070: Promotion, First-Tier Adventurer

Lee Cha felt nothing looking at the gruesome scenes captured within the recording stone.

Had they not been exceptionally vicious and brutal, the Military Intelligence Department would never have earned the moniker of executioners.

What surprised Lee Cha slightly was that Capo and Gina had completed two corruption initiations within a mere half-year of joining this adventurer squad.

To snatch a monster spawn, they had once completely wiped out another tier-two adventurer squad.

Generally speaking, taking lives should not be overdone, and since people in this profession crossed paths often enough, things rarely escalated to such murderous extremes.

However, because of Capo's "accidental killing," the situation at the time quickly spiraled out of control.

Ultimately, the five members of the squad hardened their hearts: since they had already killed one, they might as well kill them all.

That also happened to be the expedition that yielded their most bountiful harvest ever.

Following that, it was as if Pandora's box had been opened, and once a hound tasted blood, there was no turning back.

This squad soon drifted further and further down the path of depravation.

According to the plans of Capo and his companion, one more conflict with the Church of the Goddess of Light would fulfill their quota for recruiting newcomers for the year.

They simply had not expected to meet their end at the hands of Lee Cha.

Conversely, by eliminating these two, Lee Cha could be said to have preemptively resolved a troublesome issue for the Goddess's Church.

Praise the Goddess.

...

Saint Ann City.

The setting sun cast long shadows.

Lee Cha walked ahead, while two privates from the Military Intelligence Division followed seven or eight meters behind.

This was in accordance with his superior's orders.

On the surface, Lee Cha was an ordinary adventurer and a moderately well-known psychotherapist.

It was entirely natural for him to visit the Adventurers' Guild alone.

Bringing an escort along would only attract unnecessary attention.

Stepping into that familiar manor,

Lee Cha no longer moved with the meticulous caution he had exercised in the past.

The lovely twin receptionists, Luna and Lucy, also held a deep impression of Doctor Lee Cha, who only ever took on gathering commissions.

The Miracle Doctor of Urology, the Husband-Killer... The sisters were unmarried; otherwise, they probably would have given Lee Cha an even wider berth.

"Good afternoon, Doctor Lee Cha."

"Doctor Lee Cha, did you bring more fresh herbs today?"

The twin sisters smiled sweetly, bringing a touch of refreshing coolness to the sweltering summer heat.

Lee Cha chuckled and said, "Could it not be that I simply missed the beautiful Miss Luna and Miss Lucy, and came by just to see you?"

The twin receptionists were the public face of the Outer District Adventurers' Guild.

However, because the sisters were the guild master's daughters, few dared to harbor inappropriate intentions toward them.

Luna, the elder sister, asked, "Am I prettier, or is Lucy prettier?"

The other young girl blinked her watery, expressive eyes, appearing equally eager to hear Lee Cha's answer.

As for Lee Cha's flirtatious bantering with the twin sisters, the rough-hewn men in the Adventurers' Guild hall wore no expressions of annoyance.

They were all men.

Everyone here was a man.

That single fact was more than enough.

The adventurer Lee Cha was a mere nobody; out of ten people present, eight would dare claim they could knock him flat within ten seconds.

Yet Doctor Lee Cha's medical skills were renowned and undisputed.

No one could guarantee that they would remain healthy and strong for a lifetime, never needing to become a client at Charlie's Psychotherapy Clinic.

Therefore,

Hearing the sisters' question, quite a few people began to hoot and holler.

Some let out whistles, placing bets on whether Lee Cha would get pricked by the Adventurers' Guild's two brightest blossoms, turning the hall into a lively spectacle.

Lee Cha gestured for them to quiet down, then replied, "Whichever young lady is willing to share a dinner with me tonight shall become the most radiant star in my eyes."

Lucy, the younger sister: "What if both my sister and I are willing?"

The entire hall erupted instantly.

"Whoa, Lucy, don't fall for Doctor Lee Cha's tricks!"

