For a moment, the Guild Hall stood frozen in an almost comical tableau. Pax sat rigidly in his chair, mouth agape in sheer disbelief, resembling a man who had just watched a runaway horse gallop through his living room.

Their gazes, one filled with shock and the other with helplessness,shifted toward the tiny storm of chaotic energy standing proudly at the entrance.

Mina's giant shield clanged against the floor with every step she took, her grin wide and hands on her hips, chin raised as if she had conquered an entire continent single-handedly.

Before they could process her entrance, the little battle maid marched forward with all the authority of a seasoned general returning from war. She dragged her makeshift sack behind her and let it drop onto the desk with a loud thud that made the wooden floor shiver.

"Petty uncle Sage! Look! I completed the mission in no time!" she announced, excitement radiating from her small frame. Her chest puffed out proudly as she untied the pouch strapped to her waist and placed it gently, very gently, by her standards, on Sage's desk.

"Everything is here! All three ingredients!"

Sage blinked in utter astonishment. He had expected her to succeed; for Mina, it was never a question of if but when.

However, he certainly hadn't anticipated that "when" would be less than two hours after she left. Mentally preparing for a long wait until nightfall or even tomorrow morning, since Greyvale Forest was just seven kilometers north of the city.

Although the distance was not that far but considering Mina playful nature, he thought it might take a quite a lot of time for her to complete the mission.

Add in searching for three Silver Grade ingredients and battling magical beasts guarding them — yes, Sage had confidently assumed he'd have plenty of time to spare before her return.

But Mina? This little whirlwind treated the entire expedition like a casual morning stroll.

Shaking off his daze, he stared at her incredulously. "Flatboard princess… you… did well," Sage said slowly.

His eyes flicked between the pouch and her bright, expectant face. "You completed your mission in record time."

"Of course!" Mina replied with an assertive tilt of her chin. "It was super easy."

Sage ignored the jab that pricked at him each time she boasted about how simple it was for her compared to what he expected from others.

He extended his hand toward her expectantly. "Give me the Mission Docket."

Mina unrolled the parchment from her belt and slapped it onto the desk, as if sealing a hard-fought victory. Sage took a deep breath, retrieved a large wooden stamp from the drawer, pressed it into the ink pad, and slammed it down onto the Docket. A loud thump resonated in the hall as bold letters blazed crimson across the parchment:

MISSION COMPLETED

He handed it back to her, opened the drawer once more, and pulled out Cassian's pouch of reward coins. With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed it across the desk. Mina caught it triumphantly, her eyes sparkling like twin suns.

But just as her joy threatened to erupt into celebration, Sage rested his chin on his palm and shrugged with feigned indifference. "By the way, 5% was deducted from your reward."

Mina's smile froze instantly. Her expression twisted into one of pure betrayal.

"Shameless," she muttered, rolling her eyes so dramatically that Sage half-expected them to spin right out of her skull. She opened the pouch anyway, counting the coins at lightning speed.

Once she confirmed the amount, she snatched up her makeshift bag from the floor and loosened it just enough to reveal its contents.

"This...this is all that's left of the beasts I killed in the forest," she declared proudly. "I collected their fangs, claws, everything! What do I do with them?"

Sage just shook his head and asked. "Why are you giving these to me?"

Mina blinked innocently at him. "Because… isn't that how things work? Doesn't the Guild take everything? Isn't this… like payment?"

Sage stared at her for a long moment while Pax looked on too; an awkward silence enveloped them.

"Adventurers," Sage began slowly while rubbing his forehead, "keep everything they earn from missions, everything. The Guild only takes what's part of your mission reward. Those beast parts belong to you; you killed them, you keep them."

Mina froze in place. Pax mirrored her stance, leaning slightly forward with ears perked in curiosity. Shock washed over their faces simultaneously, like two villagers hearing about magic for the first time, as Mina's jaw dropped and Pax's eyes widened.

"That's… that's allowed?" Mina whispered incredulously.

"Yes," Sage replied with an amused smile creeping onto his face. "Everything you collect during missions is yours: beast parts, monster cores, rare items, keep them or sell them; do whatever you want."

Mina stared at him as if experiencing a religious awakening before joy exploded across her face.

"Really? Seriously? I can sell them for extra money? That means I'll earn more from every mission? This is amazing!"

Sage rolled his eyes so hard he nearly saw the back of his skull. "All you think about is money," he muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, Pax sat there in shock, gripping the edge of his chair so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He swallowed hard as he tried to wrap his mind around everything, missions, gold, monster parts, extra earnings. But when he thought of his state, a bitter regret washed over him as he faced the unchangeable truth:

He was not a Warrior. He could never become an Adventurer.

Sage noticed the disappointment etched in Pax's eyes, the way his lips pressed together and his shoulders slumped. He had witnessed hope spark in Pax when Mina walked in with her bag full of treasures, only to see it extinguished as reality set back in.

Just then, Mina's cheerful voice broke the silence again.

"Petty Uncle Sage, who is that?" she asked, pointing at Pax with her tiny thumb.

Sage sighed and gestured toward Pax. "That's my friend."

"Oh." Mina leaned in closer until she was just inches away from Pax's face. Startled and stiffened by her sudden proximity, Pax blinked rapidly.

Mina cupped her hand near her mouth and whispered loudly enough for Sage to hear every word: "You need to watch out for petty Uncle Sage. He's really shameless and doesn't know how to treat a lady."

Sage's face twitched. "Oi...!!"

Mina giggled and skipped back before he could grab her by the collar.

"That's enough mischief for one day. You've finished your mission; it's time to go home, it's getting late," Sage said, waving her off while trying not to pull his hair out from frustration.

Mina stuck out her tongue at him playfully as she grabbed her bag of monster parts and hoisted her oversized shield onto her back. "I'm going! I can't wait to show everything to my big sister! She is going to be so jealous i got to smash a big snake first."

With joy radiating from her face, she dashed toward the entrance and disappeared through the doors, leaving behind a trail of laughter like a gentle breeze.

The Guild Hall finally fell silent.

Sage let out a long sigh, half relieved and half exhausted and turned his attention back to Pax. The older man still stared at the door through which Mina had just exited, an intricate mix of admiration, envy, disbelief, and helplessness swirling across his features.

After studying him for a moment longer, Sage tapped lightly on the cracked desk; the sound echoed softly through the hall.

"Well, Pax…" he said gently while leaning back in his chair with a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Now that things have settled down… I have a proposition for you."

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