When Amy opened the door to the Mercenary Guild again, he was surprised to find the previously empty room now filled with people. They were crowded together, murmuring about something.
"Is that really a dragon?"
"No way! Aren't dragons supposed to be big and powerful?"
"Is there really a dragon this cute?"
"Touch it! It's ice-cold!"
"Ha! This is supposed to be a Dragon Knight? Haha." The crowd burst into laughter.
"Here, let me try riding it," a scruffy mercenary joked, pretending to mount it.
"No!" Amy and Daqingshan both shouted in alarm, but it was too late. A chilling breath of air drifted through the crowd, followed by a bolt of lightning striking down from above.
Everyone nearby crouched in fear, leaving only three people standing.
Daqingshan was holding Greenie's mouth shut as the small dragon wriggled, trying to retaliate. The third figure was a poor soul encased in ice, his body crackling with electric sparks.
"Oh dear…" Amy sighed as he walked over. "You guys are so brave, so full of personality! I'm really impressed. Teasing a dragon! But come on, have some taste—it's a baby male dragon, you know."
He cast an Ice Ward, a Level 2 ice spell, on the unlucky victim, thawing the ice around him. Daqingshan helped the shocked man to a seat, apologizing profusely, "I'm so sorry, really sorry. I should have warned you. I'm truly sorry."
When Daqingshan had written "Dragon Knight" as his profession on the form, the nosy old guild clerk had blurted out, "You're a Dragon Knight?!" Of course, you couldn't entirely blame him; anyone would react that way.
The term "Dragon Knight" carried an irresistible allure. At first, only a few people had gathered around, but when they realized that Greenie was indeed a dragon, the room quickly became packed. It was the first time Greenie had received so much attention, and he proudly strutted around, his chest puffed up. But who would've thought they'd refuse to believe he was a dragon, let alone try to…
Seeing the scene, Amy didn't need to guess what had happened. "Anyone else want to try? Sorry about this, but baby dragons can attack randomly… Don't leave just yet; it's safe! He can only cast spells under Level 3, nothing defensive. Stick around! I should be charging for this. Two gold coins per touch. Don't go…"
The more eagerly Amy tried to convince them to stay, the faster the room emptied. Even the unfortunate fellow was helped out by his fellow mercenaries.
"Uncle, no need to hide under the desk. Look, I'm already certified as a Level 2 mage," Amy said cheerfully, greeting the clerk hiding below the counter.
The old man cautiously emerged, watching as Amy filled in "Swordsman and Mage" for his profession.
"What do we put for the Mercenary Reputation Level?" Amy asked.
"No need. You're both new to the mercenary world… fresh recruits with just-bought Mercenary Journals, so you're both G-level, the lowest rank," the old clerk replied, eyeing Greenie warily.
"Oh, and for our mercenary group?"
"Aren't you forming your own? Just write down your group's name."
"Hmm. Daqingshan, we're just starting out. How about we call it 'Little Mercenary Group'?" Amy suggested.
"Sounds fitting," Daqingshan replied.
And thus, the now legendary "Little Mercenary Group" was born.
The old clerk took their payment and tore a small seal from their Mercenary Journals. With a small burst of flame, Amy and Daqingshan's names appeared on their respective journals.
"You don't need to fill in these journals. Each time you complete a mission, the guild clerk will record it for you. Your rank will automatically increase as you complete more missions. Don't lose them; replacing them will cost you a fortune. Since you're a new mercenary group, I need to send your registration to the headquarters. You can start accepting tasks tomorrow. For now, go get some rest," the old clerk said, gradually calming down.
The next morning, Amy and Daqingshan were too excited to sleep and arrived at the Mercenary Guild early, eager to start their first task. Behind the counter was a new, younger clerk. Amy, curious, asked where the old clerk from yesterday had gone, only to learn that the poor man had been "attacked by a vicious dragon" and was on a week-long sick leave.
"Ridiculous," Amy thought, silently protesting the false accusation. But he didn't dare to express his frustration openly. Instead, he turned to the new clerk, hoping to take on some mercenary work. The new clerk, unaware that the "vicious dragon" stood before him, treated Amy and Daqingshan with a strictly business-like demeanor.
"You're G-level mercenaries, and your group is also G-level. Double-G. There aren't many tasks suited to you," the clerk said, flipping through the task records. "Ah, here's one from two days ago: The village chief of Haimei Village on the Icebound Continent lost two cows. The reward is one silver coin. The village is 20 kilometers from here. How about it?"
