Adventurer of Many Professions

Arya, who had been following along quietly, suddenly blinked and stared at him. "Wait... Raymond; you calculated all of that that fast?"

Her surprise wasn't without reason. In this world, where mathematics was barely taught and most people struggled with even simple sums, Raymond's quick and accurate calculations were downright impressive.

Raymond simply smiled.

There was more to him than just swords and strategy and Arya was beginning to realize just how deep those layers went.

In truth, most people in this world still relied on their fingers to count, sometimes struggling even with basic addition and subtraction of single-digit numbers. And when it came to double-digit math? Even the sharper ones in town often found themselves fumbling.

Because of this, it was common practice for adventurers to hand off the task of dividing commission rewards to the guild's auditors. These staff members had passed formal entrance exams, and arithmetic was one of the required subjects. Compared to the average adventurer, they were seen as walking calculators.

Still, even among the guild's more numerically skilled employees, three-digit math wasn't easy. Some could manage it after a moment's pause to think it through, but most needed tools like paper and an abacus.

Raymond, on the other hand, had just rattled off a full cost breakdown and net profit on the spot, in his head.

That's why Arya was so shocked. She knew Raymond. He hadn't been known for his quick math before. And now, suddenly, he was computing silver-to-gold conversions and potion costs without breaking a sweat?

"Oh, wow..." Sylph blinked. "I never realized it before, but Raymond, your math is insane!"

She had always paid attention to how much money she was getting, not how they got to that total. She never gave much thought to who was doing the actual math, she just assumed someone else would handle it.

Lorene, quietly watching the others, blinked a few times and looked from Arya to Sylph. Her subtle expression change didn't go unnoticed.

"Huh?" Arya tilted her head. "Lorene… don't tell me, you can calculate like Raymond too?"

"Yes!" Lorene nodded, smiling softly. "When I lived in the temple, our nun-teachers made sure we learned the basics. And after I awakened as a Priest, I noticed something... numbers just started to make sense more easily."

"Wait, really? Awakening as a Priest actually boosts your math skills?" Sylph stared at her like she'd just cast a spell.

Arya looked equally surprised. "I've never heard of that before."

Lorene giggled. "It's not a well-documented trait. It doesn't help in battle, so people don't talk about it much. At first, we thought it was just the nuns' teaching methods, but later, one of the senior priests explained that it's part of the Priest's mental aptitude, especially for tasks like managing temple records, donations, and food rations."

"Huh... makes sense now. No wonder you're so calm and good with detail," Sylph nodded, then quickly turned her gaze to Raymond again. "But what about you, Raymond? There's no way Warrior or Fighter comes with math buffs."

Of course, they didn't. Raymond's sharp calculation skills were something he brought from his previous life, another world entirely. But that wasn't something he could explain.

So, instead, he smiled and offered a believable half-truth. "Back when I worked at the Weir Hotel, I used to watch the cashier, Madam Weir, work."

"Wait, really?" Arya asked, blinking. "You were studying back then?"

Raymond nodded. "Whenever I had a break, I'd quietly stand near the counter. I'd watch how much money the customers gave her, and how much change she returned. Then I'd try to calculate the difference in my head, faster each time."

Arya's face lit up in realization. "Ohhh! That actually makes sense. You were already training your brain for mental math back then!"

Raymond gave a modest shrug, and Sylph, now fully bought into the explanation, relaxed.

But then her eyes sparkled with sudden interest as she leaned over the table and asked, almost breathlessly, "Wait a second, did you and Arya both work at the Weir Hotel before becoming Awakeners?"

Raymond froze for a beat, surprised by her sudden burst of energy.

Arya tilted her head. "Y-yeah… we did. I was a waitress there too."

Even Lorene looked caught off guard by Sylph's excitement.

Seeing their startled expressions, Sylph gave a sheepish grin and scratched her cheek. "Sorry, sorry! I just realized… we've been together for so long, but we barely know each other's pasts."

Her voice softened. "I mean, we've fought side by side. Risked our lives. But we've never really… sat down and talked about who we were before we became Awakeners."

The mood shifted slightly, becoming quieter. Warmer.

Maybe it was the food. Maybe it was the shared silence of a moment finally taken to breathe.

But in that cozy little room above a tavern, surrounded by the aroma of roasted meat and the echo of laughter downstairs, a stronger bond was quietly beginning to form, between not just teammates, but friends.

When Sylph finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the group. Raymond, Arya, and Lorene had all heard her, but none of them responded immediately. They were stunned.

What she said was true. It had been two months since the four of them had formed their team, and yet, their bond only skimmed the surface. They knew each other's quirks, personalities, maybe a few habits picked up through daily interactions, but their pasts remained untouched, like sealed books never opened.

