"Shorty dwarf, your view is only this high, what can you see? Youâre the first one I disagree with being the leader." The Half-Orc gestured around his stomach to show that Bruno was only so high, mocking him.
"Green-skinned barbarian, thatâs inside the mine. Your size not only lacks advantage but might also get stuck." Bruno retorted, his face flushed.
"I didnât say I should be the leader; I choose the Priest to be the leader."
"The Priest, huh? Shorty dwarf finally says something reasonable."
"I agree too." Loren looked at Elise, nodded slightly, and said.
"Ah?" Before Elise could return to her senses, three squad members agreed, leaving her a bit at a loss.
"I canât do it, Iâve never been a leader." Elise waved her hands repeatedly, naturally, her gaze turned to Raine.
Just as Elise was about to say the second half of her sentence - âLet Mr. Rein be the leaderâ - suddenly, the Wanderer Royce said:
"Then let me do it, I used to be a leader of an adventurer squad."
Upon hearing Royceâs self-recommendation, no one opposed at the scene, neither did anyone agree.
After all, you said youâve done it before, but no one else can testify.
In reality, Royce indeed was a leader before, just that his reputation wasnât quite good.
This time, he initially adopted a spectatorâs mindset, as such temporary assembled teams often have various issues. This was evident, as he had arrived early in the room but witnessed the argument between the Half-Orc and the dwarf while treating it as a show.
And that newly promoted Mage, Royce quickly noticed he seemed to be of âWild Mageâ origin, timid and bookish. Such a Wild Mage who hasnât documented many spells in the early Classes Level doesnât possess significant combat prowess, though has allure for recruitment, returns on investment require a long cycle.
It wasnât until Royce encountered Elise and Raine that his thoughts changed.
Because even after advancing to Black Iron Level Adventurers, Wanderers as the second largest group after Warriors, find it tough to secure a good team.
Yet the appearance of the rare Priest offers Royce an angle.
If he could win over the Priest and the special Classes representatives, perhaps he could use them as a brand to establish a decent Black Iron Level adventurer squad.
Hence, the proactive initiative to volunteer as the squad leader occurred.
Regarding Raineâs perspective at this moment, if this Wanderer Royce truly was a squad leader as he claimed, then he wouldnât have any objections to having him command this promotion task.
As a promotion task represents a brief six-person collaboration, no one would take the temporary leaderâs words seriously.
Plus, facing the bickering between the dwarf and Half-Orc, Raine was genuinely disinterested.
"No objections from me."
"Fine, have it your way then."
...
"Now, we need to rent a wagon. I checked the map; it takes less than half a day to travel from Mill Town to Azure Mine."
Royce, as the new leader, no longer remained with arms crossed, observing coldly, but began to speak rather actively.
"We have a wagon, right at the association entrance." Elise hesitated briefly and said.
"Got a wagon? Long-term lease? Tsk tsk, so wealthy." Royce glanced at Elise, then at Raine, continued, "That means youâre adventurers from Mill Town."
"Sort of."
Rich, this prompted Royce to gaze at Elise more fervently.
âPriestâ, coupled with âwealthyâ, and also a beauty.
Royce couldnât help but feel somewhat jealous of Raine beside him.
Why canât he have such fortune.
It seems not just one person shared Royceâs thoughts; upon hearing the term âwealthyâ, the Half-Orc Kargâs eyes swiveled as he thumped his sturdy chest and said to Elise:
"Priest, do you have a squad, a long-term one!"
"After advancing to Black Iron Level Adventurer, want to hang out with me?"
"No, no, Iâm with Mr. Rein." Instantly, twin-tails fluttering, Elise shook her head like a rattle drum and stepped back towards Raine this side again.
"Alright, thatâs really a pity." Karg, equally jealous, gave Raine a glance, but seemed to evaluate Raineâs unknown capabilities as a special Classes member, showed some apprehension, grudgingly ceased that topic.
"Since thereâs a wagon, Iâll go procure some basic supplies, bandages, reinforced fishing nets and such." Royce internally groused at Kargâs hoping to acquire what he couldnât, while speaking.
"Uh... We have all those in the box at the back of the wagon." Elise reminded.
This left Royce momentarily startled.
"Why wait, all set, then letâs go!"
....
A quarter of an hour later.
The caravan slowly headed towards the southwest avenue of Mill Town.
Due to the hefty physique of Dwarf Warrior Bruno and Half-Orc Karg, Raine for the first time felt that seating six on the caravan seemed a bit cramped...
Even during his previous temporary team formation with Regina and others, he never experienced such.
