That's right, that's what adventure is like!

Narrow cubicles, familiar mahogany doors.

There are also women I know better.

Ramona leaned casually against the wooden chair, her expression languid and relaxed: "See, you remember our last conversation? I knew I'd see you again."

Are you the only one at this reception desk?

Roland was actually somewhat helpless. He had thought that someone else would handle the problem this time, but it turned out to be Ramona again.

It wasn't that he was annoyed, but rather that the frequency of these appearances was so high that he seriously suspected that what was in front of him was some kind of magical projection that operated 24 hours a day.

Faced with his questioning, Ramona merely pursed her lips, glanced at the files on the table, and spoke again: "This incident was caused by the Association using your identity, right? That violated Article 86, and the compensation is 20 gold coins."

So little?

Roland frowned, about to speak, but was quickly interrupted by Ramona.

"It's clearly recorded above. The association has planted spies near the target to prevent your life from being in danger. All kinds of protective measures are also in place. As long as you don't touch anything recklessly, you'll be absolutely safe. Don't complain."

This makes sense. From beginning to end, Roland was only truly threatened twice: once by other adventurers and once by Torg's recklessness, neither of which had anything to do with the Association.

But Roland came to demand benefits, so how could he possibly let it go?

He looked up at Ramona, his gaze sharp: "This mission involved bait, which greatly dampened my adventurous spirit and traumatized me."

?

Before Ramona could respond, Roland quickly added, "Besides, your mission setup is extremely unreasonable. Even if we've already scouted the area beforehand, if the magic circle collapses, I'm definitely doomed."

"Furthermore, in this incident, it's impossible to determine whether Daphne leaked my information to others, which poses a significant risk. What if I'm targeted again later?"

He raised his hand, stopping Ramona from speaking for the second time, his gaze earnest: "I joined this association because I trusted it, but you just said you would protect me, and now this has happened. It breaks my heart..."

Frankly, these are all sophistry.

Roland couldn't find a decent reason, after all, the facts were there, but he still had to lay the groundwork for raising the price of the next two keys.

This was based on his experience from his previous life: no matter what you do, you can't lose your momentum.

Ramona narrowed her eyes, her expression a half-smile, took a sip of the tea on the table, and said leisurely, "In that case, what do you want?"

Roland had already prepared his explanation and decisively asked for a higher price: "This time the commission amount is doubled, plus the previous tripled principle, the association needs to give me 90 gold coins!"

The difference between 15 gold and 90 gold is not even in the same league.

"Hmph—you really dare to dream," Ramona scoffed, wagging her finger. "Unfortunately, if you don't mind me revealing your wanted status, then you'll have to accept the original price."

Is there still a threat?

Roland's gaze turned serious: "Revealing an adventurer's identity is a violation of the regulations, even if it's unintentional, at the very least..."

"It'll cost at least 50 gold, right?"

Ramona smiled enigmatically: "But if I were in the association's management, the punishment would be halved, and considering I avoided losses for the association, how much do you think the president would secretly reward me?"

"...You're really something."

It's not that the 5 gold coin bounty is that important, but if such a situation really occurs, it will inevitably strain relations with the association, which would be detrimental to Roland.

Seeing him concede, Ramona smiled slightly, clearly realizing that what she had just done was merely a tactic to lower the price, and then got to the point:

"Doubling it is impossible, but if you are willing to give up those two keys, I can increase the original bounty to 25 gold coins."

That's 75 gold coins, which is an acceptable price.

Roland nodded, took out an astrolabe and a cube from his bag and pushed them in front of Ramona, saying first, "You should know how much I can gain if I pass these two keys on."

Although the association's weapon is missing, there are still many skilled individuals in this world who can seize a portion of the dungeon's profits through various means, and the losses incurred will be substantial.

Ramona was well aware of this, otherwise why would she have used such a ruthless move to gain the upper hand?

A faint white light emanated from her hand, confirming its authenticity. After a moment's thought, she offered her price: "How about this? In return, the association is willing to provide you with some... items to help you advance to a formal professional."

Roland looked up abruptly, his gaze intense: "Really!?"

"real."

"Deal made. When will the contract be signed?"

It wasn't that Roland didn't want more, but rather that the guide had clearly shown him how difficult it was to become a full-fledged professional in this world.

Learning and mastering three complementary superpowers is a prerequisite.

Even this is something that countless adventurers have never been able to achieve in their entire lives.

Knowledge monopoly is the norm in this era. To acquire extraordinary knowledge, there are basically only a few paths: joining a national army, a divine church, or a noble force, or being noticed by certain powerful figures like Yogurt.

As for the Adventurers' Guild, although it sells weapons, equipment, and extraordinary items, it does not openly sell any means of learning extraordinary abilities, because that would be "crossing the line."

Of course, this hurdle is not a big problem for Roland; the real issue now is the other trouble that is about to follow.

—One needs to meet the physical fitness requirements of a certain profession with a fixed combination of abilities before the inauguration ceremony can officially begin.

Physical fitness sounds simple, but it's extremely difficult to achieve.

For most professions, even if you train your body to the limits of human potential, you're only barely on the verge of getting a job.

If you want to transcend the limitations, you either have to use some unconventional methods (such as making a deal with the devil, blood transfusion rituals, or forbidden potions), or you have to use some extraordinary items to nourish your body.

Roland had seen in the guide that even the lowest-grade Giant's Heart cost a full 500 gold coins, and it also came with the side effect of causing the body to expand.

Even so, they are available but not for sale.

The price Ramona is offering right now is enough to tempt him.

"In that case, let's sign the contract."

Ramona seemed unsurprised by the outcome. She took out an old parchment from the drawer, her fingertips gleaming, and quickly began to write.

This so-called "contract" is not an agreement between ordinary people, but has extraordinary power. Once violated, it will inevitably be punished.

Roland examined the paper meticulously, focusing on whether there were any interlayers or whether the patterns were some kind of disguised rare language. He even added several protective measures himself, and after the panel judged the paper, he finally signed his name.

All of the above are common tricks used by the devil.

Ramona was not surprised by such caution, and even spoke up to teach Roland some techniques, as if she were extending goodwill on behalf of the association.

Finally, when a faint white light fell deep into his body and Roland felt a gaze sweep past him from behind, the contract was successfully signed.

After agreeing on the method of receiving the supplies, Ramona put the two keys into the drawer and finally relaxed, but she was in no hurry to let Roland leave: "Now, I'm going to start verifying the completion of your commission this time."

"As part of your investment as a new investor, I can answer some of your questions for free, but only this once."