The Battle Axe Bar was a fairly ordinary tavern situated at the outer edge of a street lined with pubs. Like most of the other establishments on the street, business was slow during the day, with only a handful of patrons quietly drinking in different corners. The half-wooden door of the bar was a little worn and gave an ear-piercing creak when pushed open, making a sound that could set one’s teeth on edge. This movement caused the wind chime made of some unknown beast's skull to tinkle. Behind the bar, a drowsy bartender rubbed his eyes and stood up as a handsome young boy walked in.
“Boss, I’m looking for the Black Gold Purple Cedar Adventurer Team.”
The bartender laid back down, not even lifting his eyelids, and pointed lazily to a figure cloaked in a hood who was drinking in the corner of the bar.
Lorent nodded in thanks and hesitated for a moment as he looked at the bartender's grimy wooden mugs before giving up the idea of ordering a drink. The sanitation here didn’t seem great, and the last thing he wanted was to get sick and end up paying either Uncle Aine or the Temple of Light for a cure.
The cloaked person sat by a window at the back corner of the bar, and although Lorent’s conversation with the bartender was low in volume, the person obviously heard it. The hooded figure's attention shifted toward Lorent, watching him closely.
“Hello, Black Gold Purple Cedar Team,” Lorent greeted as the person in the cloak raised their glass to him in greeting.
“Hello there. You're... the one who left a message at the Adventurer's Guild, willing to take on the task, correct?” Lorent tried his best to put on a serious face, attempting to make himself appear less young.
But his attempt wasn’t very successful, as he could clearly hear the cloaked woman giggling softly across from him.
“That’s right, but we left messages for quite a few people. And you are...?”
The woman removed her cloak, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face that immediately caught Lorent’s attention. She was a woman who could be described as “bewitching,” with perfectly styled golden curls framing her shoulders, a deep red lipstick paired with smoky eye makeup, and an alluring fragrance that masked the sweaty odor of the bar. A pair of uniquely shaped earrings hung from her ears, accentuating her cheeks, and her captivating purple eyes seemed to possess a magical charm, making it hard to look away.
One word popped into Lorent’s mind as he looked at the woman.
Witch.
Undoubtedly a witch.
Or rather, she was clearly a noble mage. Though Lorent had never met many real mages, he felt certain of this fact. Anyone who saw her would have the same thought.
“I’m the one who posted the task to acquire a live Brain-Eater Monkey,” Lorent said, pulling his thoughts back to the conversation after his initial surprise.
“Oh, hello there.” The witch, leaning forward with interest, pushed her glass toward Lorent. “I’m Stephanie from the Black Gold Purple Cedar Team. You can call me that. I remember your commission — there aren’t many requests for live magical beasts out there.”
“Hello, Stephanie, I’m Lorent. I saw your message at the Guild saying you were willing to take on the task and that the reward was negotiable. But how can I be sure you’ll actually complete the mission?” Lorent tried to maintain his composure.
Stephanie, the witch, smiled faintly and casually brushed her hair back with her vibrant red nails. She seemed to be unconsciously exuding an aura of “charm.”
“You don’t need to be sure about anything. If we can complete the task, you’ll naturally get what you want.”
“But if you can’t make me confident in you, I can’t pay you a task deposit,” Lorent said.
The Adventurer’s Guild had clear rules. Tasks were divided into levels, and direct purchase tasks were considered the most basic Level 1 tasks, requiring only simple item exchanges. This was Lorent’s favorite type of arrangement — simple, convenient, and cheap. However, if he accepted the team’s proposal to go to the Black Forest to fulfill the task, it would mean his Level 1 task would be upgraded to a Level 2 task.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
This meant he would need to pay a small deposit upfront, with the remaining amount paid after the team delivered the task items. If they didn’t complete the task by the agreed-upon time, they’d have to return part of the deposit, and their adventurer points would be deducted. To prevent teams from trying to cheat this small deposit, only Level 3 or higher adventurer teams could take on Level 2 tasks. No self-respecting team of that level would risk their reputation for such a small amount of money.
Privately, Lorent didn’t want to use the Level 2 task mode. His current funds were just barely enough to keep things running smoothly, and paying a deposit would mess up his plans. Besides, upgrading to a Level 2 task meant changing the reward, and his original payment wouldn’t be enough. However, the Brain-Eater Monkey was very important to him — that B-grade pet would significantly benefit his future pet shop. It was essential to breed it as soon as possible. Given how long his request had gone unanswered, Lorent realized the difficulty of the task and its level might not match. A Level 1 task might have been too basic for this challenge. That’s why he’d decided to come to the Battle Axe Bar in person.
“Haha, don’t worry, little cutie,” Stephanie chuckled, covering her mouth with a hand. “We don’t intend to upgrade the task. You just need to keep it listed as a Level 1 task.”
Lorent frowned at this. “Then you should hand over the Brain-Eater Monkey directly once you’ve caught it, instead of leaving a message at the Guild.”
If they weren’t in it for the money, then what could they be after?
Stephanie’s face remained calm as she replied, “Don’t rush things, young man. For a task like this, we need to confirm it’s not a fake before deciding whether to spend our time looking for it.”
