Chapter 294: Three Missions

River Valley Town outskirts.

A certain inconspicuous old bungalow.

"Tap, tap."

Fingertips knocked unconsciously on the map spread on the table.

The subtle and clear sound that followed echoed leisurely in the dust and wood chips in the air.

The dark golden long hair was braided into practical and neat braids and tied tightly behind her head, ensuring that even in the most intense battle, not a single extra strand of hair would interfere with her line of sight or actions;

the skin was a healthy wheat color from years of wind and sun, and under the long and sharp eyebrows, the calm and steady eyes were currently filled with deep contemplation, as if thinking about something.

Judging from the longsword leaning diagonally against the edge of the table beside her, and the light and sturdy armor on her body that was polished bright and well-maintained, this heroic woman should be a veteran adventurer.

She didn't speak, just sat at the only wooden table in the small room, staring at the map in front of her, waiting quietly.

The air was incomparably quiet, but she was not the only one in the room.

On the sofa under the window sill, a thin young man wrapped in a loose brown robe was sitting carefully.

It was as if he had just reached adulthood; that nervous and cowardly face still retained some childishness, and the skin color was a paleness rarely seen among commoners in this world.

His eyes were large, but the unease, hesitation, and slight panic flickering in them, the shifting and floating gaze, and the slightly furrowed brows made that pair of gentle light blue eyes no longer worth appreciating.

A student who had just graduated and hadn't had time to contact the cruel outside society? Or a noble descendant born with a silver spoon, grown up safely under proper protection, and not yet having a complete and clear understanding of the world?

The staff he held tightly in his hand, made of oak and dark crystals in the most classic style, might give the answer.

And if you observe a little more carefully, you can discover the trace of a third figure through the faint and leisurely breathing in the room.

Located in the corner of the room, in the shadows where the sunlight outside the window could not reach.

A thin and long shadow that was almost integrated with the shadows was standing there vaguely.

The face was thin, the cheekbones were high, mean and suspicious.

The cold eyes hidden in the depths of the shadows were looking out the window along the direction of the sunlight with undisguised sarcasm, and a smirk hung on the corner of his mouth, as if he were excited about the mocking words about to be blurted out.

The man was wearing a dark, soft, and almost non-reflective tight-fitting garment, with slight bulges at the chest and shoulders/elbows, representing the metal armor used for protection underneath.

The right hand, full of calluses and scars, was nimbly playing with a sharp dagger.

The cold light flashed in the room from time to time; the sharp blade tip that could easily cut hair flowed smoothly between his palms, knuckles, and wrists under the manipulation of his fingers, but didn't leave a single wound.

Swordsman, Mage, Rogue.

These were all three people in the room.

But clearly, this was not all of them.

As a professional-level adventurer squad, such positioning and allocation of team members was undoubtedly unreasonable.

The responsibility of crowd control and back-row output was borne by the Mage.

The Rogue wandered around looking for opportunities, and the Swordsman fought head-on.

But from the perspective of job allocation, their adventurer team was still missing one who could stand at the very front, attract enemy hatred for teammates, and buy time for defense.

This kind of adventurer was not hard to find.

In fact, from the crowds coming and going in the association, picking a few Orcs at random, they could basically handle this duty.

Of course, after all, it was a veteran adventurer squad composed entirely of professionals; the selection of teammates could not be so childish.

They did indeed possess a reliable and trustworthy teammate who had been tested in practice and was willing to entrust their backs to them.

"Pat, pat."

The heavy and slow footsteps, accompanied by a bit of urgency, sounded from outside the door, faintly carrying the light sound of metal chain friction.

Clang—

The fragile and thin wooden door, which was not locked, was pushed open violently, and the huge movement startled the thin Mage sitting on the sofa.

"Alright, alright, I'm here! I didn't arrive too late, did I!"

The metal flail and prism hammer hanging at his waist collided with each other. Having just rushed from the transaction room on the second floor of the Adventurer Association, the straightforward dwarf named "Suoerding" reached out to wipe the sweat on his forehead, and his loud, thunder-like voice echoed in the room.

"Oh? 'Didn't arrive too late'?"

As if having been brewing for a long time, as soon as Suoerding's voice fell, a cold and clearly sarcastic voice couldn't wait to come from the shadows in the corner of the room.

"It's just buying a toy for your cute little nephew, and you made the three of us wait for you for so long... this is what you dwarves often hang on your lips, the so-called 'Furnace Code'?"

"Actually, we didn't wait that long..."

Hearing the Rogue's words were so mean, the young Mage sitting on the sofa, who had always had a good relationship with Suoerding, muttered subconsciously.

But halfway through his words, he was just swept by that pair of cold and playful eyes, and the Mage couldn't help but close his mouth, shrinking his body on the sofa like a frightened quail, no longer paying attention to the things on the field.

"Shut your stinking mouth, Shajin!"

The sarcasm that captured the pain point and was extremely targeted made the dwarf almost instantly enraged; the fire red symbolizing anger surged on his neck and spread to most of his face, and he retorted at the top of his lungs:

"This is not a toy; it is a high-quality flail! The quality is much better than that leather armor you wear that can't see the light! One stick is enough to smash your entire head!"

Saying this, Suoerding patted the flail at his waist even harder; the collision between his thick palm and the flail made a dull sound, as if this could prove its value.

"Oh~ that's really touching family affection." The Rogue Shajin sneered, rolled his eyes, and the excitement during the verbal confrontation made the dagger in his hand spin faster.

"I hope that when your little nephew waves his laughable toy, we haven't been torn into pieces by the demons in the forest because of these pitiful affections of yours."

"Speaking of which, is this thing really useful in actual combat? I thought it was used by those mud-legged people in the fields to process grain."

"I'm afraid it can only be used to kill a few of the most trashy Goblins in the end?"

"At least it's better than you who only knows how to hide in the shadows and stab people!" Suoerding almost roared back.

"At least when I stab people, I won't let the whole team wait for me to buy a gift for some nephew." Shajin didn't show weakness and retorted.

And just as the confrontation between the two became increasingly intense, gradually rising to personal attacks and racial discrimination.

A clear, calm, and unquestionable voice cut off the quarrel.

"Enough."

I don't know when, the finger that was regularly tapping on the table had stopped jumping.

The serious and focused gaze was withdrawn from the map and looked at the two people in the room who were interrupted.

As the captain of the "Oath-Blackwood" squad, 【Swordsman】 Margaret possessed absolute prestige and command.

Even the Rogue Shajin, who was always mean, or the dwarf Suoerding, who went crazy after being enraged, had to hang their heads aggrievedly in the face of her cold voice, not daring to look at her again.

Slowly getting up, in a capable and smooth way without any extra movements, she put the map on the table back into her backpack, picked up the longsword leaning beside her, and tied it back to her body. ===== CHAPTER 295 =====