Puppet Master Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Reward

Read chapter 77 of Puppet Master by PeName on NovelPedia.

After finishing the morning tasks and lunch, in the early afternoon, Tris once again returned to the guild. As soon as he entered, a female receptionist quickly approached and led him to Vice Guildmaster Erik, as previously arranged. Heading toward a room near the end of the second floor, the receptionist carefully knocked and said: “Sir Erik, Tris has arrived.” “Come in.” The reply came instantly from inside. The receptionist opened the door for him. Inside was a bright and tidy office, though filled with stacks of books and papers. Seated behind the desk was Erik, maintaining his usual polite appearance. Once the receptionist closed the door and left, Erik spoke: “So you are Tris, please have a seat.” He moved to the guest table and poured tea. Erik: “I’m very glad to have the chance to meet you directly today.” Tris: “Likewise, it’s an honor to meet you.” Erik: “First of all, thank you for helping us yesterday. Without you, none of us would have returned.” He bowed his head sincerely. Tris: “I already told Coris the same thing. Joining in was simply my personal choice. After all, no one hoped those cultists would win.” Erik: “Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that you, an adventurer of the guild, participated and contributed greatly. As one of the guild leaders of Dorn, I have the responsibility to reward such contributions. That’s also how we keep things fair.” Tris: “Understood.” Tris nodded in agreement. For a leader, showing fairness was essential to maintain stability and avoid unnecessary resentment. Erik: “As for your reward, I’ve prepared three things. First, 200 gold coins in cash—the same amount given to each adventurer who joined the mission yesterday. Second, the guild will grant you a special promotion from rank E to rank C. Finally, a magical item. This is a personal gift from me to express gratitude, and I hope you’ll accept it.” Hearing this, Tris thought: ‘The first is standard payment, nothing unusual. The third, though called a gift, is more like an investment to build ties—also common. The real issue is the second…’ Tris: “As far as I know, an adventurer must complete a certain number of quests and pass an evaluation test to rank up. Jumping two ranks at once—won’t that be a problem?” Erik: “Completing quests is simply a way to accumulate contributions. Your contribution yesterday was enormous, so it’s not an issue. The test only measures strength, and from what you showed, rank C is still far below your level.” Tris: “Adventurer data is shared across guilds, right? Won’t such a special promotion cause dissatisfaction elsewhere? I don’t want unnecessary attention or trouble.” Erik: “Every year, we reserve slots for special promotions, though rarely used. So your case isn’t unique. Moreover, this process requires agreement from both the guildmaster and vice guildmaster of the region, who will take responsibility. If other guilds disagree, they must first work with us. Do you have any other concerns?” Tris: “One more thing. Normally, an adventurer’s quest history shows their contributions for promotion. In my case, what details will be recorded?” Erik: “Ah, so that’s what you’re truly worried about. You don’t want your achievement to be recorded, correct?” He understood Tris’s intent. Tris: “As I said before, I dislike drawing attention and inviting unnecessary trouble. Having participated in eliminating those cultists and even achieving a feat great enough to be promoted two ranks at once is completely contrary to my original wish to remain unnoticed. And once you get deeply involved with matters like cultists or heretical gods, far too many complications can follow.” After thinking, Erik replied: “In that case, how about this: I’ll record that you made an important contribution to protecting Dorn, while the detailed information will be kept confidential under the church’s request.” Tris: “You can casually use the church as a shield like that? I’m sure they’d have opinions.” Erik: “True, so I’ll cont