Astrid counted the silvers one by one as she placed them in the coin pouch like an efficient receptionist she was.

Clink! Clink! Clink!

Seven silvers in total... That was the payment for clearing the entire Galen sewer system of slimes.

Klaus watched her count, but his mind was elsewhere.

He could still feel the phantom sensation of the Raven Thief’s blade pressed against his neck with the cold steel biting into his skin. It made him shiver involuntarily.

He had been that close to dying again... Klaus really didn’t want that experience to repeat itself.

’I need to roll stronger skills from the System... until I can match these monsters.’ He thought grimly.

As much as Klaus wanted to just wake up every morning, roll the Gacha wheel, and sleep until the next day... repeating that cycle for the next two months until the Divine Academy entrance exams started.

He really couldn’t afford to do that. He needed money, He needed Guild Points. He really needed to get stronger faster.

Astrid finished counting and handed over the pouch to Klaus and upon seeing that, he had an idle thought about how many coin pouches the Guild kept in stock. Did they order them in bulk? Who supplied them? Was there a dedicated merchant?

Before he could think further about such mundane logistical details, Astrid interrupted his wandering thoughts.

"So, what do you think about going on a dungeon raid?"

Klaus’s left eyebrow twitched.

"How did you even manage to recommend me for this position?" He asked suspiciously.

Astrid placed one hand on her waist and smiled brightly at him. "I have some connections. It was rather easy, actually."

Before Klaus could respond, the receptionist from the next booth over... a middle-aged woman with graying hair leaned forward across her own counter.

"Is it true?" The woman asked loudly, her voice carrying across the Guild hall. "That you actually killed a Tier 2 monster on your very first day in Galen Dungeon?"

Klaus finally noticed that everyone in the Guild was looking at him.

’What the fuck did she do?’ Klaus thought, though the answer was obvious.

Astrid had clearly gotten him recommended for this position by bragging that he’d defeated a Tier 2 monster on his first day as an adventurer which wasn’t exactly a secret since it was on record but it was a whole lot of unwanted attention that Klaus absolutely did not want.

A buff man sitting at a table on the right side of the hall grumbled loud enough for Klaus to hear clearly.

"He probably killed it after several other adventurers had risked their lives to weaken the damn thing." The man told the woman sitting next to him, not even bothering to lower his voice. "Those poor bastards probably died fighting it and this kid just swooped in for the kill."

The woman nodded in agreement. "Riding on their dead glory... He should be ashamed of himself."

There were similar grumbles scattered throughout the Guild hall with murmurs of discontent and suspicious glances.

Maybe they were pissed that he’d supposedly done it alone or maybe they were jealous of the attention. Klaus didn’t really care about their opinions either way.

He just didn’t want to get attacked during the raid or ambushed in his apartment again because some bitter fucker decided they wanted to remove him from the face of the Earth.

Regardless of the grumbling, Astrid was the one who responded to the other receptionist’s question.

"Of course it’s true!" She said proudly. "That’s exactly how Klaus earned those extra Guild Points he started D-rank with. You can even go ask the Boss to confirm it if you don’t believe me."

Klaus genuinely felt like punching the woman in the face right then and there. Didn’t she realize she was pissing off every other adventurer in the building?

Astrid turned back to him as if nothing was wrong, completely oblivious to the hostile atmosphere she’d created.

"Anyway, the group I’m recommending you to is fairly popular in town." She explained. "They’re called the Phantom Crew. They have a raid scheduled in a dungeon near Galen Town, so they came here to recruit temporary members and I put your name forward."

Before Klaus could ask any more questions about this mysterious group, Astrid flashed a mission paper directly in front of his face.

「Mission: Join The Phantom Crew to raid North Dungeon 97」

「Reward: 20 Silvers, 40 Guild Points」

Klaus took one glance at the mission paper and the rewards listed, then immediately said...

"I’m in."

Astrid’s face brightened considerably at his quick acceptance, clearly pleased with herself.

"Wait, why are the rewards so high?" Klaus questioned, doing a double-take at the numbers. Twenty silvers and forty Guild Points for a single raid? That was absolutely insane compared to his usual missions.

"This is how raid missions pay." Astrid explained. "Group dungeon raids are much more dangerous than solo work, so the—"

Before she could finish her explanation about raid payment structures, the Guild’s front door swung open with considerable force slamming loudly against the wall.

A man wearing a flowing black cloak over fairly expensive-looking black clothes underneath entered the Guild hall with confident strides.

His presence immediately commanded attention as conversations died down and heads turned to watch him enter.

The quality of his attire and the way he carried himself marked him as someone important.

He scanned the crowded room briefly with sharp eyes, then locked his gaze onto Klaus and Astrid specifically.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between them vanished.

One moment he was standing near the entrance. The next moment he was directly in front of Klaus, having crossed the entire Guild floor faster than Klaus could properly track.

Klaus’s body reacted instinctively, taking a step backward before his conscious mind fully registered what had happened.

The man smiled at Klaus’s reaction.

"I like your instincts." He said approvingly. "You’ll make a good temporary member for the squad."

