The Discarded Son's Skill Market

Zaid nodded. "I’m fine with that. I really want to join. I need to improve my dagger skills."

"They’re pretty good for your current level, you know? Ranks F, E, and D—you can handle any of those ranks with the talent you have," Lodrey replied.

"Since leveling up is a progressive process, I don’t plan on staying at those levels forever," Zaid replied.

"Haha, I don’t think anyone actually intends to do it, but many are destined for it and can’t do anything else. Don’t you think you might be one of them?"

"I’m confident in myself."

"Very good." Lodrey gave him an approving look. "That confidence is what will take you far. I look forward to watching you grow, then—you’re in."

Zaid nodded. That had been quick.

"As for the group..."

"If it could be kept away from Lord Finn, I’d be grateful." Zaid laughed. He didn’t want to see that guy surrounded by women every day.

"That’ll be tough, but I’ll keep it in mind. In any case, for now you can use any of the facilities for your workouts. If you need a tour, ask Finn to show you around." Lodrey stood up and put on the jacket that was draped over the chair.

"I have to go. Toluria has been under constant stress lately, and I need to see what’s going on," Lodrey said, and after a quick goodbye, he walked out. Before leaving, he paused and looked at Zaid. "If you change your mind about what you said, you can come to me."

"You can count on me to give it some serious thought," Zaid said as he found himself alone outside the office.

Finn was nowhere to be seen. Frank had left a note saying he’d gone to take care of something...

Suddenly, Zaid found himself alone. All around him were silent offices that were surely full of people. There were also completely empty rooms, exquisitely decorated, but which no one could see due to the apparent lack of staff.

But there was something else as well: private training rooms.

Finding himself surrounded by solitude, Zaid wanted to explore this place a little more. Especially those private training rooms at the end of the hallways.

Each hallway was extremely long and just over two meters wide—wide enough for several people to walk side by side. There were more than ten hallways, so trying to navigate between them was a bit exhausting.

If it weren’t for the signs outside each office, Zaid would have gotten lost.

He soon passed by one of the private training rooms that caught his eye. Few of them had people in them. Maybe four, at most. He could hear the sound of daggers clanging against metal dummies or statues in the distance.

But what caught his attention this time wasn’t a dagger... it was arrows.

Magic arrows rained down in bursts on several puppets at once, while a figure of singular beauty moved among them at a brisk pace. It was a man.

Across the room stood a woman who was just as attractive as that man. She was a dagger-wielder who used two daggers instead of one. The daggers looked like dandelions cut in half. They were sharp on both the top and bottom edges and curved slightly in the middle.

More than a dagger, it looked like a moon being wielded.

Both of them seemed to be training specifically for something.

Zaid was naturally drawn to this training session and stopped walking to watch. Since the door was half-open, he figured it would be okay to take a peek.

The archer was astonishingly accurate and extremely deadly. Her arrows, ablaze with fire, lodged firmly in the puppets’ metal bodies and knocked them to the ground.

Powerful arrows, consuming fire, and the rising temperature in the room did not prevent the woman from performing her work with excellence.

The daggers, like murderous moons, sliced through the reinforced metal as if it were tofu. This woman’s movements weren’t particularly fluid. Her feet moved chaotically. But there was no mistake in them. Each and every one of her movements had a purpose.

With every step he took, he inflicted new damage on the puppets, until they all fell to the ground.

Finally, they were both able to rest.

They were using the highest level of puppet training for their practice.

As soon as they finished training, they instinctively turned toward the door, where Zaid was leaning back, watching everything with interest.

Zaid realized too late that he’d been spotted. When he tried to step outside and make a run for it, the man from the couple greeted him.

"Hey, are you new here?" He approached him with a smile on his face.

Zaid nodded. "Yeah... sort of. Sorry if I bothered you—it’s just interesting to watch you guys fight. You’ve got a lot of tricks."

As he dried himself off with a towel and walked over, the man laughed good-naturedly. "Tricks are a hunter’s best friend, little friend." He looked to be about 30, so he wasn’t much older.

"What’s your name?" he asked.

"Gio."

"Gio? That’s an interesting name." The man laughed and introduced himself kindly. "I’m Jake, and this is Laura, my wife."

Zaid bowed politely. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jake, Lady Laura."

"The pleasure is all ours," Jake and Laura replied.

"Are you here to train? Were you planning to use this room?" Jake asked. "We’re done here and about to leave."

Zaid shook his head. "I’m actually just passing through. I was drawn to the way you guys fight and wanted to see... it looks like you’re getting ready for a big mission."

"Oh, so that’s how it is." Jake nodded.

"Let’s go on the Immortal Serpent Expedition, kid!" Laura exclaimed with some excitement.

"The Immortal Serpent Expedition?" Zaid looked confused.

Seeing his confusion, they assumed this was the first time he’d heard of it, so they tried to explain it in more general terms.

"It’s one of the most difficult expeditions the guild has ever undertaken. Did you know that expeditions are classified based on how many years a mission might last?"

"M-missions that last for years..." Zaid was taken aback.

"They take place in dungeons, of course."

Zaid nodded. He had forgotten, even though he’d discussed it with Lord Lodrey no more than an hour ago.

"One-year expeditions are complicated, but ten-year ones are even more so. Not to mention the hundred-year ones! Those are impossible."

Zaid quickly grasped the classification of these expeditions, though he didn’t understand much else. But for now, that was enough. "And the one about the Immortal Serpent—is that a...?"

"It’s classified as a 10-year expedition, but it’s actually a 50-year expedition."

50 years...

Approximately 2,607 hours in real time. More than 3 months of expedition.

God...

That was truly amazing... and scary.

Zaid had to mentally bow in respect. Only someone genuinely powerful and daring could carry out that kind of mission.

"I don’t know how that works. I also don’t know if I should congratulate you, but I hope you do well. Even though I don’t know you, I also hope you return safe and sound from those portals."

They chuckled and thanked him. "Even though we’ve barely met, when we come back we’ll look you up and treat you to a meal. I hope you haven’t died by then!" Jake said with a laugh.

"For me, only three months will have passed, sir. I doubt I’ll die in such a short time," Zaid replied, playing along with the joke.

The three of them said goodbye, and Zaid somehow had a new perspective on what it meant to be here.

Missions that lasted 100 years? What on earth were they doing in there for so many years? Did they go to kill a god or something?

"How scary." He slipped out of there. He was afraid that the next person he met would tell him there were even thousand-year missions.

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