Hecate’s expression shifted slightly, her curiosity piqued by my comment. Before talking about the mutated creatures from the exam, I exaggeratedly looked around and asked, "By the way, where's Mea? I thought she just stepped out for a moment."

"...She went to the alliance," Hecate replied after a brief, meaningful pause, as if questioning whether I was trying to change the topic.

"She had to give testimony regarding the last training session and also handle some work related to the recent examination."

"Oh."

Now that I thought about it, this faction was in a precarious position. If they were removed from the regular factions, all their financial support from the city would be cut off. Without a sustainable business model or active income from explorations like other factions, Telema would be hit hard.

Like any company that survives solely on government grants and support funds, it was a delicate situation. My exclamation, filled with worry and sympathy, triggered an automatic defensive reaction from Hecate.

"It’s fine! Since you joined, we've filled up the numbers, and with the money you gave us last time, we’ve managed to cover some of the urgent expenses!"

The minimum number of members required for a faction was eight. Originally, there were five members. With me, it made six. As for the remaining two, we could figure out something. If worse came to worst, I could borrow Ray and Leif's names just to fill the slots.

They probably already filled those two empty spots with ghost members just to meet the minimum requirements.

"Mea's points from your training also helped a lot. It feels like everything's thanks to you, Roman."

"Well, you're not entirely wrong. I’ve basically provided the required number of members, operational funds, and evaluation points."

"Oh, by the way, Mea mentioned she’s planning to descend into the Abyss again."

When in doubt, change the subject. That was Hecate’s way of dealing with things.

Her skill at shifting topics so smoothly was a testament to her leadership as the head of the faction.

"I heard Mea didn’t join a guild, though."

"Yeah, so she’s probably going to form a new team."

Since she mentioned having business with the alliance, it seemed like Mea intended to gather some independent explorers like herself.

"But it’s not easy for a demon warlock to find a team."

I had made Mea promise not to reveal anything about me. Though Hecate had figured some things out, I didn’t want any further mention of me to spread. If Mea didn’t clarify her ability to offset the costs of her skills, she would be held back by the bias against demon warlocks.

"She’ll be fine."

"Why’s that?"

Hecate smiled confidently and shrugged.

"Mea's skill level isn’t just at the senior level. If anything, she’s more like an expert."

I see. That made sense. Even though Mea was technically in the same senior category as Priscilla and Jake, the gap in skill was significant.

Still, having an expert didn’t necessarily mean much in terms of faction strength.

"But aren't there plenty of experts in most factions? Holson said the real measure of power is how many masters they have."

That’s what I was about to say.

In front of Ray’s innocent question, Hecate’s head drooped like a willow branch.

"...Yes, well... Our faction is still a small one without any masters."

"Cheer up! Now that you have Roman, you’ll get one soon!"

Before that, I thought Hecate could probably become an explorer herself, but I suppose she had her reasons.

"Enough about Mea. So, what were you saying earlier? Something about things being 'complicated'?"

"Ah, right..."

I began explaining what had happened to us.

As I spoke, Hecate's expression grew more serious. By the time I finished, she was covering her mouth with her hand, her face darkened.

"This... This is a real mess."

"Your registration is confirmed."

Mea had completed the registration of her team. While it wasn’t mandatory to register a team like a guild, it was recommended for safety reasons. Keeping records could prevent most shady dealings from happening.

Of course, now she still needed to recruit members. But by posting a recruitment notice on the alliance's job board, Mea had achieved her goal for the day.

'Maybe I’ll listen in for a bit before I leave.'

It was currently a busy time, filled with chatter from newcomers.

The explorer profession had high turnover rates. Many died, and many joined.

Because of this, organizations often paused their expeditions and stayed in the city to recruit talent whenever there was a large influx of new explorers. Right now, it was one of those times. The pub section of the alliance was buzzing with talk about new recruits.

Mea ordered some milk and sat in a quiet corner. With her sharp hearing, she could pick out any conversation she wanted, even in a noisy environment.

Sipping her milk, Mea focused on one table's conversation.

"I heard the new recruits this time are exceptional."

"Are they the 'Golden Generation'?"

"Guilds are already fighting over them."

The competition for talent mainly occurred between guilds. Factions rarely participated. Guilds and factions had fundamentally different goals.

Factions were essentially societies of mages. Mages joined factions to study magic, train, and pursue knowledge and mysteries to share with the world. As a result, factions mostly recruited novices who wanted to become mages. Those who had already become accomplished mages had likely already found a faction that suited their class or preferences.

Guilds, on the other hand, were more focused on exploring the Abyss and gaining wealth and fame. They were profit-driven groups that encompassed a wide variety of professions, meaning they had a much larger talent pool than factions. Unlike factions, guilds preferred ready-made talent rather than focusing on development.

While factions dedicated about 30% of their time to Abyss exploration, guilds devoted closer to 70%. Consequently, those interested in Abyss exploration often merely kept their names registered with a faction while actively working in a guild.

It was rare for someone to be dual-registered in a faction and a guild, but it was common for faction members to work with guilds.

All told, about 50 new explorers were licensed in the alliance’s regular license exam, and hundreds more were licensed through large guilds and factions that held the authority to issue licenses.

With so many new explorers entering the field, guilds were eager to snatch up the best talent.

