As Mary reentered the receptionist box, her footsteps resonated against the polished wooden floors.
In her delicate, outstretched hand, she presented Mastur and Felicity with their freshly minted adventurer identification cards.
Mastur eagerly seized his card, his blue eyes lingering on the engraved details before redirecting his gaze towards Mary.
With a chuckle, he said, "Well, it looks like we'll be spending more time together, Mary."
Mary's eyes flickered briefly to the side, trying to hide her amusement she replied nonchalantly, "Whatever."
Mastur's smile widened mischievously as he leaned towards her.
"Feisty, are we?"
Stretching his slightly husky frame, Mastur turned his attention towards Felicity before sharing his intentions enthusiastically.
"Let's go, Felicity! I'm in the mood to fill our pockets with some sweet cash. We'll check out those fine green women brothel right after!"
"You sound excited..." Felicity giggled a bit.
"Definitely, I'm planning to register two races into the records by the end of the week.."
"If you manage your time well and move at a good pace, you can record three in less the set time."
"Three is kinda pushing it, but I guess it's not impossible."
Curiosity welled up in Mastur's eyes as he turned back to Mary, seeking guidance on their next move.
"Hey Mary?"
"What'd you want now..." she fixed her dead stare at him.
"Chill out, it's not like I did anything wrong.."
"Just get to the point."
"Yeah, so where can I find the quest board?"
Mary, gesturing with a slender arm, directed his attention towards a wooden panel adorned with various parchment notices.
"It's over there," she replied.
"Alright, cool."
Before Mary could resume what she was writing, an important piece of information slipped into her mind.
"Oh yeah, and just a gentle reminder — as a Rank F adventurer you can only take jobs that are on your rank or one rank higher.."
Felicity adjusted her spectacles and chimed in. "And after a given period of time we can take jobs two ranks higher, right?"
"Yes."
Mastur stroked his chin thoughtfully, contemplating Mary's words.
"Shouldn't it be called a job board then?" he pondered aloud.
Mary's eyebrows raised in mild confusion. "Excuse me?" she queried.
Felicity, ever level-headed, interjected softly,
"He just means it's a bit confusing to call it a quest board when adventurers have the option to choose between a job, quest, or commission."
Realization dawned on Mary as she, too, rubbed her chin, considering Felicity's perspective.
"You're right," Mary agreed, "we need a new name for it."
"Hehe." Mastur stroked his chin with pride, "I have the perfect name for it..."
"Which is?" Mary asked as she leaned closer to the counter, eager to hear Mastur's suggestion.
He leaned in as well, his voice akin to a loud whisper as he shared the new name with Mary.
She nodded, her expression thoughtful as she pondered the name.
"That's a great name," Mary said, her tone ambivalent yet carrying a hint of approval.
Without wasting a moment, Mary stood up, her palm resting heavily on the counter as she gathered the attention of every adventurer in the guild.
"ATTENTION!"
The room fell silent as all eyes turned towards her, the various races and creatures waiting in anticipation.
A horse-headed adventurer perked up at the word "attention" and let out a loud neigh, drawing an annoyed remark from a man adorned with the head of an insect and mantis-like arms.
"Shut the fuck up, dickhead," the insect-headed man retorted, clearly unimpressed.
The horse-headed adventurer retaliated, "Stop calling me dickhead! I obviously have the head of a horse!"
Laughter erupted from the crowd at the unexpected exchange.
Mary, refusing to let the moment slip away, raised her hand and then slammed it against the surface of the counter.
"ATTENTION!!" she shouted once more.
The adventurers quickly hushed, their eyes fixed on the woman who commanded their respect.
As the guild hall fell into silence, Mary cleared her throat, projecting her voice with authority.
"We have a new name for the quest board," she announced.
The adventurers murmured among themselves, their curiosity piqued by Mary's declaration.
Sensing the need to quell their chatter, Mastur stepped forward.
"Cut the chatter, everyone," he casually said.
Just like that, the murmurs ceased, replaced by a palpable sense of anticipation.
Mary smiled, satisfaction was clearly in her eyes.
"Nice," she murmured.
Without exchanging a single glance, Mary and Mastur gently fist-bumped, a silent celebration of their collective success.
Mary cleared her throat, her voice ringing through the guild hall.
"Henceforth, the quest board shall be known as The Board," she announced.
The adventurers exchanged baffled glances as they tried to comprehend the simplicity and brilliance of the new name.
Suddenly, a lone adventurer started clapping, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent hall.
One by one, others joined in, their claps growing louder and more enthusiastic until the guild hall was filled with thunderous applause.
"The Board! Brilliant name!" one warrior shouted, his voice drowned out by the overwhelming approval of the crowd.
The excitement filled the air.
Mastur, standing near the counter, smiled proudly.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, he turned to Mary.
"Looks like my work here is done," he said, a proud smirk appearing on his face. "You can thank me later by buying me a drink."
Rolling her eyes, Mary playfully nudged Mastur's arm. "Yeah, right," she replied.
She averted her gaze, but a small smile played at the corners of her lips, revealing her gratitude.
Mastur yawned and then said, "Come on Felicity, let's go check out a job we can take."
"Of course," she replied, smiling from ear to ear.
Together, they stood before the board, scanning through the various parchments for an enticing opportunity.
Mastur furrowed his brows in disappointment.
"All these jobs look lame. The payment is meager," he grumbled.
Pointing to a specific parchment on the board, Felicity raised an eyebrow.
"What about this job: killing slimes in the Greenfield Estate?" she suggested.
Mastur scoffed, dismissing the idea.
"It only pays like 1 silver," he complained.
Felicity leaned in closer to Mastur.
"Yeah, but listen," she said, "we can sell the cores from the slimes for a good price. With about thirty cores, we could make a little over 2 silvers."
Mastur's eyes widened as he considered Felicity's proposition.
"So you're saying, if we take on this seemingly mundane slime-killing job, we could potentially make enough money for a visit to one or two okay brothels in town?" he asked.
Felicity nodded.
"Exactly. It might take us about eight jobs or so, but at least we'll be making progress," she replied
Mastur sighed, his disappointment evident.
"I suppose you're right," he muttered. "But I was hoping for something more... exciting."
Just as Mastur's hopes started to waver, a man wearing a long coat and a beret, his lips curled in a sly smile, approached them.
He confidently puffed on his pipe as he looked Mastur and Felicity up and down.
"Well, well, if it isn't two eager adventurers looking for a high-paying assignment," he said.
Mastur crossed his arms, his skepticism apparent. "Look, buddy, I'm not interested in trading jobs," he replied with a firm tone.
The man chuckled, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air.
"Oh no, my friend, it's not about that," he said.
"Whatever, I don't trust you enough to even give you my time..."
"I see," the man smiled.
He exhaled thick smoke from his mouth and turned to take his leave.
"I was actually going to tell you about an outside guild activity that would earn you five gold... And all you'd have to do was to fuck a hot bitch."
The man started walking.
Just then, there was a tight grab on the manʼs shoulder.
"Huh?" he said, turning his neck back a bit.
Mastur with the most serious face humanly possible told him, "Wait, brother."