Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Guild Coin
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ian and Rin walked down a shop street that was quieter than usual.
The guild's support mission had wrapped up early, so the two of them could browse the stores during this leisurely time just before the crowds arrived.
Rin, following behind Ian, spoke up with an anxious look on her face.
"Leader... you're not joking, right? For real?"
"Rin. That's the third time you've asked."
"But... how are we supposed to handle a D-rank mission?"
Though she'd gained plenty of experience fighting monsters through repeated missions, Rin's confidence had only waned with time. She panicked and tried to stop Ian.
But as always, Ian persuaded her with his confident expression.
"It's a D-rank monster, sure, but we don't have to fight it. It's just about finding its habitat."
"Hmm..."
Rin's face shifted to one that seemed somewhat convinced.
As he'd said, the mission posted on the board wasn't about hunting Night Tails.
It was to scout the area where Night Tails had been sighted and gather intel on where they'd set up base.
In theory, it was a mission that could be completed without engaging the monsters.
"...But we might still have to fight, right?"
"Hmm..."
This time, Ian stared intently at Rin.
He was checking her stats once more, but to Rin, it felt like he was pressuring her with his gaze.
"Think we can take it?"
Rin clutched her head, on the verge of being swayed by Ian's inexplicable confidence.
After confirming today's pay and their remaining funds, Ian dove straight into shopping.
Night Tails were classified as boss-grade, so they required somewhat different items from standard monsters.
Rin followed behind him with a basket in hand, as usual, and asked with a puzzled expression.
"Didn't we buy stuff last time? It's still good, isn't it?"
"For Night Tails, we need something with better performance."
Ian headed to a display case deeper inside than their usual spots and picked up a higher-grade item.
"Gasp..."
Rin swallowed hard upon seeing the price tag.
Using standard-grade items on bosses reduced success rates and duration, so reusing monster gear would be inefficient.
To compensate, they'd either need top-tier items or specialized ones that held up even against resistances.
Of course, with the higher prices, they couldn't stock up on everything for various scenarios like they usually did.
After selecting a few candidates, Ian pondered what to bring for the fight.
Normally, dawdling like this with items out would get you chased off, but the shopkeeper stood behind him with hands clasped solemnly, waiting patiently for his choice.
"Wait, hold on! We haven't even gotten the mission yet!"
As Ian seriously started picking items for a potential Night Tail battle, Rin remembered a crucial point and stopped him.
"We don't even know if we'll get picked!"
Regular missions went to the first mercenary group to sign up, but conditional ones weren't so straightforward.
This mission specified "decision after review" in the qualifications.
Even as Ian and Rin left the guild, a line of groups had already formed to apply, meaning they'd have to compete against dozens to get selected.
The mission was D-rank.
Even if they could handle it without direct combat, as Ian said, common sense dictated sending D-ranks over E-ranks.
But Ian replied as if there was no need to worry.
"I've got a way. Results might come tomorrow, so better to prep now."
The counter had been swamped even before they left the guild.
Ian saw no need to rush into line, planning to submit at closing time when it emptied out.
"How? You're not asking Chris for a favor...? He doesn't seem the type."
"The guild has a legal way to pull strings."
Ian pulled something from his pocket and showed it to Rin.
A coin stamped with the guild's emblem. The "Guild Coin" they'd received before.
"Oh, that from last time..."
"Yeah. Told you it's more useful than money."
Some special missions had requirements beyond rank.
From simple combat power or fame limits, to faction contributions or specific class mercenaries.
These offered higher pay or unique rewards compared to standard fare.
But with Guild Coins, you could pay the required amount to bypass unmet conditions.
Not just missions—various guild restrictions, prerequisites, or quals could be covered with coins.
Stockpile enough, and you could even skip promotion missions. Folks often paid up to bypass tedious long-hauls.
After visiting a few more shops and carefully gathering essentials, Ian finally turned toward a nearby bakery and pushed open the door.
As Ian began selecting and bagging loaves from the display, Rin peeked over his shoulder.
"Ah, not that one for me— this instead."
"These are for the staff."
"...Bribery?"
"We're going right before closing."
With all preparations complete, Ian knocked on the guild door, bread basket in hand.
The staff, tidying papers in the now-quiet guild nearing close, accepted his application—and the gift.
His form rose to the top of the stack amid the queued submissions.
The guild's second floor, a place mercenaries rarely visited.
In one dim corner of an office thick with the scent of old paper, a bespectacled middle-aged staffer squinted slightly at a document.
Today's fresh stack of applications piled high on the desk before her.
Camilla, the examiner handling this mission's selections, pointed to the paper in her hand and double-checked with the staffer beside her.
"This E-rank application is confirmed?"
"Yes. It's E-rank."
Emergency missions had lenient rank limits.
The idea was to overlook minutiae in urgency and dispatch the most suitable group for cleanup.
...But that was just by the book.
In a case like this, E-ranks were obviously off the table. With D-rank applicants, no reason to pick E's.
There were plenty of E-rank apps for this one, but they'd been shoved aside unread. Not their league.
Yet this E-rank group's file had one special trait.
Camilla glanced at the desk, spotting two coins submitted alongside.
"How's an E-rank got these?"
"Earned 'em during the goblin descent. Chris issued them..."
"Chris did?"
Her adjacent staffer's answer deepened Camilla's furrowed brow.
She pulled the incident report to verify, but it lacked detail.
Mercs often exaggerated reports beyond belief, but Chris's were so dry and stripped of fluff they were hard to parse another way.
Reviewing it only added to her sigh.
In the end, Camilla ordered all records of the Ian Mercenary Corps pulled.
As she sifted through their history, Camilla muttered.
"Picked some pretty tough ones from the start. That confident in their skills?"
On paper, they clearly outclassed average E-ranks.
"Mercs like this cause trouble when handed big jobs..."
"Um... they seemed polite at the guild. Not the arrogant type to screw up from overconfidence."
The staffer helping sort caught her mutter and chimed in carefully.
"...Good rep at the guild too?"
"Yes... quite good."
Guild staff occasionally favored certain groups.
Amid rude, frustrating mercs, a polite, humble one made them want to hook them up any way possible.
"E-rank, though..."
Night Tails were sharp; noisy strong-arm searches drove them deep into hiding.
Best to pinpoint quietly, then rush in for the kill.
Incompetents botched traces, spooked the beast, heightened alerts, or flushed it elsewhere—worse than nothing.
Camilla finally set the file down and picked up the Ian Mercenary Corps' coins.
Conditions filtered out underqualified groups.
But these coins marked exceptional performance.
They skipped lines, waived tests, even unlocked unsold wares.
The guild's official perks for top performers.
"...Fine. If Chris gave 'em, I approve."
The examiner's stamp hit the Ian Mercenary Corps' application.
"Let's see if Chris still has an eye for talent."
Camilla gathered their coins and file, then stood.