GILF Hunter

Chapter 243: 243 New Recruits

People gathered from early morning on the street where the guild’s main facilities were clustered.

To preempt the good missions.

To prepare for expeditions.

To conduct business with the mercenaries who gathered there.

And among them, the building where people gathered the earliest was the Mercenary Recruitment Center.

A place that was the most active, yet filled with the deepest sense of tension.

Countless unaffiliated mercenaries sat on chairs in the waiting room, glancing around and gauging one another’s presence.

Some observed the passersby incessantly with anxious expressions, while others sat staring straight ahead, pretending to be composed. Still, others spent their time sighing with their heads bowed.

The ways they spent their time varied, but they were all gathered here for the same purpose.

They were rookie mercenaries who had yet to find a mercenary group.

Complete novices who had paid the entry fee to join the guild and received their qualification to operate, but were not yet part of any group and had never completed a mission.

In this city overflowing with mercenaries, few groups bothered to take in those with absolutely no experience.

If a mercenary had no particular talent to boast of, they had no choice but to wait endlessly for a newly formed mercenary group—those desperate enough to need even such recruits—to choose them as a companion.

On one side of the recruitment center, several bulletin boards were fixed to the wall, densely packed with countless memos.

They were a type of resume, where mercenaries squeezed their brains to list their specialties and introductions.

“Who is Sarah?”

“H-here! That’s me!”

Mercenary captains looking for people passed by constantly in front of the boards, and occasionally, a memo that caught someone’s eye would be pulled off as a name was called.

Every time a called mercenary answered and ran out, the envious gazes of the sitting mercenaries followed them.

Arriving at the recruitment center, Ian looked around at the mercenaries sitting in the waiting area.

Though it hadn’t been a long time, Ian, who had become somewhat accustomed to life here, exuded the aura of a mercenary captain in his own right.

The seated mercenaries intuitively felt that Ian was a captain who had come to find people.

Ian turned his gaze toward the boards where the mercenaries’ personal details were posted.

Over there, in their own way, other captains were scanning through countless resumes to find the most useful people possible.

Since Ian didn’t necessarily need to see the introductions written by the mercenaries themselves, he instead moved toward the mercenaries sitting on the chairs.

Since there were occasionally captains who picked people based solely on first impressions like this, the mercenaries straightened their posture with tense expressions whenever Ian passed by them.

Ian moved slowly, examining each of the anxious-faced mercenaries one by one.

Most of the mercenaries didn’t suit his fancy, but choosing the right person wasn’t a task that could be finished in a single day anyway.

Ian had been coming here every morning to check what kind of mercenaries were available.

It had already been several days of doing so.

Finally, Ian’s steps stopped in front of someone.

Clutching a staff as tall as herself, the mercenary who had been frozen in tension slowly lifted her head.

＊　＊　＊

It was morning, the sun having fully risen and the streets brightening to the point where lanterns were no longer needed.

Since the busiest dawn hours had passed, a quiet and relaxed atmosphere flowed through the first floor of the inn.

Rin, who had come downstairs yawning with a relaxed face, took over a large table all by herself.

Since it was a bit late for breakfast, only a few mercenaries—also on their day off—were enjoying a leisurely late meal on the first floor.

Rin picked up her fork toward the breakfast menu that began to be served before her one by one.

Creak—.

The inn door opened with a small creaking sound, and Ian walked inside.

Ian, returning from an early outing, spotted Rin having breakfast on the first floor.

“Ah. Captain.”

“You’re awake.”

Ian, who had planned to go up and wake Rin if she was still sleeping, thought the timing was perfect and pulled out a chair to sit across from her.

Perhaps because she hadn’t been awake for long, Rin yawned as she stretched.

“Hooo… where have you been since so early in the morning?”

“I had things to do at the guild.”

“Does a captain have that much to do?”

While they were conversing, the innkeeper approached and set a new plate down on the table.

Ian looked at the lavish breakfast laid out before Rin.

“The menu is quite fancy for breakfast…”

“Well, we got a big reward last time.”

Breakfast at the inn usually consisted of a bowl of stew from a large pot and a loaf of bread. However, when it wasn’t too busy, the innkeeper would cook and bring a fresh desired dish if given an extra fee.

In addition to the basic stew and bread, a slab of grilled meat and a roasted potato sat before Rin.

The basic menu was something Ian had paid for in advance along with the room fee, but the other plates were items Rin had ordered with her own money.

After receiving a large reward, Rin would often indulge in such luxuries with food.

No matter how large the reward, spending like this every day would empty her pockets quickly… but Ian decided not to point it out. After all, the reward was hers to spend as she pleased. Besides, the words ’mercenary’ and ’savings’ probably didn’t go well together in the first place.

