Nfirea Bareare, hearing the voice from behind, turned his head in a daze. The four adventurers beside him had already noticed Irvine Wolf approaching but initially thought he was just passing by. Unexpectedly, Irvine came directly toward them.
All four adventurers focused their attention on Irvine, their expressions turning vigilant. They had just accepted a quest, and while an attack inside the Adventurer's Guild was highly unlikely, they still needed to be cautious.
"It's you?" Nfirea's bright blue eyes widened with surprise as he recognized the person he had encountered on the street earlier. The distinctive black hair made Irvine hard to forget.
"Thank you for the waterskin," Irvine said softly with a smile.
"Don't mention it; I'm just glad I could help," Nfirea replied, scratching his head in embarrassment as he noticed the waterskin still hanging from Irvine's waist.
Irvine spoke to Nfirea but also addressed the four adventurers. "Excuse me, I overheard your conversation just now. You're heading to 'E-Rantel', right? I wonder if I could join you?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned. Nfirea's face showed hesitation; he personally didn't mind, but this matter would require his grandmother's approval. The four adventurers maintained poker faces, their lack of expression itself an answer.
Irvine had anticipated this. He had already noticed a slight role imbalance in this four-person team.
"My words just now were indeed abrupt," Irvine conceded. "However..." He paused, then raised his palm and said softly, "Lesser Healing."
A soft white light emanated from his palm, emitting a warm, gentle glow.
The four adventurers, who had been expressionless, now widened their eyes in surprise and astonishment. "A Faith-based Caster?" one of them gasped involuntarily.
The sudden display of healing magic also attracted the attention of several others in the guild hall.
In the New World, professions were generally divided into two main categories: warrior-types and magic casters. Warrior-types could be further subdivided into offensive, defensive, archer, rogue, and other specializations. Magic casters were subdivided into four main schools: Arcane, Faith, Spirit, and Other.
Those who could use healing magic were universally recognized by the people of the New World as Faith-based Casters .
The adventurer profession was inherently dangerous; injuries were common during quests. Even a minor wound, if not treated promptly, could lead to death or disability. This forced adventurers, regardless of their financial situation, to carry expensive healing potions .
Therefore, a team with a caster who could use healing magic not only saved significant money but also drastically increased its survival rate. However, Faith-based Casters were far rarer than Arcane Casters !
In the game YGGDRASIL, all magic consumed MP, but in the New World, some game mechanics had become "real." Just as Martial Arts consumed Focus, Faith-based magic had its own nuances . Consequently, powerful adventurer teams actively recruited Faith-based Casters, while weaker teams often couldn't even secure an invitation.
Irvine seemed not to notice the surprised and delighted looks from the four adventurers. After casting the spell, he drew the short sword from his waist. "I also possess a certain level of swordsmanship, so I won't be a burden to you all."
As he spoke, his fingers deftly manipulated the short sword. The blade flipped and spun in his hand with practiced ease, suggesting specialized training.
In reality, before witnessing the Royal Tournament, Irvine's swordsmanship had been clumsy—he had no prior training in his previous life. However, after acquiring the Sword Master class, an indescribable familiarity with blade-type weapons had washed over him, as if he had trained for years.
The onlookers, seeing his skilled manipulation of the short sword, understood that Irvine possessed legitimate combat skills.
After this demonstration, Irvine smoothly re-sheathed the sword and looked at Nfirea and the adventurers. Noting the surprised and satisfied expressions on the four adventurers' faces, he breathed an internal sigh of relief. His assessment of the team's composition had been correct.
"So amazing!" Nfirea couldn't help but exclaim, his bright blue eyes wide with admiration. He never expected that the person he'd casually helped would turn out to be a Faith-based Caster and a skilled swordsman. Was this what a genius looked like? Judging by Irvine's appearance, it was truly unexpected. His grandmother was right: just like herbs, you shouldn't judge by appearance alone!
At that moment, the leader of the four adventurers, a blond man, stepped forward. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, with slightly curly stubble on his chin and a cheerful demeanor. He wore studded leather armor on his upper body but no leg protection, with a longsword hanging on each hip. Irvine guessed his class was something like Light Warrior or Fencer.
"My name is Dosari," the man said with a smile. "These three are my comrades, members of our adventurer team."
"I'm Basck." "I'mLer." "Rand."
The other three introduced themselves in turn. Irvine observed them; they were all around the same age. While none stated their classes, their equipment suggested the team lacked not only a healer but any dedicated magic caster at all.
Ler and Rand looked somewhat similar, both with light blonde hair—likely twins. Each had a silver-edged shield strapped to one arm, marking them as Shield Warriors or a similar defensive class. Basck carried a longbow, clearly the team's Archer.
"Our adventurer team is called 'Stone'," Captain Dosari continued enthusiastically, even more so than he had been with Nfirea. "As the name suggests, we're quite good at defensive battles."
Irvine understood the reason for this sudden warmth. "I'm Irvine," he replied simply with a nod, offering no further personal details.
"We have no problem on our end," Captain Dosari said, still smiling, and glanced meaningfully at Nfirea. His message was clear: their approval was contingent on the client's agreement.