Thirty days had passed since Party Noiver decided to prepare. For a full month, they ran trivial missions and would then disappear from the guild for days at a time. During these absences, the four of them focused on sharpening their skills in the forest east of Verna City.
The next day at noon, under the bright sky of Verna City, they returned. Keyzier, Novalia, Donovan, and Evaliza walked casually into the Adventurers' Guild building.
The four members of Party Noiver walked together toward the reception desk.
The lobby atmosphere was quite lively with adventurers eating breakfast or looking for missions. When Keyzier mentioned that they intended to try entering the Treeze Forest dungeon again, several adventurers around them turned their heads.
Their gazes were full of disbelief. Entering that deadly dungeon was considered a suicidal act by most people.
However, the conversation was diverted when Bella, a guild staff member, came out of the back room carrying a long wooden box. She approached the desk where Party Noiver stood.
"Ah, I almost forgot." Bella said in a professional yet slightly enthusiastic tone. "The magic staff you gave us back then has been appraised by our expert team."
She opened the box slightly, revealing the red crimson glow of the staff's crystal.
"The market price range is about 4 to 7 million Lyra, depending on the buyer." Bella explained. "But finding an individual buyer will take a long time. What if the guild buys the magic staff? We can pay cash right now."
The receptionist's voice didn't shout, but in the momentarily quiet lobby, the figure "4 to 7 million Lyra" sounded very clear to the keen ears of the adventurers.
Keyzier stroked his chin. "What price do you want to offer?"
"How about 4.5 million Lyra?" offered Bella without hesitation.
Keyzier turned to his friends, and his three companions nodded in agreement.
"Rather than the staff just becoming junk in our storage bag because none of us focus solely on one element of magic, cash is the logical choice." Donovan explained wisely.
Keyzier looked back at Bella in front of him. "Deal! We accept the offer."
The moment the word "deal" was spoken, the atmosphere inside the guild suddenly changed. The adventurers who had just been eavesdropping now stood up from their chairs.
"Four and a half million...?" whispered one adventurer. "Just for one staff from the first floor?"
The shock spread quickly. They knew the dungeon was dangerous, but they hadn't imagined the rewards were that massive. A single item could transform their mediocre lives into ones of wealth. The fear of the dungeon's danger was instantly wiped away by greed and hope.
"Wait! In that case, let us in too!" shouted an adventurer, breaking the silence.
"Right! Don't just give access to Noiver! We want to change our fate too!" chimed in another adventurer.
The guild lobby became chaotic. All the adventurers pressed toward the reception desk and the stairs leading to the Guild Master's room on the second floor. They asked, even demanded, to be given permission to enter without caring about the risk of losing their lives.
Seeing the unstoppable enthusiasm and realizing he couldn't hold back the wave of people in the lobby, the Guild Master finally stepped in. He didn't want to lose his members, but he also knew that forbidding them now would only trigger a rebellion or illegal infiltration.
"Listen!" the Guild Master's voice calmed the masses. "The guild grants permission. BUT, only for adventurers Rank B and above! Below that rank, it is strictly forbidden!"
Cheers erupted. The Rank B and A adventurers immediately shifted their attention to Keyzier. They realized Party Noiver was the only one with experience down there.
"We're coming!" shouted a Rank A adventurer.
"Take our party!" shouted another.
Party Noiver was mobbed. Keyzier sighed deeply seeing this crowd.
"Those of you who want to enter with us, feel free to come along." Keyzier said loudly. "But, we are only choosing 2 Rank A parties and 1 Rank B party! Regarding item drops and loot shares, I assure you we will go in for 3 runs there!"
Instantly, people from Rank A and Rank B parties scrambled to volunteer. They shoved their party names forward, showed off their weapons, overwhelming Keyzier and his three partners.
"Move! Don't push!" complained Novalia, who was getting squeezed.
"Enough!" Keyzier shouted. "Since there are too many, we'll decide via lottery!"
Keyzier borrowed coins from five guild employees who happened to be there. However, only two employees were asked to hold a coin in their hands secretly.
"Now, your task is to stand right in front of the guild employee to choose who among them might be holding the coin!" Keyzier ordered the Rank A parties.
The Rank A party leaders looked at each other, then tensely chose their positions in front of the five selected employees. The atmosphere was silent for a moment.
"Open!"
The five employees opened their hands. Three empty. Two hands holding coins.
The two party leaders standing in front of the correct employees immediately clenched their fists in joy. They introduced themselves to Keyzier.
"I'm Billy, leader of Party Shadow." said a man with a mysterious aura.
"And I'm Viona, leader of Party Swansea." replied a female knight beside him.
Keyzier simply nodded. "Yeah, nice to meet you, Billy, Viona."
Then, Keyzier called out again. "Okay. Now it's Rank B's turn."
The same process was repeated. This time with the help of 10 guild employees because there were 10 interested Rank B parties. But this time, the odds were much smaller.
After the Rank B parties chose their positions with pale faces due to the tension, the employees opened their hands.
Only one coin was found.
In front of that employee stood a party that immediately cheered in delight. Their leader, a spirited-looking young man, stepped forward.
"I'm Zeff, leader of Party Zeff! I look forward to working with you!" he exclaimed proudly.
Those who weren't chosen had to swallow their disappointment. Their faces were dejected, seeing a golden opportunity float away. However, they couldn't protest. Everything had been decided based on their own choices in front of everyone.
"Alright, Billy from Party Shadow, Viona from Party Swansea, and Zeff from Party Zeff." Keyzier said flatly, looking at the three parties in turn. "Prepare your parties. Tomorrow morning, we leave for the dungeon."
"Understood!" the three party leaders answered in unison, full of enthusiasm.
And then, after Keyzier stored all the money from the purchase of the magic wand in the inventory, Party Noiver strolled out of the guild, leaving the lobby still buzzing with talk of money and dungeons.