Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

"Do I need to ask for detailed information about the team before logging in?"

Rudius nodded, and the staff member began to explain.

The maximum number of people in a team is seven.

Only adventurers of the same or different levels as the team leader can join the party.

The number of commissions a team can accept depends on its level.

The team's hierarchy is the average value of its members.

All members will receive upgrade points upon successfully completing a task.

Even if you join a team, you can still take on commissions in your individual capacity.

To join a team, you must obtain approval from the team leader and the guild.

When leaving a team, only the guild's approval is required.

The team leader has the authority to force members to leave the game.

The team will automatically disband when the team leader dies.

The list of restrictions is quite extensive, but similar to becoming an adventurer, they are all about screening for talent and some basic limitations. For a profession that deals with death at all times, these restrictions are undoubtedly quite generous.

"So, what's the team name you'd like to use?"

It means "Dead End".

Upon hearing this answer, the clerk's expression twisted slightly, but as expected of a professional, she immediately regained her smile.

He took out the cards he had just collected and handed them to her. The clerk took the cards and walked to the back, returning shortly afterward.

"Okay, please confirm that this is correct."

Looking at the card, I noticed that there was an extra line at the end: "Team: Dead End (F)".

(F) should refer to the team level.

"To accept a commission, please first take the commission form from the notice board over there, and then go to the counter. As for purchasing, please go to the back of this building. Please do not go to the wrong place."

"The rear? Okay, thank you."

After completing the onboarding process, the group immediately moved towards the notice board.

However, just a few steps away, they encountered some adventurers whose smiles clearly betrayed ill intentions.

Every single one of them looked at them as if they were monkeys in a zoo; clearly, the side effects of their recent actions were already showing.

"Um?"

Rudeus, who was moving forward, noticed something was wrong. Upon closer inspection, he saw a foot blocking his path.

One of the guys looked really arrogant. It was a blue frog with only black spots, its cheeks puffed out as if it was trying to suppress a laugh, and it stretched its legs straight forward.

It was clearly an attempt to give Rudius a hard time and trip him up.

Rudius saw it and was about to step over the foot to avoid it, but was pulled back by a hand on his shoulder.

Turning around, I saw a Yue person.

As Rudius's eyes widened slightly, the boy snapped his fingers.

The next moment, a green toad monster as tall as a person emerged from his shadow, opened its mouth, and wrapped its long tongue around the bewildered blue frog before swallowing it whole amidst the frog's screams.

After a few swirling movements of its large mouth, another scream rang out, and the frog adventurer was spat out, smeared against the wall along with its unfortunate companion who had been hit by it.

The frog looked terrified, as if it had just experienced an unbearable hellish journey.

Before anyone could react, the boy spoke calmly.

"There are always some fools who mistake other people's kindness for weakness. We only decided to forgive this offense because our little brother begged us desperately, but some of you have taken this kindness as something to be manipulated at will. This is a warning. There will be no next time. Otherwise, be prepared to become food in your stomach."

While everyone was speechless with surprise at the commotion, the boy's words reached everyone's ears. His gentle tone made some of the bullies feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

What kind of technique is this? A summoning spell? And it's without any chanting?

The movement was so fast, I couldn't even see it. How could that frail guy be so strong?

The contempt in everyone's eyes disappeared, replaced by caution. The Yue people's display of force had indeed intimidated them.

Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Yue Ren put away the "toad".

The frog transformed back into black liquid and merged into the boy's shadow. Everyone who witnessed this unconsciously held their breath.

This is too bizarre. Does this mean that the monster can jump out of the shadows at any time?

No wonder he wasn't wearing any protective gear. With guards like that, there's no need for him to take any precautions at all.

"We hope everyone understands that we don't want to cause trouble, but that doesn't mean we'll stand idly by when trouble comes our way. That's all."

I approached the saleswoman at the counter, took out a gram of gold dust from my pocket, and pushed it towards her.

"I'm sorry for the trouble. I don't know if this is enough as compensation."

"Ah...that's enough, that's enough, you don't need that much."

