Noticing Lilith’s probing gaze, Avril instinctively wrinkled her delicate nose. While Teresa’s face remained impassive, her tense body betrayed her inner unease.
As Roland t her world-weary gaze, he arched an eyebrow slightly, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword.
"Hello, Ms. Lilith..."
His voice was low and steady.
"May I ask why you’ve invited us here? Is there sothing important?"
"Sothing important? No, hehe..."
Lilith chuckled softly and took an elegant step forward.
"I simply wanted to get to know you all."
Her violet eyes shimred in the candlelight.
"After all, to repeatedly slay Bear Goblins with a group of only four... that level of strength..."
She leaned forward slightly, her gaze skipping over the two young won behind him to lock onto Roland.
"Even across the entire continent, few rcenary Squads or Adventurer Groups could accomplish such a feat."
As she drew closer, the faint, dark scent of orchids wafted to Roland’s nose.
Upon slling the fragrance, he subtly took half a step back, maintaining a careful distance.
"You flatter us, but... surely you didn’t invite us all this way just for pleasantries, did you?"
Seeing not a flicker of wavering in Roland’s eyes, Lilith’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but she smoothed her expression in an instant.
She straightened up, her slender fingers lightly covering her red lips.
"Mr. Roland, you certainly are direct. In that case..."
A silver chain slipping from her sleeve refracted flecks of light in the candlelight.
"I’ll get straight to the point."
Lilith shed her previously languid deanor, looked Roland straight in the eye, and spoke directly.
"According to the Adventurer’s Guild’s regulations, every year, each rcenary or Adventurer and their group is evaluated based on the number and difficulty of the quests they’ve completed."
She turned gracefully, her slender form casting an elegant silhouette in the candlelight.
Her long fingers plucked a new sheet of parchnt from the tabletop and offered it to Roland.
"The higher the Level, the more difficult the quests you can accept, and naturally, the more handso the rewards. But that’s not all..."
A aningful smile touched the corners of her lips.
"We also provide additional, exclusive services for highly-rated Adventurers or rcenary organizations."
Roland bowed slightly as he accepted the parchnt, feeling the uniquely fine texture of the paper on his fingertips.
"I’ve invited you here today to formally notify you that your group has successfully passed the Adventurer’s Guild’s assessnt and has t the qualification standards for an A-Level Adventurer Group."
"Therefore, I would like to ask for your opinion. Are you willing to accept certification as an A-Level Adventurer Group?"
Listening to Lilith’s declaration, Roland lowered his gaze and carefully examined the contents of the parchnt.
Intelligence gathering privileges...
Guild shopping discounts...
Priority use of post stations...
As his eyes swept over the dozens of exclusive service clauses, Roland’s brow gradually furrowed.
’It’s not that these terms aren’t generous, but I’m suddenly realizing the Adventurer’s Guild’s sphere of influence is far greater than I imagined.’
’A few of these privileges would be impossible to offer without deep cooperation with the upper echelons of certain nations or organizations.’
Noticing Roland’s solemn expression, Lilith seed to misunderstand his concerns and explained softly.
"Of course... even if you accept the certification as an A-Level Adventurer Group, the process of accepting quests will remain the sa. We will not force you to accept any mission."
Hearing this, Roland gave an almost imperceptible nod.
’With my current strength and the talent I’ve shown, I could join any organization with ease.’
’Even the Shadow Veil Organization—an elite group associated with the rchants of the River Domain—probably wouldn’t refuse if I asked. At worst, I’d beco a probationary mber, just like Avril.’
The ultimate reason Roland had no intention of joining any organization, even now, was that he didn’t want to be tied down.
Compared to the preferential treatnt and abundant resources one gained after joining an organization, Roland felt that—barring special circumstances—none of it was as important as freedom.
Therefore, after hearing Lilith’s words, Roland handed the parchnt back to her and spoke slowly.
"Thank you for the high regard, Ms. Lilith, but..."
Roland glanced back at Teresa and Avril before continuing with a hint of apology.
"This is sothing I’ll need to discuss carefully with my squad mbers before I can make a decision."
"Of course. That’s no problem."
There wasn’t a trace of annoyance on Lilith’s face. She simply took out two Sheepskin Scrolls from a drawer.
"Mr. Roland, this is the Combat Skills scroll the Adventurer’s Guild promised you."
She handed one of them to Roland.
Roland weighed the thick scroll that recorded the Combat Skills in his hand. Instead of examining it imdiately, he tucked it into his waist pouch.
Seeing Roland’s action, a flash of approval crossed Lilith’s eyes. She then offered him the other sheet of parchnt.
"And this is a quest available to A-Level Adventurer Groups. Perhaps it will help you make your decision."
Seeing this, Roland thanked her quietly before taking the quest docunt and reading it carefully.
But as soon as he saw the title, his brow furrowed.
[Explore the Land of Mist and eliminate the Wolf King entrenched within.]
The quest details included the cause of the strange phenona in the Land of Mist and the Wolf King’s location.
The most eye-catching part was the difficulty rating.
It wasn’t the usual crimson marking, but a relatively brief line of text.
[Recomnded Level: A~S Level rcenary Squad or Adventurer Group]
[Reward: Negotiable (Provisional)]
"Excuse , Ms. Lilith."
After carefully reading through everything, Roland held up the parchnt with one hand and pointed to the word "Negotiable" in the reward section.
"What does this... ’Negotiable’ in the rewards an?"
"It’s simple."
Seeing Roland take the initiative to ask, Lilith’s lips curved into a slight smile as her fingertips tapped lightly on the desk.
"As long as the request you make..."
She lowered her voice.
"...is sothing the Adventurer’s Guild possesses or is capable of acquiring, it can be the reward for this quest."
At this, her gaze beca profound.
"This includes not only money, Treasure Tools, and precious materials..."
"Even a Knight’s Breathing Technique, a Ranger’s Elental Affinity Secret Skill, a Barbarian’s Blood Resonance Technique, or even... a ditation Technique that the Tower Wizards never share—we can make any of them the reward for this quest."
Hearing these words, Roland’s breath caught in his throat.
Because everything Lilith had just ntioned were paths to advancent for Extraordinary Professionals.
This ant...
’If I get certified and complete this kind of quest, I can obtain the thods to change to other Extraordinary Professions!’
For him, soone who possessed a Professional Panel, this was an absolutely incredible surprise.
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