He was instantly running, not caring about how he looked while he beelined to the guild, with Myriad talking to him the entire time.
Myriad, the adventurer job has a few key features. Obviously, the main aspect is merging experience pools but there's more beyond that too. Now, the aspect I’ve been taking advantage of until this point is the fact that by having experience pools merged I can take advantage of the jobs I’m already unnaturally suited for to help everyone I’m joined with but there’s another part I’ve been ignoring until now. It’s a job that lets the user gain experience through combat, magic, and killing monsters, but more important than that is all party members can gain experience the way the others can too after linking up! Give me an adventurer, a mind user, and an apprentice mage and I’ll be able to finish anything! Completing this one job is still going to take a while but after I’ll be able to finish everything I have so long as I can meet those qualifications! Oh my god, it’s actually hard to express how fucking smart I feel right now!
There was a touch of horror in the god’s voice as Myriad processed what he’d just heard. In hindsight it was obvious but it was so easy to miss simply because that wasn’t a way anyone used it. The way Ben would take advantage of the adventurer job already was beyond what anyone would expect, the thought of exploiting it further hadn’t occurred to either of them but now that he’d realized, it felt so clearly a way for him to do exactly what he’d said. Finding an adventurer was a path to Ben running out of jobs, as simple as that. Even if any of his others happened to be third tier-jobs, it would still be at most a month to get through them using that method, possibly far shorter given how his skills had grown.
He didn’t know how others would react to that, he didn’t care. As soon as he reached the guild he threw open the door, getting eyes on him from everyone which he ignored, instead seeing Onk on staff and making a beeline for them.
“Hmm? She is, though she’s probably about to leave-”
He was already moving past them as he said it, making a beeline to her office and opening the door.
“You know, knocking is preferred,” The guild master called out while looking through her last bit of paperwork as her eyes moved to him, with Ben speaking up before she could go on.
“...Okay, how fast do you need it? I could probably manage something in the next week or two, but-”
“Too long, is there no faster way? I will put down literally any amount of money to get this done.”
“I’m not sure how much that would help, we only have so many people with access to that job that even if you put a fortune down, right now everyone understands the value of attribute bonuses enough that you’re going to have trouble finding anyone who would give up what they’ve already earned part way through. Those bonuses could be the difference between life and death. If you give me time though I could search out and find someone for you, even send a request through the main guild to see who we could get.”
“Thanks but I don’t have the time. That does give me an idea though! Oh, but if you could spread the word around the guild that I’ll pay anyone who takes it and leaves spots open for me and three others to join then I’d appreciate it, with extra going out for anyone who keeps their full party empty for me!”
He was running away before she could respond with his next destination already decided as he rushed out, running back to the shop and through his mini gate to get to his next destination of Anailia.
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It was late in that nation, the difference in time meaning it was already dark but he didn’t care. By that point, the staff and residents all knew him well which helped him with his main goal as he ambushed the closest one.
“Where can I find Pelenia?”
“The queen? I believe she’s enjoying a late dinner right now-”
Down to the dining room he went, again pushing through doors to find Thera’s very tired mother eating with her husband at her side, with the two summoned her nation had taken in there too.
There was no sign of Lux or her family but he was sure it was too late for Seren, not that it mattered. Before anyone there could react to his unexpected arrival he was already shamelessly making his request.
“Hey, great to see you all, I’ve come to beg for a favour!”
“Nice to see you too, Ben,” The queen said as a bit more energy returned to her eyes. “You seem unusually manic.”
“That’s because I am! Sorry, it’s complicated but I’ve figured out something pretty intense and long story short I need someone with the adventurer job and at least three empty spaces in their party as soon as possible! Also a mind user, pretty please, I will pay any amount of money to get this done as soon as it can be!”
None of them seemed to know how to immediately react but Pelenia waved over a servant standing at the side.
“Hotana, be a dear and get a message down with that request to our local guild branch, would you? And Ben, while we’re doing that, why don’t you join us and take a breath to explain exactly why this is so urgent?”
“Yes, sure I can, sorry. No, wait, thanks, you’re the best. God, I may need an apprentice or true mage too but I’m going to try and earn some brownie points and-”
“Ben, from the beginning, if you would?”
With the queen’s relaxed attitude helping to calm him down, Ben took a seat with the rest of them, giving an explanation about what he’d been through and the realization he’d made, with all of them looking surprised by the end.
“Well,” The queen started once he’d begun. “You certainly are an ambitious boy. Who even thinks to do something like that?”
“God, I wish I’d realized this years ago. Holy crap, sorry I’m so excited, I’m pretty sure this is the smartest I’ve ever felt.”
“And how long did you say this was going to take you to finish?” Karly asked him, her eyes gleaming.
“Uh, for my current one, I honestly can’t be sure but I’m really really hopeful it won’t take forever. The ideal would be a couple of months tops but I won’t be able to know for sure until I start going through it.”
“Okay, I’m officially signing up at the guild tomorrow so check with me sometime in the future, I sure as hell want to take advantage of you.”
“You got it, I’ll take any adventurers I can get and I have enough jobs for it. Currently sitting at thirty-three potential ones and I’m sure I’ll get more as I go through them. Sorry, just thinking about it is going to get me all hyped up again.”
“Well, I hate to burst your bubble but there is one small thing I should mention,” The queen told him. “You’re really going to struggle finding a mind user.”
“I’m sorry? Why? It’s such an easy job to get and for people who focus on mind skills-”
“That’s the issue. Ben, not many people focus on mind skills.”
“Why would they? Given how long jobs take… er, usually take, why take a job like that when there’s others that will likely apply for the main mind skills anyone would want while helping with significantly broader abilities too, and that’s not considering the fact that it usually takes a person more that a few in that class to get that particular one unlocked when the most any typical person can expect to end up with would be speed reading or calculate.”
“That’s… Hmm, okay, maybe we won’t find anyone working in the local guild but if we look across Anailia then I’m sure we’ll find a handful.”
“I’m sure we’d find a handful who have it as a potential option,” She clarified. “Finding a person currently going through the job though? It would surprise me more if we have any when there really are so many better jobs out there.”
“As someone at least partially specialized in mind skills that really does hurt so much to hear but okay, that’s not insurmountable. All that means is I need to try somewhere else that’s more likely to have some mind users and I already have an idea. Would it be cool with you if I run back here in the morning to see if anyone’s taking my offer?”
“Fantastic, you’re the best Pelenia!”
“You can make up for it by giving me grandchildren.”
He didn’t hear her final words, he was already out the door and rushing to his next hope for finding a mind user to take advantage of, going on his way to the main gate network to get to the magic towers.