"I see!"

  (If that's the case, ranking up doesn't sound too bad. I might as well go ahead and do it.)

  "Got it. The reception counter is on the first floor, right?"

  "Yes, straight ahead after you go up the stairs."

  Silva gave a slight nod and quickly ascended the stairs.

  Completing the Supply Quests

  "Yes, you'd like to take on the supply quests?"

  "Yes, I'd like to take on all the quests to deliver materials obtained from the Wild Dog, Wild Bee, and Wild Rabbit hunts."

  The young man at the reception counter explained the quests with practiced ease.

  "Alright, for each material you provide, you will earn 2 barts for a Wild Dog's fang, 5 barts for a hide, 2 barts for a Wild Bee's stinger, 5 barts for wings, 1 bart for a Wild Rabbit's ear, and 5 barts for its hide. You earn 1 achievement point per item delivered. There's no deadline. You just need to hand over the materials at the delivery counter to complete the quests."

  "I'll take them all."

  "Understood. Thank you for your business."

  After leaving the reception counter, Silva headed back to the delivery counter in the basement.

  "Did you accept the quests?"

  "Yes, I took all of them."

  When Silva said this, the receptionist made a troubled face.

  "What? You took all of them?"

  "Is that a problem?"

  "No, but if you deliver all the materials you have, even if you rank up to Single H, you'll have extra achievement points left."

  That's when Silva realized. If he ranked up to Single H, any achievement points earned after that would be zero. If he couldn't earn achievement points, it would be more profitable to sell the materials to the magic item shop than to deliver them to the guild.

  (Well, it's fine... I'm hungry, and it's getting late... If I take my sword to the blacksmith and then eat and find an inn, it'll be close to 10 p.m.)

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  The clock on the guild wall showed it was past 8 p.m.

  "It's fine. I'll deliver everything here."

  While it was possible to cancel quests, doing so would lower his achievement points, which would complicate things. He could have adjusted the number of materials to maximize his achievement points, but his hunger got the better of him.

  "Understood. Please place the materials here."

  Silva spread the contents of his backpack on the counter.

  Just then a man's angry voice echoed through the guild's first floor reception counter.

  "Don't mess with me!"

  "I risked my life to complete this quest! So, why the hell can't you pay me?!"

  Silva had finished the supply quests and ranked up to Single H. As he came up to the first floor to get something to eat, he saw the man. He was big, with his hair tied back below his shoulders and clad in iron armor, yelling loudly. The ones dealing with him were the young man who had handled Silva's quest earlier and a middle aged man.

  "Like I've been telling you! Since the target was different, we can't pay you, and since you're past the deadline, we have to ask you to pay the penalty fee!"

  The young man, who had seemed weak, was now speaking firmly to the big man.

  "Don't give me that crap! I searched desperately and finally found them!"

  "Mr. Goraes, I told you, didn't I? It would be bad if you didn't check properly!" the middle aged man interjected.

  "What did you say?! You're just an inspector!" Goraes shouted.

  The young man shook his head and spoke.

  "Mr. Goraes, you are well-regarded as a mercenary, but as an adventurer, your skills seem to be lacking. You accepted a quest to eliminate the Red Moon Gang, yet without conducting proper research, you mistakenly eradicated a different group of bandits you stumbled upon."

  The young man glanced at the middle aged man.

  "As Mr. Giltz warned you, proper investigation was necessary. We just received news that a nearby village was attacked by the Red Moon Gang, and several young girls were abducted."

  The young man's gaze pierced Goraes.

  "I'm not saying you're entirely to blame for this, Mr. Goraes. But if you had handled it properly, maybe this incident could have been prevented. Considering this, do you still have complaints about the guild's response?"

  His words cut like a knife. Goraes, who had been so fired up, gradually lowered his shoulders. He wasn't completely dense. At least he had enough intelligence and humility to recognize his own fault.

  "Damn it... I'll pay the penalty fee."

  Hearing that, the young man's face relaxed.

  "I apologize, Mr. Goraes. I might have been a bit harsh with my words."

  "No, it's my fault... I took it because the rank was low. I didn't expect such a simple task to trip me up."

  Leaving those words behind, Goraes left the guild with his shoulders slumped.

  (So, a quest can involve other people's lives...)

  The incident that had just unfolded before his eyes left a deep impression on Silva. Hadn't he also underestimated the quests just a few minutes ago? Was that why he had casually thought about canceling them earlier?

  Noticing Silva's gaze, the young man approached him.

  "Mr. Schneizel, is something the matter?"

  "Oh, no. I finished the supply quests, so I thought I'd rest at an inn today and come back tomorrow to look for more quests."

  The young man, who had been stern just moments ago, now spoke with a friendly smile.

  "I see. So, you happened to witness that scene just now. Were you surprised?"

  "Yes... A little."

  "Incidents like that are surprisingly common."

  The young man's face clouded.

  "Failed quests, you mean?"

  "Yes. If you don't understand your own skills and experience, you'll end up like Mr. Goraes did. He's an excellent mercenary, so he has no issues with combat skills. But he lacked awareness in research and investigation. He could have formed a party with other adventurers."