The conversation with that guy didn't end there.
"I know what you're thinking," he had said, his voice straining for profundity. "You're wondering why someone with such an incredible aura and such magnificent attire would be interested in a vulgar herb-gathering quest."
To be honest, at that moment, I was thinking he looked like an easy mark for pickpockets.
"But you see, plebeian," he continued, not waiting for a response, "I only just joined the guild today. It is a necessary formality for the world to recognize my genius."
He withdrew his hand from the paper but didn't step away.
"Good for you, but I need the money," I said, grabbing the sheet of paper.
He tried to snatch it back, but I simply lifted it slightly out of his reach. He was arrogant—excessively so. With an attitude like that, he wouldn't last long in the outskirts.
Still, he kept insisting, and I knew this could drag on forever. I had no intention of wasting time.
So, I proposed something.
"You mentioned it was a vulgar quest. How about a competition?"
That seemed to lift his spirits... or perhaps his ego. At this point, it could be both.
"Ha! I accept!" he exclaimed. "Prepare to be crushed!"
"Fine. It'll be simple," I continued, ignoring his enthusiasm. "Whoever gathers the most wins."
"Cliff," he added immediately, puffing out his chest. "Remember that name well."
I raised an eyebrow but didn't give it much thought. I walked over to the counter and flagged the mission. I asked if it could be done individually or, failing that, as a sort of competition. To my surprise, I was denied immediately. The mission had to be performed as a group, without exception.
I sighed and turned back to him.
"Cliff, do you want to form a party?"
I said it while holding up my card.
"Think about it," I continued. "We could both rank up with a single mission. Doesn't that seem more convenient?"
He let out a long sigh.
"Fine... But I will be the party leader. And you will carry the luggage," he replied.
I nodded.
"Sounds perfect. In that case, we'll need a party name."
[Judging by his appearance and attitude, I'm certain Cliff is a high-ranking noble boy. Maybe he was spoiled or something... but I dislike him.]
(Calm down, Ayam™. We don't know him well yet. He might surprise us.)
"'Cliff and the Others' is an excellent name, don't you think?"
I sighed.
"No. It has to be something that inspires more confidence."
"And what inspires more confidence than my name, plebeian?"
"We are both competing for the same role. We are inside the same system now... out here, social status means nothing."
I thought about the name for a moment. I didn't want to go overboard, but I couldn't just pick the first thing that came to mind.
"How about... hmm... 'Crimson Crest'?"
Cliff blinked, processing the words.
"Crimson Crest?" he repeated, savoring the name.
"Exactly. 'Crimson' for my eyes, and 'Crest' for your noble crest," I explained. "Sounds like a coat of arms, something worthy of a leader, don't you think?"
He didn't even try to hide it. His expression shifted from skepticism to clear satisfaction.
"Hmm... sounds noble. I accept," he said finally. "But I will create the logo. A sigil requires a design of equal caliber."
Before we officially united as a team, Cliff took out a sheet of paper and a piece of fine charcoal. He was hell-bent on creating a "unique" design, even though it wasn't really necessary. Still, he took it with absolute seriousness.
After a few minutes, he finished the drawing. It depicted a raven and a grimoire. The raven held the open grimoire in mid-flight, surrounded by a magical pattern that conveyed a fairly clear message: all knowledge resided there... and was being held by a third party.
He was arrogant even in his drawings.
Meanwhile, I headed to the counter where the receptionist was waiting.
"You want to form a party, right?"
"Was I that obvious?"
She laughed softly before nodding.
"A little."
"Yes, I want to do it," I replied. "Could you explain the details?"
She nodded politely and began to explain calmly, as if she were used to repeating these rules over and over again.
She told me that a group could have a maximum of seven members. To join, one had to be within a certain rank relative to the party leader, and any application required the approval of both the leader and the guild itself.
The party leader had total authority over their team. They could decide who entered and who left, and could even expel a member at any moment without needing to justify it to the guild.
As for rank, it wasn't measured by the strongest adventurer, but by the average of all members. A group was only as competent as its median link, not its best card. It was a fairly fair—and practical—way to prevent abuse.
