Chapter 23: The Mercenary Guild

The Mercenary Guild is a massive organization spanning all human territories in the world of Gaia, its scale even surpassing private organizations like the Assassin Guild or the Warrior Guild. However, unlike other organizations, the Mercenary Guilds in various countries share only a consistent ranking system for mercenaries and quests; their administrative structures differ, and there is no hierarchical relationship between them. They owe allegiance only to the rulers of their respective kingdoms.

This is exactly what every ruler desires. After all, mercenaries are a vast group with considerable power within their borders, and no ruler would feel at ease if such a force were not under their own control. In the game from his previous life, the Mercenary Guild was the first faction most players joined early on, earning experience, gold, and various extraordinary item rewards by completing commissions.

Li Si’s purpose in coming to the Mercenary Guild today was simple. First, he needed to learn the final intermediate weapon proficiency required for his "Master of All Weapons" skill. Second, he intended to register as a mercenary, completing commissions and hunting monsters to gain the vast amount of experience needed for his leveling. Relying solely on meditation to gain experience would not make breaking through to an intermediate mage before the Festival of Saints realistic, especially with the bottomless pit of leveling up his skills looming ahead. He had to find a way to broaden his sources of experience.

For the mercenaries of this world, the goal of completing commissions was to earn payment, but Li Si was different. With the game system, he could obtain corresponding experience points while completing those tasks. And what was the simplest and most direct source of experience in the game system? Grinding monsters! Completing a few commissions would just be a convenient side task. Li Si could barely suppress his urge to start grinding!

The Mercenary Guild in the City of Radiance was not located in the East District, but rather on the busiest street in the West District, Gedo Street. After all, most mercenaries were impoverished people from the lower social strata who, before gaining extraordinary power and becoming professionals, could only sell their labor to complete odd jobs within the city. Moving goods, cleaning, finding lost pets—such ordinary tasks made up the daily life of most common mercenaries. To call these people mercenaries was really just a way of saying they were poor souls struggling to make a living. As for important commissions like escort duties or clearing out monsters, those were only accessible once one became an extraordinary professional.

Li Si remembered when the game first launched in his previous life; players swept through all the tasks in the Mercenary Guild like a whirlwind, not even refusing jobs like cleaning sewers or hauling trash. The players' enthusiasm and efficiency were so high that a rumor circulated among the mercenaries about a group of tireless construct golems disguised as mercenaries. The players’ superior efficiency and "007" work schedule took over most of the tasks meant for ordinary mercenaries, causing dissatisfaction and even some minor conflicts. However, once the players had accumulated enough to rank up into professionals, those things stopped happening.

After all, if one were going to grind, grinding monsters and dungeons was clearly more appealing than scrubbing toilets. Although Li Si’s Agility attribute had not yet been adjusted, it was far beyond that of an average person, and he soon arrived at Gedo Street. Named for the Gedo River that flows through the West District of the City of Radiance, the street is the capital’s largest hub for cargo distribution and human traffic. The Mercenary Guild stands at the head of Gedo Street; its prominent five-story gray building serves as the heart of the kingdom’s Mercenary Guild.

Standing before the building, looking at the aged brown wooden doors, Li Si felt his blood—fueled by memories of adventure, hardcore grinding, and pay-to-win spending—beginning to boil, even as a steady stream of mercenaries in various attires continued to enter and exit near dusk. Entering the guild, the right side of the spacious hall was a place for mercenaries to rest and socialize. Returning mercenaries would gather with friends around round tables, drinking ale, boasting, and venting the exhaustion of a busy day or soothing the tension built up from fighting monsters.

"Old Mike, stop bragging. You, beating a Tusked Boar? I bet you’d be scared witless the moment you heard it!"
"Exactly! While a Tusked Boar isn’t an extraordinary monster, it’s stronger than even the weakest magical beast, the Shadow Rabbit. Those tusks—tsk tsk—they’d run you through in a heartbeat."
"I heard Master Tony’s plantation outside the city was ruined by monsters, and he’s looking to hire Silver-rank mercenaries. Any interest, boys?"
"You guys don’t know—when I was adventuring in the Great Western Desert, I chopped an Ogre into pieces with a single swing! The meat didn’t taste great, though, it got stuck in my teeth! So, what are a few goblins today? Piece of cake!"

Enduring the noisy chatter, Li Si pushed his way to the left side of the hall, where the guild posted tasks, accepted commissions, and handled mercenary registration and audits. There was also a bar counter nearby, likely for cashing in mercenary pay. In his previous life, Li Si had spent plenty of money here, mostly because the game’s experience was so immersive—you could drink without getting drunk, giving Li Si, who usually couldn’t hold his liquor, a chance to show off.

"Hello, are you here to rank up or to register as a new mercenary?" The young lady behind the counter, who had looked lifeless after a long day, brightened up the moment she saw Li Si. After all, who doesn't love a handsome young man?

"Hello, please register me as a mercenary," Li Si said with a nod.
"Name?"
"Moriarty."
"Age?"
"Eighteen."
"Profession?"
"None."

Registering as a mercenary was simple, but Li Si did not want to reveal his status as a mage yet. After all, he still wanted to learn new weapons, and being a rare mage professional would draw too much attention.

"Here is your ID card. You are currently at the lowest mercenary rank. By completing commissions, you will earn corresponding mercenary points to increase your rank." The clerk handed him a gray card engraved with magical patterns of his information, making it extremely difficult to forge.

"You can take on some ordinary tasks that can be completed within the city, or form a team with others to take on higher-level monster-hunting missions, but..." The young woman hesitated before offering her advice. "It is best not to attempt those risky missions until you become an official professional. Staying alive is the most important thing." Having worked at the Mercenary Guild for many years, she had seen too many young people get hot-headed the moment they registered, taking on dangerous missions only to leave not even a scrap of their belongings behind.

"Thank you for the advice, I understand," Li Si replied with a smile. He didn't know if he still possessed the ability to respawn like he did in the game, so he certainly wouldn't be like those silly players who would rush to their deaths while shouting, "Orcs shall never be slaves!" or "Demacia!"

He was currently just an unranked mercenary, doing the same simple, time-consuming, and laborious tasks as the common folk, and might never have the chance to promote to an official mercenary in his entire life. Official mercenaries, from lowest to highest, were categorized as Bronze, Silver, Gold, Mithril, and Gem grade. These ranks did not correspond one-to-one with professional tiers; they depended entirely on the level and quantity of tasks completed.

Li Si toyed with his fresh, warm mercenary ID card and asked the young woman, "By the way, I would like to know, is there a professional instructor available in the guild right now?"