Chapter 51: Generous Reward
"You’re too kind, Guild Master."
Lance pulled back slightly, his tone humble and his expression unchanging.
"I’m just a rookie who hasn’t been in the business long. I only survived thanks to good luck."
"May I ask, Guild Master, what kind of mission requires a rookie like me to complete it?"
He deliberately emphasized the word "rookie."
The implication was clear: ’I’m a scrub. Don’t give me any difficult missions. I can’t handle them.’
Hearing this evasion, Necros didn’t get angry. Instead, his smile only widened.
The kid’s reaction was exactly as he had predicted.
"Relax. This mission doesn’t require you to challenge any high-level Demons, nor is it a suicide mission."
"Gareth’s report was very clear about your strength. This will be a very simple mission for you."
Necros took a sealed file from his drawer and slid it across the desk toward Lance.
"This is the mission request. You can take a look first."
Lance picked up the request form, his eyes scanning it quickly.
However, after reading just the first page, his expression darkened.
He instinctively pushed the request form back, his rejection firm and absolute.
"My apologies, Guild Master."
"This mission is likely beyond my capabilities. Please forgive me for refusing."
’Are you kidding me?’
’Babysitting some rich young lady playing at being an Adventurer?’
In his stereotypical view, a young lady Mage was someone who would shriek at the sight of a bug, complain of exhaustion after taking a few steps, and run around in a panic instead of following orders when danger struck.
Worst of all, an intern with a powerful background was a walking time bomb.
If she got so much as a scratch under his watch, her family might take it out on him and have him erased.
Besides, from his own perspective, Lance didn’t think he had anything to teach her.
She was a noble Mage from an academy; he was a self-taught melee fighter. Their specializations were completely mismatched.
’Whoever wants this job can have it. I’m not doing it, that’s for sure.’
Necros seemed to have anticipated Lance’s reaction. Unhurried, he pointed at the file.
"Don’t be so quick to refuse. Flip to the second page."
Frowning, Lance did as he was told and turned the page.
The second page was a liability waiver, stamped by both the Guild and the Academy.
"This is an agreement personally signed by Professor Gideon of Violet Academy."
Necros explained,
"The agreement states very clearly that as long as the supervising mentor does not intentionally cause harm, the Academy and the student will assume all responsibility for any accidental injuries or deaths that occur during the internship. The mentor will not be held liable."
"Besides, the young lady is carrying plenty of life-saving Alchemy Tools. Safety-wise, it won’t be that easy for things to go wrong."
If Gideon, far away in White River City, were here right now, he would have jumped up and cursed Necros for the old swindler he was.
He had clearly promised Hill absolute safety, but in this old fox’s mouth, it had become "you won’t be responsible even if something happens."
But in Necros’s view, Lance’s ability to single-handedly take down nearly twenty trained Goblins without injury demonstrated that he already possessed combat skills approaching the Professional Level.
Coupled with his usual cautiousness—only taking on gathering quests—there was no need to worry about him messing up.
But to Lance’s ears, these words did alleviate some of his concerns.
Necros continued to sweeten the deal.
"Furthermore,"
Necros leaned forward slightly, his voice full of temptation.
"All we need you to teach her is the most basic Wilderness Survival Knowledge for an Adventurer."
"For example, how to set up a camp, how to identify safe water sources, and how to avoid Demons."
"Just take her on some of the most Ordinary missions."
"These things should be second nature to you, right?"
Lance looked at the liability waiver, his resolve wavering slightly.
’If I don’t have to bear the responsibility, maybe this mission isn’t such a hot potato after all.’
But the thought of having to look after a burden still made him instinctively resist the hassle.
He agonized for a few seconds before finally pulling his hand back from the request form and shaking his head firmly.
"Guild Master, I still don’t think I’m a good fit."
"I’m used to working alone. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to take proper care of her."
’This kid really is stubborn.’
Seeing Lance’s resolute expression, Necros felt even more satisfied.
Someone so acutely sensitive to risk was exactly the kind of bodyguard you could feel most at ease with.
The corners of the old Guild Master’s mouth turned up in a foxy smile.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the table and made his final play.
"Don’t be so final."
"Don’t you want to hear about the reward for this mission?"
Before Lance could react, Necros—who seemed to have anticipated his response—immediately threw out a new offer.
"The internship period isn’t long. A month if things go smoothly, maybe a month and a half if they’re slow."
The old man held up one hand, forming a number with his fingers.
"As soon as the internship ends, even if there are no extra results, you can walk away with a guaranteed stipend of 50 Silver Coins."
Lance swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and hesitated slightly.
Silver Coins.
That was equivalent to about seven or eight days’ worth of income from his hemostatic ointment.
It wasn’t a small amount, but it wasn’t enough to make him willingly play babysitter.
Seeing that Lance didn’t immediately agree, Necros continued without pausing.
"If the intern can survive independently in the wild for twenty-four hours and personally kill five different types of Demons, you’ll get an additional 100 Silver Coins."
’The stakes are getting higher!’
Lance quickly began to calculate in his head.
Surviving alone for 24 hours might be a challenge for a complete novice, but with a little training, she could get the hang of it in about a week.
’As for killing five types of Demons?’
After the previous sweep of the Copper Creek Forest’s outskirts, there were plenty of stragglers left over. It wouldn’t be hard to find a few soft targets.
’This money seems a little too easy to earn.’
"And that’s not all."
Necros keenly caught Lance’s momentary flicker of interest and played his final trump card.
"If her final internship evaluation is ’Excellent,’"
"Violet Academy will add another 150 Silver Coins."
"In other words, you can earn a maximum of 300 Silver Coins from this one job."
"Additionally, the Guild will give you an extra reward of 300 Merit Points, to be paid out in a lump sum after the internship."
Hearing this, Lance’s breath caught for a moment.
Gold Coins! Plus 300 Merit Points!
That was more than tempting, and it would be enough to solve his problem with the Breathing Combat Technique.
Lance almost subconsciously slammed his hand back down on the mission request, his mouth moving faster than his brain.
"I’ll do—"
Halfway out of his mouth, the word caught in his throat and his fingers froze.
’Something’s not right.’
A strong sense of unease washed over him.