Chapter 76. Recruitment Attempt

Chapter 76. Recruitment Attempt

POV: Keldr

Keldr was watching a party inside the Adventurers’ Guild. There were two girls and two guys in it. They finished their business at the registration desk and headed toward the exit.

"Damn… Why doesn’t our party have a single girl?" he muttered, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Don’t worry. We’ll have girls in our group soon enough. We just need to be bolder," said his friend and teammate, Varn.

"Come on. Our party will never have girls. There are fifteen of us. Fifteen men. No normal girl would want to join a crowd like that," Keldr replied gloomily.

It hadn’t always bothered him. When he first became an adventurer, he had dreamed of something else. He believed he would quickly reveal his “hidden talents,” become a famous, powerful adventurer—and then girls would be drawn to him on their own. He had even imagined building an entire harem of beautiful women.

But four years had passed.

And now he was just one member of a massive fifteen-man party. All men.

"Alright, enough whining. Let’s go work. I don’t even have money left for drinks," Varn said.

Today, the four of them had agreed to go together—him, Varn, Colt, and Hadrik.

They were planning to hunt in the Rank 5 dungeon.

But, of course, not too far from the entrance.

Although it was called a dungeon, it wasn’t underground at all. It was a vast open territory—forest, clearings, occasional rocky outcrops. The entire zone was simply under the dungeon’s influence and obeyed its rules.

The farther from the entrance, the stronger the monsters.

They weren’t planning to go into the inner areas.

Just the Rank 1 zone. Near the edge. That was where beginners usually hunted, or those who wanted to earn money quickly with minimal risk.

With the full party, they normally hunted in the Rank 2 zone. But now there were only four of them, and that area would be dangerous.

Besides, getting there would take too much time. They weren’t planning a serious expedition today. They just needed to earn some quick money and return by evening.

The party leader had ordered everyone to rest. The team had spent the entire previous month inside the dungeon, and now they were supposed to have ten days off.

But these four had spent nearly all their money in just two days.

So today, they had to work a little. They were young men. After a month of hard hunting, they had wanted to relax. And they only knew one way to relax—drinks and brothels.

They had just gotten carried away more than they planned.

Now they didn’t even have money left for an evening drink at the tavern.

Colt and Hadrik were already waiting inside the dungeon.

So he and Varn needed to hurry.

They left the Adventurers’ Guild and headed toward the massive wall—the very wall that separated the city from the dungeon.

Tall. Thick. Expensive.

Keldr grimaced.

So much money poured into that wall…

And beyond it? Just Rank 1 monsters. Weak ones. Even beginners could handle them.

Rank 2 monsters only appeared if you went at least half a day deeper inside.

And they built such a monstrosity for that?

He snorted.

Aristocrats… Living in castles, afraid of their own shadows, wasting our taxes on stone and show.

They don’t understand real life at all.

But that’s fine.

One day, he would become a powerful adventurer. Gain a title. Become an aristocrat himself.

And then he’d show everyone how to manage territory properly.

Without stupid walls.

"Look at that beauty," Varn said quietly, nodding ahead.

Keldr narrowed his eyes.

The girl was indeed attractive. Slender figure, confident walk, a sword at her waist. From her gear alone, it was obvious—an adventurer.

They quickened their pace and moved closer.

A guild badge hung from her neck.

G-rank.

"Probably just registered recently…" Varn muttered.

"Wait," Keldr said quietly. "Maybe her group is waiting ahead. You know girls rarely go into dungeons alone."

He spoke cautiously, but deep down he hoped she was alone.

If their party had a girl, everything would be different.

No more doing their own laundry or cleaning armor.

No more wasting money at brothels.

And overall… life would be more comfortable.

A girl in the party would solve many “problems.”

He could already imagine how much easier things would become.

The girl passed through the gate in the wall. No one was waiting for her. It seemed she really was heading into the dungeon alone.

"Go on. Invite her," Keldr whispered to Varn.

"Alright," Varn replied and sped up.

"Hey, girl! Are you alone? No party? If so, you can join our group. We know this place well—we’ll help you get settled."

"I don’t need help," the girl replied calmly without even slowing down.

Damn.

"Wait!"

Varn caught up and stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"This dungeon is dangerous. Beginners die here often. You can’t go alone."

The girl looked at him directly. She remained silent for several seconds.

"Get out of my way," she said, irritation creeping into her voice.

Keldr, watching from slightly behind, took a closer look at her equipment. The leather armor looked new. High quality. The sword in its sheath also looked expensive—definitely not cheap market junk.

Damn… probably from a wealthy family.

"Listen, little girl," Varn sneered. "You might think you’re tough, but this isn’t a place for children’s games."

The girl silently walked around him and continued forward.

