"How much are we getting paid for this?" the middle-aged adventurer asked, taking a sip from his booze-filled mug.

The head knight continued, "For each goblin killed, you will receive four silver coins. For each hobgoblin, twenty silver coins. In the event you defeat a Goblin King or a Goblin Commander, you will receive twenty and five gold coins respectively. Their ears will suffice for proof."

"That’s a hefty reward—higher than usual," Bell murmured, his expression showing hint of shock.

It's not at all a hefty reward… it's not the correct price for the level of danger they are expecting the adventurers to face, Alan thought, shifting his attention to the knight’s armored hand. He noticed it trembling slightly.

"Yeah, but this mission is dangerous. I don’t think it’s worth it," one of the adventurer remarked in an exaggerated tone.

"I agree. It's not worth risking my life, especially for a bounty that isn’t even substantial."

"Agreed," others chimed in.

The head receptionist moved outside of the counter. Clearing her throat, she tried to get everyone's attention. "The adventurers willing to participate in the quest may stay. Others are free to leave," she stated in a stern tone.

"I haven't got my order yet…" a male adventurer exclaimed.

The head receptionist glared at the adventurer. "Feel free to stay and join the quest then," she said with visible frustration.

With that, the adventurers began leaving the guild hall, passing by the four other knights who stood in two neat rows along the path. The once-bustling hall soon emptied, leaving only four individuals behind.

"Thanks for your cooperation, Alice," the head knight spoke with a small nod.

"Don't worry about thanking me right now sir—there's a far more important in your hand," Alice remarked as she headed toward the guild's kitchen.

"Have you asked The Iron Fang Guild or White Tiger Guild for assistance?" Alan questioned the head knight.

"The high-ranking members of Iron Fang Guild went few of the city knights to inspect the dungeon," the knight replied. "As for the White Tiger Guild…we have not yet been able to contact them."

"Will you fight, Sir Alan?" Bell asked, looking at him with admiration.

"Whether I fight or not shouldn’t be your concern," Alan said, in a serious tone he continued. "I suggest you leave. I don’t think assisting the village of Arcek is in your best interest."

"There’s no way I won’t help those—" Bell began, but before he could finish, he met Alan’s gaze and saw the irritation in his eyes. "Will I be a burden?" he asked hesitantly.

Without missing a beat, Alan simply nodded.

"Sorry," Bell mumbled as he stood from his chair and walked out of the guild, his head downcast.

The head knight watched as Bell exited the guild hall, then turned his gaze toward Alan.

"Don’t you think having more people is necessary for saving Arcek, Mr Solo Knight?" he asked, his tone carrying doubt.

"Anyone below B-rank will be more of a liability than an asset." Alan said, he then scanned the room, taking in the two remaining adventurers before continuing. "If most of the adventurers hadn't walked out, taking lower-ranked ones might have been useful. But with only a handful left? That would be outright foolish," Alan stated firmly.

"And who made you the one to decide who should or shouldn’t fight?" a young adventurer with pale yellow hair said, irritation evident in her voice.

"Sis, don’t make a scene," her twin brother muttered, gripping her hand to calm her.

Alan glanced at the twins, noting their appearance. Though not identical, they looked nearly identical, as if they were perfect replicas of each other.

The girl, who had just shouted at him, wore a flowing yellow dress that complemented her golden hair. A pair of simple green crystal earrings adorned her ears, matching her bright green eyes. Alan's gaze shifted to her weapon—a sword with a white hilt and a golden crossguard, resting in a black scabbard fastened to her belt.

His attention then moved to her brother, who shared similar facial features but had noticeably shorter hair. He was dressed in a simple blue outfit, paired with fitted trousers and knee-high leather boots.

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That’s a massive staff… Arnos mentally remarked, eyes fixed on the staff beside the boy. It was a long white staff, with a black stripe near the base of the curved top. At the curved top, a blue bipyramid crystal hovered in midair.

"Actually, no one asked for my opinion," Alan replied politely. "I merely shared my thoughts, and anyone is free to disagree." Turning toward the girl, he added with a slight smile, "If I may ask, who might you be, kiddo?" The moment the words left Alan’s mouth, he sensed he'd made a mistake. A sharp bloodlust radiated from the female adventurer.

"My name is Rose Webble," she growled, her glare filled with irritation.

