Chapter 32: Viktor’s Departure

The amount was on an entirely different scale from anything Qiu Nuoya had earned so far.

Qiu Nuoya guessed that the reward was meant for the entire mission rather than for each individual participant.

Even so, one hundred platinum coins was an astonishing amount.

He had no idea how many Rank A Adventurers or higher there were, but even if the reward were divided among a hundred people, each person would still receive one platinum coin.

That was still an incredible payout. Then again, if a dragon went on a rampage, it could potentially destroy an entire nation.

From that perspective, it was only natural for the kingdom to allocate an enormous budget to deal with such a threat.

While Qiu Nuoya was secretly excited by the sheer scale of the mission, Viktor’s expression grew even gloomier.

"I suppose refusing was never really an option," Viktor muttered. "This is practically mandatory."

As he letting out a heavy sigh, he reluctantly nodded before turning to Qiu Nuoya.

"Much as I dislike it, it seems I’ll have to travel to the royal capital. I’ll be away for a while, so promise me you won’t do anything reckless."

Qiu Nuoya smiled and said, "Haha, don’t worry. Igor is still here, and you’ve already taught me so much. I’ve gotten pretty used to this world by now."

Viktor already knew that Qiu Nuoya had come from another world.

Just like the man named Qiu Tailang who had once appeared in this world before him, Viktor seemed to believe that Qiu Nuoya might also possess extraordinary hidden abilities.

Even so, he never pressed the matter any further.

When Viktor had first learned that Qiu Nuoya was an otherworlder, Qiu Nuoya had blurted out that he did not want to be imprisoned.

Whether Viktor had taken those words to heart or not, he had apparently decided that the best approach was to earn Qiu Nuoya’s trust over time instead.

By now, Viktor had completely taken on the role of Qiu Nuoya’s guardian.

Officially, Viktor and Qiu Nuoya were master and disciple.

In reality, however, Viktor spent most of his time taking care of him.

He had become more like a devoted caretaker for someone who knew nothing about this world.

Qiu Nuoya could not help feeling a little guilty about imposing on him so much, but he was genuinely grateful for all of Viktor’s help.

"Still, a dragon extermination mission is incredible! As expected of a Rank A Adventurer. I really admire you."

For some reason, Viktor responded with the lifeless eyes of a dead fish.

"Being a Rank A Adventurer isn’t nearly as wonderful as you think," he said with a sigh. "When something like this happens, we’re drafted without any say in the matter. They expect us to risk our lives for one or two platinum coins. It really makes you wonder what they think a person’s life is worth."

He let out another weary sigh and said, "And that reward is only if the mission becomes an extermination operation. For the investigation itself, the guild might pay us a little, but it’s basically unpaid work."

Ah... He had a point.

Qiu Nuoya had been dazzled by the enormous reward, but if it meant risking his life against a dragon, then one or two platinum coins did not seem like much at all.

And if someone were killed during the mission, did the kingdom even provide compensation for their family?

Somehow, Qiu Nuoya doubted a system like that existed in this world.

If that were true, then the adventurers that needs to supporting their wives, husbands, or children probably wanted nothing to do with missions like this.

Exterminating dragon certainly sounded exciting and heroic. But the more realistically he thought about it, the less worthwhile it seemed.

It left Qiu Nuoya with mixed feelings.

"In that respect," Viktor continued, "Igor is actually the smarter one. Even though his abilities are already worthy of Rank A, he deliberately remains at Rank B and refuses to take the promotion exam."

Viktor muttered to himself with a rueful smile. "I deeply regret the foolish decision I made in my youth to chase the very top."

That revelation surprised Qiu Nuoya. So that was the real reason Igor had remained a Rank B Adventurer.

"Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. I’ll be away for a while, so please, don’t do anything reckless."

"I won’t. I know," Qiu Nuoya replied with a reassuring smile. "I’ll make dinner and wait for you, so come back soon."

"..."

For some reason, Viktor fell silent.

He looked away, unable to meet Qiu Nuoya’s eyes.

Had he said something strange?

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it’s nothing." Viktor quickly shook his head. "I’ll ask Igor to watch over you today."

"That’s really not necessary. I’ll be fine."

For the past several days, Qiu Nuoya had continued accepting mission to gather herb and working in the grasslands outside the city.

Nothing dangerous had happened so far.

He had even grown accustomed to the slimes bouncing around the fields.

If things continued as they had been, there was no reason to expect anything unusual.

Besides, having a Rank B Adventurer act as an escort for someone taking Rank G Missions was a little excessive.

After finally convincing the overly protective Viktor, Qiu Nuoya accepted his mission for the day.

All right.

Time to do his best again today.

As had become part of his daily routine, he headed toward the familiar grasslands to gather medicinal herbs.

The slimes were still there as always.

By now, however, they had become almost like familiar faces.

When Qiu Nuoya greeted them with a cheerful, "Good morning," several of the slimes happily bounced over toward him.

Slimes really were kind of adorable.

That reminded him.

When he had checked his status at the church, one of the listed occupations had been [Novice Beast Tamer].

He wondered what had become of that title afterward.

Apparently, an adventurer’s identification card only displayed the first occupation listed on a person’s status.