After a few moments, the group moved to help as they took the tools that Efren had prepared for them…
Luke demonstrated first, showing them where to slice along the belly to drain the blood cleanly.
"Thank you, Luke…" Rayven said sincerely… However, he really had no idea how to deal with this.
"Hmm? It's me who has to thank you… Our battle had gotten a lot easier thanks to your Spells… You're also not as arrogant as I thought… I guess rumors about Mages shouldn't be trusted at all." Luke replied as he heard that all mages were arrogant.
Still, Luke and the others were quite confused about Rayven's Spellcasting. After all, his casting speed was quick, the cooldown was incredibly low, almost none, and the incantation was very short!
It was completely different from what they had heard from their parents or friends.
However, since Rayven was their first mage acquaintance, they couldn't really question his method as they had nothing to compare with aside from the 'rumors'.
"Alright… Let's do this…"
Dennis took a knife and, with some effort, started separating the legs. Tristan used his strength to saw through a joint…
Thankfully, the bone saw was top quality… He just needed a good position, and as he gritted his teeth and used more force, the bones barely resisted.
Rayven, less experienced in this sort of work, assisted Luke with skinning, carefully pulling the thick hide away from the flesh.
It was something he could do, since he was at least good with his hands. Thanks to that, he could control how shallow his cuts are.
In the meantime, Efren was just nodding at their actions. He was satisfied with what was happening.
Still, the smell was strong, filling the air with the scent of blood. He could tell that the group was starting to get nervous.
"Don't worry about the scent of blood. No other beast would come here anytime soon." Efren reminded them to keep themselves relaxed and not on edge while working.
Then, if he noticed any mistakes, Efren would kindly give advice…
He corrected their hand placements, occasionally stepping in to guide a cut, but otherwise let them learn through practice.
By the time they finished, the once-whole boars were reduced to neat sections. The meat was stacked on the tarp, hides folded separately, and bones set aside for later use.
Efren nodded, satisfied. "Good. Not perfect, but good enough for your first dismantling. Remember, this isn't just about survival. Adventurers don't waste resources. Everything has value."
Rayven nodded at this. This was definitely a decent probationary quest as he learned a lot. Furthermore, Efren's subtle hostility disappeared after seeing him filled with splattered blood.
'Ahhh… So it was like that…' Rayven finally realized. Just like what Luke had mentioned, mages were perceived as arrogant individuals since they were normally from a noble bloodline.
However, seeing how Rayven was so cooperative even with the lowly task of dismantling beasts, Efren finally realized that he wasn't that type of Mage!
'I guess he really had a bad experience with a mage before…' Rayven thought as he shook his head.
"Yes! We're true adventurers now!" Dennis celebrated.
"We also had good teamwork! Maybe we can continue working together? I heard there's an arrangement in the guild where you can form a squad or party. If we do that, we can accept group missions…"
The group then continued to plan about their future in the guild as Adventurers.
Of course, Rayven wasn't really thinking that far ahead, but he also liked the idea of forming a team while he was still learning some things…
As a merchant, he also knew that forming connections was important. These three may even become his customers in the future.
"Alright… I have to join that group."
They had fought together, won, and now learned the work that came after.
Even if the silvers they earned today weren't much, it was proof that they were stepping onto the real path of adventurers…
Being together with other beginners didn't sound bad at all.
Then, just as Dennis was about to boast about the fight again, the sound of heavy boots and wagon wheels was heard.
A group of men with guild insignias on their vests arrived…
They don't seem to be adventurers but staff working for the guild…
Soon, some pulling carts lined with planks were near them.
"Relax… They're the porters working for the guild." Efren said.
Their movements were efficient. They were clearly experienced and without a word wasted, they began loading the neatly prepared boar parts onto the wagons.
"They'll bring the meat and hides to the explorers. You won't need to go near the dungeon entrance yourselves."
Dennis blinked. "Why not?" Everyone here would, of course, want to have a glimpse of that dungeon.
Efren sighed and explained.
"And when a dungeon outbreak happens, who do you think gets trampled first? Copper-ranks. You'd be dead before you even realized what hit you. That's why porters and handlers exist. You'll get your pay without risking your neck where you don't belong. Just continue to get stronger… You need to be a Silver Rank at least to explore that place."
The reminder of possible death sobered the group.
Even Luke felt a bit nervous after hearing that. After all, even if dungeon outbreaks were rare… some stories told in villages about such events were grim enough.
Thud…
Just like that, the porters finished working, leaving only the tarp and bloodied tools for cleaning.
Soon after, Efren gathered them together, holding a small pouch in his hand.
The faint jingle of coins inside drew everyone's attention.
"For the nine Feral Boars—meat, hides, bones, tusks, everything you harvested—the guild will credit you seventeen silvers and thirty-five copper. A fair haul for Copper-rankers."
Dennis' eyes went wide. "Seventeen silvers… Nice."
"Yes… Split four ways," Efren added dryly.
As he said this, he glanced deeper into the forest…
"We've stayed here for too long… Let's leave."