Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

The mission hall in Tenebrus city was alive with its usual buzz of activity.

Adventurers of all kinds of ranks and status filled the space, some seated at wooden tables in groups, others crowding the mission boards, eyeing potential missions with interest.

The air smelled of sweat, old leather, and cheap ale, and the dim lighting only added to the gritty atmosphere.

In one corner of the hall, a large group of adventurers had gathered, laughing boisterously as they exchanged jabs and stories.

Their attention wasn't on their own accomplishments, however, but on two 'newbie' adventurers who had taken on a job that not even any sane expert adventurer would.

"I'll give it a day, tops." A grizzled man with a deep scar running across his cheek said, leaning back in his chair, feet kicked up on the table.

"No way they survive in the northwest forest. That place is crawling with Mutant class beasts, even a rare Variant class shows up every now and then! That place is way above their pay grade."

A chorus of laughter erupted from the group.

"And you say they're heading out there?" another adventurer asked incredulously, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Those two kids? Ha! They'll be lucky if they make it past the first night."

A tall woman with short cropped hair smirked and tossed a coin onto the table.

"One D+ rank beast core says they're already beast food."

The grizzly man with the scar looked at her with a smirk.

"A Mutant class beast core? You sure must be confident in your bet."

The others followed suit, clinking beast cores and coins together as they placed their bets.

Each one seemed more confident in the last that they would never see the two newbies, Alex and Mira, again.

"They probably pissed themselves and ran the moment they saw a beast!"

Someone else chimed in, drawing more laughter from the group.

"One Variant class beast core on them coming back alive, even completing the mission!"

Another, quieter voice chimed in from the side.

It came from an unassuming woman who had gone largely unnoticed this entire time.

The banter continued, and the adventurers relished in their mockery, already counting their winnings in their heads.

But as they settled into their jeers, a commotion stirred near the entrance of the mission hall.

The heavy wooden doors swung open with a loud creak, causing several heads to turn in that direction.

"What's all the ruckus about?"

The scarred man grumbled, leaning forward in his seat to get a better view.

The group's chatter died down as curiosity spread among them.

Expecting nothing more than another group of weary adventurers returning from a routine mission, they turned their attention lazily toward the entrance.

But what they saw stopped the room cold.

Alex and Mira.

The 'newbie' adventurers everyone had written off as dead.

Dragging behind them the massive, lifeless corpse of a black leopard.

For a moment, silence filled the hall as everyone's gaze locked onto the two figures.

Alex, looking like a million dollars, stood tall, his sword sheathed but carrying the weight of victory.

Mira, blood staining her sleeve, walked beside him, her eyes sharp despite the exhaustion that was clearly etched into her features.

And behind them, the hulking body of the beast they had brought back — a beast that was far from ordinary.

The black leopard's sleek, spotted cloak shimmered even in death, its muscular form unmistakably that of a Variant class predator.

Blood still dripped from the deep gashes across its body, and its yellow eyes, now dim and lifeless, seemed to stare out at the stunned crowd.

The large group of adventurers at the corner table exchanged looks of disbelief, their laughter now a distant memory.

All except for the last, unassuming woman, who was laughing her heart out at the moment.

She had placed the largest bet there in what the others called a foolish move, but now look at them!

All of their money was going into her pockets now!

The scarred man leaned forward, mouth slightly agape.

"That… that's a black leopard from the northwest forest…"

One of the younger adventurers, his face pale, shook his head in disbelief.

"That can't be. They're just rookies. How could they—"

"Rookies?" Another interrupted, eyes glued to the scene unfolding before their very eyes.

"They just killed a Variant class beast!"

The rest of the hall began to murmur in shock and awe as Alex and Mira, dragging the beast with them, walked unassumingly towards the mission desk.

***

As they reached the desk, Alex noticed that the mission clerk was the same cheerful, professional woman as before.

But this time she was too shocked to express any sort of cheerful demeanour or even act in a professional manner.

"I'd love to turn this in as a mission success, but unfortunately I'm not qualified since I'm such a low rank! Damn, I guess I'll just take this corpse elsewhere then, I'm sure many people would be willing to buy it!"

Alex started speaking, and it was evident immediately that he was ridiculing the receptionist's earlier refusal to give them the mission.

But while it was spoke for the receptionist, It was also directed towards everyone else in the mission hall who had ridiculed them and even laughed at them simply because they had underestimated the two of them.

Why would they have dragged the beast corpse over if it weren't for this sole purpose?

They could have just put it in either one of their storages.

But it was much more fun to see all the reactions of the shocked adventurers and mission clerks this way.

The mission clerk blacked rapidly, her eyes darting between Alex, Mira, and the enormous black leopard corpse lying at their feet.

Her usual professionalism had all but vanished, replaced by a slack jawed expression of disbelief.

Her hands trembled slightly as she fumbled with the quill and ledger in front of her, trying to regain her composure.

"So what is it? Going to give us the mission rewards or not?"

Alex pressed her further.