Starting with the goblin extermination

The Sleeping Dragon Tavern.

Sylvie rested her chin on her hand, watching the woman beside her who had no manners at all.

"Whoosh—! That felt great!"

Ellis downed most of a glass of ale and slammed it on the table like a rough old man.

She exhaled a heavy breath of alcohol, with a layer of white foam still clinging to the corners of her mouth. Then she grabbed a piece of meat with her hand and tore into it in large bites, completely disregarding her image.

He has such a handsome and dashing face, yet he looks like a wild man.

Sylvie rolled her eyes.

This tigress has always been like this ever since I met her.

The tavern was unusually dark today, apparently because some old drunkard I knew had smashed a chandelier while drunk and hadn't had time to replace it.

Under the flickering lamplight, Ellis's shadow was stretched long.

She wasn't wearing that heavy chainmail anymore; instead, she was wearing a large men's linen shirt, which successfully covered her enormous breasts.

The tavern waiters moved back and forth in the aisle carrying trays. A young waitress with freckles placed a large platter of freshly roasted pork chops on their table, then winked playfully at Elise and whispered her thanks.

The day before yesterday, the orc Haug made advances on her, and Iris stood up for her, incidentally drawing blood from Haug.

Ellis blushed slightly, seemingly a little uncomfortable. But she quickly adopted a sly demeanor, giving the waitress a hard slap on her ample buttocks.

"It's nothing, just a small matter." Ellis grinned. "If that fat pig dares to bother you again, I'll break his third leg next time."

The waitress wasn't offended; instead, she covered her mouth, laughed, and ran away.

Indeed, he is still the same as before, a kind-hearted person who can't stand seeing others being bullied.

Sylvie silently evaluated the situation in his mind.

However, I don't dislike her for that reason.

Just then, Logan led Elsa into the hall.

Ellis waved her arms and yelled, "Logan! Elsa! Over here! Hurry up, I've already had three big glasses!"

Logan pulled out a chair for Elsa to sit down first, and nodded apologetically.

"Sorry, something came up and I was held up."

He didn't explain, but Elsa's ears turned red instantly, and her eyes darted around.

"Give me a big bucket of [strawberry wine], it's on me."

Ellis excitedly punched Logan across the table.

"You're something else, kid! So generous! How did you know I love this kind of slightly sour, strong liquor?"

Logan explained with a laugh, "I had a drink with that old dwarf Thorin once before, and he was really craving it."

"Since you two used to be teammates, I guess you'll probably like it too."

Ellis tore off a piece of pork chop and gave a vague nod of agreement.

"That's true. After working with that old dwarf for two years, my tastes have been completely influenced by him. I like this kind of thing."

Logan followed her lead, pouring her a glass of wine and himself one as well. If he had to admit, he was also captivated by the wine, and he didn't mind spending a few gold coins on it.

"I've never heard that old guy brag about his glorious past."

Sylvie snorted coldly from the side.

"That's because he's too ashamed to brag. We used to be a five-man squad, with Thorin as the vice-captain. Back then, he had only been back in Riverwood for two years, and he was so knowledgeable and gullible that he talked like a giant frog. But he messed up the first mission."

Ellis hesitated, then remained silent. It seemed Sylvie didn't have a good impression of Thorin.

Logan raised an eyebrow, glanced at Ellis, and didn't intend to spend time on this topic.

"By the way, there's a rumor going around that you single-handedly destroyed a level 1 monster, the Ironclad Turtle, in the deepest levels. Is that true?"

Ellis almost choked on the wine she had just drunk.

"Bullshit! That's all just Thorin's big mouth spouting nonsense!"

Ellis awkwardly wiped her face.

"Thanks to another spellcaster in the team, I was able to find a chance to take it down. Otherwise, it would have been crushed into mincemeat long ago."

"It's a pity," Ellis sighed with some regret, "the team disbanded later. Our team was just one promotion mission away from advancing to the Bronze level."

Sylvie shrugged.

"It's good that they've broken up; it saves me from having to listen to that shorty Thorin bragging every day."

Seeing that they didn't seem too keen on the topic, Logan raised his glass and clinked it with theirs.

Bronze level, Logan thought of himself.

Although neither of the two people in front of me has taken up their posts yet.

But it should be just one step away from success.

"So, are you guys about to advance to the Bronze level now?"

Upon hearing this, Ellis and Sylvie exchanged a glance. Sylvie nodded, and then Ellis awkwardly spoke.

"I'm still a bit short of getting the job, but Sylvie has already hit that hurdle and should be able to become a Ranger soon."

Logan was somewhat surprised that Sylvie was the first to take up the post, and he took a closer look at her.

"But I'll catch up soon! Logan, I'll definitely be stronger than you then!"

As she said this, she looked at Logan with a grin.

"By the way, there's something I'll just say: I'd like to work with you all, like you did with Thorin before."

"Whether it's now, or after everyone advances to Bronze rank, let's join forces, take on the most lucrative missions, and hunt down those even more valuable level 1 monsters. What do you say?"

Logan looked at Ellis's eager eyes and licked his lips.

As my strength increases, the missions I take on will definitely become more and more dangerous.

Ellis is both tough and capable of fighting, while Sylvie can provide long-range fire support. Last night's battle proved their abilities and character.

They are a perfect match to work together.

"No problem." Logan raised his glass. "Let's cooperate more in the future and make a fortune together."

"Cheers!"

After a few drinks, the atmosphere became lively.

Iris noticed that Elsa was tense and a little reserved, so she simply squeezed past her with her wine glass in hand.

"Um?"

Elsa froze, instinctively leaning closer to Logan.

But Ellis wasn't buying it at all.

She hooked her arm around Elsa's shoulder and, as if they were old friends, clinked glasses.

"Come on, Elsa, let's have a one-on-one! Don't be so tense, it's no fun!"

Elsa was unable to move. She pursed her lips and looked at Logan with pleading eyes, only to find that Logan was just smiling at her and had no intention of helping her at all.

When Ellis saw that she didn't speak, he moved his face even closer, his eyes sparkling like a big dog wagging its tail for a bone.

"Just one tiny bite! Please..."

Elsa eventually raised her glass gently and clinked it against hers, taking a small sip.

Logan sat to the side, a smile playing on his lips.

Having one more friend in this messed-up world is a good thing.

However, this heartwarming scene lasted for less than ten minutes.

After drinking the strong liquor, Logan was surprised that Ellis had such a low alcohol tolerance.

She's a little intoxicated.

Ellis leaned close to Elsa's ear and asked in a cheeky tone:

"Hey, seriously, Elsa. You two were so late...did you get it done? How's Logan doing?"

puff--

Elsa nearly sprayed all the wine in her mouth onto Ellis's face.

Logan silently turned his face away.