My inventory is full of monster materials.

[Quest]: Defeat the Slime King at Merito Falls

[Number]: D01-631 | Silver Grade

[Summary]: Recently, monsters in the Merito Falls area of ​​the Golan Forest have been actively feeding a certain central creature. According to information and preliminary analysis provided by the commissioner "Clyde Sharp", this phenomenon originates from a mutated Slime King (estimated to be a Tier 1 Boss-level monster).

To maintain the ecological balance of the region, the Pinewood Town Adventurers' Guild has specially recruited the "White Eagle" squad to carry out this raid.

【Require】:

- Defeat the mutated Slime King (50% completion).

- Defeat the mutated Slime King and obtain its complete core (100% completion).

[Basic Reward]: When 50% is achieved, (25 gold coins + 60 guild points) per person.

[Advanced Rewards]: Upon reaching 100%, you will receive the following additional rewards:

-1 D-level material exchange permission, 3 Bronze-level assessment exemption qualifications

-One attribute potion crafting opportunity per person (provided by Clyde Sharp)

[Note 1]: The Pharmacist "Clyde Sharp" has been appointed by the guild as the supervisor of this mission and will join the "White Eagle" team as temporary members along with the guard "Orion Carter".

[Note 2]: All three parties jointly signed a "fair contract" (see Appendix "Statement on the Ownership and Assistance of the Complete Core of the Slime King").

Mark carefully reviewed the task assignment letter three times from beginning to end.

My tense nerves only relaxed slightly when my gaze fell on the "fair contract" in Note 2.

Praise to the "Goddess of Justice"! Contracts and such are incredibly useful!

Returning to the commission, Clyde once again spared no expense.

Not only did they provide crucial intelligence and rewards, but they also personally joined the "White Eagle" squad to assist in completing their mission.

This is what Mark really can't understand—why go through all that trouble to hunt down the Slime King to get the core? Wouldn't it be better to just spend money to buy one?

Mark shook his head, folded up the reel, handed it back to Henry, and asked a question.

"The van is almost full; can it seat six more people?"

Henry took the scroll, carefully tucked it into the lining of the armor, and explained.

"No need. Clyde said he has his own pack animals and doesn't need to ride in the carriage with us."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a familiar voice called out from behind the road.

Hey! You're all here.

The members of the "White Eagle" squad all looked in the direction of the sound.

In the middle of the road, a large brown woolly yak, as big as a rhinoceros, was walking steadily, with suitcases piled on both sides of its back, making it look like a heavy truck.

There were two people sitting on the saddle on the yak's back—the brown-haired young knight Orion was holding the reins in front, and the man in the scholar's robe behind him was Clyde, the one who had made the commission.

Good day, everyone at White Eagle.

Clyde leaned forward slightly on the yak's back, apologetic smile on his face.

"Please forgive my rudeness, it's really inconvenient to go up and down, so I can only talk to you all from up here for now."

"Moo~"

The woolly yak cooperated by forcefully exhaling two streams of hot air from its snort.

Henry was somewhat flattered by Clyde's friendly attitude.

It should be noted that the "White Eagle" squad had previously taken on escort missions with their employers, but even Felix had to greet them with a smile back then.

It's truly rare to encounter someone so open-minded this time.

Henry, without suspicion, personally stepped forward to greet them as the captain.

"Good day, Lord Clyde. We are ready and can depart at any time."

"Okay, let's set off now."

"Set off!"

……

……

The outskirts of Pinewood Town are endless fields.

It is the autumnal equinox, and vast wheat fields are rippling with golden waves of grain, with the fragrance of ripening grains wafting in the wind.

Under a cloudless blue sky, a dark green band appeared on the distant horizon—this was their destination: the Golan Forest.

At this moment, the ox and horse brothers were traveling at a leisurely pace on the dirt road.

Due to the nature of the mission, the "White Eagle" team did not hire a coachman, and Henry did not think it would be too difficult, so he took on the job himself.

Who knew that the carriage would sway and stagger like a drunkard all the way?

Mark, Emily, and Brady, who were inside the carriage, all suffered from the jolting, their stomachs churning and their faces and lips turning pale.

In contrast, Orion rode his much larger woolly ox with remarkable ease, as if walking on flat ground.

"Stop, please."

Clyde suddenly spoke.

Upon hearing the sound, Orion brought the yak to a steady stop.

Henry's carriage barely managed to stop after traveling several dozen meters with intermittent movements.

Seeing this, Orion had no choice but to urge the yak forward and stand next to the carriage to facilitate conversation.

Clyde glanced at Henry's predicament in front of the carriage and, without saying a word, spoke directly to the young knight in front.

"Aureon, go and help them drive the carriage."

Orion was taken aback by what he heard, and immediately responded in a low voice.

"Lord Sharp, I am your servant, and it is my duty to protect you."

"I see."

Clyde's tone was calm, but his words carried a deep thoughtfulness.

"The 'White Eagle' team is the main force of this mission. If they continue to be in this uncomfortable state, it will affect the overall efficiency of our mission."

Upon hearing this, Mark couldn't help but admire Clyde in his heart—he truly was a man of insight!

But Orion still looked worriedly at the reins in his hand.

"But, without me..."

Upon hearing this, Clyde gently patted the ox's thick neck, then lifted the robe to reveal a row of colorful potions, offering words of comfort.

"Don't worry, I raised Mao Mao from a kitten, and she's very obedient. And I'm not weak myself."

"...I understand, sir."

Seeing this, Orion stopped insisting, and instead deftly dismounted from the ox and climbed into the carriage, then took the reins under Henry's embarrassed yet grateful gaze.

The Ox and Horse Brothers continued their journey.

The members of the "White Eagle" team finally caught their breath.

After the previous little incident, both sides were in a relaxed mood and began to chat.

Mark recalled the scene of the failed test and asked.

"Lord Clyde, I'm a little curious, what would you have done if we hadn't been able to meet your conditions back then?"

Clyde thought about it carefully for a moment and then analyzed it.

"The 'White Eagle' team is among the top bronze-level teams in the guild. Not only is their reputation and completion rate high, but their recent performance has also been particularly outstanding, so they are definitely the preferred choice if the conditions are met."

"But what if the conditions aren't met..."

Clyde paused for a moment and said helplessly.

"The only option left is a Silver-level adventure team."

"Silver-level adventure team".

Mark exchanged glances with the other team members, remaining silent and waiting for them to speak—after all, this kind of information was rare.

Clyde sighed softly, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness.

"There are six Silver-level adventure teams in Pinewood Town. I contacted three of them, except for one that explicitly refused."

"The other two teams are either going to drain most of my savings, or they're going to make me serve in the team for five years after I get promoted. I find these options very hard to accept."

Mark keenly caught the key word "promotion" in the other person's words, and thinking about this complicated task assignment, he tentatively asked.

"So, our current battle against the Slime King is related to your job advancement?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look, including Orion, who was holding the reins in front of the carriage.

Clyde gave a meaningful smile.

"That's right."