"Zelier, what do you think?" Marcus looked at him inquiringly.
Having an assassin join would greatly enhance the party's versatility—scouting, concealed weapons, poisons, pinning down enemies, and the like.
What was more, she was a mid-rank assassin who had mastered battle aura. At critical moments, she possessed powerful execution capability, able to deliver a lethal strike to a priority target.
Even so, Marcus still had to ask for Zelier's opinion.
"Well... that works, I suppose," Zelier replied after giving it some thought, agreeing in the end.
"You sound quite reluctant."
Resting her chin on one hand, Shir asked, "Unwilling?"
"Not at all. Welcome aboard." Zelier was the first to extend a hand toward Shir.
"I look forward to seeing what you can do."
Shir shook Zelier's hand and chuckled softly. "There aren't many mages willing to take on commissions at the Adventurers' Association these days. And you've already wiped out so many monsters in succession: a Mist Demon, a giant slime, and giant-winged bats... Heh heh..."
Zelier froze.
Why is an assassin gathering so much intel on me, a mage?!
I don't even have that much money on me for you to rob!
If you want to assassinate someone, go after those old fogies in the Mages' Guild!
Zelier roared inwardly.
"With that, our party has six members," Marcus said, looking around at everyone.
Three low-rank warriors, a mid-rank ranger, a mid-rank assassin, and a Magic Apprentice with extraordinary strength.
This was the most formidable lineup he had ever assembled in his adventuring career.
"We're not short on anyone, right? Six should be plenty," Vallis said.
"Pretty much." Zelier nodded.
Marcus and Gak would hold the front line, Gray would provide support, while Vallis and Zelier were the core damage dealers.
As for Shir...
She could act as a roamer.
After all, assassins were typically treated as free roamers anyway.
Having settled on the party composition, Marcus led them to the front desk to accept the quest.
"Ella, we'd like to take on this revenge commission."
"Certainly. May I have the party roster?" Ella began writing on a sheet of paper.
"Hold on!"
A gruff voice boomed out, loud enough to make everyone's ears ache.
A tall man with a short beard strode briskly through the crowd and stepped up to the counter.
Five party members followed behind him, every one of them looking distinctly unfriendly.
"We're taking this commission!"
The short-bearded man slapped the counter brazenly, ignoring Marcus completely. "Register us right now!"
"Eh?"
An awkward expression appeared on Ella's face. "I'm afraid that might be difficult, Mr. Drake... Another party arrived first."
"Tch..."
The man scoffed in disdain.
His gaze swept across Marcus and his companions, making no attempt to hide his derision.
"With them? They'd better steer clear. Are they looking to get themselves killed?"
The party members behind Drake laughed along with him, showing no respect whatsoever.
"If you don't know how to speak properly, keep your mouth shut," Marcus said coldly. "Move aside. We're taking this quest."
"Who are you telling to move aside?" Drake stepped forward.
"Are you deaf?" Gray jeered right back.
"A mere low-rank warrior. No real skill, but plenty of temper." Drake shoved his way forward, his tone vicious. "Looking to die?"
"Want to fight?" Gak planted himself right in front of Drake.
Behind Drake, two warriors drew their blades three inches and took two steps forward.
Gray, refusing to be outdone, stepped up beside Marcus in support.
The tension instantly flared into an armed standoff.
Shir merely watched the scene from the side with keen amusement.
She said nothing, yet at some point, a compact dagger had appeared in her hand, sharp silver light tumbling and shifting between her fingertips.
"Adventurers, please do not start a conflict inside the association!"
Ella grew frantic and bowed to both sides. "Please wait, I'll fetch the person in charge to handle this!"
With that, Ella trotted into the back room.
The surrounding adventurers looked on, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
"Who's this idiot?" Zelier asked Vallis in a low voice.
"Drake. A mid-rank warrior, the frontline type."
Vallis recognized the men. They routinely acted like bullies around the Adventurers' Association.
"Aside from him, their party has two other mid-rank warriors, both swordsmen."
Three mid-rank combatants in a single party...?
Zelier narrowed his eyes slightly.
They actually had some strength to back it up. No wonder they acted so arrogant and domineering.
Still, he wondered whether a mid-rank warrior protected by battle aura could withstand a single Arcane Missile from him.
Before long, Ella returned to the front desk, followed by a tall, upright man.
Though his black hair was streaked with gray and he had passed the prime of a man's vigor, his chiseled features and tower-like, unyielding presence still radiated authority.
Hogan, the head of the Blackstone Town branch.
"Master Hogan, both of these groups want to take the same commission," Ella said respectfully.
As Hogan's gaze swept over them, Drake and Marcus both stepped back a bit.
In his presence, they still had to exercise restraint.
In his youth, Hogan was a high-rank warrior and a gold-rank adventurer, commanding immense prestige.
Now retired from the front lines, he served as the guild master of the Blackstone Town Adventurers' Association branch.
"President Hogan, we have three mid-rank combatants in total, all warriors, and our strength is formidable. We're definitely far more reliable than Marcus's party!" Drake volunteered with bluster, "We're determined to take this goblin subjugation quest!"
"President Hogan, we also have two mid-rank combatants—an assassin and a ranger—plus a mage. We have great confidence in completing this mission," Marcus spoke up as well.
Hogan's gaze slowly swept over everyone. After a moment, he pointed toward Marcus.
"Marcus, this commission belongs to your party."
"Thank you for your trust, President." Marcus pressed a hand against his chest.
"On what grounds?! They have one fewer mid-rank combatant than us!" Drake immediately grew agitated. "President Hogan, that's not fair!"
"The key to this commission is not the Orc Goblins, but the White-Haired Goblin."
Hogan looked at Drake, whose face was filled with indignation.
"If you cannot dispatch the White-Haired Goblin quickly, your party will be plunged into a dire situation. Can you guarantee you can deal with the magic it casts?"
"All three of your mid-rank combatants are warriors suited for frontal confrontation, making it easy for the Orc Goblins to bog you down. That is your greatest weakness."
Drake's retort faltered, catching in his throat.
Drake's party was also a six-person group: three mid-rank warriors, two low-rank rangers, and one low-rank assassin.
Just as Hogan said, their party's biggest shortcoming was the lack of strong ranged firepower.
Chapter 42