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Chapter 98: The Pantry
Along the way, Robin and Hyacine heard about the quest Naaza had handed Aiden and Tifa that morning, as well as the completely disproportionate reward.
"Sigh..." Robin breathed a soft sigh.
A hint of resignation flickered in her lake-green eyes. "She should have just asked us directly. Out of respect for Lord Miach, we would have helped her no matter what."
Asking for a favor directly would have been fine, but choosing to frame it as an official Adventurer Commission with the lowest possible payout was incredibly poor form. Naaza was being foolish.
Hyacine was a bit more blunt.
Her pink twin-tails bobbed slightly as she spoke in a calm tone. "Lord Miach and Miss Naaza taught me a bit about this world's potions, and I've always remembered that favor. We can treat this as repaying that debt."
She paused before adding, "But favors eventually run out. If Miss Naaza keeps acting this way, the relationship between our Focalors Familia and the Miach Familia will likely end right here."
For them, this was just a minor hiccup and not a major issue.
"Since we've already taken Naaza's Adventurer Commission, we might as well pick up a few more," Aiden suggested. "We can do them all at once and earn some extra cash."
Simply put, an "Adventurer Commission" was a general term for hiring an adventurer to do a job. Various clients would post tasks along with appropriate rewards to solve whatever problems they had. Adventurers would then complete the tasks and claim the payment. According to the gods, this was the definition of an "equal exchange."
Flowing with the tide of adventurers, the group soon reached a massive building made of beautiful white stone. It looked like a grand pantheon—the Guild Headquarters.
Crossing the broad courtyard and stepping into the high-ceilinged lobby, they saw a massive throng of adventurers pushing their way in and out amidst a deafening clamor.
To one side of the lobby stood a massive notice board, densely plastered with countless sheets of parchment. Though some were official Guild notices regarding the Dungeon or important adventurer information, the vast majority were various Adventurer Commissions. Every parchment clearly listed the task and reward, with the client's signature or Familia crest affixed to the bottom.
"Let's see..."
Aiden stepped up to the notice board, his eyes scanning the requests. "'Seeking Hellhound Fang × 10'—'Will trade the following for a 24th Floor Jewel Tree Fruit'—'Recruiting temporary party members for Floor Boss subjugation, Note: Must be at least Lv. 3'..."
He noticed that almost all the Adventurer Commissions were for items from the middle floors or below; there were barely any tasks for the upper floors.
This was simply because any standard Familia or adventurer could explore the upper floors on their own. Unless they had absolutely zero talent, a party could take their time and safely push down to roughly the 7th floor. Over half the adventurers in Orario were still unranked Lv. 1s. Most Familias could reach the upper floors but couldn't break into the middle floors. Because few adventurers could reach the middle floors and beyond, quests targeting those depths naturally piled up.
However, the Guild only allowed established Familias or reputable merchants to post commissions because they possessed the required credit standing. Ordinary citizens or shady clients were barred from the Guild board and had to post their requests in nearby taverns instead.
Naturally, those tavern quests offered zero guarantees. Adventurers could risk their lives completing a job only to be stiffed on the payment or dragged into even worse trouble. Therefore, most rational adventurers stuck to Guild-sanctioned quests and steered clear of sketchy private commissions, knowing that a seemingly sweet deal might actually be a lethal trap.
After grabbing a few gathering quests that were on their route, the four headed straight into the Dungeon. Their primary objective was to fulfill Naaza's request and gather Blue Papilio wings.
This butterfly-type monster only spawned on the 7th floor of the Dungeon. They possessed four translucent, blue wings that shed faintly glowing scales as they flew. Their elegant forms were so mesmerizing that even battle-hardened adventurers often paused to admire them.
The Blue Papilio was a "Rare Monster" known for its un-monster-like beauty and extreme elusiveness. Monsters that spawned infrequently and were rarely seen on their respective floors were classified as "Rare Monsters" by adventurers, and the Blue Papilio fit the bill perfectly. Needless to say, items dropped by these hard-to-find creatures were highly prized and extremely valuable.
While the Blue Papilio's encounter rate was technically higher than other Rare Monsters, actively searching for one through normal exploration methods would still eat up a massive chunk of time.
Aiden's group breezed their way down to the 7th floor. Normally, they would just rush deeper, rarely bothering to explore the nooks and crannies of the upper levels.
Aiden drew the longsword at his waist. This was the Third-Class Weapon Lefiya had commissioned Tsubaki to forge for him, which Aiden had named "Fire Spirit." He chose the name because it was built to withstand high temperatures and to honor Lefiya's thoughtful gift. With this sword in hand, as long as he didn't abuse the second stage of his Everlasting Flames, it would serve him for a very long time.
The blade cut through the air, flashing like silver lightning. Several Killer Ants were sliced in half instantly, dissolving into black ash. Hyacine and Robin moved in flawlessly to collect the dropped magic stones.
"We should be close to a Pantry," Robin murmured.
Having diligently studied Eina's lessons, all four of them knew that the deepest parts of every floor usually contained a "Pantry"—a special zone that supplied sustenance to the floor's monsters.
Yes, even Dungeon monsters needed to "eat."
As they advanced, the surrounding landscape shifted noticeably. The pale green walls, the phosphorescent ceiling, and the ground beneath their feet began taking on a rough, uneven texture. The further they went, the more the labyrinth lost its structured, artificial shape, creating the illusion of wandering into a natural cavern. The phosphorescent glow above gradually dimmed, losing its former brightness.
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