Damien stepped over to the counter, his silver eyes locking onto the girl who had vanished from his sight earlier that day.
She stood behind the desk, her ever-present smile widening as he approached. Her casual demeanor made it seem like she had been expecting him all along.
“Well, look who it is,” she teased, leaning forward slightly. “Didn’t think I’d see you again so soon. Came here for me, didn’t you?”
Damien smirked, resting a hand on the counter. “And here I thought fate just wanted us to keep crossing paths. Guess I should’ve known you’d think I tracked you down on purpose.”
Arielle chuckled, her brown eyes gleaming with amusement. “Alright then, if it’s not me, what brings you here?”
“Let’s just call it business,” Damien replied. “How’s that for an answer?”
She tilted her head, clearly intrigued. “Fair enough. How did it go with the orphanage? Everything good?”
Damien exhaled and shrugged. “Not what I expected, but better than I could have hoped for. The kids are rough, and the guardian… well, she was grateful.”
“Sounds like a decent ending,” Arielle said. “And now?”
“Now,” Damien said, “I’m finally introducing myself since I didn’t get the chance earlier. I’m Damien.”
Her lips curled into a smile, and she extended her hand. “Arielle. Nice to meet you, Damien. Officially this time.”
They shook hands briefly before Damien opened his mouth to ask another question, only for Arielle to cut him off with a knowing grin.
“Let me save you the trouble of asking,” she said. “Yes, I work here part-time. The rest of the time, I’m out touring or hunting as a Silver-Ranked Dunter. Keeps me busy when I’m not catching up on sleep.”
Damien’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Silver-Ranked, huh? No wonder I sensed that magic essence. I figured you had to be a Dunter or something similar.”
“You’re sharper than you look,” she teased.
“Comes with the territory and a few years of experience,” Damien replied, his smirk widening.
Arielle’s expression softened slightly as she leaned against the counter. “Alright, enough about me. Your turn. Why are you really here? What’s this ‘business’ of yours?”
Damien met her gaze, his expression unreadable. “I lost my Mercenary ID,” he lied effortlessly. “Figured it was time to get a new one. Under a different name.”
She raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. “Really? You don’t strike me as the careless type. But hey, I’m not here to judge.”
Damien shrugged. “Believe it or not, that’s the truth.”
“Alright, Damien,” she said, drawing out his name with playful emphasis. “If you want a new ID, there are a few requirements.”
“Such as?”
She tapped the counter lightly with her fingers. “You’ll need to complete a task that matches the rank you want your ID to reflect. Once you’ve finished, we’ll issue a new ID at that rank. Simple enough, right?”
Damien nodded slowly. “Fair. What kind of tasks are we talking about?”
Arielle gestured toward the mission board on the wall. “We’ve got a range of missions ranked just like mana beasts. Grade Seven is the easiest, and Grade Four is the toughest we have posted right now. Take your pick.”
Damien wandered over to the mission board, his sharp eyes scanning the array of pinned notices. The categories were clear, with colored tags indicating the rank of each task.
He skimmed through the Grade Four missions first, but none of them involved demons, which was what he was looking for. Shifting his focus to Grade Five, he found one that immediately caught his attention:
|Grade Five Mission: Demonic Infestation
Location: Southern edge of the town, near the border.
Details: A small horde of Grade Six demons has created a nest. While individually weak, their numbers pose a significant threat to travelers and townsfolk. The mission requires the elimination of the nest and all demons within.
Reward: 400 gold coins.|
Damien pulled the notice from the board, a faint smirk playing on his lips. The task aligned perfectly with his system’s main objective of demon hunting, and it was the ideal opportunity to test his growing strength.
Maybe the demons outside would pose a different level of threat compared to the ones in the forest of twin disasters or worse, be weaker than them. He would have to find out by himself.
He returned to the counter, handing the notice to Arielle.
“This one,” he said confidently. “It seems just right for me.”
Arielle took the notice, her eyes flicking over the details. She nodded in approval. “Not a bad choice. A little ambitious for most, but something tells me you’ll be fine.”
Reaching beneath the counter, she retrieved a small rolled-up map. Spreading it out, she circled two points in red ink: one marking Damien’s current location and the other marking the nest’s position.
“This is where you are,” She tapped the first circle she’s drawn in the map before moving her hand.
“And this is where you’ll find the nest,” she said, tapping the circled spot near the town’s southern edge. “It’s not too far, but don’t underestimate those demons. They might be small fry individually, but in groups, they can be deadly.”
Damien studied the map, committing the route to memory. “Got it.”
Arielle leaned back, crossing her arms. “You know, most people wouldn’t take a mission like this alone. Not unless they had a death wish.”
Damien met her gaze with a faint smile. “Good thing I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “You’re an interesting one, Damien. Alright then, good luck. Don’t get yourself killed, okay? I’d hate to lose such entertaining company so soon.”
Damien chuckled as he tucked the map into his pocket. “I’ll keep that in mind. Expect good news in a few hours—or maybe a day if I’m feeling lazy.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the mercenary office, the notice in hand and a clear goal in mind.
Arielle watched him go, her smile lingering as she murmured to herself, “Fate, huh? Let’s see what you’re made of, Damien.”
Her eyes landed on a book she’d been reading earlier on. “Oh! I better continue this.” She grinned, picking up the book.
