"Work for you?" The voices of all three overlapped upon hearing Zack's idea.

"That's right," he replied affirmatively.

This is not a random idea. Zack had been considering this for a while. Since he arrived in the town, problems had piled up one after another, and he hardly had time to practice magic. Since he found a source of income, the situation had calmed down a bit, but that didn't mean his problems had disappeared.

"Are you interested?"

For a moment, none of them knew what to say. The gazes of the three crossed. Initially, if Max's injury hadn't healed, they had the idea of borrowing some money from Zack. They never imagined that Zack would offer them work. It doesn't mean they were freeloaders only interested in money. The confusion stemmed from a clash of ideas. In this world, with a class system and an established order that cannot be disrupted, there are rules everyone follows: the firstborn inherits the house, the second seeks apprenticeship, and the third goes out to seek fortune.

Apprenticeship under a mentor is a universal norm in this world. Those who find a mentor will obey and work for them during their apprenticeship, and in return, the mentor will teach them everything without withholding anything. Even those who cannot secure a mentor due to their circumstances will go to their class guild to learn the necessary skills to level up. Artisans with artisans, warriors with warriors, mages with mages. Learning the basics of your class under a mentor is the only way many people survive in this world. That's why Zack's proposal sounded so strange to them.

If he needed help with his work, he could take on an apprentice or hire someone with a similar class, like an herb specialist. Offering them the job didn't make sense. Even if all he needed was pure muscle, he could simply make a request to the mercenary guild, and they would send someone at a lower price. They didn't know how unique their situation was.

The reason Zack couldn't acquire an apprentice to pass on his skills was that he had no skills. Even someone with basic knowledge of a doctor's skills wouldn't be hired by him. In the first place, the reason he decided to offer them a job was to help the orphanage. If he wanted, he could have hired someone else.

Also, it might be cheaper to hire someone from the guild, but that's only if it's for a specific task. Zack has no intention of letting them take his money easily. After a while of silence, Rea stepped forward before the other two.

"I don't think it's appropriate. After all, he was a doctor. We're afraid of making a mistake and—"

"I'll give each of you a silver coin per day. Are you interested?"

"We are!" Sally's excited voice surprised the other two, who looked at her with wide eyes. When she realized what she had done, she could only look down, embarrassed.

...

Once he convinced the three to work for him, he started assigning tasks. He asked Max to rest in the orphanage. There's no other way. With a sprained leg, it's impossible to help. It's best for him to stay at home watching the children and recover as soon as possible. He asked Sally to go to the village and find out about the sick people. Zack's reputation isn't the best, and as much as he tries to make people trust him, most of the townspeople prefer to stay home to recover than go see him.

Stolen novel; please report.

Rumors are a source of information, and while most are ridiculous, some people believe Zack has malicious intentions. Sally's goal is to encourage people with illnesses to come to him. Not only will that help improve his bad reputation, but it will also bring in some money. This task doesn't consume too much time and will also allow her to spend most of the day with the children and take care of Max.

As for Rea's task...

"NO."

"It's too dangerous." Sally was the first to object upon hearing what he had assigned her.

"Sally, it's okay," said Rea.

"It's not! Collecting materials in the dungeon, what are you thinking?!" Sally said, directing all her attention to Zack.

"Calm down. This task is not dangerous," Zack said. Sally was about to protest, but a look from Rea was enough to stop Sally's protests and wait for her to speak.

After these days getting to know Zack, they know he's not as the rumors portray him. He wouldn't send her on a task that would endanger her life, especially considering Max's task. Staying at home making money, is every mercenary's dream.

"As you know, the village dungeon is ranked C." Upon hearing his words, the three nodded.

The monsters in the dungeon are limited. That's why people entering it try to go as deep as they can to encounter monsters that haven't been defeated yet gain experience and complete any tasks they've been assigned.

The three nodded again. They were familiar with how the guild worked.

What I want you to do is not kill monsters and get something from them. My goal is to obtain herbs from the dungeon.

"Herbs in the dungeon?" Rea asked.

Zack explained the task he wanted her to do. Rea's task is to obtain herbs from the dungeon. C-ranked dungeons are large enough to start creating their own ecosystems. Although a C-ranked dungeon is barely enough to start, in reality, aside from dungeon monsters, there are few insects and herbs with magical properties.

The reason Zack is interested in them is because of the doctor's notebook. Most recipes are based on plants that can be found in the area. Excluding the forest, the rest of the plants can only be found in the dungeon. Without those plants, the number of recipes he can experiment with is limited.

Even though thanks to the old doctor's burn cream, he has been able to find a way to make money without exposing his extremely poor medical skills too much, that doesn't mean he dislikes having more options. If he manages to create another option, it means he will earn more money, and no one dislikes earning more money.

Once they understood what he meant, they relaxed completely. They were worried Zack would send Rea on an impossible mission or put her life in danger. Hearing that the task was only to collect herbs changed things.

There are herbs on every floor of the dungeon. All Rea has to do is go to the upper floors, which are devoid of monsters due to the traffic of mercenaries, and pick the herbs that usually go unnoticed by others.

After hearing their tasks, Sally and Rea felt grateful to Zack. They gathered their strength and started thinking about how to fulfill their assignments. After all, the sooner they start, the sooner they can get paid. However, Zack said something none of them expected.

"Before you leave, I'd like to ask you a question," he said, stopping them before they could leave the house.

"What's going on?" Sally asked impatiently. Of the three, she was the most concerned about her financial situation. She couldn't let anything happen to the orphanage. Having found a solution, she wanted to get the money as soon as possible.

"Why do the people in the village dislike me?" The three froze in place.