Normally, hunters of Bai Chen's rank — those belonging to the Recommended Division — never had to come to the Gathering Hub in person.
Their handlers did all that for them: registering quests, managing reports, even arranging emergency assignments when needed.
But Bai Chen… had no handler.
No one wanted to team up with him.
Even that adorable "handler from the game" — the infamous Aibo — hadn't appeared in this world.
And so, all the bureaucratic nonsense fell squarely on his own shoulders.
He set his helmet on the counter and looked at the silver-haired receptionist.
"Could I see the two-star quests?"
"Of course, one moment please."
She flipped open a massive ledger thicker than a dictionary. The sound of pages turning filled the air.
"Are you looking for delivery quests or small monster extermination quests, Sir Bai Chen?"
"Show me the large monster hunts."
Guild quests were divided into five main types:
Delivery Quests, where hunters collected specific materials — mushrooms, monster eggs, and rare herbs.
Hunting Quests allow either capture or kill.
Slaying Quests, where hunters had to kill the target outright.
Capture Quests, strictly requiring live specimens.
Special Assignments, including research, escort, or investigation missions.
"Understood," the receptionist said, quickly pulling a stack of papers from the pile.
"Here we are — six hunting quests and four capture quests."
She spoke politely, though her tone carried a faint trace of curiosity.
After all, Bai Chen wasn't easy to forget.
A Recommended Division hunter — yet with no handler.
An elite among elites — who spent most days picking mushrooms.
A swordsman — who insisted on calling himself a "knight."
Everything about him was… strange.
Bai Chen scanned through the stack quickly.
Six Great Jagras to hunt.
Four Kulu-Ya-Ku to capture.
The quests came from all over:
Some from hunters who wanted materials for new weapons,
Some from the Commander's office for population control,
and a few from the Research Commission for study purposes.
To Bai Chen, the reasons didn't matter.
All he saw in them were permits — official authorization to hunt.
"Do you have any other quests?"
"Only three-star ones, I'm afraid," the receptionist replied.
"Regulations forbid me from showing those to you."
The New World's ranking system was strict — almost painfully so.
Even if a hunter had slain Elder Dragons in the Old World, they'd still need to climb the ranks again here.
The reason was simple: safety.
Too many overconfident hunters had died believing the New World would be "just like home."
"Alright, what about small monsters?"
"Ah, plenty of those."
She pulled out another thick sheaf of papers — nearly thirty small monster extermination requests.
These were the lowest-paying, least glamorous assignments, usually ignored by high-ranking hunters.
Bai Chen skimmed the list, then plucked out eight of the highest-paying ones.
He stacked them neatly atop the ten large monster quests and slid the pile back across the counter.
"I'll take all of these."
"Alright, I'll register them for— wait."
The receptionist froze.
She blinked once, then twice, staring at the tower of quest papers.
"...I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
"I said, please register all of them."
"All… of them?"
"Yes. Everyone."
She inhaled sharply, half-suspecting he was joking.
Her professionalism held firm, though her voice wavered slightly.
"Sir Bai Chen, each quest has a time limit. You must complete them within three days, or your deposit will be forfeited."
In the real world, things weren't as forgiving as the games.
Every quest required an advance deposit — a safety measure to prevent lazy hunters from taking missions they never intended to finish.
"That's fine. Here's the deposit."
Bai Chen reached into his pouch and poured a heavy bag of coins onto the counter.
They clinked and rolled, glinting under the lamplight.
It was his full payout from the Great Jagras capture — 3,500 gold —
With about five hundred left over after covering all deposits.
The receptionist stared blankly at the pile of gold.
"Is… is this acceptable?" Bai Chen asked, noticing her silence.
"Ah, no— I mean yes! The Guild doesn't… have a rule against taking multiple quests at once…"
Indeed, some experienced hunters often bundled a few quests together for efficiency —
But eighteen at once?
That was madness.
"Sir Bai Chen, please understand," she said carefully.
"If you fail to complete them, you'll lose your deposit, and the Guild may restrict your future missions."
"There's really no benefit in… joking about this."
Bai Chen smiled beneath his breath guard.
"I'm not joking. Please proceed."
His tone left no room for argument.
The registration took nearly half an hour — every page signed, every coin counted.
When all was done, the receptionist returned with a small wooden crate.
"These are signal flares," she said, still sounding unsure.
"Green for completion — it'll call a transport Palico."
"Red means you need rescue. The Palicos will retrieve you, but… it'll cost a third of your mission fee. Please don't overexert yourself."
"Understood."
Bai Chen tucked the flares away as she handed over another crate —
forty bottles of emergency medicine,
a full stock of rations, and several other essentials.
He packed everything neatly into his travel pack until it bulged full.
The receptionist couldn't help staring.
"...Is he here to hunt or to restock the infirmary?" she murmured under her breath.
At last, Bai Chen closed his pack and fastened his helmet.
"Thank you for your help."
"Please… be careful out there, Sir Bai Chen."
"I will."
He turned, stepping away from the counter.
The steel plates of his armor clinked softly with each measured stride.
And as he reached the door to the airship platform, the receptionist watched him go —
still half-wondering if that knight in the black armor had truly meant what he said.
Eighteen quests… three days…
She sighed.
"May the Sapphire Star watch over that lunatic."
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