Adventurer of Many Professions

"That's Raymond; the dual-class adventurer!" someone gasped from a nearby table the moment Raymond stepped into the tavern, leading his team.

"It's really him!" whispered another, eyes wide with awe. "Look, the blonde with the metal magic staff, that has to be Sylph, the Explosion Mage!"

"Yeah, and that's definitely Lorene, the priest. Look at that uniform and the way she carries herself. No mistake there," another chimed in.

"And the girl with the bow on her back... that's the new teammate; Arya! She only joined this morning, but rumor has it her Magic Affinity is a staggering 4.2!"

Excitement buzzed through the room like a spark in dry grass. Adventurers at every table had gone quiet, but their eyes locked onto Raymond and his party as they entered. Quiet murmurs filled the air, conversations carried on just below the threshold of being overheard, but there was no hiding the attention they were drawing.

Raymond, calm and used to the stares by now, ignored the hushed voices and walked confidently up to the bar. "Boss," he said casually, "any private rooms open on the second floor?"

The tavern owner's face lit up with recognition. "Y-yes! Of course!" he stammered, nearly tripping over himself. "I'll take you there right away!"

Without hesitation, he handed off the front counter duties to a nearby waiter and personally came around the bar to escort Raymond and his companions upstairs. He kept glancing over his shoulder, clearly still in disbelief that the Raymond and his elite party were standing under his roof.

Though the boss had heard all the stories—of Raymond's dual-class awakening, of Sylph's explosive power, this was the first time he was seeing them up close.

"These rooms are all empty," the boss said, gesturing to the row of open doors along the hallway. "Feel free to pick whichever one suits you best."

Raymond walked a few steps further, glanced inside each room, and finally pointed to the innermost one at the end of the hall. "This one looks good."

He turned to the others with a small grin. "We haven't eaten since we got back from Budak Village. Let's have a proper meal here."

"Good call; I'm starving!" Sylph said with a grin, one hand on her rumbling stomach.

Arya chuckled. "I didn't do much today, just fired off a couple arrows, but somehow, I'm starving too."

Lorene nodded shyly, her cheeks tinged pink. "Me too... even though I mostly just healed you all."

Raymond grabbed the menu from the table and opened it. After choosing his meal, he passed it to Arya, who skimmed it quickly and made her choice before handing it to Sylph. Once it reached Lorene, she timidly pointed to a dish she liked.

"I'll let the kitchen know right away!" the boss said with a respectful bow. "Your food will be brought up as soon as it's ready!"

He stepped out, carefully closing the door behind him to give them privacy.

As the group finally settled into their chairs, Sylph looked up, curious. "Raymond, how many people do you think will show up for the interview in three days?"

Raymond folded his arms, thinking for a moment. "If we're just talking about Wittes Town, probably not too many. But if word spreads beyond here, if adventurers in other cities hear about it, there's a good chance we'll attract a decent number."

Sylph blinked. "Wait... don't tell me... you weren't just planning to recruit in Wittes from the beginning?"

Both Arya and Lorene looked at him in surprise.

Raymond chuckled. "Nope. From the start, I planned to spread the word beyond this town."

Arya leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with realization. "No wonder you chose to hold the interviews in three days! I was wondering why you'd wait that long. If it were just about Wittes, everyone here would hear about it within a day. But... you're giving time for the news to reach the surrounding towns too!"

"Exactly," Raymond said with a smile. "To be honest, I originally considered waiting five days, but I was worried about the adventurers who arrive early. Didn't want to make them wait too long."

That wasn't the full truth, of course. The real reason for the three-day limit was more serious.

Raymond knew all too well that when a powerful team recruits new members, competition can get... dangerous. If too many adventurers showed up, especially desperate or overly ambitious ones, it could turn ugly fast. Some might even go as far as sabotaging or eliminating potential rivals just to increase their own chances of being selected.

He wasn't being paranoid, he was being realistic. In the world of adventurers, talent was as valuable as gold, and jealousy could quickly turn into bloodshed.

As the team relaxed and waited for their food, the streets of Wittes and the Adventurer's Guild continued to buzz with rumors, speculation, and growing excitement.

The word was spreading fast.

Raymond's team, the strongest newcomers anyone had seen in years, was recruiting. And every adventurer with dreams of glory was now watching... and waiting.

As the one who had set everything in motion, Raymond couldn't help but feel a strong sense of responsibility weighing on his shoulders.