Those men talking at the table didn’t seem to belong to a guild themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so relaxed, talking as if it wasn’t their concern.

Those actively working in guilds were already running around the city and the first level of the Abyss, trying to recruit promising talent.

"So, who do you think will win this recruitment race?"

"Frontier or Conquerors, obviously. They’re the top two guilds, aren’t they?"

Frontier and Conquerors—two guilds that held Pioneers, the top-tier explorers, had always come out on top in these recruitment wars.

"I heard Frontier’s guildmaster has a new apprentice in this batch."

"The 'Heavenly Sword'? I’ve heard they’re quite skilled."

"Not just that. Ahem... Here’s some inside info I picked up. There was an incident at the training camp recently, right?"

Mea's long ears perked up.

'A training camp incident?'

Roman had come from a training camp...

While Mea thought of Roman, the men continued their conversation, revealing that they were quite informed about the incident.

Though the alliance and the noble houses had done their best to suppress the rumors, word still spread quietly beneath the surface.

For those in the know, the Abyss-worshippers' attack on the training camp was an open secret.

One of the younger men at the table lowered his voice conspiratorially.

"It was the Heavenly Sword who repelled the attackers."

"As expected. So the top talent of this generation is the Heavenly Sword after all. Even the Grand Duchess and the Storm Sword can’t compete?"

"Pioneers produce exceptional talent. The noble houses and factions are impressive, but they can’t compare to Pioneers."

Just as they were saying this, a man sitting alone at a nearby table stood up roughly, his chair scraping loudly. With just one large stride, he reached their table and slammed his hand down on it.

"Are you guys from a faction?"

"What the—?"

"What’s your deal?"

"Clans."

The oldest of the three men answered.

"Ah, clans. That explains why your ears are so closed."

Guilds, factions, and clans—three major groups for explorers, excluding the alchemists’ Golden Intellect.

Clans, being the most secretive, were often less up-to-date on the latest information. The man who approached them seemed to think so.

"The Heavenly Sword isn’t the top talent of this generation. There are three contenders."

After drawing them in with that teaser, the man fell silent. The clan representative let out a derisive laugh and flipped a coin onto the table. It was gold.

"Is that enough?"

"Of course. The top talent is either the demon warlock, the spirit summoner, or the beastfolk battle mage. That’s for sure."

"...Are you joking?"

One of the men reached for his sword, looking like he was about to draw it. Mentioning all three classes commonly considered low-tier was akin to saying, "I’m messing with you."

But the man was serious.

"Calm down. I was the examiner for this round. You’ll see I’m right soon enough."

Showing his credentials as the examiner, the clan members seemed reluctant but willing to let it go. The gold coin likely didn’t hold much value for them anyway.

"Well, good luck to you. It’s tough finding people for clans, isn’t it?"

"You too. If you’re willing to sell this kind of information, you must be desperate for money."

"Not really. This is more like paying back a favor."

The man, Jake, thought of the three people who had saved him and smirked.

They were so capable, yet they were still independent. They were likely holding off on joining a group to increase their value. Since he owed them his life, he felt he should help out a bit.

As he scanned the pub, wondering where to spread the next bit of gossip, Jake suddenly sensed someone behind him and turned reflexively.

‘No one?’

"Down here."

Jake’s head lowered at the soft voice that came from below.

A dark elf. A very small one.

"...Do you need something?"

"You were talking about Roman, weren’t you?"

"Are you...?"

Jake vaguely remembered hearing that demon warlocks had their own factions... Before he could finish that thought, Mea spoke.

"I’ve found one team member."

"...What?"

A team member? Me? While Jake was still processing, someone else seized the moment.

"Me too! Can I join as well?"

"Hmm."

It was her. Mea gave Priscilla a dissatisfied look.

The woman who had tried to seduce Roman. To Mea, Priscilla was nothing more than a scheming snake.

"What about your faction?"

"Well, ever since that day, I’ve been a bit isolated in the faction... No one wants to work with me. Couldn’t you please...?"

Though the situation had been difficult, Priscilla had ended up as the failed leader of an expedition that had lost six members. Explorers lived with death constantly looming over them, so many were superstitious about working with those considered unlucky.

Even mages, who claimed to be seekers of truth, were prone to such beliefs. In martial circles, it was even worse.

Mea could sense Priscilla’s desperation. It reminded her of Hecate’s struggles with the faction’s reauthorization. Priscilla’s connection to Roman also played a role, but ultimately, she was someone Mea had met before. Despite coming from a large faction, she was now willing to join a newly formed team, which was already a sign that things weren’t normal.

"...Fine. I’ll accept you."

"Thank you! I’ll do my best!"

Priscilla, pleading earnestly, and Mea, reluctantly accepting her—this power dynamic played out before Jake’s eyes, causing him to stifle a laugh.

Wasn't she from the Blochstorm Faction? What could possibly make her so desperate...?

‘Roman, just who are you? After Frontier, Alexandria, and the city guards, now you’ve even got Blochstorm?’

Terrifying. It was terrifying just thinking about how far Roman’s web of connections stretched.

In the end, Jake, 90% unwilling and 10% willing, handed over his name to Mea.

Thus, Priscilla Rwanston and Jake Muren were added to the team Mea had created, Chosen. And the recruitment notice that Mea had posted disappeared from the job board within a day.

The reason? "Recruitment complete."