"Glad to see you back again, Rynn!" said the red-haired woman just as I turned around.

"Oh, hi! Wow, you look great in the staff uniform, Crystie," I told her with a grin. I hadn't really noticed before, but the guild uniform consisted of a dark green vest over a white long-sleeved shirt and brown culottes for ladies and trousers for men. The Australian girl had a good figure, so the outfit did look nice on her. She wore the Chinese dao, San, in a scabbard attached to her belt.

She beamed back at me. "Things have been pretty good and San has really been a great help," she told me. "It's all thanks to you and Masa for suggesting that I work here."

"Nah, you were the one that made the decision," I demurred. "I'm glad you're doing well. How's Daryl?"

"He's doing ok, I suppose. A group of older adventurers scouted him to join their party and they're away right now on a quest," she said. "They should be back in a couple of days."

"Oh yeah, before I forget, I got these for you," I said, taking out a small paper bag from my Void and handing it to her. It contained several bars of soap and a bottle of 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner.

She nearly squealed aloud when she saw the contents, but clamped one hand over her mouth in time. "Thanks! You're really a lifesaver," she said, grinning from ear to ear, but then she smacked her forehead as if she recalled something. "Ah, I almost forgot, but the guildmaster asked me to call you guys to his office."

My heart rate shot up instantly. Was that a good thing? Or did he want to turn us down in private? Maybe he didn't want the other adventurers to know that my parents had high Levels. As I wondered what our interview was going to be like, I went to call Masa and my parents and the four of us headed to the guildmaster's office with Crystie showing us the way. Well, I guess Masa didn't really have to come with us, but he just followed anyway. Maybe he was curious about the guildmaster too.

We passed another large room that I assumed was something like a pantry and lounge for the other guild staff when they were off their shifts. I glimpsed some of them talking and laughing inside, holding drinks or snacks. The atmosphere seemed quite welcoming, so no wonder Crystie was happy working here. I briefly wondered whether I could work here too, but decided I preferred being outdoors.

The guildmaster's office was at the end of the corridor and Crystie knocked three times before a soft baritone said, "Enter."

Hmm. That didn't sound like Feyril. My guess was wrong, then. Oh well.

Crystie opened the door and showed us in, then introduced us to the guildmaster, Kaz Bellwood. He was a thin man in his late thirties with dark brown hair and eyes, and an average height. His features were somewhat Japanese, but his skin was darker than a typical East Asian. Apart from his somewhat unusual name that I assumed to be commonplace in Shyi'eld, he was decidedly average. He certainly didn't look like he had any history as an adventurer. Maybe he had signed on as a member of the guild staff and risen through the ranks through hard work?

But in this world, everyone had magic, and appearances could be deceiving. Perhaps he was a powerful Elementalist or Transporter? Or even an Illusionist. At any rate, one didn't have to rely purely on physical prowess to fulfil quests. Someone with both the Conjuration and Transportation affinities might be very suited to delivery or gathering requests. Wait, if I wasn't mistaken, that was the combination my grandma had! Maybe I really needed to have a longer talk with her some time, with my parents acting as translators. It would be nice to introduce Masa to her too...

While I was busy studying the guildmaster and gotten sidetracked by my thoughts, he had offered us all seats and while Crystie began pouring us some tea, he started to talk about why he wanted to meet with us. It turned out that my speculations had been wrong. Again. He had no problems with my parents signing up as adventurers, but at the same time, he hoped we would be able to fulfil a difficult request. My first response was to refuse, but my dad glanced at my mom with a slight quirk at the corner of his mouth and asked for further details.

Guildmaster Kaz gave a small smile and then told us of a nearby human settlement which was being plagued by a Giant Flame Slug. Okay, this really sounded like a secret game event somehow. Did we trigger it by bringing people above a certain Level to a starter town? We hadn't really fought any monsters with strong elemental attributes before, so I was a bit worried, but my dad and Masa were starting to look interested. My mum smiled sweetly as she asked about the reward.

"The Tseuk village doesn't have much of a budget, so the most they can offer is fifty silver, or one gold," said the guildmaster, spreading his hands.

"Fifty—!" I couldn't help exclaiming. That was about a thousand dollars! Far above what we had earned so far. Sure, it had to be shared among four of us, but still that was a lot of money, wasn't it?

"I know, it isn't a lot," he said with a sigh. "But the village isn't very large and that's the most they can afford."

There was a familiar glint in my mother's eye. "Well, how far is this village? Will the guild cover our transportation costs too? How about food? Surely the guild can offer to defray some of our expenses, yes?"

I winced, but the guildmaster refused to back down. "Our guild is already offering our services as a middleman," he said with a quiet smile. "Adventurers are expected to include their costs in their calculations when choosing which quests to do. Naturally, we are not forcing you to take up this particular request, but we certainly hope you can consider it."

"Why don't we discuss that further," said my mum, her smile growing wider.