The sight of Kar'npaul and his group made me glad that they were here again, but inside I felt a deep pain knowing that I was nowhere in a fraction of their strength to join them, Even with the skills I'd obtained, I wasn't anywhere near their level. They were on a different level that I needed to catch up with.

Still, I couldn't help but wave.

"Hey guys! It's me!" I shouted, running faster to catch up with them.

As I neared them, my pace slowed, my body tired from all the running. Lythael, the first one to notice me, locked eyes with me, her face making the familiar smirk she did, the one that always made me feel like she was two steps ahead like she saw right through me.

*"Oh no... I can already feel the judgment from her...."*

"Hey Karn! Did you order a salad for dinner?" She called out, loud enough for everyone to hear, her smirk now a full grin as she turned toward Kar'npaul.

The group suddenly laughed, her words were always a sting to my pride but I couldn't do anything. Kar'npaul's laughter was the loudest, he teared up as he looked genuinely happy to see me.

"Haha! Very funny!" I rolled my eyes, but inside, I was holding back. If it weren't for her beauty, I'd have retaliated against her remarks. But for now, I just let it slide and not get to me.

"Lad! How are you! It's already been a whole day and you look like you did a lot of work!"

Karn greeted me with a firm handshake, his body language seemed like he was very happy to see me, I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. Glancing around the group, I could still see the gap that I needed to overcome to be called an adventurer.

"I, ugh... took care of a commission in the forest..." I started, scratching the back of my head while looking around the area. "It was only harvesting herbs until I ran into a golem...."

The group suddenly went quiet, their faces showed an interested expression. "A golem? You're joking right?" Nereus said with a serious tone in his voice.

"No no no... I am serious... It was a huge stone golem... I barely managed to survive but in the end, I destroyed its core...."

Karn's face lit up. "A stone golem? Really? Hahaha!" He slapped my shoulder all of a sudden, nearly knocking me off balance. "That's very impressive me lad!"

Lythael was also stunned by my achievement, but the smile on her face suddenly disappeared as her smirk returned, "Maybe that wasn't a golem who knows... maybe the wind blew a little hard and made a stone heap.... Kidding aside you did well kiddo..."

I laughed a bit, my eyes avoiding their gazes, I was embarrassed a little, realizing that a great feat I did would probably be an easy task for them.

"Impressive," Nereus nodded, but his expression remained the same. "So you're here to turn in the commission?"

"Yeah.... I just need to pass something and I am done for today...."

Just as I was about to reach out for the door handle, a soft voice came out from behind Karn.

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"Um… Excuse me, Karn, who is this?"

I hadn't noticed her before, behind Karn's huge armor and body, stood a frail-looking girl, Her robe was inscribed with different kinds of sigils and signs, indicating she was some sort of a mage, but something was off about her, her eyes, large and slightly nervous, switched gazes between me and the group.

Her hair, a striking red with scattered white streaks, looked as if she had just woken up, Strands fell in every direction, her bangs hanging messily over her forehead, covering her face in an unkempt manner. Her posture was gentle, her thin body almost disappearing into her oversized robes. Her hands clutched a grimoire, but not with the confidence I'd expect from someone in Kar'n's group. She looked more like someone had forced her into the group rather than being here at free will.

"Oh right! This friendly lad over here is Jorr! He's a botanist but surprisingly he's not from windfall nor Egaria!" Karn said accompanied by his iconic belly laugh.

"Don't mind his messy look, he just finished killing a stone golem somewhere in the forest..." Lythael followed up Karn's words, with her usual mocking tone.

"A golem?" Her voice was soft, compared to Karn's voice, it was like a cricket next to a radio, but her tone was full of curiosity, like she was imagining the scene play out in her head. "That's… really impressive."

"Hehe.... well it's nothing compared to what you guys usually do...." I said while scratching the back of my head feeling embarrassed.

The group suddenly laughed again, but the girl did not join in, she seemed more focused, staring at me like she was analyzing my whole being.

"This here is Fiera," Karn said, pointing to her. "She wasn't initially part of our group, she approached us inside the building, asking for help in a commission,"

Fiera smiled at me, her eyes seemed like she was worried about something. "It's... nice to meet you Jorr..." She said, her voice barely audible from all the noise in the background.

"Nice to meet you too!"

Something about her frail image made me want to protect her, even though I knew she was probably more capable than she appeared.

"Don't let her looks deceive you fool! She can cast more spells than Nereus when we tested her!" Lythael suddenly shouted at me, crossing her arms with a slightly angry expression on her face.

*"Alright calm down! She certainly can read my mind after just meeting twice...."*

Fiera blushed at the compliment, her fingers fidgeting on her grimoire. "I wouldn't say that… I'm just... trying to keep up."

"Introduction aside, you should probably report back the commission you did... Meet us at the tavern we first met in... We need you for something.... " Nereus butted in mid-conversation, the tone of the group suddenly became serious again, and their smile suddenly faded as if they were in a dangerous situation.

"Sure... I'll go right ahead..." The group collectively waved at me, walking towards the direction of the tavern.

*"Am I in trouble? What was that sudden serious tone..."* The change of mood made me even more anxious, their faces suddenly changing into serious expressions before leaving the area.

After shrugging off the bad feeling, I took a deep breath, steeling myself before entering the building.

Passing through the entrance, compared to my first visit here, there were only a few people who were sitting down and recruiting other people to their party. The ambiance was still the same, and the area was brimming with welcoming energy, the chatter of the people nearby echoed throughout the building.

And there she was, the receptionist from last time, the one who had mocked me for taking the easiest available commission in my rank. Her attention immediately switched to me, her grin was already forming as I approached her counter.

"Welcome back sir Jorr! I see you survived the gruesome herb commission!" her degrading tone remained after hours passed by.

"Yeah.... I actually did it.... before almost getting murdered by a golem...."

Her eyebrow twitched slightly, her smirk suddenly disappearing like she was shocked by my achievement. "Yeah, sure you did sir Jorr! Did you finish the commission?"

I handed over the pouch of herbs as she quickly grabbed it, her expression unreadable. After a pause, she slid a small bag of coins across the counter without a word.

"Ten silvers," she said softly, her eyes still on the pouch. "Not bad for a simple commission! Please come back again soon!"

Without wasting another moment, I quickly pocketed the coins I had received and immediately ran towards the exit.

I sprinted as fast as I could, pushing myself toward the tavern where the group had gone.