The late afternoon sun was beginning to dip below the horizon when Arthur returned to the frontier outpost. Dust clung to the hem of his trousers, and his heavy leather pack bulged with the harvested carapaces, iron-claw bear paws, the pristine bear pelt, and a pouch filled with raw, high-grade iron ore samples from the mine.
Inside the Adventurers’ Guild hall, the usual bustle was in full swing. Arthur made his way directly to Elena’s counter, setting his heavy pack down onto the polished wood with a solid thud.
Elena glanced up from a stack of paperwork, resting her quill in its inkwell. "Arthur! You're back earlier than I expected. Did you manage to locate the eastern crags?"
"I cleared both contracts," Arthur said evenly.
He untied the canvas bindings of his pack, laying out the pair of heavy iron-claw bear paws alongside the dark, pristine bear pelt. Next to them, he emptied a heavy sack containing the dark, metallic carapaces of the subterranean crawlers and the distinct, iridescent headplate of the crawler brood queen.
The immediate area at the counter fell quiet. A few nearby veterans lowered their pewter mugs, eyeing the sheer volume of monster parts spread across the surface.
Elena stared at the brood queen's headplate, her brow furrowing in genuine shock. "The subterranean crawler queen? you wiped out the entire hive single-handedly?"
"The tunnel is completely clear," Arthur confirmed. "I also harvested several samples of high-grade raw iron ore from the deep shaft."
Elena drew a quick breath, rapidly recovering her professional poise. She pulled a large wooden scale and a ledger from beneath the counter, carefully inspecting and weighing the materials.
"Let's see..." Elena said, her quill flying across the parchment. "Thirty-five silver for the Iron-Claw Bear contract, plus ten silver for the pristine hide. Forty silver for the crawler nest contract, with an added bonus of twenty silver for taking out the brood queen. That brings your total guild payout to one hundred and five silver coins."
"Furthermore," Elena continued, pulling a gleaming metal stylus and a dark leather-bound registry from her drawer, "you have successfully completed three high-difficulty E-Rank contracts in less than forty-eight hours. By guild regulations, your rookie trial period is officially concluded."
She held out her hand. "May I have your identification plate?"
Arthur pulled the wood plate from his vest pocket and handed it over.
Elena took the wooden plate and replaced with a thick, dull reddish-copper plate stamped with the Guild emblem. Where an 'F' had once been carved, a crisp, silver-embossed 'E' now sat prominently at the top.
She passed the updated plate back across the wood.
[GUILD REGISTRY UPDATE]
Name: Arthur
Current Rank: E-Rank
Completed Quests: 3 (Solo)
Status: Cleared for Mid-Tier Contracts & D-Rank Advancement Path
"Congratulations, Arthur," Elena said, giving him a warm, respectful smile. "You are now officially an E-Rank Adventurer. You have full access to higher-paying contracts, regional trade escorts, and you can begin taking on D-Rank milestone quests whenever you feel ready."
Arthur ran a thumb over the cold, newly engraved reddish-copper plate before sliding the plate securely back into his pocket.
"Thank you, Elena," Arthur replied. "What's the protocol for stepping up to D-Rank?"
"Normally, E-Rank adventurers spend several months accumulating completed contracts before attempting the step up," Elena explained, leaning slightly over the counter. "To qualify for the official D-Rank advancement trial, you'll need to complete three official E-Rank solo assignments or a high-tier expedition quest, followed by a combat evaluation with a guild instructor."
"Understood," Arthur said, taking the heavy coin purse. "I'll be back for those soon."
He pulled his pack over his shoulder, feeling the satisfying weight of one hundred and five silver coins at his side.
One hundred and five silver... that's more than enough to convert into pure gold at the trade market, Arthur thought as he headed toward the guild doors. Time to turn these raw materials into real currency and get back to the cabin.