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“Next.”

Because she was talking with Rephren in front of her, time flew past, and there were only two people left before Merc.

“How may I help you?”
“I’d like to take the adventurer exam.”
“Do you have a recommendation?”
“I do.”

The young adventurer in front of Rephren presented his recommendation. When the lovely lady at the reception observed it, she furrowed her brows.

“I see, a recommendation from Mr. Shernov.”

Merc surmised, from the receptionist’s reaction, that it wasn’t going to be anything good, so she proceeded to listen in on the conversation.

“Come to think of it, I don’t see your name on this recommendation.”
“Oh… He must have forgotten to write it…”
“I see… May I ask, what is your relationship with Mr. Shernov?”
“H-He is my master. I’ve learned a lot from him.”
“I see… Mr. Shernov specializes in the Fire Attribute, as you’re probably aware. Does the same apply to you?”
“N-No… My strength lay with the Water Attribute. Despite this, master went on to teach me Fire Attribute magic, despite the fact that I was only so-so at it. Hahaha.”
“I see… Mr. Shernov is without a doubt the author of this recommendation, based on the Mana. So, first, go over this paper, which has important information written on it, and then fill in the required fields on this document.”
“Okay.”

The young man began filling out the papers after receiving them from the receptionist. Rephren, on the other hand, stared at the youngster, trying not to laugh.

What in the world is going on?

“I’m done.”
“Everything looks fine. In that case, I’d like to request that you pay the one-silver coin examination fee. Keep in mind that you will not be able to receive your money back whether you pass or fail the exam.”
“O-Okay…”

The receptionist examined the silver coin after the boy had paid and placed it in the counter drawer. She then handed the boy a piece of paper alongside his recommendation.

“The exam will take place in three days. Make sure that you are at the Guild by 8 A.M. You will also need to show your recommendation and this paper at that time.”
“Understood.”

The young lad said with a relieved expression. He then bowed slightly and left the counter. As he did, the receptionist spoke to him.

“There have been a lot of disturbances recently, so keep out of dangerous places.”
“What? Um, okay…”

The youngster responded with a perplexed expression, as if he didn’t comprehend what the woman was trying to say. Aside from that, the receptionist said nothing else, so the boy simply walked away.

“Next, please.”
“Sup, it’s me.”

Rephren replied with a wide grin. After which he continued to speak

“Miss Nano, you shouldn’t tease newbies like that.”
“What may you be talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. The Shernov the youngster claimed to be his master is a swordsman, not a magician. Are you going to dock him points for lying?”
“Of course. He submitted a false report. Furthermore, these so-called Shernov disciples have been everywhere recently. Mr. Shernov has been causing us a great deal of trouble.”
“Can you explain in more detail, please?”

Merc inquired, perplexed as to why the youngster had just resorted to lying. Hearing her question, Rephren smiled and turned to face the boy’s direction of departure.

“That youngster bought his recommendation from an adventurer known as Shernov. A large number of Grade 4 or higher adventurers sell them to earn a bit of a fast buck.”
“So that means that he was recommended without even knowing the person? Is that legal?”

With a puzzled expression on her face, Merc asked. Nano, the receptionist, was the one who answered her this time.

“Currently, there aren’t any regulations that forbid it. We generally let them go unchecked as it’s difficult to determine if a recommendation has been purchased or not.”
“Is that so… I don’t know how I feel about that…”
“However, when we come across such a recommendation, we normally ask the person who submitted it a misleading question. If we discover that they provided fraudulent information, as receptionists we have the right to deduct points from them. Well then, Mr. Rephren, what brings you here today?”
“I’m here to pay off my loan. Here ya go. Three gold coins and one blue-silver coin as interest. This should cover it.”

Rephren remarked this as he took a handful of coins from his purse and placed them on the counter in front of Nano.

Three gold coins… He borrowed that much?

Three gold coins were sufficient for three ordinary people to live comfortably for a year without working. It was a meager sum for high grade adventurers, but high grade adventurers probably didn’t see the need to borrow money in the first place.

Merc was astounded by Rephren’s courage.

“This is certainly enough. Give me a moment. I will write up a promissory note for you. I will also give you a receipt.”
“Thanks.”
“We’re always here to help. If you ever happen to find yourself in need again, feel free to contact us.”
“Hehehe. For the time being, I’m quite happy with my pouch. It will most likely remain the same for quite some time. If you’d like, I’d be happy to treat you for all the help you’ve shown me.”
“I see… Next, please.”

Nano remarked, turning to face Merc and bluntly dismissing Rephren’s lecherous smile.

Rephren simply clicked his tongue and grumbled, “What a dull woman.” before walking away from the counter.

“Oh I almost forgot. Missy. You can often find me drinking at the Red Bull Inn, so if you feel like seeing me feel free to stop by.”

Rephren, a smile on his face, said to Merc before leaving.

“I will keep that in mind.” Merc said, suggesting that she would not go.

Rephren, on the other hand, was completely unaware of this and simply grinned and gave a weird wink before leaving. Merc felt like he was a truly disgusting man.

“Hello. My name is Merc.”

Merc, who had moved in front of Nano, spoke up. After looking Merc up and down Nano replied with a simple, “I’m Nano.”

“Well then, Miss Merc, what is it that has brought you here today?”
“I’d like to apply for the adventurer exam.”
“Do you have a recommendation?”
“Here you go.”

Merc stated as she handed Nano her envelope. Nano retrieved the contents of the envelope to examine them.

“This is a very eye-catching sentence.”

Nano furrowed her brows after saying that, looking for the author of the recommendation. Her eyes widened as she did so.

“Jonahim… I see. So Mr. Jonahim has written this, correct?”
“That’s right. If there’s a flaw in the recommendation, I could ask him to correct it.”
“No. Everything is fine. It’s just that I don’t see your name written anywhere here, Ms. Merc.”
“Really? He’s right there, so should I ask him to add it in?”
“What? N-No, that won’t be…”
“Hey, Jonahim!”

Merc yelled. All of the Blazing Impact members who were waiting in line at the Reward Counter turned to look as she did. And not just them. Almost everyone else in the guild began to glance back and forth at Jonahim and Merc.

“Is there something wrong?”

After leaving Elea and Luka to secure their place and making his way through the crowd to where Merc was, Jonahim asked her with a surprised expression on his face.

“You’ve forgotten to write my name on the recommendation. Could I ask you to jot it down real fast?”
“I did? Miss Nano, could you please lend a pen?”
“Huh? S-Sure.”

Even Nano, who had kept a poker face up until now, looked perplexed by the unexpected turn of events. Merc suspected that this was the first time someone had asked for their recommendation to be rewritten at the counter.

Still, I can’t have them deduct points just because my name’s not on there.

Merc couldn’t risk anything now that she’d witnessed what had just transpired. She was dead set on proving that Jonahim wrote the recommendation specifically for her.

“Okay. This should do it. My Mana isn’t engraved in Merc’s name, but because a receptionist witnessed me writing it, there shouldn’t be any issues, right Miss Nano?”
“T-That’s right. It’s perfectly fine. Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. It was my fault for forgetting to write it in the first place. Also, please don’t misinterpret this as me picking favorites, but please look after Merc.”
“I will…”

Jonahim then walked away after returning the pen to Nano. Nano was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw him walking away.