CHAPTER 55: QUESTS

Maltida smiled, folding her arms. "I’d like to invite you to join the Enchanted Item Shop."

Raven blinked. "The what now?"

"It’s a club," Maltida explained smoothly, "but also a functioning business. We opened a large shop downtown. Throughout the week, our members enchant random objects—trinkets, tools, sometimes even weapons—and bring them in to trade."

She gestured with a slight wave of her hand, as if painting the image in the air. "We often receive merchandise from merchants, scavengers, or adventurers. They find odd items out in the wild and bring them to us. We analyze, identify enchantments, and if it’s worth anything, we fix it up and sell it for profit. All proceeds are split among our members."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "How’s that supposed to help me in the long run? I’m a Layman. You seriously want someone like me in your club?"

Maltida tilted her head, her expression thoughtful. "Well, the longer you stay with us, the more familiar you’ll become with enchanting spells. You might even begin to understand the intricacies of magic—runes, glyphs, channeling."

She leaned in slightly. "Who knows? One day, someone might bring in an artifact—an amulet, a staff, a ring—that grants magic to its wielder. You could be the one to find it."

That caught Raven’s attention. Her fingers twitched slightly, and I could see the gears turning in her head.

But then she shook it off. "That’s a good offer, but I promised Archer—"

"Don’t bother," I cut in, stepping forward. "You should join them, Raven. This is an opportunity for you to find what you’re looking for."

She turned to me, surprise flickering in her eyes. "You really think so?"

I nodded. "If there’s even a chance you could unlock your magic through this, it’s worth trying. Besides, it’s not like we won’t see each other. We’re still in the same academy."

For a moment, she just stared at me, searching my face as if making sure I wasn’t just saying it to get rid of her.

Then, finally, she let out a slow breath and turned back to Maltida.

"Alright," she said, lifting her chin slightly. "I accept."

Maltida’s smile widened. "Excellent. Welcome to the Enchanted Item Shop, Your Highness."

"Just call me Raven, please," Raven said sharply. "I hold no title here."

Maltida held her hand and led her away. "But of course."

Just then, Loki leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head. "Well, now that that’s settled—Archer, we’ve got a mission briefing after school. Be at the Adventurers’ Guild. Don’t be late."

I gave a quick nod. "Got it."

As I turned to walk back to my table, something in the corner of my eye caught my attention.

By the entrance of the dinning hall, standing casually in the doorway, was Richard.

His arms were folded, and his lips curled in a slow, sinister smile. He tilted his head slightly as our eyes met.

Then he chuckled darkly and without a word, he turned and walked away.

A chill crept down my spine. I might’ve forgotten about him but he’s clearly not forgotten about me.

He was simply reminding me.

* * * *

I pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the Adventurers’ Guild, the familiar scent of ale, roasted meat, and polished steel filling the air.

Inside, the place buzzed with activity—mercenaries swapping stories, guild clerks scribbling on parchment, and a few weary adventurers nursing drinks after a long day’s work.

At a large table near the back, the Adventurers Club members were already gathered.

Borin, the stocky dwarf, spotted me first and raised his tankard in greeting.

"Archer! Finally decided to join us, eh?" he boomed, his voice carrying over the noise. He slid a mug toward an empty seat beside him. "Here, have a drink!"

I shook my head with a small grin. "Just juice for me."

Borin snorted but waved over a barmaid. "Aye, fine. One apple juice for the lad!"

Just as my drink arrived, the guild doors swung open again, and Sylria and Elion stepped inside.

The two elves moved with effortless grace, their sharp eyes scanning the room and exchanging greetings with others.

They approached the table with a calm air, their boots barely making a sound on the stone floor.

"Are you two siblings by any chance?" I asked before I could stop myself.

They looked at each other and burst into light, melodic laughter.

Sylria shook her head. "No, though I get that a lot. I hail from the Northern Elven Forests, while Elion here is from the Southern Isles."

Elion smirked. "We’re not related. Just... friends who met during trials. Though I suppose all elves look the same to humans, don’t we?"

Before I could defend myself, the doors burst open again, and Loki strode in with Nia and Tobin trailing behind him.

"Ahh, the gang’s all here!" Loki announced, slapping a hand on the table. Then he frowned, scanning the group. "Wait. Where’s Kael?"

Borin let out a deep, rumbling laugh. "That fool got into trouble with one of the professors again. He’s serving punishment cleaning the stables."

Sylria sighed, shaking her head. "What did he do this time?"

Borin grinned. "Burnt the professor’s hair clean off—by accident, he claims."

The entire table erupted into laughter.

Loki let us enjoy the moment before clearing his throat, his expression turning serious.

