Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

“The commission takes effect immediately.”

“Shortly, a staff member will bring you to meet that intern. As for the specific teaching plan, as well as when to take her out of the city to begin the actual internship, it will be entirely up to you.”

The old man paused, as if recalling something.

“As for the Breathing Technique you requested—that thing has been gathering dust for too long. I’ll need some time to have someone find it.”

“Come back tonight to collect it.”

“Thank you, Guild Master.”

Lance expressed his gratitude politely, folded the commission document neatly, and tucked it into the inner pocket of his clothing before turning and leaving the office.

As the heavy oak door closed once more, the room returned to silence.

Necros picked up the feather quill on the desk again, preparing to continue reviewing the mountain of supply allocation forms.

However, just as the pen tip touched the paper, his movement suddenly stopped.The old man raised his head, his gaze drifting toward the direction Lance had left, a hint of amusement flashing in his sharp eyes.

“That brat…”

Necros stroked the stiff stubble on his chin and couldn’t help but smile.

“Could it be that he had already guessed that I didn’t actually have any other candidate besides him?”

Thinking back to the negotiation just now—

When the boy heard the gold coin reward, his eyes had clearly lit up. It was obvious he had been tempted.

Yet the next moment, he abruptly changed his attitude, refusing outright and putting on a stance as if he would never accept it no matter what.

Now that he thought about it, that had clearly been probing his bottom line.

And he, an old man who had lived for decades longer, had actually fallen right into this kid’s scheme.

“Hahahahaha!”

After realizing this, not only was Necros not angry, he instead burst into hearty laughter.

The sound made even the ink bottle on the desk tremble slightly.

“Interesting kid. His head works quite well.”

Someone who understood how to assess situations—and even dared to play tricks with those in higher positions—was exactly the kind of person who survived the longest in dangerous Underground Dungeon Labyrinths.

The old man tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, a faint thought of wanting to properly cultivate this kid arising in his heart.

Since he desired power so much, and possessed such sharp instincts along with decent combat skills—

“Perhaps…”

Necros pulled open a drawer, his gaze falling on a rust-covered badge in the corner.

“He could go to that ruin in my place… bring back what we failed to retrieve back then, and make up for that regret?”

The old man’s eyes gradually dimmed as he sank into a not-so-pleasant memory.

After a long while—

A heavy sigh echoed in the room.

Necros closed the drawer and refocused on the documents in front of him.

It was still too early to talk about such things. First, he needed to see whether this kid could properly guide that delicate violet through this internship.

……

At the same time, the first-floor hall of the Adventurers’ Guild.

The once noisy crowd had mostly dispersed. Most of the interns had already departed with their respective mentor teams.

At a round table in the corner of the hall, a girl wearing the Violet Academy uniform sat alone.

Cecilia placed both hands neatly on her knees, her back straight.

Yet on her delicate, porcelain-doll-like face was written confusion and helplessness.

Her crimson eyes occasionally glanced toward the entrance of the hall, only to quickly withdraw again.

“It’s okay, Cecilia.”

Sitting beside her was a girl with ear-length short hair and a few cute freckles on her cheeks.

Yuna reached out, held Cecilia’s slightly cold hand, and gently patted it.

“Your internship team must have been delayed by something important, or they’re still preparing supplies. They’ll be here soon.”

Although she said this to comfort her, Yuna herself wasn’t very confident.

When they had first been assigned dormitories, learning that she would be sharing a room with the legendary young lady of the Rosenthal Family had nearly scared her to death.

She had been worried that this so-called genius noble lady would have a difficult personality and treat her like a servant.

But after a few days of living together—

She discovered that not only did this young lady lack any arrogance, she was actually somewhat naïve and soft-natured.

That doll-like delicate appearance, combined with her occasional clumsy behavior—

It instantly struck Yuna’s heart, making her maternal instincts surge, and she directly began treating Cecilia as a top-priority person to protect.

“But…”

Cecilia bit her lower lip.

“The internship manual says that each day’s task completion will be quantitatively scored.”

“If I fail to depart today, I’ll lose one day of base points.”

She could already feel a trace of anxiety creeping in.

The evaluation rules this time were very strict.

Although the internship team’s score only accounted for thirty percent of the total, the final “Excellent” ranking was determined by the total scores of all participants.

Only the top three overall would be rated Excellent.

Whether for the information on rare class advancement, or for the sake of her identity as a member of the Rosenthal Family, she had to strive to obtain an Excellent evaluation.

“Yuna Clement!”

At that moment, a loud call rang out from the other side of the hall.

A female Adventurer wearing light armor and carrying a greatsword on her back was waving a piece of parchment while loudly calling Yuna’s name.

“Over here! I’m here!”

Yuna immediately stood up and raised her arm in response.

That was her internship team coming to pick her up.

She turned her head, looking at Cecilia with some concern, and quickly instructed:

“Looks like I have to go too.”

“Don’t worry—wait here a bit longer.”

“If no one comes, go to the front desk over there and ask that kind-looking clerk for help.”

“Don’t wander around casually. There are too many people here—it’s chaotic, understand?”

Cecilia nodded obediently.

“I understand. Go quickly, don’t keep your team waiting.”

After Yuna left, the unease from her own team not having arrived yet, combined with being alone in an unfamiliar environment—

Cecilia felt her palms begin to sweat slightly.

She closed her eyes and started trying the small trick Yuna had taught her to relieve anxiety.

Deep breathing.

She slightly parted her lips and began to inhale slowly, trying to let the cool air fill her lungs.

Just as she had only drawn in half a breath, before her chest had fully expanded—

“You’re Cecilia, right?”

A calm male voice suddenly sounded above her without warning.

“Cough—cough—cough!”

The sudden voice startled the girl, who had been fully focused on her breathing.

The breath went straight into her windpipe, triggering a violent coughing fit.

While clutching her chest and coughing painfully, Cecilia hurriedly raised her head in panic.

What entered her sight—

Was a young man wearing a gray chainmail hooded cloak, most of his face hidden in shadow.

Her crimson eyes, misted with tears from coughing, unexpectedly collided with that scrutinizing gaze.