Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?
Chapter 4: Brass Lantern Base

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Brass Lantern Base

Unfortunately, the moment Lance stepped through the doors of the Adventurer’s Guild the next day, he didn’t even have time to utter the words he’d practiced all night: "I want to register."

He was grabbed by a frantic Nia and urgently pulled behind the counter.

"Help me! I’ll never finish copying this task list!"

And so, on the day he had planned to take off, Lance was forced to start working even more frantic overtime.

After a morning so busy he nearly snapped his quill pen, Lance finally understood why the Guild was so packed today.

It was all thanks to the overly shrewd guild master of the Gray Rock Town branch.

That shrewd old man had seen business decline sharply over the past few months. It also happened to coincide with the recent rampage in the Underground City, which had caused a drastic shift in the distribution of Magic Power in the surrounding area.

A swarm of Low Level Demons that lived in the center of Copper Creek Forest was startled into migrating toward the outskirts, directly leading to frequent Demon harassment in the nearby villages.

For example, Slimes were clogging the irrigation ditches in the farmlands, Goblins were robbing passersby in droves, and villagers even reported seeing packs of Gnolls at the forest’s edge.

On these grounds, the guild master specially applied to the Guild in the nearest major city for a "special subsidy."

The reward for any quest registered or completed in Gray Rock Town would be increased by twenty percent across the board.

This additional amount would be fully subsidized by the superior Guild.

This led to low-level Adventurers from the surrounding towns flocking in with the merchant caravans, like sharks that had smelled blood.

Nia and Lance spent the entire morning in an endless cycle of registrations and quest transcriptions.

"Ah! The morning’s finally over!"

As the clock on the wall struck twelve, Nia heaved a sigh of relief and stretched luxuriously.

The bright midday sun streamed through the stained-glass window, casting a golden halo on Nia’s long, brown hair.

She had chosen to wear a forest-green velvet headband today, adorned with several exquisite roses crafted from folded white lace.

As she stretched, the dark green, double-breasted Guild vest she wore clung tightly to her body, outlining the young woman’s beautiful and energetic curves. It was a lovely sight.

Lance found himself staring, captivated.

Clutched in her raised right hand was the very last completed registration form.

Nia leaned back, crossing her long legs and hooking the tips of her feet on the cabinet in front of her. With a smooth motion, she slid the form across to the small table in front of Lance.

"Mister Copyist, if you’re done staring, remember to file this list for me."

Nia winked playfully, a mischievous smile touching her lips.

"I’m off to have a delicious lunch."

As she spoke, she pushed her luck and blew a playful kiss at Lance.

However, just as she was pulling her hand back...

A warm, strong hand suddenly shot out and grasped her wrist.

Nia jumped, and a blush instantly blossomed on her fair cheeks.

Before she could even react, a quill pen and a fresh sheet of parchment were pressed into her hand.

Lance looked up, his gaze intense.

"Nia, I need you to do me a favor."

"I want to register as an Adventurer, too."

Nia froze for a second, then puffed out her cheeks in what seemed like disappointment and mumbled under her breath.

"Hmph. And here I thought you were going to ask me to lunch."

But she quickly processed the meaning behind his words. She froze, the blush draining from her face.

It was replaced by sheer astonishment.

"What did you say? You want to register as an Adventurer?"

Her large eyes filled with confusion as she looked Lance up and down in disbelief.

"But... you’ve only been training for half a month, right?"

Based on her experience as a veteran receptionist, the fastest an ordinary person had ever trained to pass the assessment and become an official Adventurer was six months.

And that was at a place like the Guild, with its comprehensive training system. She had never heard of anyone managing it in just half a month.

’Well, the chosen Heroes from the Minstrels’ tales don’t count,’ she thought. ’The main characters in those stories are all monsters.’

Lance had already anticipated this question.

Without batting an eye, he pulled out his foolproof excuse.

"You know my old man’s a retired soldier, right?"

Lance explained with an air of mystery.

"The truth is, I’ve been undergoing his brutal training since I was a kid. My fundamentals were already solid. I just needed this one final push."

At this, the look he gave Nia became exceptionally sincere, even tinged with gratitude.

"And it’s all thanks to you helping me rent that private training room. Only then could I focus on breaking through my plateau this past half-month and get my Swordsmanship to the Skilled Level."

Under his sincere gaze, Nia felt her heart skip a beat. She flusteredly looked away, not daring to meet his eyes.

"I... Was I really that important?"

Nia unconsciously fiddled with her sleeve, her voice barely a whisper.

After several seconds, she finally looked up again, struggling to regain her usual professional composure. The tips of her ears, however, were still burning red.

"Alright, I’ll get you registered then."

"But, let me be clear, you still have to take the test."

Nia picked up her quill, wagging it at Lance with a hint of playful reproach in her tone.

"Even though we’re friends, rules are rules."

The two-hour lunch break was an ironclad rule at the Adventurer’s Guild.

The clamor in the main hall gradually died down as most of the staff from behind the counters either left in groups to find food or found a place to nap.

Taking advantage of this rare lull, Nia led Lance into the supply depot.

The depot was silent, the only sound the echo of their footsteps.

"It should be under here somewhere..."

Nia mumbled to herself, squatting down in front of a row of old display cabinets.

She was wearing a dark brown, knee-length skirt and a pair of snug leather boots.

To reach something deep inside, she had to kneel on the floor, her upper body disappearing almost completely into the cabinet.

It was a rather... revealing posture.

The taut fabric of her skirt outlined the surprisingly full curve of her hips, which trembled slightly with her movements.

Standing to one side, Lance felt his throat go dry.

He quickly averted his gaze, staring at a cobweb on the ceiling and trying to count the individual strands.

"Found it!"

A moment later, Nia’s excited voice called out.

She backed out of the cabinet, cradling a dust-covered object in her hands.

It was a rather old-looking Brass Lantern Base. The craftsmanship was simple and crude, and a dusty, unremarkable translucent stone was embedded in its center.

If you put a glass cover on it, it would look just like a perfectly ordinary lantern.