A moment later, bread and stew were placed before Ian as well.

Ian waved at the innkeeper and spoke.

“Ah, please bring two plates of steak here… and a fruit salad.”

Watching from across the table, Rin smirked upon hearing Ian’s order and said,

“You’re not exactly in a position to lecture me either, Captain.”

“No, this isn’t for me to eat.”

“Oh… then is it for me?”

Just then, the sound of the inn door opening rang out once more.

Two mercenaries, stiff as boards from extreme tension, walked into the inn.

Scanning the interior, the two soon spotted Ian’s face and rushed over to stand upright in front of the table.

“A-ah, good morning, sir!”

“Hello.”

They were the mercenaries Ian had gone to find at the recruitment center this morning.

Ian, who had been checking the mercenaries there for the past few days, finally found the ones he wanted today and hired them.

After finishing the remaining procedures at the guild, the two had packed their belongings and come to the inn Ian had specified.

“Who are they?”

“New recruits.”

Rin, who had her fork in her mouth, blinked. It seemed she hadn’t considered at all that new people would be joining the group.

“We’ll need more people if we’re going to take on D-rank missions from now on.”

“Wow!”

Rin, who had grown accustomed to working with just the two of them, widened her eyes at the word ’new recruit.’

Until now, despite the name ’mercenary group,’ Ian the captain and Rin had solved missions with just the two of them. Of course, they had gotten used to each other and there was a certain humble charm to it, but… a true mercenary group was supposed to have many members.

Thinking this, Rin’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the two standing before the table.

When a brief silence followed, one of them stepped forward and greeted the two, seemingly thinking it was time for an introduction.

“I’m Tanya! I’ve joined as a general laborer!”

A mercenary with red hair tied back in a braid, possessing an aura that didn’t seem to fit the mercenary trade, bowed her head deeply.

“I… I’ve never fought before, but I’ll work hard at anything, so please leave it to me!”

A general laborer. In other words… a porter.

A laborer was a member who handled chores, meal preparation, and various errands within the mercenary group. The reason such a helper was hired as a formal member was that they participated in expeditions as well.

A member who carried equipment, guarded luggage during battle, and handled the loot. Hearing this, Rin’s eyes shone.

Having a porter was a symbol of a successful mercenary group. While porters were the first to be cut when a group fell on hard times, hiring a new one meant the group was growing smoothly.

After Tanya’s introduction, Rin’s gaze turned toward the other mercenary standing beside her.

Unlike Tanya, who was stiff and tense, this mercenary—holding a staff with her long, straight hair flowing—introduced her name while maintaining a somewhat composed atmosphere.

“I’m Mika.”

However, she was merely trying to act composed. In the end, she couldn’t hide the tension unique to rookie mercenaries, and it was clear she was struggling to appear calm.

“My position is… Mage.”

“…!”

With an expression much more shocked than before, Rin leaned in close to Ian. She asked in a voice small enough that it wouldn’t reach the two of them,

“Aren’t mages’ fees incredibly expensive?”

“Well… I did give her a bit more than a regular mercenary.”

Rin stared at Mika with shimmering eyes. While many of her fantasies about the mercenary life had been shattered through actual experience, the word ’Mage’ stimulated Rin’s sense of romance once again.

A Mage… has joined our group!

“What kind of magic is your specialty? Fire?”

“…No.”

“Then Lightning?”

“No, well, you see…”

Mika, the Mage mercenary who had seemed dignified, saw her voice grow smaller as the questions continued. Eventually shrinking back like a typical rookie, Mika answered Rin with her confidence hitting rock bottom.

“I, um… haven’t actually learned any spells yet…”

“…Then you’re not a Mage?”

“….”

Under Rin’s gaze, from which the sparkle had instantly vanished, Mika bowed her head deeply. Ian, who was watching the scene from the side, interjected and said a word to Rin.

“Rookies are like that. You were also full of confidence after catching just one goblin at first.”

“….”

This time, it was Rin who bowed her head deeply.

That was how most rookie mercenaries were. Even for a swordsman, there was no place to formally learn swordsmanship, and even if one had the talent of a mage, there was no way a youth from a rural village could afford to learn expensive magic.

In the end, whether swordsman or mage, they would arrive at Labyrinth with nothing but their bare bodies and the cheapest sword or staff.

“First, both of you have a seat.”

Ian spoke while pointing at the empty chairs for the two of them.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Name: Tanya

Level: Lv. 1

Affiliation: Ian Mercenary Group

Traits: [Endurance E] [Cooking D] [Timid] [Desire to Serve]

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Name: Mika

Level: Lv. 1

Affiliation: Ian Mercenary Group

Traits: [MP Increase E] [Magic Power Increase E] [Curiosity]