The speakers were four people.
The most striking one was a woman carrying a Big Bow, as her height was about between five foot nine and six feet, even among adventurers, women of such statuesque build were quite rare.
She looked around twenty-three or -four, with a stunning and mature appearance, dressed in Leather Armor that accentuated her curves.
The others seemed to defer to her, and Raine guessed that this tall woman should be the leader of the squad, or at least its tactical core.
To the left of the tall woman was a Warrior carrying a Kite Shield and clad entirely in Scale Armor.
At the moment, he was not wearing a Helmet, revealing his short blond hair, giving off a sharp and vigorous appearance.
As for the right of the tall woman, there was a One-Handed Swordsman carrying an Iron Round Shield, with a rather uncommon Hand Crossbow slung at his waist.
Lastly, there was a young man in Leather Armor toying with a dagger; from the way the dagger danced around his fingers, it was evident that he was likely a Quasi-Rogue.
Judging from the squad's equipment, they seemed to be at the top tier among adventurer squads on the first floor.
Whether it was full-body Scale Armor, Chain Armor, or Iron Shield, none were cheap items; if they aimed to complete the task of slaying the Wild Boar People, they had the commensurate strength.
But they were looking for an Archer, which was a bit troubling.
However, he did possess the ability for ranged attacks, only—
Even after nearly a month, he still could only cast spells three times.
Raine wondered if a Mage Apprentice of his level could replace a skilled archer's role in the team.
While he was hesitant, the young man with the Kite Shield shouted in a loud voice:
"Howling Hunter Squad, recruiting a temporary team member, any experienced skilled archers can have a chat with me."
"Howling Hunter Squad? I've heard of them, they seem to spend quite a bit of time around Dorne City."
"Are they a Class Combat Professionals squad?"
"Not quite, but I hear the leader is about to be promoted to a Class Professional, that tall beauty over there with the Big Bow."
...
Just as Raine was hesitating, the announcement from the young man drew quite a bit of attention.
Several adventurers with Strong Bows appeared interested, stepping forward to have a brief, quiet conversation with the young man carrying the Kite Shield, but each time, the young man shook his head slightly.
Two in a row did not meet the young man with the Kite Shield's requirements.
This prompted Raine to quickly decide to give it a try.
After all, if this chance passed, another might not come; why not give it a shot?
Of course, Raine maintained an attitude of merely giving it a go.
"Um... hello, I'm not an archer, but I can do ranged attacks too."
"You?" The young man with the Kite Shield looked Raine up and down, slightly suspicious.
Having been an adventurer for two years, Chris had developed a fairly mature method of discerning other adventurers' strengths.
The young man before him wielded a Long Spear, which generally indicated he was very likely a novice adventurer.
After all, in the vicinity of Dorne City, he had not heard of any combat professional skills utilizing a Long Spear.
As working adventurers aiming for Class advancements, they mostly carried One-Handed Swords, Two-Handed Greatswords, or Warhammers.
Chris's gaze landed on Raine's left hand.
Ah!
A Ringed Round Shield!
Adding the Long Spear, made the novice adventurer's duo complete.
Wow!
Not even carrying a Continuous Bow or Crossbow, what was he saying just now, capable of ranged attacks?
Javelin perhaps?
At this moment, Chris thought of dismissing the young man to leave quickly.
However, noting Raine's rather strong build and his not-so-annoying inquiry, Chris decided to ask one more question:
"How do you plan to perform the ranged attacks?"
"Uh... I have mastered a spell, though it's a Zero Level one, it's fairly powerful, but, I..."
"Snap!"
Raine's wrist was suddenly gripped tightly by the young man with the Kite Shield; his eyes widened, his voice slightly urgent and trembling as he asked:
"Are you a Mage Apprentice?"
"Well..."
"Wait, come with me first."
With that, Raine was pulled by Chris to the presence of that tall, beautiful woman.
"Captain, I've recruited a Mage Apprentice!" Chris said excitedly.
Upon hearing this, the ongoing conversation among the group came to an abrupt halt.
Whether it was the tall, graceful Female Archer or the man with the Round Shield, their eyes widened in surprise, gazing at Raine.
Even the man in Leather Armor playing with the dagger like a Trick paused in surprise.
In that moment, his dagger slipped from his hand, but he quickly bent over to retrieve it back up.
He managed not to let it fall to the ground.
"Hello, I am Reya Olsen, captain of the Howling Hunter Adventurer Squad. Pleasure to meet you!" The tall Female Archer took a deep breath as if calming herself, stepped forward and spoke.
"Hello, I'm Raine, Raine Farrell." Raine quickly reached out and shook hands with her.
In the middle of her fair palm was the roughness of calluses, Raine knew these were from long-term practice with a bow.
"Pardon me for being forward; in Mill Town, encountering a Mage Apprentice without a fixed team is as rare as encountering a mutated goblin."
"Raine, I apologize, it's not that we don't trust you, just that the probability of this scenario is quite small. If possible, could you find a place to demonstrate your magic?"
Hearing the first part, Raine was a bit taken aback, thinking to himself, 'Their analogy is indeed quite apt, but surely mutated goblins are rarer than a Mage Apprentice.'
As for the latter part from Reya, Raine was not surprised and readily agreed:
"Certainly!"
Joining an adventurer squad necessitated showcasing one's capabilities.
Of course, whether to show full ability is a matter of personal judgment, but Raine thought it wise to exhibit eighty percent of his proficiency.
Especially since the team initially sought an Archer; to change their minds, he'd need to demonstrate outstanding skill.
Quickly, the group of five proceeded to a small woodland area near Mill Town.
This location was only about a hundred meters away from the grove where Raine often practiced, thus Raine was quite familiar with it.
Without hesitation, Raine said to Reya, "Should I target the tree trunk of the third tree on the right, is that okay?"
"Of course," Reya nodded promptly.
Meanwhile, she mused to herself.
Is his accuracy that high?
Shooting accurately from about eighteen meters, that's beyond your average Mage Apprentice's capability.
Could it be an area-effect spell?
However, among the tricks a Mage Apprentice could grasp, she hadn't heard of any area-effect spells, had she?
The others had their own thoughts as well.
"Swish!"
While the group was still gathering their thoughts, suddenly, Raine raised his hand and unleashed a bluish-white beam slightly thicker than a thumb.
The beam directly hit the designated third tree trunk.
With a "swish," it burst slightly.
Following the minor burst, the point of impact on the trunk shimmered with extensive white ice crystals.
"Freezing Ray!" they all exclaimed in unison, unable to hide their astonishment in their eyes.