And why would they have shared? People only open up about their pasts when a bond runs deep, when trust isn't a question but a foundation. That kind of closeness, the kind that turns companions into true friends, hadn't been fully forged yet.

But now, Raymond had casually mentioned his past job as a hotel waiter, and that simple revelation hit Sylph like a signal. Maybe... the time had come. Maybe they were finally ready to truly know each other.

The group sat still for a moment, the atmosphere almost sacred. Then, as if by unspoken agreement, all eyes turned to Raymond.

Taking a deep breath, Sylph broke the silence. "Since I brought it up, I'll go first… I'm actually—"

"Wait!" Raymond interrupted, his voice more urgent than loud.

"Huh?" Arya blinked, confused by the sudden interjection. "Raymond, what's wrong?"

She had been looking forward to this. Arya hadn't known the team long, but she already had a strong affection for Sylph and Lorene. She wanted to know them better, wanted to be known in return. And ever since joining, Raymond had kept her updated on their missions, always sharing stories of how the group worked together. That connection meant something to her.

Lorene, quiet as always, tilted her head and softly asked, "Raymond… do you think it's too soon for this?"

Sylph frowned, not hiding her frustration. "Why won't you let me speak? Don't you think it's important for us to understand one another?"

She wasn't wrong. A team that doesn't truly know each other will always carry unspoken doubts. Invisible barriers. A silent wariness that could grow dangerous when lives are on the line.

Even Raymond wasn't exempt. That reckless moment during their last mission, when he faced off with the 'Crazy Baboon' and risked his life, might've looked like bravery. But it was really desperation. The enemy was too fast, too strong, escape wasn't even an option. His only choice had been to trust Lorene's healing magic and hope she could keep him alive.

Finally, Raymond looked around and saw the three of them watching him, puzzled and waiting. He let out a slow breath, then said, "It's not that I don't want us to share. I do. I agree with everything you're saying, Sylph… But has anyone thought about the fact that we're still missing a teammate?"

The others looked at each other, momentarily caught off guard.

"If we tell our stories now," Raymond continued, "when that person joins us in a few days, they'll never have this moment. They'll never feel included in this kind of sharing. And we'll never repeat it just for them. That gap, it might never close."

Sylph blinked. "Ah… I didn't think of that."

Lorene nodded slowly, beginning to understand. "So you're saying… if we wait, we can include them in the moment. Let them feel like they're part of the foundation we're building."

"Exactly," Raymond said. "If the four of us are close, and they're not… they'll feel like an outsider. And I don't want to recruit someone who only stays halfway. We want a teammate who'll be with us all the way, to gold rank and beyond."

Arya gave a thoughtful nod. "That's fair. It wouldn't be right for us to build something now that they'll never fully be part of."

Sylph sighed, her shoulders dropping a little. "Okay, okay… I guess I didn't think it through. My bad."

"No worries," Arya said, offering her a smile. "We all want the same thing in the end."

"Right," Raymond said, letting the topic settle. "Anyway, let's handle what we can now. The reward's on the table, we've got one gold coin and seventy-five silvers."

He started dividing it up. "That's forty-three silver coins each… and we've got three left over. Just enough to cover dinner."

Sylph let out a dramatic groan. "Forty-three silvers… feels like pocket change after last time."

The tension broke, and the group chuckled. The deeper talk would come, but for now, the night was young, the food was warm, and the bond between them, though not yet complete, had just grown a little stronger.

The last commission had been a windfall, but it wasn't just luck.

That high reward came with high risk. Their encounter with the Vine Demon Tree had been nerve-wracking, and just when they thought they could breathe, they stumbled into a gang of Crazy Baboons; fast, vicious, and relentless.

But the real game-changer?

Raymond.

He had infiltrated the baboons' lair alone, sneaking past the beasts, risking death at every turn. Deep inside, he discovered their hidden stash, a trove of loot collected from who-knows-how-many unfortunate adventurers. He made it out with his life and the treasure, and then, without hesitation, distributed the gear to Sylph and Lorene.

That mission wasn't just successful, it was legendary. And the payoff reflected it.

But this time?

Forty-three silver coins.

That was their cut, each. The kind of reward you'd expect from two low-tier 'Black Iron' commissions. Not even enough to treat themselves after a job well done.

"That's why we need to recruit someone at least Iron-level," Raymond said matter-of-factly, his eyes flicking to the reward pile. "Once we have five members, we can start taking on Bronze-level commissions. Otherwise, the payout per person just isn't worth the effort."

He wasn't wrong.