After a short stroll, Quinn and Nexus had reached the guild. Entering through the main gate, they walked past the rookie adventurers training in the yard — some throwing fireballs and water bullets from vast distances, trying to hit wooden training dummies manipulated by a puppet-master ability to make the training more realistic.
Other trainees practiced weapons-based and hand-to-hand combat, facing each other in mock battles using wooden versions of their weapons of choice.
Quinn's eyes scanned the area as they passed the trainees, observing their skills closely — examining form, power, agility, and strategy. "Man, this year's trainees are terrible."
Nexus looked to Quinn, raising an eyebrow at his statement. "You said that last year too."
Quinn sighed, looking down at Nexus from his shoulder with one hand on his head to hold his balance. "Yeah, but this year is even worse. I'd be surprised if we even get a single CC-Rank from this batch."
"I think you're being a bit too harsh on them. They've only been training two months now — they won't be in the field for at least ten more months," Nexus replied as they entered the main hall, walking past the other adventurers collecting their pay for the day, looking for job listings, or just chatting with their party.
"I agree they just started, but they don't have any talent or grit. For crying out loud, when we were in the academy, I was slinging fireballs the size of buildings, and you were doing one-arm push-ups with a slab of lead tied to your back." Quinn's eyes glowed with pride as he spoke, resembling those of an enthusiastic child.
For a minute, Nexus looked at Quinn, realizing how adorable he looked while reminiscing about when they were back in the academy. But then he remembered that Quinn was a grown man, and he was basically calling him cute.
Nexus's face flashed from a soft smile to an awkward stare to completely neutral — going through a weird mix of emotions — before replying to Quinn with a hint of shaking in his voice, "What's your point?"
"My point is, I had talent and you had grit — that's why we made it this far. If these rookies can't learn fast, then they need to put in the extra effort," Quinn replied as they reached the guild receptionist. Nexus waved her over, apologizing to the adventurer she was talking to a moment ago for interrupting their conversation.
The adventurer understood he wouldn't take long and didn't take offense. Plus, he didn't want to offend Quinn or Nexus, since they were known as some of the strongest in the guild.
Nexus asked the receptionist where they could find Rosefield. She pointed them to the upper room where the guild master would hold most of the guild meetings, telling him that she was currently in a meeting with some of the guild's S-Ranks, taking the place of the guild master while she was away.
Nexus thanked her, then made his way upstairs, continuing his conversation with Quinn. "Maybe you should try training the rookies — or maybe your own little squad. I'm sure the guild master would love to hear you passing down your techniques."
"Yeah, you're right — she would like that. But that seems like a lot of work, and balancing that and adventuring would be a little too much," Quinn replied as they reached the upper hallway, making a left turn as they walked to a waiting room near where the meeting was being held.
"I don't think it's a really hard job. I mean, all our instructors did was give us orders and shout at us anytime we were too slow." Nexus scratched his head as he remembered his days in the academy.
His eyes hung low and his jaw clenched as the memories of one particular instructor came to mind — a red-haired woman who constantly belittled him for the fun of it.
"Man, that woman was annoying," he said aloud, not realizing until it was too late.
"Huh… who are you talking about?" Quinn's question snapped Nexus back into reality, surprising him to the point his body jolted.
"Oh, just thinking out loud." Opening the door to the waiting room, they entered, feeling a nice cool breeze — quite different from outside.
An ice crystal hung from the ceiling like a crystal chandelier, providing the cool air depending on the temperature outside.
Nexus dropped back into one of the four large sofas surrounding a small mahogany table.
Quinn leapt off his shoulder and fell into the sofa, landing beside him and curling up into a ball like a house cat.
The sofas were far softer than the ones they had at home, and they changed their shape based on the person sitting, providing maximum comfort.
"Man, this feels awesome. Wake me up when the meeting's over." Nexus yawned as his eyes grew even heavier than this morning, causing him to fall asleep in a few seconds.
Quinn waved him off, replying, "No problem," as he slowly drifted into sleep as well.
"Nexus… Nexus… Nexus, get up." Nexus felt a few light taps on his face as a soft feminine voice called his name.
His eyes slowly fluttered open as he locked eyes with a tall, dark-skinned girl with her hair twisted into two large braids, wearing silver armor with gold trimmings.
"You're finally up, sleeping beauty," she replied, giggling as Nexus finally sat up.
"So my princess in shining armor woke me up with a slap instead of a kiss. How romantic," Nexus replied sarcastically, stretching and yawning before standing up to talk to Rosefield.
Rosefield blushed a bit, trying to hold back her excitement after hearing him call her his princess.
"So, how did the meeting go?" Nexus inquired, confused about why he and Quinn weren't invited.
"It went well, all things considered." Rosefield looked to the side as she spoke. The meeting went horribly, but she tried her best to play it off — though Nexus could easily see that she was lying.
"Did the others give you a hard time again?"
Rosefield's eyes perked up in surprise when she saw that Nexus saw through her bluff. She shook her head. "No, no, no — it was just… uh… well—"
"You don't have to lie. I know how those guys can be difficult, especially Snow." Nexus's shoulders slouched and his voice went monotone as he mentioned Snow.
Rosefield, on the other hand, had the complete opposite reaction — she started shaking her hands as if she were saying stop talking, wearing a worried expression.
"She's right behind me, isn't she?" Nexus replied as he closed his eyes, ready to accept his frozen fate.
Rosefield nodded as Nexus felt an ice-cold hand grab his left shoulder, causing him to shiver — not from the cold, but out of fear. "For your information, I was the only one defending your little girlfriend."
"Your needless assumptions about me are unappreciated. Next time, keep them to yourself, you bumbling buffoon." Snow's voice was filled with hostility — every word she spoke cut deeper than any blade.
Snow let go of Nexus's shoulder, leaving a thin layer of ice as she walked away, heading downstairs with the same dead expression that always hung on her face.
Catching his breath and brushing off the ice from his shoulder, Nexus couldn't believe he got away with just a scolding. "Mmm… I don't know if I was let off the hook or if she's just waiting to catch me alone."
"I think you're off the hook. She's not that bad when you get to know her," Rosefield replied as she sat on the sofa across from Nexus.
"When did you two become friends?" Nexus asked while rubbing his shoulder, trying to regain feeling in his joint.
"We went on a few missions together. We ended up talking and realized we both had a lot in common." Rosefield's words came as a surprise to Nexus — he hadn't realized they'd joined parties before. Maybe it happened when he was already away on a mission, he thought.
"Ok, enough about me and Snow — let's talk about why I called you here. I have a special request for you and Quinn, and it pays big time." As soon as the words pays big time left Rosefield's mouth, a certain little cat boy's ears began twitching.
He jolted awake, lying sideways with his hand on his cheek like he was posing for a picture. "You've got my attention. Now, how big are we talking?"
Nexus looked at Quinn's overly playful grin with an unamused stare, thinking to himself, This is the type of greed they warned us about in the Bible.
Rosefield, on the other hand, giggled, finding his enthusiasm charming. "So, as usual, another noble needs some monster parts — but this time it's dragon scales."
Nexus immediately answered, "No."
But Quinn — ever the greedy little bastard and a good negotiator — stopped Nexus by putting his hand in his face, causing him to rock back. "Wait — what kind of dragon are we talking about?"
Rosefield, grateful for Quinn hearing her out, replied, "Don't worry — it's an overworld drake. Nothing you guys can't handle."
Nexus swatted away Quinn's hand and replied, "Ok — you should've led with that. I almost thought you were leading us into a death trap."