Then he turned to Astrid. "Kahn says you need to make his favorite dinner tonight."

Astrid nodded immediately. "Of course."

Klaus glanced between them, confused. "Wait, who’s Kahn?"

"My brother." Astrid replied. "He’s the leader of the Phantom Crew."

The black-cloaked man was already walking toward the exit, clearly expecting Klaus to follow.

Astrid waved cheerfully at Klaus. "Have fun on the raid!"

Klaus sighed and followed after the man, wondering what exactly he’d just signed up for.

...

About ten minutes later, Klaus found himself in a dimly lit bar that smelled of old wood and cheap alcohol.

Five chairs were arranged around one scarred wooden table. The bar was relatively empty with just a few patrons in the shadowy corners.

Dusty bottles lined the shelves, and a bored bartender wiped glasses with a questionable rag. This was where the Phantom Crew conducted business and that was the team Klaus would be raiding with.

Sitting at the far end of the table was a man significantly bigger than Klaus. He was dark-skinned with heavily toned muscles that strained against his shirt.

A massive war hammer rested against the wall behind him with the weapon easily as tall as Klaus himself.

Next to the big man sat the same black-haired individual who’d fetched Klaus from the Guild except now he had a distinct red tint coloring his cheeks from the booze he’d been drinking.

The third member was a blonde-haired woman wearing a white and gold dress that clearly marked her as a healer from the Church.

Her ornate staff floated beside her chair, suspended by magic but despite her holy appearance, she was currently chugging down even more alcohol than the black-haired scout, letting out an unladylike burp when she finished her mug.

It was strange to see someone who was supposedly raised in the Church to be pious and holy acting like this but hey, Klaus wasn’t going to judge.

People could do whatever the fuck they wanted. He was here for the money and Guild Points, nothing more.

The last member of the four-person crew was a man wearing light armor similar to Klaus’s own setup. He had distinctive orange hair tied back in a ponytail behind his head.

Unlike the others, he wasn’t drinking at all. Instead, he sat with both hands placed flat on the table, watching Klaus with an unfriendly expression.

The dark-skinned captain of this group cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Alright. I’m Kahn." He introduced himself with a firm voice. "Leader of the Phantom Crew, A C-Rank Adventurer currently on the verge of ranking up to B-Rank."

He gestured around the table. "Let’s go around... Introduce yourselves to our temporary member."

The black-haired scout immediately raised his hand enthusiastically. "Ooh! Ooh! Me first!"

The others at the table gave him a collective look of mild annoyance.

Vex cleared his throat dramatically. "Right. The Name’s Vex and I just became C-Rank as well, I’m the group’s scout and infiltration specialist."

He spread open his black cloak with a flourish, revealing the interior lining. Rows upon rows of weapons were strapped to the inside organized with meticulous care.

Klaus’s eyes widened as he cataloged what he could see.

Throwing knives of various sizes... Thin wires for traps or garrotes... Darts that were likely poisoned... Glass vials containing potions... Smoke bombs... Lockpicks... Throwing stars... Small vials of what looked like acid... Caltrops and even a compact crossbow folded against the fabric.

How Vex managed to walk around with all of that weight distributed inside his cloak without looking encumbered, Klaus had absolutely no idea but he respected the preparation. The man looked like he was geared up for a full-scale war.

Next up was the healer.

Everyone turned to look at her and she responded by letting out a long burp that made Klaus visibly wince.

"Ah, excuse me." She said, not sounding remotely apologetic. "Name’s Serra. C-Rank. I’m the healer, obviously."

Serra turned her attention directly to Klaus, looking him up and down with a professional eye.

"If you get injured out there... cuts, broken bones, whatever... I’ll patch you right up. Good as new." She paused, then added with a completely straight face, "And if some monster manages to cut your dick off during the fight, don’t panic. I can heal that too. It already happened once with our scout here."

"SERRA!" Vex immediately shouted, his face turning red. "Why the hell are you telling the newbie about that?! That’s sensitive personal information!"

"What?" Serra shrugged. "It’s a valuable testimonial to my healing abilities."

Kahn sighed heavily and raised one hand. "Both of you, shut up."

They quieted down, though Vex was still glaring daggers at Serra. Kahn turned his attention to the fourth member. "Garrick... Your turn."

The orange-haired swordsman gave Klaus an unfriendly frown before standing up from his chair.

"Garrick." He stated flatly. "I’m a C-Rank adventurer and a swordsman too."

He paused then added bluntly. "I don’t like the fact that you’re here." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Vex chimed in with a knowing grin. "He’s just pissy because he wanted his little sister to take the temporary spot instead of you."

He’d said it jokingly, but Garrick’s hand immediately went to the hilt of his blade. The swordsman looked ready to draw his weapon right there in the middle of the bar.

"Enough!" Kahn’s voice cut through the tension and both men backed down.

Kahn turned to Klaus with a small smile. "Welcome to the team, temporary member."

Then he leaned forward with a hand on the hilt of his axe.

"Before we discuss anything else... what exactly is your relationship with my sister?"