the parchment forward. Xiao picked up the quill and signed without hesitation.
Alister immediately sought out Haina, presenting Xiao's signed parchment. "We officially recruited a female member."
"Well, that's great," Haina smirked, pulling over the contract quill. "I'll sign, but keep in mind I'm strictly a temporary party member for this run." Read this novel at novelping(.)com for the best experience.
"Understood."
By afternoon, the newly formed four-person party—Trevor, Alister, Xiao Hsu, and Haina—entered the upper chambers of the Guild Hall to finalize their official quest mandate.
They were escorted into a quiet, mahogany-lined office where a sharp-eyed official sat behind an administrative desk stacked with sealed scrolls.
"My name is Falcor, Guild High Questor of our association," the man introduced himself briskly. "I'll keep the briefing quick. As some of you already know, your mandate requires your team to eliminate all B-minus and B-rank threat regional bosses within 30 days. Any failure to clear all targets within that window means you must re-apply and sign a new contract. Questions?"
Alister raised a hand. "What if another party gets involved and steals the boss kill?"
Xiao frowned, chiming in. "Yeah, that's a common problem in the C-Rank sector."
Falcor leaned back, folding his hands. "In that scenario, the Guild cannot intervene. We cannot dictate to a wild boss monster who its primary opponent is. When it comes to regional boss encounters, it is strictly a free-for-all environment. However, directly attacking a fellow adventurer carries a 100,000 Terra Coin fine and up to 20 years of imprisonment."
"We recently encountered a party with that exact story," Trevor said coldly. "When the boss was on the verge of death, an ambush party appeared, attacked them, and stole the kill."
Haina stood beside them in silence, looking thoroughly bored with the bureaucracy.
"In those cases," High Questor Falcor replied, "you may submit an official report. If you know the names or can identify the party, we will coordinate and investigate."
Alister scoffed lightly under his breath. "Right, that's not going anywhere. So are we good to go? When does our timer start?"
"The clock ticks the moment I stamp approval," Falcor said, taking a heavy brass seal and slamming it onto the contract. STAMP. "There you go. You are cleared. Airship flights to the sector depart daily at 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 4:00 PM. No night flights."
"Thanks, High Questor," the group voiced together.
A few moments later, in the busy Guild Hall lobby, Alister turned to face their temporary team.
"Alright squad, when do you plan to head out?"
"Tomorrow morning for me," Xiao answered.
"Same here," Haina added.
Trevor adjusted the strap of his modular briefcase, a cold, calculated glint passing through his cybernetic eyes. "That puts us one day behind schedule... but don't worry. I already have a plan to get us out of this C-Rank bullshit." end of chapter