"Indeed, Doctor Lee Cha, you are far too cunning, actually attempting to sweep away both roses of our Adventurers' Guild in one go!"

...

With all their rowdy interference, the subtle, romantic atmosphere between Lee Cha and the twin sisters naturally dissolved into thin air.

Lee Cha had never intended to follow through anyway; he decisively turned around, targeted the loudest instigator in the crowd, and extorted two free beers out of him before letting him off the hook.

From the perspective of a doctor, Lee Cha commanded absolute authority.

If anyone doubted him, he only needed to let out a sigh and shake his head to send a wave of sheer terror through a crowd.

Moments later, Lee Cha approached Luna and Lucy once again to state the purpose of his visit.

He returned his primary adventurer badge, preparing for a rank upgrade.

Advancing an adventurer's tier depended primarily on contribution points, and secondarily on the individual's personal strength and level.

However, at lower tiers, as long as contribution points were sufficient, the Adventurers' Guild generally did not erect artificial barriers.

Strictly speaking, tier-one and tier-two adventurer ranks were merely titles; whether one's personal combat prowess was formidable depended entirely on the strength of one's fists. Merely flashing a badge was utterly useless.

And yet... the adventurer Lee Cha was currently level 11, fully meeting the requirements for a tier-one adventurer.

His contribution points were likewise sufficient.

Although Lee Cha had no record of venturing out to hunt monsters, the guild quests he completed were no fewer than those finished by any primary-tier adventurer.

Gathering tasks were, after all, still tasks.

While the contribution points per task were not exceptionally high,

He simply treated them like a repetitive farming game.

The twin sisters even suspected that Lee Cha had been purchasing calming flowers, luminous grass, and other herbs from outside just to grind his quest completion numbers.

Anyway, Charlie's Clinic was thriving and highly profitable; he cared nothing for such trivial expenses.

Shortly after, Luna the elder sister said, "Very well, Doctor Lee Cha, please wait a moment."

Luna took the necessary items and headed up to the second floor.

Lee Cha leaned half-against the counter and asked Lucy, "Miss Lucy, is my friend Ram around today?"

Lucy replied, "Mr. Ram has already gone off-duty. I heard today is his wife's birthday, so he left a bit earlier than usual."

Lee Cha: "Ah, I see. I was planning to invite Ram to the tavern for a few drinks."

Hearing this, Lucy blinked her large eyes again: "Doctor Lee Cha, didn't you just say you wanted to invite my sister and me to dinner?"

Lee Cha: "That was indeed my intention.

But if I were to actually go through with it, I fear the Guild Master would beat me to death.

Even if Guild Master Ruxiu chose not to intervene, I would still worry about being poisoned, assassinated, or bludgeoned in an alley by the two young ladies' suitors."

Lucy was amused: "Is that really so? How come it feels like you're just tricking me, Doctor?"

Lee Cha laughed along: "That's impossible!"

Right at that moment,

Luna returned,

bringing back a much more refined bronze badge.

Luna announced, "Congratulations, Mr. Lee Cha. From this moment onward, you are a tier-one adventurer of the Adventurers' Guild."

"Ding-dong"—

System Prompt: You have acquired [Adventurer Badge: Tier 1].

[Adventurer Badge: Tier 1]: Proof of identity for a tier-one adventurer.

...

"Ding-dong"—

System Prompt: Congratulations, you have become a tier-one adventurer. All your base attributes have increased by +1!

...

Not bad at all.

With this badge, Lee Cha's trip had not been in vain.

Moreover, he had learned that his friend Ram—who had worked at the Adventurers' Guild for over a decade—was most likely at home right now, enjoying a peaceful and happy evening with his wife.

After exchanging a few more polite pleasantries, Lee Cha waved goodbye to the sisters.

However, the moment he left, Luna immediately turned to her sister: "Father said this man is dangerous, Lucy. If you want to court death, don't drag me down with you."

Younger sister Lucy: "Blech～"

Provocation complete.

Lucy made a swift escape.