“After all, we’ve never seen a live magical beast request like this outside of the Magic Council.”
“And wild mages don’t live long, you know? We saw the task months ago and were worried the ‘wild mage’ who posted it”—she made air quotes with her fingers, her smile never wavering—“might have died in some dangerous experiment.”
“So, we needed to confirm that the poster is still alive and capable of paying us. I’m sure you can understand that. After all, if you were dead, it’d be hard to find another buyer for a live Brain-Eater Monkey.”
Lorent felt his heart sink. If what she said was true, it wouldn’t be an issue, but something about the situation felt off. The idea of a “wild mage” amassing enough wealth to lure an adventurer team into taking risks made him wary.
“So, now you’ve confirmed that I’m alive and can pay you properly,” Lorent said, trying to stay calm. The witch’s demeanor wasn’t exactly aggressive, but there was an unconscious air of superiority that exuded from every gesture — the confidence of someone who was in control of everything.
“Uh-huh, so now we can talk about the reward,” Stephanie said, placing a slender finger to her lips and winking at Lorent.
“As for the reward, I don’t know what your expectations are, but I probably can’t afford to pay what a Level 4 team would expect.”
A Level 4 adventurer team implied one of two things: either they were large in scale, having leveled up by taking on many small tasks, or they were highly skilled, having achieved their level through difficult missions. Either way, it meant their fee would be substantial, which wasn’t something Lorent wanted.
“I intend to pay you between 10 to 20 gold coins, depending on the quality of the Brain-Eater Monkey you bring back,” Lorent said.
Stephanie raised an eyebrow. “Ten gold coins? A Brain-Eater Monkey is a Level 2 magical beast. Even its corpse would be worth more than ten gold coins.”
Lorent perked up at this, and he began to argue his case. “You can’t say that. Firstly, Brain-Eater Monkeys, as Level 2 magical beasts, aren’t particularly in demand. Even if they are purchased, most would be sold in bulk at a low price to the food processing sector. So, in practice, their actual value isn’t very high.”
“Plus, I’m not too picky about the live specimen, as long as the gender fits. Even if it’s missing a limb, it wouldn’t affect the price much, which indirectly reduces your capture difficulty, right?”
“Sure, you have a point. But capturing a Brain-Eater Monkey isn’t difficult for our team, so reducing the difficulty isn’t exactly a selling point for us. And you’re right; among all Level 2 magical beasts, the Brain-Eater Monkey has the lowest return on investment.” Stephanie looked at Lorent with a teasing glint in her eyes. “So, we should reconsider whether it’s worth our time to go looking for one.”
Lorent paused for a moment before decisively standing up. “Well then, I apologize for bothering you. I hope we can work together in the future. Goodbye!” Without waiting for a response, he bolted out of the tavern like there was someone chasing him.
Stephanie: “???”
Wait! Normally, aren’t we supposed to argue over each side’s disadvantages and advantages, go back and forth a bit, haggle over the price, and eventually settle on a mutually agreeable amount? How did he just flip the table and leave?!
With her mouth slightly open in disbelief, the witch stared after Lorent’s retreating back as if she’d seen a ghost. This was the first time she’d encountered such a peculiar little guy. It wasn’t that he had no intention of making a deal — otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to the Battle Axe Bar to find her. But he didn’t seem particularly eager to complete the deal either, walking away as soon as they started negotiating.
Stephanie drained the ale on the table in one gulp, no longer maintaining the mysterious demeanor of a witch. She now had to figure out how to explain the situation to the rest of the team when they returned. She hadn’t even managed to confirm whether that kid was a mage with potential worth recruiting...
Did she just scare the kid away?
She’d be a laughingstock to the others for a year... sigh.
Leaving the tavern, Lorent quickly returned to the main road, constantly glancing around to see if anyone was following him. He’d figured it out; although the Brain-Eater Monkey was crucial for him, it wasn’t urgently needed. In a month at most, his crystal ice-flame hounds would possess strength equivalent to a Level 2 or 3 magical beast. Twelve Level 2 magical beasts would be more than enough to deal with an ordinary adventurer team that could only take on missions through the Guild.
Only when he had the power to protect himself would he be qualified to explore the broader world. Until then, staying home and raising puppies didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Stephanie had put Lorent under a lot of pressure, even though she hadn’t done anything out of line from start to finish. But her every move carried an aura of strength that made Lorent uneasy. If she had any intention of acting against him, Lorent was sure he’d be powerless to resist.
He might not have any magical or warrior talent, nor was he favored by any of the gods worshipped by the churches. But he had his Bestiary! Thirty years of life going up, thirty years going down — never underestimate a poor young man! Lorent clenched his fist with determination.
If Stephanie knew what was going through Lorent’s mind, she’d likely cry out in protest. Who looked down on a poor young man?! She had been nothing but friendly!
After consoling himself, Lorent returned to the Adventurer’s Guild hall, canceled all his other tasks for acquiring magical beasts, and left with two large bags of crystal shards and herbs, heading straight home.