Regarding advancement, all members received full credit for missions completed as a group. This allowed less experienced adventurers to rank up faster if they worked alongside stronger companions. Even so, each member retained the freedom to accept jobs individually without affecting their party membership.
To leave a team, one simply had to notify the guild. The leader's approval wasn't required, ensuring no one was trapped in a group against their will.
She also mentioned something important. If the party leader died, the team automatically dissolved. There was no direct transfer of leadership. The remaining members could reorganize and form a new group, but they would have to go through the standard process again.
Finally, she spoke about the clan system. Two or more groups could join to form one, creating larger organizations. High-performing clans could access special rewards from the guild, ranging from financial bonuses to exclusive jobs and official recognition.
I listened to everything in silence.
It was a cold, efficient system... designed for adventurers, not for romantic heroes.
Listening to it all, I thought the system had obvious flaws. Too much power in the hands of the leader, and too easy for a group to break apart. In that case, is it a good idea to have Cliff as the leader?
But then I remembered the emblem.
The way Cliff had drawn the raven and the grimoire. The attention to detail. The unnecessary passion for something as trivial as a logo.
Maybe it wasn't just ego.
Perhaps, once he accepted something as his own, he didn't like to discard it.
Well... maybe it was just another form of ego. "What is mine is mine."
Setting that aside, my proposal was intelligent. I was going to take advantage of the situation. He was a noble, so he could facilitate certain things for me, and besides, with those airs of grandeur, I was sure he would accept.
"Hey, Cliff, how about a challenge? Whoever fills the bucket first wins. Simple as that."
"And what happens if you win?" he asked.
"You'll give me a new cloak and some clothes," I said. "So I don't look like a vagrant. Deal?"
He took his time thinking about it. He was surely considering something like, Give my clothes to a plebeian?
"You are very bold for a peasant boy," he said. "Do you really think you could obtain clothes of this quality? You are either very foolish or overly confident. Do you not know who I am?"
I just shook my head, with a calmness that surely unsettled him.
--
Cliff Grimoire
Who does this individual think he is?
Forming a group was all well and good, but this defied all logic. Furthermore, he surely thought that because I was a noble, I was an idiot or something similar. Tch. How typical. But no. I was perfectly capable in what I did... and in what I will do. More than capable.
Refusing also implied something else: it would sound like admitting, however indirectly, that I wasn't better than him. And that was not acceptable.
I was about to say something when the guy interrupted me.
"Well, you won't be able to be the leader in any case. The mission was already accepted by me, so I can go alone. Besides... who said I would wear clothes of your quality? You just go to a shop and buy me a hooded cloak and some simple clothes."
His... his argument was well-founded. Damn it.
"Fine, fine. I will grant you the honor of accepting a challenge with me... but don't complain afterward."
This was absurd. Why the hell was I listening to a boy whose background I didn't even know? Maybe he came from the filthy forest or some equally miserable hole.
And yet... I couldn't complain.
Daiki wasn't like other people. He didn't fawn over me, he didn't look up to me, but he didn't treat me like I was useless either. It was as if there were two people inside him, or as if he walked right on the line between contempt and indifference. As if he were constantly evaluating me.
Who the hell was this guy? And what exactly was he after?
It could be a trick. It probably was. No one is that willing without hiding something. But refusing would be admitting that I doubted my own superiority.
And that was unacceptable.
"If I win, you will accept my orders without complaint."
"Sounds perfect to me, Cliff. Not equivalent to what I asked for, but it's enough."
That calm... As if my victory were part of his plan, not mine.
--
Daiki Greyrat
"Um... you guys, are you going to form the group or keep talking for hours?" the receptionist said. "The line is already forming, you know."
She was right. For a moment, I had forgotten everything else.
I turned to Cliff and raised my card slightly, a silent reminder that we were still at the counter and not in the middle of some senseless verbal duel.
"So," I said, "team, yes or no?"
"I already told you yes. are you deaf?" he replied.
"One has to make sure," I retorted. "It is an important step, after all."
I could see his frustration. He wasn't going to be able to beat me. Not yet.
"Group name?" asked the receptionist.
