The taxi pulled up in front of the massive guild headquarters.
Liam paid the fare, stepped out of the vehicle, and adjusted the strap of the bag slung over his shoulder. Inside, Lydia had packed the case containing his weapons, some ammunition, and a few supplies for the day.
He looked up at the building and smiled.
It was strange how quickly the place was beginning to feel familiar.
As he walked toward the entrance, another taxi stopped a few meters away.
The door opened, and Lydia stepped out with a radiant smile.
Her white dress swayed gently in the morning breeze, and her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders.
The moment she spotted Liam, she raised a hand to wave.
"Good morning!"
Liam smiled.
"Good morning, sweetheart."
She walked over to him.
"How did it go with Mr. Banks?"
Liam chuckled softly.
"It went well."
Lydia looked at him curiously.
"Really?"
"I paid him everything."
He smiled.
"I even paid two months in advance."
Lydia let out a sigh of relief.
"What a relief..."
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"And the rent increase?"
Liam shrugged.
"In the end, he didn’t raise the rent by that much."
She smiled with genuine happiness.
"I’m so glad."
For a few moments, they simply stood there, enjoying the feeling of finally leaving behind a worry that had followed them for so long.
At last, Lydia asked,
"So, what’s the plan for today?"
Liam took out his guild phone.
"I arranged for us to meet up with a group of rookie hunters."
He showed her the screen.
"They’re planning to clear several Rank F and Rank E dungeons that appeared near the city."
Lydia quickly processed the information.
"For training?"
"Exactly."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"It’s the perfect opportunity to keep gaining experience."
Lydia grinned from ear to ear.
"Honestly..."
She looked down at her own hands.
"...I’m kind of excited to get back into action."
Liam laughed.
"Me too."
◇◆◇
It wasn’t long before the rest of the group began to arrive.
One after another, they gathered in front of the guild headquarters.
Some came on foot, others on bicycles, and several arrived by taxi just like Liam and Lydia.
Liam greeted everyone who approached with a friendly smile.
Little by little, the group was complete.
Including him and Lydia, there were ten people.
Liam quickly glanced at the hunter IDs hanging around several of their necks.
Not all of them belonged to the Ace of Swords Guild.
Some wore badges from other guilds, while a few didn’t have a guild emblem at all.
A blond-haired young man smiled as he adjusted his backpack.
"I’m Silver Rank."
He held up his ID.
"I’m not part of any guild yet."
A red-haired girl did the same.
"Me neither."
The young man continued,
"We’re hoping to reach Emerald Rank."
He smiled enthusiastically.
"Then we’ll try to get into the Ace of Swords Guild."
Liam understood that dream perfectly.
As they chatted among themselves, a firm voice interrupted the introductions.
"All right."
Everyone turned.
A tall man dressed in an elegant dark gray suit and black tie walked to the center of the group.
His expression radiated almost excessive confidence.
His hair was neatly slicked back, and he held his hunter ID in one hand.
He raised it for everyone to see.
"My name is Logan."
The card gleamed under the morning sun.
Emerald green.
"Emerald Rank."
He tucked the card away again.
"I suppose I’m the most experienced person here."
The way he looked at the others made it feel as though he were evaluating people far beneath him.
"So I’ll be leading this expedition."
Several people simply nodded.
Liam didn’t mind either.
’As long as we get to train...’
He wasn’t particularly concerned with who gave the orders.
He just wanted to keep improving alongside Lydia.
Suddenly, a message appeared before his eyes.
[Lydia: Honey...]
[Lydia: I don’t trust this Logan guy.]
Liam smiled faintly, and another message appeared immediately afterward.
[Lydia: I don’t like the way he treats everyone.]
Liam answered mentally.
’Relax, sweetheart.’
’If we don’t like how he runs the group, we’ll just find another one through the app.’
His wife replied almost instantly.
[Lydia: Okay.]
[Lydia: But I still don’t like him.]
Liam had to suppress a smile.
◇◆◇
Logan clapped his hands a couple of times to get everyone’s attention.
"Before we leave, I need to know what each of you can do."
He began pointing at the members one by one.
Each hunter briefly explained their Awakening until it was Liam’s turn.
He answered calmly.
"I fight with firearms."
He discreetly gestured toward Lydia.
"My wife fights using slime abilities."
Several people looked surprised.
"A slime?"
one of the girls asked.
Lydia smiled.
"That’s right."
She didn’t elaborate any further.
After hearing everyone’s abilities, Logan began arranging the formation.
"The tanks and melee fighters will take the front."
He pointed to four people.
"The ranged attackers stay behind them."
Then he looked at Liam.
"You’ll stay in the rear."
Liam nodded without arguing.
Logan continued.
"The healer stays in the center at all times."
He quickly finished assigning everyone’s positions.
It was a fairly simple formation.
Nothing particularly sophisticated.
Once everyone was in place, Logan spoke again.
"We’ll start with Rank F dungeons."
Several of the rookies listened with obvious nervousness.
"A lot of people think they’re easy."
He smiled faintly.
"But they’re still dungeons."
One of the Silver Rank hunters raised his hand.
"Excuse me..."
Logan looked at him.
"What?"
"I’ve never entered a Rank F dungeon before."
The young man swallowed nervously.
"Do they have bosses?"
Logan shook his head.
"Normally, no."
He continued explaining as he walked in front of the group.
"Most Rank F dungeons are cleared simply by eliminating every monster inside."
Several people nodded.
"But..."
He raised a finger.
"If you want to collect materials, monster organs, or any special items..."
He looked across the group.
"...we’ll need to leave at least one monster alive."
A few people frowned, so Logan patiently explained.
"As long as there’s at least one living monster, the dungeon won’t disappear."
He pointed toward the ground.
"That allows us to search for minerals, rare plants, or any other valuable resources."
The Silver Rank hunter rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So... Rank F dungeons aren’t as easy as they seem."
Logan walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
The gesture looked friendly...
But his smile was unmistakably mocking.
"That’s..."
He gave the young man a couple of pats.
"...something you’ll learn once you stop being a rookie."
Several people lowered their heads, and the young man smiled awkwardly.
"Right..."
Logan returned to the front.
At that moment, another message appeared before Liam’s eyes.
[Lydia: This guy really is an idiot.]
Liam glanced discreetly at his wife.
She kept a perfectly serious expression, but he knew those messages far too well.
He could practically hear the tone in which she was writing them.
He quickly replied.
’Give him a chance.’
The answer came almost immediately.
[Lydia: I’ll give him five minutes.]
[Lydia: If he keeps treating everyone like this...]
[Lydia: I might accidentally start throwing rocks.]
Liam cleared his throat to hide a laugh.
Just then, Logan turned toward the group.
"Is there a problem?"
Liam shook his head.
"None."
"Good."
Logan pointed toward the parking lot.
A transport van for hunters was waiting there.
"Get in."
His voice carried an authoritative edge.
"Our first stop is about twenty minutes away."
The ten hunters began walking toward the vehicle.
Liam walked beside Lydia.
She sent him one last message.
[Lydia: Promise me I get to choose the next group.]
Liam smiled as he opened the van door.
’I promise.’