"Great work everyone!"
"Fufu... that turned out easier than we thought..."
"That's only because Eria-san was with us."
The four adventurers with me complimented my skills. They were an amateur party of three humans and a single beastkin. The leader was a man named Gilbert, a typical warrior class frontline. The other two human in the party were both women; Senna was the mage of the party and Jessica was their backline archer. The last party member was Riger, a muscular beastkin with the head of a tiger. He was a warrior like Gilbert, but he was more armored, and he serves as the tank of the party.
It had been three months already since I came to the city. Despite Julian's warning, I still came to the guild to become an adventurer. It was true that there were some ruffians who tried to hit on me and acted aggressively, but they were all small fries I was able to handle. It seems the stories Julian told me were true, but he definitely exaggerated a bit as well.
One of the things he told me was true, was how Female adventurers were typically looked down on. They were not as physically strong as men, and most of them never held a sword ever in their lives. Those born from poverty were also never taught magic. Anyone can join the guild as long as they're old enough, so despite their lack of any fighting capabilities, they were able to join.
For sure, there were strong women at the guild, but their number pale in comparison to the men.
Despite not being an adventurer himself, Julian seems to have a deep knowledge on how the guild function. It was not surprising, knowing that he will have to deal with them too when he takes over the city.
Speaking of Julian... just a week after I came to the inn he recommended me to stay, he came to visit me. He looked perplexed that I didn't come back to him to accept his offer. After I told him that I decided to continue my plan on becoming an adventurer, he went away raging. I thought he was angry, but only a few days later, he was back again to check on me. He visited me frequently then after.
Back to the party I'm with... I met with Gil and the others a month ago at the guild. Their party was apparently looking for an extra member for a big subjugation request, that's when they stumbled on me. They were a party of D-rank adventurers. I thought they were low in rank among the adventurers, but as it turns out, they were already veterans, and they were treated like big deals at the guild. I was surprised to know that they were one of the strongest team they have.
Curious to see what they can do, I accepted their request. Since then, they've been inviting me to come, even when the quest was trivial.
"The way you skillfully combine your swordsmanship with magic simply amazes me. I can't get tired of watching you fight."
"You're so good, Eria!"
After getting praised by Riget, Jessica-san jumped at me and hugged my back. It was honestly embarrassing, since she has such huge breasts. With her on my back, I can feel all their softness.
"Then, let's go back to the guild. We've already accomplished the task," Gil said as he puts his sword back on its sheath.
Gil was the typical warrior type. He has red hair and he was well-built. He fairly looks handsome and I heard that he was popular in the city. I heard the other adventurers complain on how much of a womanizer he was, but Senna and Jessica defended him and told me it wasn't true.
With Gil on the lead, we went back to the guild.
"Here's your share of the reward, Eria-san."
As the leader of the party, Gil split the reward. As always, I got the same amount as the other party members. To be honest, I thought I should get more. I did the most work after all.
After the ordeal of the rewards, the atmosphere turned casual again. Gil and Jessica-san were already ordering drinks, Riget took out his sword to clean it, and Senna took out a book and started to read on her own.
After taking a sip of his drink, Gil turned at me and spoke. I was about to leave, but I remained on my seat to hear him.
"We've been to a few adventures already, Eria-san. How about you finally join us permanently?"
Just when Gil invited, I felt an intense glare coming from Senna's direction. I noticed it before, but I guess she really likes Gil. Or could it be that hatred was because she's afraid I might steal her role as their party's mage?
"I can't... it's not like I'm on the same ranks as you guys."
How about that, Senna? I don't really have any intention of stealing your spot.
"Fuu..." Senna heaved a sigh of relief at my answer.
"You should join us, Eria. You can easily increase your rank if you did. You'll be the same rank as us in no time!"
Jessica was right. Being in a party of higher ranking members will help me increase my presence in the guild. It would influence my chance to rank up significantly. More importantly, I will be able to participate in quests that are beyond the level of my current rank.
Ranking up was more difficult than I thought. Common adventurers spend months to get their first rank up from G to F, then to get to E would take an entire year. To get to Gil and the other's rank of D, I would need to have a lot of experience.
There were a few benifits I can get if I join Gil's party. However, there was one major problem - I was stronger than them by a long shot. I realized that when I saw them fight. That means that I can easily complete the quests they do to reach their ranks all by myself.
In that case, I won't really need to join their party to climb the ranks. In fact, they might even hold me back in the future if I ever join them. My potential to get a higher rank than them was significantly higher, while their strength was already stuck in rank D.
"I... I'll think about it."
If I join, maybe I can help them improve to rank up with me. I doubt I can do that, but they are fun to be with so I don't want to part ways with them yet. I don't want to get their hopes up, but I'll at least give them a chance.
"Understood. You can take your time on it."
"Umu. Then, I'll go back now."