Raijin took a deep breath.
His fingers unconsciously clenched into fists.
Grim Howler Wraiths…
The moment he heard the name, he was reminded of Master Zenn's warning.
"If you ever cross paths with them…
…do not rely solely on brute force."
Raijin still hadn't understood why Zenn had said that.
"First, we need to complete our team. Where are Ishan and Kade?" Raijin asked.
Sofiya, who had been listening to Raijin in silence until now, spoke up:
"The two of them went out last night on some errand. They really should have been back by now."
Sofiya had barely finished speaking when someone placed a hand on Raijin's left shoulder from behind.
Raijin slowly turned around.
There was no need for him to be alarmed—even if something were to happen here, the Guild members would handle everything.
In that single instant, a multitude of thoughts flooded his mind.
Raijin looked back—Kade had his right hand resting on his shoulder. Standing right beside him was Ishan.
Upon seeing them, a gentle smile spread across Raijin's face.
Looking at them, Sofiya asked:
"What took you two so long?"
Ishan replied:
"A wheel on our horse-drawn carriage broke along the way, so we got delayed."
"Alright… alright…"
Interrupting the conversation, Raijin said:
"Now that everyone is here, why don't we head to a restaurant first? We can grab a bite to eat, and while we're there, we can formulate a plan regarding the Grim Howler Wraiths."
Ishan and Kade had no prior knowledge of the mission, yet both agreed immediately.
The rumbling sounds coming from their stomachs made it abundantly clear that they, too, were ravenously hungry. Kade immediately spoke up:
"If you want to have a quiet meal and talk, I know just the place. Let's head there."
"Alright," Raijin replied.
Then, suddenly, Raijin said:
"No—not right now. We'll go some other time. I'm not hungry."
Kade gave him a sharp glare.
"But just a moment ago, *you* were the one who—"
Raijin cut him off mid-sentence:
"No, no—it's nothing like that."
He gave a faint chuckle, then lowered his voice.
"I *am* hungry, actually… it's just that I only have one silver coin left right now." He muttered softly to himself.
Ishan glanced at Raijin, then at the hand stuffed deep into his pocket.
He understood.
Ishan stepped forward.
"Listen up, everyone. We've landed a major mission today, so the treat is on me."
He didn't actually care about the mission itself.
It was Sofiya—his team leader—who had taken on the assignment. So, to him, it made no difference how big or important the mission was.
Everyone was stunned to hear Ishan—a man who usually hesitated to spend even a single coin—declare, "The treat is on me."
For Raijin, this wasn't particularly strange; but for Sofiya and Kade, it felt like stumbling upon a sack full of coins while walking down the street.
"What?" Sofiya asked.
Ishan shrugged.
"I told you: Big mission, big treat."
Kade and Sofiya agreed without a second thought.
Who turns down something for free?
Ishan looked at Raijin.
"You're coming along too, right?"
Raijin feigned indifference.
"Nah, I'm stuffed."
Sofiya and Kade spoke in unison:
"Stop making excuses."
Eventually, Raijin gave in.
Kade led them down a narrow alleyway within the city.
The alley was so cramped that Sofiya raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Is the restaurant right here?" he asked.
Kade smiled faintly.
"Most of the adventurers in the Guild don't know about this place," he said.
"I first came here with an old B-Rank adventurer.
He used to say—if you need some peace before a dangerous mission...
this is the best place to find it."
"Inside," Kade said. "All the way at the back."
They all slowly made their way to the very end of the alley.
Standing before them was a simple, unassuming door—looking just like the entrance to an ordinary home.
Kade gestured toward Raijin.
Raijin stepped forward and opened the door.
And the moment they stepped inside—
everyone's eyes went wide with astonishment.
From the outside, the place had looked unremarkable; yet inside, there were separate rooms for every single member.
Quiet, simple, and safe.
Raijin gently clutched his head.
Chapter 19: Conversation about Grim Howler Wraiths
Raijin took a deep breath.