"Crimso—"
"Crimson Crest!" Cliff interrupted immediately, almost shouting it to ensure his voice was the definitive one.
The receptionist blinked, surprised, but then smiled faintly.
"'Crimson Crest'... sounds very appropriate for someone with so much energy."
There was a second of silence.
"Very well. Welcome, Crimson Crest. The group is registered."
**
After that, we headed toward the outskirts of the capital, at the edge of the forest.
"Right," I said. "We have these two buckets. The only thing to do is fill them; the first to fill theirs gets to sit on that log over there. Did I explain myself well?"
Cliff let out a brief laugh, placing a hand on his chest.
"Perfectly. What a convenient challenge for you. I suppose you think this way you'll be able to keep up with me."
He took one of the buckets and held it with a single hand, without apparent effort.
"Don't worry," he added. "I'll try not to finish too quickly. It would be humiliating for you to lose so soon."
He got into position, eyeing me sideways.
"Whenever you're ready."
Had ten minutes passed, maybe twenty? I didn't know. By that point, my bucket was about to overflow. I had already gathered enough herbs and, before the hour was up, I was already sitting on the log, waiting.
I sighed and took a piece of bread from my bag. I bit into it slowly, enjoying it even though it was a bit hard. I wasn't complaining. After all, I was going to get new clothes and some money, so I could surely afford an inn.
Cliff appeared through the bushes, walking with confidence, swaying slightly, eyes closed as if humming a silent song.
He saw me first, then the bucket, then looked back at me, and then glanced around the plants, back and forth. He wasn't even sweating, so seeing me so calm surely threw him off a bit.
He just looked at me, confused. "I... Huh?"
Before he could say anything, a noise was heard among the trees.
I dropped the bread immediately and snapped my gaze in that direction.
[Daiki, be careful. An attack is imminent. They are coming from several points. Judging by the sound of their steps, they aren't very big, maybe around a meter and a half. I can't be precise. They might just be very silent.]
I didn't have time to think.
Several hooded humans surged from the trees. They were going straight for Cliff's throat.
I propelled my body from where I was and lunged without hesitation. My sword clashed against theirs at the last second, deflecting the cut as I slid to the side.
Cliff hadn't even reacted in time. It was obvious this was the first time he had been truly attacked.
"What do you want?" I said.
They didn't answer. They just stood still while drawing their swords. From behind, I noticed there were about three more. I watched them from the corner of my eye, without moving too far from the ones in front of me.
The men reacted instantly, but... they were too slow.
My preemptive strike was the Advanced Rank technique of the Sword God Style called the Silent Sword—a move much less complex than the Sword of Light, but just as deadly.
By the time they realized it, two of them were already on the ground, and the others began to hesitate. I didn't even have to use the Sword of Light; Advanced Rank techniques were enough.
And I lunged again. My blade struck one of the men in the shoulder. I cut at a slanted angle, from his shoulder to the opposite hip, opening him up completely and killing him instantly.
Even so, the three people behind seemed stronger. I glanced to my side: Cliff was stretching his staff while his legs trembled slightly. He was scared, that was obvious. And yet he managed to form a large fireball and launch it at them. Taking advantage of that attack, I lunged forward using the Silent Sword technique again, severing the enemy's thighs and slicing through the fireball that Cliff had cast.
The men simply fell to the ground, completely defeated.
"Right..." I said, crouching down to their eye level.
I used the sword like a cane, driving the tip into the earth close enough to their legs for them to get the message.
"I want you to tell me who sent you, why they did it, what they are looking for, and where he is."
I didn't raise my voice. It wasn't a question. It wasn't necessary.
"Start talking."
Nothing. They didn't say a single word. Ten minutes passed and they were still there, crouched, giving me no answer whatsoever. They weren't even snorting. Despite having cut them... do they not have vocal cords?
"Halt! An enemy attack has been sighted from one of the towers!"
A woman's voice rang out from behind me. She was accompanied by several soldiers. No. She was completely alone.
I turned for a moment to see who it was and...
"Mom?"
"Huh?" she replied, freezing in place.
No, it wasn't Mom... but she looked just like her.