"Alright, listen up," he took his place at the head of the table. "Today, we’re splitting into separate parties. The Guild’s overrun with quests, and a lot of adventurers are requesting extra hands. It’s a good opportunity for all of us"

He paused, sweeping his gaze across the table. "But there are a few rules you must follow."

"First—respect your party. That means listen to your assigned leader, work together, and no ego trips."

"Second—no wandering off. If you get lost, you put everyone in danger. Stay with your group."

"Third—only accept missions involving weaker monsters. Wolves, goblins, low-grade spirits. Nothing over a D-rank."

Then he added two more. "Fourth—no stealing loot from your teammates. And fifth—if things go bad, retreat. No heroics."

He looked around the table, making sure we were all paying attention. "After each quest, return here. We’ll account for the day and head back together."

Loki leaned forward, resting his palms on the table. "I want each of you to accept only quests from parties that don’t involve high danger. Don’t try to play hero. The goal is to learn, support, and gain trust. Not die."

A chorus of agreements followed.

Borin thumped his fist on the table. "Aye, we got it, Captain Loki."

Loki grin widened. "Good. Now, go pick your quests and meet your parties. And don’t make me regret this."

We all made our way to the guild’s quest board, a massive wooden panel covered in parchment notices that indicated job types, threat levels and rewards.

The more experienced adventurers were already clustered around it, picking their missions and debating which quests promised more gold or glory.

Borin was the first to get approached.

A burly warrior with a scar across his nose clapped him on the shoulder. "Oi, dwarf! You free? We need someone who can take hits and hold the front line for clearing a goblin cave."

Borin scratched his beard. "Danger level?"

"C-tier. Low risk, just messy," the warrior said. "Nest’s small, but they’ve got a shaman. Nothing we can’t handle with you on board."

Borin grinned. "Aye, that’ll do." He turned to us, raising a hand. "See you lot later. Try not to die without me!" With that, he lumbered off with his new party.

Next was Sylria. A group of rangers and a mage beckoned her over.

"Elven eyes would be a big help on a Forest Stalker Hunt," the mage said. "It’s been snatching livestock near the eastern woods."

Sylria tilted her head. "Danger?"

"D-tier. It’s fast, but not armored. We just need someone who can track it. Also I learnt you use wind and illusion magic. We’ll need your talent to trick and capture it."

She nodded and joined them without hesitation.

Elion, meanwhile, was pulled aside by a pair of rogues and a cleric. "Hey, elf," one said. "We’re doing a Ruins Scouting mission—old temple, possible cursed artifacts. You in?"

Elion raised an eyebrow. "Danger?"

"A-Rank," the cleric admitted. "But we’ve got wards and holy seals. It’s manageable."

Elion considered it, then shook his head. "Too risky for today. I’ll pass."

The rogues shrugged and moved on.

Elion later found a safer Herb Gathering quest with a merchant’s escort team and left with them.

Loki and Tobin were snatched up almost immediately by a veteran party for a Bandit Camp Raid.

It was B-Ranked danger, higher than the others but they were both confident in their strength.

Eventually, everyone had dispersed... except for Nia and me left standing near the board.

I glanced around awkwardly. The sudden silence around us felt unsettling after all that energy.

Nia gave me a small smile. "Looks like we’re the last ones," she said.

"Yeah," I murmured.

"It’s because we’re the youngest," she added. "Most parties think we’ll just slow them down. They want experience, not potential."

"That must be rough on you," I said.

She laughed lightly. "Not really. I’ve made a decent reputation in the guild. I might be young, but I’ve completed ten quests already. People know I’m reliable. So if you stick with me, I can get you into a party. If you go alone, you’ll be stuck with nothing."

I nodded. "Then I’ll stick with you."

Just then, a voice called out. "Hey, Nia! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

A trio of adventurers approached—two men and a woman, all in light but sturdy gear.

The leader, a broad-shouldered swordsman with a greatsword, grinned. "Glad you’re still free. We’ve got room for you and..." He glanced at me. "Your friend?"

Nia nodded. "This is Archer. He’s with me."

The swordsman extended a hand. "My name is Garron. I’m a warrior-class fighter." He jerked a thumb at the others. "That’s Jessa, our archer, and Zeek, our mage."

Jessa was a pretty mid-twenties woman with a long braid. She gave us a small wave.

Zeek was a tall guy with glasses perched on his nose. He adjusted them and nodded politely at us.

I liked them immediately. They had the calm energy of seasoned adventurers, but they didn’t seem arrogant or dismissive.

This was exactly the kind of party I’d want for my first real mission.

"So," I said, "what’s the quest?"

Garron pulled out a scroll and unrolled it for us to see.. "Cave Wolf Culling. A pack’s been harassing travelers near the old mines. Danger level D-tier—they’re tough, but no alphas reported. Good pay, too."

Nia looked at me, waiting for my response.

I smirked. "Sounds like fun. Let’s do it."