The female employee picked it up and examined it for a few moments. After confirming that it was genuine, she smiled apologetically and prepared to give change.

Gold is a widely used hard currency in the human world, but on this continent where iron is the main currency, it's practically a game-changer.

Other shops might hesitate, since they generally can't convert these things into cash, but the Adventurers' Guild is different. As an organization spanning the entire continent, there are almost no expensive materials in the world that they can't exchange for.

"Then let everyone here have a drink as a way to celebrate the birth of our team and as compensation for the fright we caused."

"Oh oh oh oh... Dead End... Dead End..."

As it turns out, the method of giving a slap followed by a sweet treat, though crude, is often very effective against ordinary people.

After the Yue people's intimidating words were followed by an invitation to a feast, the crowd was stunned for a moment before cheering and chanting the name of the newly formed team.

The momentum that had just been building up to a shared hatred of the enemy vanished instantly.

Rudius stared blankly at everything, feeling as if something unpleasant that had been lingering in his heart had shattered at this moment.

So, this is the best way to deal with bullying? If we had been friends back then, my ending would probably have been better...

Rudius snapped out of his daze, looked at the confident smile Yue Ren gave him, and returned the same light laugh.

......

While everyone else was enjoying the celebration, Rudius and the Yue people, who were not participating, went to the notice board.

The notice board was covered with a large number of wooden signs, all of which were for commissions.

According to regulations, their team can currently only accept F-level and E-level commissions, but there are not many noteworthy commissions at this level; they are almost all jobs that can be completed in towns.

Organizing warehouses, assisting with cooking, bookkeeping, finding lost pets, and expelling pests, among other tasks.

Each one seemed easy to achieve, and the reward was minimal.

For example:

Grade: F

Job: Organizing the warehouse

Reward: Five shi coins

Job duties: Moving heavy objects

Location: Number 12, Licaris Town, the warehouse with the red door.

Duration: Half a day / One day

Term: No term

Client's Name: Dugham of the Ort tribe Remarks: There are many goods but not enough manpower. Who can help out quickly? The stronger the better.

......

Level: E

Job: Finding lost pets

Reward: One scrap iron coin

Job Responsibilities: Find and retrieve lost pets.

Location: Room 3, Chirib Row House, No. 2, Licaris Town

Period: Until found

Term: None

Client's Name: Messer of the Hoja Tribe

Note: Our pet went missing and hasn't come back yet.

There don't seem to be any low-level jobs that a whole team could take on, probably because adventurers at lower levels are mostly working alone.

However, it seems that every team member can obtain the upgrade value when completing a commission. Perhaps the mainstream approach at lower levels is to accept several commissions as a team and then have the members complete them separately.

After thinking for a moment, Yue Ren realized that if he used a shadow shikigami, he should be able to take on several tasks at the same time.

"In short, let's start with the simplest task..."

"Don't you have any requests to fight dragons?"

Alice spoke as she walked through the bustling crowd.

"It's in the S-level commissions, this one."

"Really?...I don't understand."

Rudy handed the task to Alice, but Alice was struggling with human language, let alone demon language.

"It says that a lone dragon has settled down in the north and won't leave."

"Can we win?"

"It's best not to challenge them, because dragons are generally very strong."

This is what Rijkaard said. Taking on a regular dragon in a one-on-one fight wouldn't be difficult for him, but now that they're a team, there will be a way to break through.

"That's true, subjugation-type requests are probably better..."

"But you need at least C rank to get a raiding mission, and we're only at F rank right now."

"..."

"Why don't we go back first? We've already achieved our goal for today. It's not too late to think about it later. If you really need money, I can help you make up for it."

Everyone turned their heads.

"Oh? Mr. Yue, you still have money?"

The effects of their earlier extravagance were still lingering, and the group felt somewhat guilty. They had thought that in order to formally integrate the team, Mr. Yue had squandered the only precious metal he possessed.

They had planned to make amends, but reality seems to be different from what they expected.

"For someone who travels frequently, it is common sense to carry some precious metals that can be used anywhere."