His fingers unconsciously clenched into fists.
Grim Howler Wraiths…
The moment he heard the name, he was reminded of Master Zenn's warning.
"If you ever cross paths with them…
…do not rely solely on brute force."
Raijin still hadn't understood why Zenn had said that.
"First, we need to complete our team. Where are Ishan and Kade?" Raijin asked.
Sofiya, who had been listening to Raijin in silence until now, spoke up:
"The two of them went out last night on some errand. They really should have been back by now."
Sofiya had barely finished speaking when someone placed a hand on Raijin's left shoulder from behind.
Raijin slowly turned around.
There was no need for him to be alarmed—even if something were to happen here, the Guild members would handle everything.
In that single instant, a multitude of thoughts flooded his mind.
Raijin looked back—Kade had his right hand resting on his shoulder. Standing right beside him was Ishan.
Upon seeing them, a gentle smile spread across Raijin's face.
Looking at them, Sofiya asked:
"What took you two so long?"
Ishan replied:
"A wheel on our horse-drawn carriage broke along the way, so we got delayed."
"Alright… alright…"
Interrupting the conversation, Raijin said:
"Now that everyone is here, why don't we head to a restaurant first? We can grab a bite to eat, and while we're there, we can formulate a plan regarding the Grim Howler Wraiths."
Ishan and Kade had no prior knowledge of the mission, yet both agreed immediately.
The rumbling sounds coming from their stomachs made it abundantly clear that they, too, were ravenously hungry. Kade immediately spoke up:
"If you want to have a quiet meal and talk, I know just the place. Let's head there."
"Alright," Raijin replied.
Then, suddenly, Raijin said:
"No—not right now. We'll go some other time. I'm not hungry."
Kade gave him a sharp glare.
"But just a moment ago, *you* were the one who—"
Raijin cut him off mid-sentence:
"No, no—it's nothing like that."
He gave a faint chuckle, then lowered his voice.
"I *am* hungry, actually… it's just that I only have one silver coin left right now." He muttered softly to himself.
Ishan glanced at Raijin, then at the hand stuffed deep into his pocket.
He understood.
Ishan stepped forward.
"Listen up, everyone. We've landed a major mission today, so the treat is on me."
He didn't actually care about the mission itself.
It was Sofiya—his team leader—who had taken on the assignment. So, to him, it made no difference how big or important the mission was.
Everyone was stunned to hear Ishan—a man who usually hesitated to spend even a single coin—declare, "The treat is on me."
For Raijin, this wasn't particularly strange; but for Sofiya and Kade, it felt like stumbling upon a sack full of coins while walking down the street.
"What?" Sofiya asked.
Ishan shrugged.
"I told you: Big mission, big treat."
Kade and Sofiya agreed without a second thought.
Who turns down something for free?
Ishan looked at Raijin.
"You're coming along too, right?"
Raijin feigned indifference.
"Nah, I'm stuffed."
Sofiya and Kade spoke in unison:
"Stop making excuses."
Eventually, Raijin gave in.
Kade led them down a narrow alleyway within the city.
The alley was so cramped that Sofiya raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Is the restaurant right here?" he asked.
Kade smiled faintly.
"Most of the adventurers in the Guild don't know about this place," he said.
"I first came here with an old B-Rank adventurer.
He used to say—if you need some peace before a dangerous mission...
this is the best place to find it."
"Inside," Kade said. "All the way at the back."
They all slowly made their way to the very end of the alley.
Standing before them was a simple, unassuming door—looking just like the entrance to an ordinary home.
Kade gestured toward Raijin.
Raijin stepped forward and opened the door.
And the moment they stepped inside—
everyone's eyes went wide with astonishment.
From the outside, the place had looked unremarkable; yet inside, there were separate rooms for every single member.
Quiet, simple, and safe.
Raijin gently clutched his head.
.
.
.
Thank You For Reading This Chaptar.
Author: Mohammed Zaid Saifi