Alan blinked. Yeah, she’s mad at me. Webble? Oh, are they the Webble siblings Alisa was trying to recruit? he mused.

"And what’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking?" Alan inquired, turning to the twin boy.

"You can address me as 'kiddo,’ sir. I don’t mind," he replied politely.

"He’s Adrian Webble," Rose snapped before turning to her brother. "You don’t need to be polite to just anyone," she muttered.

Okay, so I'm just anyone. I mean, I guess she isn't wrong. Though judging the book by its cover, it looks like her brother is on the calmer side of the spectrum. And I probably shouldn't have called a kid 'kiddo', Alan sighed internally.

Clearing his throat, the head knight sought to redirect the conversation. "Could we please focus on the village in danger?" he requested politely.

"May I say something?" Adrian asked, raising his hand.

The head knight nodded in response.

"I don’t think the three of us alone could ever hope to defeat a horde of 10,000 goblins. If we take them on by ourselves, our fate is sealed," Adrian said, his tone serious.

"That’s not tr…" Rose cut herself off, biting her tongue in frustration, as if she realised that what her brother spoke was nothing but the truth.

"You said you haven’t contacted the White Tiger Guild. Do you plan on hiring them?" Alan questioned.

"I don’t think we have enough funds to do so, but I would like to request their assistance nonetheless," the head knight admitted with a somber expression.

"What do you mean? Didn’t Viscount allocate sufficient funds?" Rose asked, narrowing her eyes.

"We’ve been allotted 200 gold coins to hire a guild by Sir Viscount."

Rose slammed the table as she stood up. "That’s nowhere near enough to hire White Tiger or any other top guild!" she shouted angrily.

The head knight cast his gaze downward, as if already aware of this grim reality. Adrian, noticing his sister’s rising temper, looked at her with mild concern.

While Rose was losing her temper, Alan sat still, staring at the floor as he pondered why the viscount refused to pay the appropriate amount for the quest.

It’s not like the ruling class is struggling financially, especially given the recent developments. Why wouldn’t he offer enough money to hire a high-ranking guild? It’s almost as if he wants the village to be destroyed by the goblins, Alan thought to himself. He looked back at the head knights’ face, taking in the hopeless expression he had.

I really didn’t want to do this… She’ll hold this favor over me for years.., Alan thought begrudgingly. Letting out a tired sigh, he finally spoke. “I might be able to arrange a meeting with Alisa from the White Tiger Guild.”

"You can do that?!" the head knight exclaimed, his shock evident. Realizing his outburst, he quickly composed himself and added, "Apologies for that, but are you certain, Sir Alan?”

"I’m pretty sure I could arrange a meeting with her… but convincing her would be entirely up to you," Alan said. The worst she could do is ban me for a month or something… but i think that’s highly unlikely, he thought.

"But, Sir Solo Knight, how would a meeting help if we lack the funds to hire them?" Adrian asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and doubt.

"I have a way to pay her that doesn’t involve money," Alan responded, looking at Adrian. Rising from his seat, he added, "Now whether she would assist or not depends on how well you can persuade her," he added directing his words toward the head knight.

"Thanks for the help, Sir Solo Knight," the head knight spoke, offering a small bow.

"Could we drop the 'sir' part, sir… ahem Mr. Head Knight? You're older than me, and it just doesn’t feel right to have someone of your status address me that way," Alan said casually. He cast a glance at the Weeble siblings, noticing that Rose was still standing. "Shall we get going then?" he asked them, to which Rose and Adrian simply nodded.

Rose Weeble [ Status report from a week ago ]

- Race: Human

- Rank: A-Rank

- Age: 16

- Class: Swordmaster

- Affinity: Fire

Stats

- Mana Points: 8260

- Strength: 1090

- Speed: 2040

- Dexterity: 1648

- Health Points: 700

Equipment

- Weapon: Blazerek (Tier 4 Sword)

- Armor: None

Abilities

- Envelop

Magic Resistance

- Level 3 Resistance – Reduces the effectiveness of magic-based attacks by 30%.

Defensive Abilities

- Self-Healing (Level 2) – Can heal minor wounds when activated.

- Damage Reduction (Level 2) – Reduces 20% of all physical damage received.

Special Abilities

- Dying Flame