As he spoke, the Yue man took out a small pouch that looked like a sachet from his pocket and opened it.

Two little heads crowded around, and they were surprised to see that there was a small half-bag of gold dust inside, all the same size as the rice grains they had just seen.

The two of them were immediately filled with golden light.

A tycoon is right next to me?

"However, this is my private property after all, so unless it's an emergency, I don't plan to use it. I'll just earn money through tasks to support myself for daily expenses. No objections?"

Adventurers should act like adventurers. Their team is already incredibly strong, and having unlimited funds would greatly diminish the fun of the adventure.

The other three nodded.

Of course I have no objection. After all, what they said is correct. Why should one's private property serve the team?

Moreover, since the boy has already taken it out, it means he won't hesitate to use it in an emergency. So it seems that restoring their reputation and making money are secondary; as for money, they just need to do their best to earn it.

The other three nodded.

Of course I have no objection. After all, what they said is correct. Why should one's private property serve the team?

Moreover, since the boy has already taken it out, it means he won't hesitate to use it in an emergency. So it seems that restoring their reputation and making money are secondary; as for money, they just need to do their best to earn it.

With their burdens lessened, the group's spirits improved considerably.

Alice patted Yue Ren's arm happily.

"Yue Ren, you're a nice guy! From now on, we're friends!"

"It's my pleasure, Miss Alice."

"Great!"

And so, the group prepared to find a place to stay, since they had done enough for the day and were now feeling quite sleepy.

When I left the Adventurers' Guild, I realized it was almost night.

Because the town is located at the bottom of a crater, and is surrounded by towering mountain walls, it casts shadows at sunset, causing the town to darken faster than the outside world. It will probably become completely dark soon.

"Ah! Rudius, look!"

Alice let out an excited shout, drawing the attention of the others.

A faint light emanated from the inner walls of the surrounding crater, and as the sunlight weakened with the sunset, the light gradually intensified.

Like self-illuminating sapphires, they emit a soft, sky-blue light, illuminating the entire town in a dreamlike scene.

"Wow! That's amazing! This is the first time I've ever seen something like that!"

Once the sun has completely set, the inner walls of the crater illuminate the town built of stone and mud, revealing its true form...

The travelogue wasn't lying; it really is beautiful.

The Yue people also took the opportunity to take out their phones to record this scene.

"Oh? That's really impressive."

Rudeus, also a time traveler, lived in a metropolis bathed in dazzling lights at night, so he wasn't particularly moved, simply regarding it as a spectacle.

"That must be a magic stone."

"A magic-illuminating stone? What is that?"

"It's a kind of magic stone."

"What are the effects?"

"The Magic Stone can store sunlight during the day and glow like that when the surroundings darken. However, the glowing time can only last less than half the duration of daylight."

Solar-powered magic stones—truly, the world is full of wonders.

"Since they can be used for lighting at night, wouldn't it be better to install more?"

"That won't work. Demon-Illuminating Stones are extremely rare. The ones on the mountain wall are said to have been collected by the Demon Emperor when he was alive. Look over there."

The object that Rachel Rudd was pointing to was the half-ruined castle that was faintly visible in the light.

"Just to make that city look more beautiful."

It's a wasteful and labor-intensive undertaking, but it's not entirely meaningless. If the world were to enter a period of peace, developing tourism based on this could be a viable business opportunity.

"Um! I'd like to go take a look at the castle!"

Alice said this, pointing to the half-destroyed, dark city that emerged from the darkness, but Rudeus denied it.

"Not today, let's find a place to stay first. I've been feeling a bit tired lately."

"Huh? Are you alright?"

Although not being used to traveling was part of the reason, Rudius always felt a bit heavy.

I was actually able to move around while fighting monsters, so there was no problem, but fatigue accumulated more easily than usual. Was it because I was worrying too much?

"It's alright, I'm just a little tired."

"Is that so...? Then I'll just have to bear with it."

Patience...? Alice had never said anything like that before.

Rudius sighed with some emotion; Alice had indeed grown.