At that time, there were also six people.
He scrutinized the body shape of Dwarf Warrior Bruno. Although his height didnât exceed one meter fifty, his stout physique probably weighed over two hundred pounds.
Adding in the weight of his heavy armor, shield, and warhammer, even compared to Half-Orc Warrior Karg, who was over one meter ninety, it was a close call.
Actually, upon careful consideration, it must be said that the Adventurerâs Association was indeed well-equipped for this exploration mission.
Take Dwarf Warrior Bruno and the Half-Orc Warrior as an example; both are distinctive frontliners. Compared to most human warriors, Dwarf Warriorâs durability and reliability are significantly higher.
While the Half-Orc Warrior can be reckless and irritable at times, heâs brave enough to boost the squadâs morale.
The Mage doesnât need to be mentioned.
Even a mage like Loren, with a Classes Level of one, is quite rare in a Black Iron Level squad.
Wanderer Royce seems to be a veteran, too.
Additionally, with him and Elise cooperating well, if the number of Gray Dwarves is fewer than ten, it really wouldnât be too difficult.
"Let me explain the mission..." Royce cleared his throat, intending to layout the tasks.
But at this moment, Karg wriggled his sturdy body, felt the cushionâs softness beneath him, and sighed:
"Sitting on a soft cushion, itâs really comfortable. Letâs talk about the mission arrangement later! Karg wants to have a good nap."
Saying so, he found a comfortable position and closed his eyes.
"You..." Royceâs face looked somewhat displeased.
Not even half a minute passed before the Half-Orcâs thunderous snores filled the air.
"Really a barbarian, probably still hungover from last nightâs drinks." Dwarf Warrior Bruno muttered under his breath.
But before long, he, too, was snoring loudly.
Evidently, more than just the Half-Orc hadnât sobered up.
Raine watched Loren with interest.
The other was earnestly reciting a spell. Although Raine himself mastered spells like Freezing Ray and Ice Blade Spell, he wasnât familiar with other spells.
"Mr. Loren, are you memorizing spell chants?"
"Yes, Mr. Raine, this is the chant for the First Level Spell, Greasy Spell."
"Well... I am limited in talent and can only cast First Level Spells twice per battle, so I have to plan carefully. Moreover, I havenât studied in a Mage Tower, considered to be a Wild Mage, so the copied spells arenât many." The young man named Loren said with a hint of embarrassment.
In fact, Raine knew, most mages with a Classes Level of one were at this standard; those higher could cast First Level Spells three times.
Evidently, the young mage Loren in front of him was quite modest.
As for Wild Mages, they are distinguished from those trained in legitimate Mage Towers. The latter have a nearly comprehensive Spell List, with some even specializing, obtaining stronger spellcasting abilities in certain branches.
But to Raine, he didnât care about oneâs origins, more about their character and whether they could get along.
As they got familiar with each other, Raine couldnât help but pose a question heâd longed to ask:
"By the way, Mr. Loren, may I have the audacity to ask, how do you improve your spiritual power?"
"Me?"
"Speaking of which, Iâm ashamed to say, I just practice Magic Tricks to elevate spiritual power. When I was in the village, I had the chance meeting with an elder who taught me two tricks before leaving."
"One is Magic Tricks, the other is Light Technique."
"Even now, these two are the tricks Iâm most familiar with." As he spoke, Loren seemed to be reminiscing, sighing.
Improving by practicing Magic Tricks?
Raine appeared thoughtful.
"Mr. Raine, look." Seeing the confusion in Raineâs eyes, Loren smiled slightly.
Only to see him gently extend his palm, sparkling light began to gather, quickly forming a pattern of light dots, or rather a soft luminous outline of a girlâs face.
Though it was merely a sketch composed of glowing lines, it could be seen that it was a young woman of ordinary appearance with simple braided hair.
"Wow~ so beautiful." Gazing at the luminous outline of a female face, Elise couldnât help but exclaim softly.
And Royce, who was speaking with Elise, was somewhat displeased.
He was planning to discuss the potential of forming a squad with Miss Priestess but was interrupted.
"Is this... from Mr. Loren?" It was obvious that she should be someone important to Loren, Raine couldnât help but ask.
As for Magic Tricks, Raine had thoroughly understood them during his last visit to Dorne City.
In reality, Magic Tricks are very common, mastered by almost all Minstrels, with varied effects including a gust of wind, a visual image, a snippet of music, a certain scent, etc.
Summing up, they create a harmless sensory effect.
But to see the skill Loren displayed, swiftly and accurately sketching out a femaleâs face, was a first for him.