Nico shifted his gaze, assessing the newcomers with the detached interest of a sanitation worker inspecting a clogged drain.
It was a party of five, a motley crew that looked like they had been assembled from the reject pile of a discount mercenary shop.
There were two beast-folk, a fox-man and a dog-man, both smelling like wet carpet even from a distance. They were flanking a human who wore leather armor stained with grease and old wine.
And in the back, walked a hunched Lizard-kin with a hand that twitched every few seconds.
They were average adventurers at best, the kind who filled the seats of the guild to drink away their earnings.
But Nico’s eyes didn’t linger on their faces.
His gaze drilled into the leader, a human with messy red hair, specifically locking onto his fancy-looking greatsword strapped to his back.
With snickers plastered on their faces, the group closed the distance, invading Nico’s personal space until the smell of stale ale and unwashed bodies assaulted his nose.
The leader leaned in, flashing a conspiratorial grin that revealed a row of teeth so yellow they looked like kernels of corn.
"You just shat on your chances of ever joinin’ a party, kid," the leader, Luger, said, jerking a thumb toward the exit. "I’m Luger, and lemme let you in on a lil’ something... that man’s an S-Rank asshole..."
"Indeed..." the Lizard-kin chimed in while the others nodded in agreement.
With a half-smile, Nico crossed his arms, though his eyes kept flickering back to the polished hilt of the greatsword on Luger’s back.
[Looks cool...] Nico’ analyzed’, ignoring the man’s words entirely. [Fine... I’ll take it.]
"But... you saw through his bullshit," Luger continued with an almost victorious grin as he mistook Nico’s expression for interest. "How’bout this? You and your... Lady Dragon can join us. We’ll show you the ropes... even give you... a fair share."
Nico looked at the fool grinning through his yellow teeth with an idea forming in his head.
He didn’t need a party. But he did need gear, and he definitely needed to vent some frustration.
"I am tempted to join a party..." Nico said with a slow, thoughtful tilt of his head as he looked Luger up and down. "But not one full of rejects who look like they share a single toothbrush among themselves and their toilets."
The grin slid off Luger’s face instantly.
"What’d you say, you little shit!" Luger barked while his hand twitched toward his weapon.
Behind him, the fox-man bared his fangs in a silent snarl while the Lizard-kin placed a scaly hand on the curved Kukri at his waist.
While Nico remained calm, his half-smile unchanged as he locked eyes with the enraged warrior.
"You heard me. You smell like failure and cheap ale," Nico stated clearly, raising his voice just enough to carry over the murmurs of the hall. "But I’m a generous guy. How about a little bet? You and me, one on one."
Nico leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light that Luger was too stupid to recognize.
"If you win... I’ll join your little litter and carry it across dungeons. But if I win, I get that sword of yours... and that Kukri on the lizard’s waist."
Luger blinked in surprise at the sheer audacity of the challenge before bursting into raucous laughter along with his party.
"You? Fight me?" Luger wheezed while wiping a tear from his eye. "Kid, you might have six circuits, but you’re just a fresh Tier 1 Mage. I’m a Tier 3 Warrior. I’ll wipe the floor with you before you can even cast a spell."
"If that’s the case," Nico countered with a casual shrug, baiting the hook, "why not go with it? Here, I’ll sweeten the deal even more..."
Nico stepped away from the counter, spreading his arms wide.
"My dragon and I will join you with a five-year contract for a mere two percent cut. All you gotta do is beat the little ol’ Tier 1 me."
The laughter died in Luger’s throat instantly, replaced by greed as he processed the offer.
A Triple Affinity mage and a Greater Dragon, bound for five years at a slave’s wage? It wasn’t just a win; it was a retirement ticket. He could sit back and let the "monster" do all the work while he collected the gold.
He looked at Nico, seeing only an arrogant country kid with some talent and luck good enough to bind a Greater Dragon to his Familiar Bond. Someone who didn’t understand the massive gap between raw talent and gritty combat experience.
"Alright, little shit," Luger declared with a predatory grin flashing across his face before puffing out his chest to address the entire hall. "Get used to being called little shit, cuz I declare The Settlement! And I place my sword, the Dragon’s Roar
"And I accept," Nico replied calmly, "And I’m putting mine and Nom’s exclusive service for the duration of five years on the line."
And instantly, the guild hall exploded.
Roars of cheers erupted from every table as adventurers jumped from their seats.
"Yeah! Teach the brat a lesson!"
"Kick his ass, Luger! Break his legs!"
"Five years? That kid is insane!"
Half the crowd screamed for the blood of that disrespectful rookie, while the other half just howled for the sheer entertainment of seeing a lucky upstart get humbled.
As the deafening roars quaking the timber halls reached their peak, an amused feminine voice somehow cut through the noise like a whip crack.
"Did someone invoke The Settlement?"
And the hall instantly went quiet as though a snake had just sniffed their faces.
Every single head hall snapped toward the staircase leading to the mezzanine.
Standing at the railing was a woman whose silhouette alone made even the veteran adventurers straighten unconsciously
Brushing with her fingers her cascading brown hair, her piercing green eyes scanned the crowd below like an empress gazing through commoners.
Clad in tight light-brown trousers and a white shirt rolled up to the elbows and buttoned down low enough to tease, she had a coiled leather whip resting on her shapely hips that moved with a strange mesmerisation as she descended the steps
Colour instantly drained from Luger’s face the moment her eyes landed on him.
"Shit."