"Finding cows?" Amy shook his head without hesitation.
"There's another one from two days ago: Waker from Dal Village wants someone to herd his sheep to a pasture 50 kilometers away. The task pays six silver coins and has a two-day deadline. How about that?"
"Herding sheep? No... no..." Daqingshan shook his head too.
The clerk was getting annoyed. How dare a Double-G mercenary group be so picky? "There's a task from two days ago, too. Someone needs a spear delivered to the Hamir Kingdom's capital garrison within five days for five silver coins."
"Isn't there anything more challenging?" Amy asked, growing impatient.
The clerk put down his records. "Who do you think you are? You're G-level, and so is your group. Tasks like these are rare even for your level."
In the face of such discouragement, even the personal disciple of Chi Hanfeng had to swallow his pride. Amy forced a smile and asked, "How can we level up, then?"
In the mercenary world, ranks were crucial for fair competition. Everyone started at G-level, regardless of their background—even an imperial general or an archmage had to start at the bottom. The same applied to mercenary groups.
To level up from G to F, mercenaries needed to complete ten G-level tasks with at least a 60% success rate. This meant that if they took on 20 tasks but only completed 11, they wouldn't qualify for promotion. The requirements were the same for mercenary groups: 20 successful tasks were needed to advance from G-level to F-level.
Advancing beyond G-level became progressively harder. To move from F to E, one had to complete 20 E-level tasks with a success rate of at least 60%. For E to D, it required 40 E-level tasks with the same success rate. From D-level upwards, which marked the start of the intermediate mercenary levels, mercenaries could skip ranks if they could afford a significant deposit, allowing them to tackle higher-level tasks.
"So, we really have to start from here?" Amy asked, almost in despair.
"Of course!" the clerk replied without a second thought.
"What if the two of us split up and each take on separate G-level tasks? Could we pool our tasks to meet the requirement?" Amy's mind worked quickly, even when cornered.
"The mercenary group's level can advance as long as you collectively complete 10 tasks with a success rate over 60%. But your personal ranks won't go up. Once your group becomes F-level, you'll be eligible to accept F-level tasks. Then, after successfully completing five F-level tasks with a success rate above 60%, you'll both automatically upgrade to F-level mercenaries," the clerk explained.
Amy and Daqingshan quickly agreed and accepted all 14 G-level tasks available for the week. They divided them by proximity, with plans to reconvene a week later.
Daqingshan took the southern route with these tasks:
1. Find two missing cows.
2. Deliver a knife.
3. Act as a stand-in for an unattractive man on a matchmaking date.
4. Find a suitable stallion to mate with a mare.
5. Escort an old lady on a donkey back to her hometown.
6. Collect six "Seven Leaf One Flower" herbs.
7. Capture a boar that was wrecking the crops.
Amy took the northern route with tasks similar to Daqingshan's.
Daqingshan's tasks went relatively smoothly. The only hiccup was the cows, which had already been taken by snow wolves as part of their "wolf head tax." All that remained were two cow heads. However, upon his return, the clerk, considering the Hamir people's peculiar customs, deemed the task successfully completed.
Amy returned shortly after, having completed his tasks without issue, except for one missing sheep. Out of ten, he lost only one, so that too counted as a success.
The clerk happily congratulated them on becoming an F-level mercenary group and handed them their reward—five gold coins and three silver coins for the 14 tasks.
That night, as Amy and Daqingshan lay in bed, unable to sleep, they talked.
"Daqingshan, how many gold coins do you have left?" Amy asked.
"Four gold coins and two silver coins."
"Why so much? Didn't you spend anything these past few days?" Amy was puzzled.
"No, I hunted while completing tasks during the day and camped out, roasting my own food at night," replied Daqingshan, who was frugal by nature.
"Oh, I only have five silver coins left and barely made it back. You know, delivering the spear to the Hamir capital took seven days round-trip, so I had to hire a sled." Amy sighed. "Daqingshan, you have no idea how tough it is when you're broke."
As he spoke, Amy rubbed his thumb and fingers together in the universal gesture for money.
"What are you doing?" Daqingshan asked, bewildered.
"You idiot, give me some money! What are you hoarding it for? Planning to get married already?" said Amy, shamelessly.
"Oh, okay. With today's reward, I have eight gold coins in total. Here, take them," Daqingshan said, pulling out his coins from under his pillow.
It's said that this gesture, created by the future Mercenary King, would later be emulated by many a shameless individual in the mercenary world.