【Quest Rank: S】

【Quest Type: Exploration】

【Quest Objective: Investigate the strength and habits of the special monster “Black Puchi,” or slay it】

【Quest Reward: 100 gold coins / 200 gold coins (slaying), one Tier-2 Exchange Voucher】

【Quest Description: The special monster “Black Puchi” is active on the 5th and 6th floors, with confirmed combat records…】

On the fourth day after Begorn’s squad’s annihilation was confirmed, Oberon, the branch guildmaster, finally caved to Mirabelle’s relentless “nagging” and issued an S-rank guild bounty.

Mirabelle had no choice. Oberon was about to be reassigned, so he didn’t care—but she was staying!

When the new branch master arrived and saw such a disaster had been left unattended, adventurers lost, and public trust squandered…

Everyone would be blamed for negligence. A perfect excuse for a purge, replacing half the staff with the new master’s cronies.

Mirabelle still intended to grind her seniority, then transfer to guild headquarters for a cushy retirement post.

So she kept pestering Oberon, refusing to let him drink in peace until he signed off on the bounty.

At last, it was done—even if it took longer than it should have.

Whether anyone could actually complete the quest, though, was none of her concern. Once the guild formally posted it, her duty was fulfilled.

The Adventurer’s Guild had three types of jobs.

The first was client commissions: tasks of every variety, from escorts and gathering, to rescues and monster hunts. After an initial evaluation, the client paid a deposit and fee, and the quest was posted. Most adventurers made their living this way.

The second was guild collection contracts, usually for gathering materials. These were technically “quests,” but in reality just bulk purchases. Prices matched market minimums. Adventurers only sold here when they couldn’t offload goods elsewhere.

The last type was the guild’s special commissions, known simply as “guild bounties.”

These were issued only when the guild deemed a situation unavoidable and requiring immediate response.

They were always A-rank or higher.

And while they were often dangerous and urgent, their rewards were correspondingly rich.

—

Before the magically-lit quest board, a crowd of adventurers had gathered—not to accept the task, but to gape at it.

“S-rank, as expected!”

No one was surprised. A whole gold-ranked squad had been wiped out—what else could it be?

Some had even guessed it might be S+… though such guesses had few believers.

It had been over a decade since Purple Crystal Dungeon saw an S+ guild bounty. Even the last S-rank quest, three years ago, had been different: the ninth floor had inexplicably spawned a Flesh Sovereign.

For diamond-ranked adventurers, it wasn’t unbeatable, but its endless flesh spread through the entire floor, blocking every passage. Only then had the guild issued an S-rank purge mission.

Nine diamond-rankers worked in unison to suppress and cut it apart, finally destroying the core.

That kind of “large-scale purge mission” was a very different beast from this “exploration.”

And S+? That was the stuff of legend. Plenty of rumors, little fact. Truth likely lay sealed in the guild’s archives.

“But… the gold reward looks kinda low.”

A rookie, seeing an S-rank bounty for the first time, frowned.

They’d seen private S-rank commissions before—like the famous “rescue the duke’s daughter” quest adventurers still gossiped about.

Even the more ordinary ones, like the pre-Demon Tide hunt for werewolf fangs, had paid 10 gold per fang. One werewolf was worth at least 40 gold.

And tenth-floor werewolves weren’t all level 50—most hovered in the forties.

Begorn’s squad could’ve gritted their teeth and tried for that.

Compared to that, this S-rank bounty’s gold reward did seem meager.

But the rookie was quickly mocked.

“Idiot. Do you not understand what that Tier-2 Exchange Voucher means? You’re drooling over pocket change while ignoring the real prize!”

“Then… then what can it exchange for?” he demanded.

“With a Tier-2 Voucher, you can pick any B-rank equipment from the guild armory! You get the weight of ‘any’?”

Gasp—

Those hearing this for the first time all inhaled sharply.

B-rank gear was almost always skill equipment. Gold-ranked adventurers with even one piece were envied.

The freedom to choose made the reward priceless.

After all, skill equipment was rare, often mismatched to the wielder. But the guild’s armory could guarantee a perfect fit.

“Then there must be other tiers of vouchers too!”

Eager for attention, the speaker continued generously:

“Of course. Tier-3 Vouchers can only exchange for attribute gear or less practical skill items.

Tier-1 Vouchers, though—those are monstrous. Fire Knight Kunz’s Flame Dragon Slash, Azure Bow Wieland’s Moonlight of Mutsuki—both A-rank skills you can only get with Tier-1!”

Another adventurer asked, “What about S-rank equipment?”

“S-rank? Officially, there’s no such classification. But if you insist—maybe the legendary Sword of the Hero.

But that vanished with the Hero long ago. Nothing more than a myth.”

The hall buzzed, adventurers hotly debating famous skill equipment as if they could claim one themselves.

The excitement lasted all day and into the night.

Yet the bounty still hung untouched on the board.

Until late, when even Helena the receptionist had gone home.

A man, dressed in the finery of a noble, strode into the hall. Straight to the quest board, he plucked the S-rank bounty.

At the counter, the night-shift clerk looked up and recognized him.

“Sir Aedin?”

His handsome features made her blush, but she recited the rules:

“Sir, your adventurer rank qualifies, but this exploration is highly dangerous. At least three are required to accept.”

Aedin inclined his head. He knew.

With a flick of his hand, his teammates entered from outside.

“That will suffice,” the girl nodded, quickly stamping their identity tags and completing the registration.

“Sir Aedin, the exclusivity period is five days. If you haven’t submitted results by then, the quest may be reposted. You understand?”

Routine. Aedin understood well.

Taking back his tag, he offered a brief farewell, ignoring the starry-eyed look of the clerk, and stepped into the night.

From his cloak, he pulled out a small pouch of blue mushrooms—after all, one should relax a little before work.