If chaos really broke out during the recruitment, if fights broke into bloodshed, he knew the consequences wouldn't be simple. The Adventurer's Guild and the Knights wouldn't stand idly by. They'd likely intervene immediately and cancel his team's right to recruit altogether.

After all, if something did happen, the casualties wouldn't be amateurs. No, those who met Raymond's strict standards, especially a Magic Affinity of 2 or higher, were undoubtedly among the most gifted adventurers in the region. Talents like that weren't just rare… they were irreplaceable.

To prevent such a tragedy, and to ensure his team could recruit in peace, Raymond deliberately set the interviews for three days later. Even if it meant missing out on a few exceptional candidates, it was a necessary compromise.

He exhaled slowly, glancing out the window of the tavern. Still… with how many adventurers there are in the border towns, we shouldn't lose too many good ones.

Most of the towns near Wittes were border towns, and the number of adventurers in those areas was significantly higher, five to six times the number found in inland towns. But most of all, his hopes rested on one place.

Somar.

Somar was a bustling border city with a permanent population of half a million, and a staggering 50,000 to 60,000 adventurers. If word of their recruitment reached there, they were bound to attract some serious talent.

Three days should be enough… Raymond thought.

Across the table, Arya and Sylph were visibly more relaxed after hearing Raymond's plan to expand recruitment beyond just Wittes. Until now, they had worried that Raymond's high requirements might scare off all potential applicants. But now it was clear, he wasn't looking just at Wittes. He was thinking bigger, much bigger.

Arya smiled and leaned forward. "So that's why you picked three days! I thought it was strange at first. With how famous our team's become in Wittes, everyone here would've heard about our recruitment within a day. But now I get it, you're giving time for the news to travel."

Raymond nodded. "I even considered setting it for five days, but…" he paused, choosing his words carefully, "too long of a delay might cause problems. The earlier adventurers arrive, the longer they have to wait. And that's time for trouble to brew."

Of course, what he didn't say out loud was what truly worried him: the possibility of violence. If too many ambitious adventurers showed up and started seeing each other as obstacles… things could turn ugly fast. Some might even go as far as sabotaging or eliminating the competition, literally.

That kind of desperate, cutthroat behavior wasn't unheard of when valuable spots on elite teams were up for grabs.

Raymond wouldn't risk it.

Just then; Dong! Dong! Dong! a knock came at the door.

"Dear guests, your food is ready," came the voice of the tavern owner from outside.

Raymond called back, "Come in."

With a quiet click, the door opened, and the owner stepped aside to allow two waiters in, each carrying trays loaded with food. The scent of roasted meat and spiced vegetables filled the room.

The tavern owner didn't step inside. He kept his head lowered respectfully and said, "Please enjoy your meal. If there's anything else you need, just let us know; we're always at your service."

Raymond gave him a nod of appreciation, and the man quietly pulled the door shut behind him, leaving them in peace.

"Ahhh, finally! Lunch time!" Sylph grinned and wasted no time digging in.

The others followed suit, letting the conversation pause as they tucked into their meals. The room was filled with the clink of utensils and the quiet satisfaction of hungry adventurers finally getting to relax.

When the plates were nearly empty, Raymond wiped his hands clean and pulled a small pouch from his belt.

"Alright," he said, placing it on the table with a clink. "Let's divide the reward from this commission."

"Ah—" Sylph let out a loud burp at that exact moment, and everyone turned to look at her.

Her face flushed bright red in an instant. "I, I didn't mean to! That was—ahh…" she stammered, clearly mortified.

"Ahem," Raymond coughed lightly, saving her from her embarrassment. "So. The total reward we got this time was two gold coins and forty-nine silver coins."

Sylph let out a sigh of relief, grateful for the quick shift in attention. She glanced sideways at Arya and Lorene, who both looked completely unfazed and not the slightest bit amused at her hiccup. That made her relax even more. Maybe she was overthinking things.

Raymond continued, shifting smoothly into calculations. "I bought four bottles of Primary Magic Recovery Potion this time. Each bottle normally costs twenty silver coins, but with the discount, they came to eighteen silver each. So, three bottles came to fifty-four silver coins."

"We also picked up four bottles of antidote, five silver each, so that's twenty silver total."

"No other supplies were needed this time, since the mission was short and just in Budak Village. So altogether, the expenses were seventy-four silver coins."

Raymond held up the pouch and gave it a small shake. "That leaves us with one gold and seventy-five silver coins."