"I’m talking to you!"

Varn suddenly grabbed her shoulder, intending to spin her around.

The girl quickly shook his hand off and looked at him with a cold gaze.

"Touch me again and I’ll break your arm," she said evenly.

Then she tried to walk past him.

Varn smirked.

"Oh, come on…"

And grabbed her shoulder again.

Crack!

"A-A-A-A-A!!!"

A dry snap rang out, and Varn’s arm bent at an unnatural angle. He collapsed to his knees, clutching the broken arm with his other hand.

"Bitch… you broke my arm…" the man said, his voice trembling with pain and threat.

"I warned you. Touch me and you’ll break your arm," the girl replied sharply.

"What the hell are you doing?! We were just trying to help you!" Keldr shouted angrily.

He was furious.

This brat had broken Varn’s arm.

That meant today’s dungeon hunt was canceled. No hunt—no money.

And on top of that, now they had to find money to heal Varn’s arm. A health potion wasn’t cheap, and they didn’t have a single coin left.

They’d have to go to the leader and ask for help.

And the leader would be furious when he found out they’d gone to the dungeon without permission. After a month of exhausting work, he had explicitly ordered them to rest.

Damn it.

Everything had gone wrong.

And it was all this girl’s fault.

"You’re probably some rich man’s daughter. But this isn’t your home, and your parents won’t protect you here. So get on your knees and apologize for breaking my friend’s arm. Otherwise, I won’t go easy on you, even if you’re a girl. This is your last chance," Keldr said, rage burning inside him.

If she didn’t obey, he really might hurt her.

If she got on her knees and apologized now, he might not cripple her.

But he wouldn’t let her go just like that.

She had broken his comrade’s arm.

She would have to “compensate.”

Spend the night with him.

And with Varn too.

Only after that might they forget this incident.

"Get out of the way," the girl said coldly. "Move aside."

"You damn bitch…" Keldr raised his sword.

Enraged, Keldr glanced at her arm.

If she had broken his comrade’s arm—he would cut off hers in return.

He lunged forward, delivering a sharp strike.

The girl easily dodged.

Damn. Fast.

He attacked again. And again.

But each time, his blade sliced nothing but air.

Enough!

His anger completely clouded his mind.

He changed his target.

This time, he aimed for her head.

Her fault.

He made another lunge, putting all his strength into the strike.

And in the next moment, the world tilted.

His leg betrayed him, losing balance.

The blow missed.

And suddenly—a sharp, burning pain in his shoulder.

"AAAH!"

The pain was so intense he could barely understand what was happening. The world blurred before his eyes. All he felt was pulsating, unbearable agony and despair from losing his arm.

Each second stretched endlessly.

After several more seconds of hellish pain, his consciousness finally gave out—and he fell into darkness.

—

He woke to a sharp, acrid smell.

"Oh, you’re awake? Finally," a familiar voice said.

Colt.

He opened his eyes. His comrades—Varn, Colt, and Hadrik—were standing over him.

The memory hit instantly.

His arm.

He jerked his gaze to his right shoulder.

His arm was there.

He moved his fingers. Then his elbow. Everything worked. Only a dull, lingering discomfort remained in his shoulder.

Had it just been his imagination? No. He remembered the pain. He remembered how the girl’s sword had come far too close.

"Heard some girl wiped the floor with you," Hadrik smirked.

"None of your business," Keldr replied coldly, standing up.

He clenched his fist. Everything worked.

He glanced at Varn. Varn was moving his arm too—whole and unharmed.

So someone had patched them up. Used a potion.

"Looks like you messed with the wrong person," Colt snorted.

"How were we supposed to know she was like that?" Varn muttered.

Keldr remained silent, but inside he was boiling.

Yes, they hadn’t known. Yes, they’d made a mistake.

But this wasn’t over.

One day, he would become stronger.

And when the time came, he would drag her into his bed. She would beg him to stop, and he would savor the sight of her tears and pleas.

"Alright, idiots. Since you’re so desperate to get girls into our party, I found a great option," Colt said, lowering his voice. "Recently, two beauties went deeper into the dungeon with a guy in extremely expensive armor. So expensive there isn’t a single scratch on it. Looks like he’s never even fought in it."

Keldr frowned.

"So?"

"So he’s E-rank. Probably bought it. Some rich merchant’s son. And those two next to him? They’re not there for nothing. Everyone loves money."

He smirked.

"Bottom line—if the four of us catch up to them, we’ll put that brat in his place fast. And voila—we’ll have two beauties at our disposal."

Keldr gave a dark smile.

He was still furious about what happened at the gate. Very furious.

"Let’s go. We’ll catch them."

This time, he wasn’t going to miss his opportunity.