Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?
Chapter 38: Tenfold and Hundredfold Future Returns

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Tenfold and Hundredfold Future Returns

A burly old man was standing before a map.

He wore a well-tailored suit, and the hair at his temples had gone gray.

Most striking was the beard on his chin, as stiff as steel needles. It twitched as he pursed his lips, lending him an air of natural authority.

This was the man at the helm of the Gray Rock Town Adventurer’s Guild, its master, Necros.

There were two other people in the room.

Standing on the left was a middle-aged man with a worried expression. That was the Vice-Guild Master, Homman, who was also Nia’s uncle.

And on the right stood a plump, middle-aged woman—the Guild’s quartermaster, Martha.

Today was the first day of the large-scale joint extermination mission.

The three had gathered here for an emergency intelligence update and a battle damage assessment.

"Here..."

Necros picked up a quill and drew a heavy X over a location on the map that had been marked as an Ordinary danger zone.

"Who in the hell was responsible for scouting this Goblin stronghold?"

The old man’s voice was low, suppressing a simmering rage.

"Did he grow up eating shit?"

"How could an obvious mutant nest be labeled an ordinary gathering point? If the squad hadn’t reacted quickly and split up on their own, the entire team would have been wiped out there today!"

He sketched a new route of attack on the map, the tip of his quill nearly tearing through the parchment.

"The three-stage relay route must be revised immediately. Otherwise, we’re just sending them to their deaths!"

He had originally formulated the strategy based on the most generous budget and the most conservative plans.

But now, they already had a list of casualties on the very first day. This was a severe dereliction of duty on the part of the intelligence division.

Necros slammed the quill on the table and turned to the Vice-Guild Master.

"Homman, I want you to find out who was responsible. Drag that idiot scout out for me."

"His punishment will be posted on the bulletin board first thing tomorrow morning. We owe everyone an explanation."

At this, the old man’s gaze softened slightly, but his tone remained harsh.

"Also, for the Adventurers who died today, pay out double the death benefits."

"Yes, sir."

Homman nodded, his pen scratching furiously as he took notes while inwardly calculating what another massive extra expense this would be.

Just then, Martha, who had been silent until now, spoke up, her voice thick with worry.

"Guild Master, there’s more bad news."

She glanced at her two superiors, hesitating for a moment before continuing.

"The supplies sent to the Vanguard Team today are being consumed far faster than expected."

"Specifically, our reserve stock of hemostatic potions is almost completely gone."

"What?!"

Necros cried out, his voice shooting up an octave. Even his beard trembled.

"It’s only the first day! How could they have gone through them so quickly?"

Homman sighed and chimed in.

"I’ve reviewed today’s combat logs."

"Due to the turbulent Magic Power within the forest, the Demons have become unusually frenzied. Their aggression is much higher than normal."

"This caused a sharp spike in combat intensity, and the injury rate is far higher than we predicted."

A brief silence fell over the office.

Necros stared at the red flags on the map, lost in thought.

’At this rate of consumption, the Guild’s budget won’t last until the end of the operation.’

Martha carefully watched the Guild Master’s expression and asked tentatively,

"Guild Master... should we perhaps reduce the subsequent supply shipments slightly?"

"No!"

The suggestion was met with an adamant refusal from Necros the moment it was uttered.

"Absolutely not!"

The old man planted his hands on the edge of the table, his eyes unyielding.

"Every single Adventurer is an irreplaceable and precious asset to Gray Rock Town."

"Every Copper Coin we spend on them now will be earned back tenfold, even a hundredfold, once those students from Violet Academy arrive."

Necros took a deep breath to compose himself, then pointed to the area on the map that was slated to be cleared.

"Our top priority right now is to clear out this training zone completely, at any cost, before those students get here."

"If a single noble student with a powerful background dies, the compensation payment alone will be enough to bankrupt us!"

He paced back and forth across the room, his heavy boots making dull THUDS on the floorboards.

After a long moment, he stopped pacing and looked at Martha.

"Martha."

"Yes, sir."

The plump woman answered quickly.

"The mission settlement payments for this month, as well as the subsidy from the main Guild, both arrived today."

"Tomorrow, I want you to contact Mowenna Potion Shop and the Silver Bottle Alchemy Shop. Have them send their people over."

"Tell them we need to finalize the procurement plan for the Giant Blood tomorrow."

"Guild Master, but..."

Homman couldn’t help but try to stop him.

"If we purchase that much based on the current consumption rate, we might not have enough funds left to pay out the rewards after the extermination mission is complete."

As the one responsible for approving the Guild’s expenditures, Homman was the most sensitive to the numbers on the books.

This joint extermination mission was, in essence, a huge gamble.

The goal was to stimulate Gray Rock Town’s cash flow through a large-scale operation and revitalize the entire Guild’s economy by bringing in resources from the Academy.

But this required extremely precise control over their cash flow.

If any part of the plan went over budget, the fragile financial chain could break at any moment, triggering a cascade of failures.

They had only signed a partial procurement agreement previously due to a shortage of funds.

Plus, time was tight, so they could only supply the Vanguard Team first. The logistical supplies for the subsequent teams also had to be sorted out by tomorrow.

Time was extremely tight.

The procurement budget for the Giant Blood was completely insufficient if they were to replenish their stock based on the current rate of use.

"My suggestion is... even if we don’t reduce the supply, we could relax the criteria for what constitutes a treatable injury."

Homman proposed his alternative plan.

"For minor injuries, for instance, we could use cheaper herbal powders. There’s no need to use expensive finished potions for every little thing."

"Rejected."

Necros didn’t even glance at him as he delivered the flat denial.

"That’s gambling with people’s lives."

"You want them to fight Gnolls to the death while risking their wounds festering?"

"The quality of the potions must be guaranteed."

The old man’s tone was as hard as iron.

"We can only win this battle if our people on the front lines maintain sufficient combat strength."

Homman opened his mouth to argue, but ultimately closed it with a helpless sigh.

He knew his old partner’s temperament. Once Necros made up his mind, a team of wild horses couldn’t drag him back.

Necros rubbed his throbbing temples and turned to Martha, his voice now laced with a mix of resignation and hope.

"Then our only option is to find a solution at the negotiating table."

"Tomorrow, you’ll renegotiate with Mowenna and the others."

"Tell them the volume we’re purchasing is huge, so they need to lower their prices."

"Or..."

"Ask them if they have any newly developed potions that are more affordable but have seventy or eighty percent of Giant Blood’s effect."