Three Months Earlier—
The city of Dront was a human settlement bordering the Elven Empire of Thylese.
For many years, it had served as a key point of contact between humans and elves, functioning as an important center for trade and diplomacy.
Dront was a merchant city governed by Viscount House Wilton, the wealthiest viscount house within the Human Empire of Altherus.
At the center of the city stood a four-story building.
The Adventurers’ Guild.
A group of young adults could be seen entering it.
The first floor of the guild was where missions were submitted, accepted, and reported.
It was also where adventuring parties and guilds recruited new members, making it one of the busiest places in the city.
The second floor housed the records department.
Missions were monitored there to ensure none remained unattended for too long.
If a mission went uncompleted, it would either be reposted with a higher reward or forwarded to the local nobility.
The upper floors served administrative purposes.
The young group that had just entered consisted of a newly formed party.
One month earlier, they had completed their academy training and begun taking missions together.
In that single month, they had completed twelve missions without rest.
The party consisted of seven members—three women and four men, all in their late teens.
Having graduated from the same academy and grown close over the years, they had decided to form a party together.
Their goal was simple.
Adventure until everyone reached Rank 2.
To do that, each member needed to reach Level 20.
The party’s composition included two mages, four warriors, and one member who possessed both classes.
At present, only three members had reached Level 10 and awakened advanced classes.
Why Level 10?
Because Level 10 was the first major milestone at which a person could awaken a higher-ranked class.
Among them were two elves.
The first was Mia, a Level 8 warrior with black hair, brown eyes, and a bow slung across her back.
Though quiet, she carried herself with calm vigilance.
The second was Connor, a Level 11 Battle Mage.
His blond hair, sharp features, and mastery of offensive magic made him one of the strongest members of the party.
There were also two beastkin twins from the Wolf Tribe.
Joe, the brother, was a Level 10 Axeman.
Broad-shouldered and energetic, he rarely seemed to run out of enthusiasm.
Both possessed black hair, sharp wolf-like eyes, and tails extending from their lower backs.
The remaining three members were humans.
Sam and Trent were both Level 9 Warriors armed with swords.
The final member was Lilian, a Level 10 Priestess with dirty-blonde hair and a quiet but dependable presence.
The group looked exhausted.
After all, they had just completed their twelfth mission.
As they submitted their report, Sam suddenly spoke.
“Why don’t we head back out for one last mission?”
Everyone turned toward him as if he had lost his mind.
They were exhausted.
Sam included.
The suggestion made little sense.
“Because we’re tired,” Jane replied flatly.
Several heads nodded in agreement.
“Come on,” Sam said, refusing to give up.
“I’m sure we can find something easy.”
He paused before adding eagerly,
“I almost leveled up on the last mission.
One more and I’ll definitely hit Level 10.”
He displayed his status.
[Warrior – Level 9 (429/500)]
The others exchanged glances.
The temptation was understandable.
Reaching Level 10 meant unlocking an advanced class.
Before Sam could continue arguing, Mia spoke.
“We don’t need another mission today.”
Her calm voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.
“We can leave tomorrow.
We’ll perform better if we get a proper night’s rest.”
Joe immediately nodded.
“Exactly.
I’m too tired for another run.”
“And I miss sleeping in an actual bed.”
Several party members rolled their eyes.
Everyone knew Joe had been pursuing Mia for months.
Lately, the two had been spending more time together.
His agreement wasn’t exactly surprising.
Still, nobody could deny the truth of his words.
It had been days since any of them had slept comfortably.
“Let’s go tomorrow,” Lilian said firmly, a tone not often heard from the gentle priestess.
Then she added,
“But we can reserve a mission tonight.”
The suggestion quickly gained support.
Even Trent agreed.
Realizing he had lost the argument, Sam finally sighed.
“Fine.”
Together, they approached the mission board.
After several minutes of discussion, they selected an F-Rank mission.
A goblin raid.
The objective was simple:
Eliminate a goblin tribe consisting of sixteen adult males and seven adult females.
The report noted that the tribe was currently in its breeding season.
That made the goblins more aggressive than usual.
It also left them physically exhausted.
As a result, this period was considered the ideal time to conduct a raid.
According to the report, only one Rank 1 goblin existed within the tribe.
The party agreed it was an appropriate mission for their level.
The reward was also attractive.
Ten copper coins would be paid for every goblin killed.
Twelve copper coins for every adult male captured alive.
Fifteen copper coins for every adult female captured alive.
The same rates applied to any children found within the tribe.
With the mission reserved, the party left the guild and headed toward a nearby inn.
After all, the mission had no deadline.
They had time.