The sun rose, golden rays spilling over the land, announcing to the cattle and horses of Vanor City that it was time to begin the second day’s work.
Krexia, who had planned ahead, was already up early.
To prevent future Klexia from being troubled by trivial matters like changing clothes, Coutia had specially dressed her in attire more common and practical for this world.
For example, a little skirt, a little skirt, and…
a little skirt.
Krexia didn’t have many complaints about this.
Just as Coutia said, she had liked feminine clothing for a long time, and Coutia’s aesthetic sense was always on point, never making her wear some abstract outfit that would embarrass her.
Although today’s outfit was still a skirt, the overall style leaned more towards a mage’s attire, so today Krexia looked surprisingly pleasing to the eye—except for the oddity of the gun slung on her back.
After leaving the inn, Krexia took a Third-Tier Magic Crystal from her pocket and popped it into her mouth, crunching it a few times before swallowing.
Her energy for the day was fully replenished.
Then she spurred her horse onward at a gallop.
She had woken before dawn, thinking that the task she was taking on today was quite difficult, so she wanted to upgrade her gun. But she had lost track of time.
Only after finishing the modification did she realize it was a bit late, so she hurried out.
Her destination was clear—the Adventurer Association.
Along the way, she passed many fully armed mercenaries and adventurers rushing about; their destinations were basically the same.
Krexia was somewhat puzzled. If she remembered correctly, these people had been drinking heavily in the tavern last night, yet today they all rose early, radiant and ready for battle.
In her previous life, she was the type who’d drink two glasses of liquor, then stumble home vomiting and sleep until the end of time.
She didn’t quite understand how these people, who weren’t mages, had developed such extraordinary physical abilities.
Arriving at the Association, the spacious hall was already crowded with mercenaries. Men and women alike filled the space; those taking on quests were busy, those forming teams were huddled together.
The noisy chatter carried even from dozens of meters away.
Krexia’s attire naturally drew some scattered attention.
The magic wand in her hand and the shining Silver Adventurer Medal on her chest immediately revealed her identity and strength.
A Third Tier Mage who had earned a Silver Adventurer Medal.
Such a figure was relatively rare among adventurers, especially in this remote border region, since the high cost of learning magic was a barrier.
Unless one had great talent, most ordinary people would barely come into contact with magic in their lifetime.
A mage was an undeniable heavy firepower point. Having one in the team granted a significant initiative advantage when facing monsters, saving the group considerable effort.
Their miraculous magic also provided the team with conveniences in various environments.
So it was only natural that Krexia received many invitations to join teams.
“Hello, Miss Mage, interested in joining our team? We’ve accepted a D-rank commission, and we can give you 40% of the reward…”
“40% isn’t quite enough, miss. We can offer 50%. If you agree, we can leave right now.”
“Bold price gouging, isn’t it?”
“What’s wrong with price gouging? If you don’t like it, then don’t follow us.”
“You’re—”
Krexia glanced at these adventurers. Their teams were mostly composed of burly greatsword users.
There were mages too, but mostly Second Tier, with about ten Third Tier among them, all already in fixed teams.
Mages who were alone and unwanted were basically nonexistent.
The reason was simple: First-Tier mages had very limited usefulness. Most at this stage were still at the Mage Academy, studying theory.
At this time, ninety percent of those taking commissions were people who couldn’t afford material costs and were working side jobs.
Krexia smiled and politely declined these enthusiastic offers.
As if she’d give away 50% of the reward.
Not a tenth, even.
By now, the quest board was already crowded. A group of tall, muscular men were blocking it, fighting over the few quests suitable for them.
With Krexia’s height of just over 1.6 meters, standing at the edge, all she could see were solid backs and shapely buttocks.
“Ah, I’m really late.”
“I think I’m starting to understand Fana’s feelings.”
Facing the impenetrable human wall, Krexia had no choice but to retreat to the outer rest area, find an empty seat, and quietly wait for the muscle-bound men to finish choosing their quests.
A little helpless.
She couldn’t just cast a spell to blow them all away, could she?
“Hey? Miss Krexia?”
Just as she sat bored, watching the strong men finish selecting their quests one by one, a familiar voice came from beside her.
Krexia turned to look.
Before her was a fire-red, wide-brimmed pointed hat and a mage’s robe, along with a delicate, fair, and pretty face, and a shapely figure hidden beneath the robe.
It was none other than Fana, whom she had met yesterday.
Beside Fana were a blonde girl and a burly young man clad in heavy armor.
“Fana, Elvie, and… Falco. It’s you three.”
Seeing Krexia call their names, Fana smiled sweetly.
“Miss Krexia, you’re also here waiting for a quest, right? Why not join our team? We’re planning to take a C-rank commission this time.”
“With Miss Krexia here, I’m sure the quest will be completed smoothly.”
Faced with Fana’s compliment, Krexia smiled awkwardly, saying nothing.
She couldn’t exactly say she wanted to hog the entire reward, that would be a bit blunt.
“Eh? Miss Krexia, is that on your back… a magical item?”
Fana quickly noticed Krexia wasn’t interested in teaming up and changed the subject.
Hearing this, Krexia took off her gun and showed it to Fana.
“Ah, this? Yes.”
“I went to buy some magic materials yesterday to make a wand, and after finishing, I had a lot of leftover materials, so I improvised this. Consider it a little clever idea.”
“It’s quite handy for finishing off low-level monsters.”
Fana took the gun, examining it up and down.
“What an ingenious structure… I wasn’t mistaken. Miss Krexia really is a genius in magic, even excelling in relatively niche fields like Enchantment and Mana Engraving!”
Krexia felt a bit embarrassed by Fana’s praise and quietly turned her head, pretending to look at the quest board, but her face was already red.
So awkward…
(2/2)