Adventurer of Many Professions

Raymond stepped forward with a confident nod. "Yes, we accepted the commission to exterminate the 'Red-Eyed Crows'. My name is Raymond, and I am the captain of our team. These are my companions."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the power of attorney, unfolding the parchment to reveal the guild's official seal.

The moment Village Chief Gamens saw the familiar text, his last shred of doubt vanished. His weathered face broke into a relieved smile, his voice trembling with excitement. "Raymond… This is wonderful! I am Gamens, the village chief of Budak Village. Thank the heavens you're here!"

It was almost too good to be true, he had only just returned from Wittes Town, and already adventurers had come to answer their plea.

So the guild staff wasn't exaggerating… Adventurers really did take this commission immediately.

The villagers, who had been anxiously waiting, erupted into chatter.

"They're finally here! That was so fast!"

"The village chief just got back, and they arrived right after. They must have accepted the request the moment it was posted!"

Hope flickered in their tired eyes, but some were still desperate. A woman with unkempt hair and tear-streaked cheeks pushed forward, gripping her hands together in distress. "Adventurers, please! You must help us! The red-eyed crows have taken my home, my family can't go back!"

Her voice cracked with emotion as she gestured toward her husband and son, who stood beside her. The two men; Stark and Nezer, looked pale and weak, their clothes stained with dried blood.

Stark's voice was hoarse as he bowed slightly, his movements slow from exhaustion. "I beg you… Please drive them out. We just want to go home."

The village chief solemnly added, "The crows have taken over their house, as well as Nezer's family home. These families have been forced to take shelter with others in the village. And it's not just them, anyone living within fifty meters of those two houses had to flee as well. They've all been displaced."

Raymond scanned the crowd. About twenty people stood before them, families with nowhere to go, exhausted and worn from days of waiting for help.
Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire

Lorene, moved by their suffering, placed a hand over her chest and traced a holy symbol of the Sun Goddess, whispering a quiet prayer. "May the Sun Goddess watch over you all."

Sylph clenched her fists, her expression dark with fury. "These damn birds… They have no right to take people's homes! We'll make them pay!"

Arya, silent up until now, bit her lip hard, her brows furrowed. Then, she turned to Raymond, her voice firm. "Raymond, when are we going over?"

Raymond let out a small sigh, knowing his team was ready to act immediately. But he needed more information first. "I understand the urgency, but before we act, we need to confirm the exact location of the red-eyed crows."

The village chief nodded quickly. "Of course! I'll show you right away!"

Under the village chief's guidance, Raymond and his companions followed him through the village, passing groups of worried onlookers.

Eventually, they arrived at Gamens' home, a sturdy, slightly larger building at the heart of the village. The old man gestured toward the stairs leading to the rooftop. "My house is the tallest in Budak. From up there, you'll get a clear view of the situation."

They climbed up to the flat rooftop, and as soon as they reached the top, Gamens pointed toward the distance. "Those two houses; over there. That's where they've taken roost."

Even without him pointing, it was impossible to miss.

Two large, shadowy figures perched atop the rooftops, their heads swiveling as they surveyed the village like sentinels.

Raymond narrowed his eyes, his archer's vision allowing him to see them clearly even from nearly two hundred meters away.

The Red-Eyed Crows were massive, each standing at about 1.5 meters tall, their sleek black feathers gleaming under the fading light. But the most striking feature was their piercing crimson eyes, glowing ominously in the dusk.

Raymond's gaze sharpened as he focused on the Red-Eyed Crow's talons. Even from this distance, he could see the unmistakable metallic sheen that coated its razor-sharp claws, gleaming like polished steel under the light. The same eerie luster extended to its hooked beak, a natural weapon honed for tearing through flesh with brutal efficiency.

But those weren't the only threats.

The wings of the Red-Eyed Crow were thick with powerful muscles, built not just for flight but for combat. A single, well-aimed strike from one of those wings could easily snap a bone, and a full-force blow could leave someone incapacitated or worse.

Raymond took in these details swiftly before shifting his gaze to Arya.

She was already staring intently at the scene below. As an archer, her keen eyesight rivaled his own, picking up details that others might miss.

On the other hand, Sylph and Lorene were watching as well, but the distance was too great for them to see much beyond the broad shapes. They could sense the threat, but the finer details escaped them.

Raymond turned to Arya. "What do you think? Can you make out the full layout of the Red-Eyed Crows inside?"

Arya blinked, caught off guard for a moment, before realizing what he was getting at. She frowned in thought before answering.

"From here, we can only see so much. Aside from those two perched outside, the rest are hidden. But..." She tilted her head slightly, squinting toward the houses. "Through the windows, I can see their shadows moving inside. They're in there, lurking."

Raymond nodded, as if processing the new information. Of course, he had already seen this for himself. But to avoid suspicion about his multi-class abilities, he made a habit of asking Arya for confirmation, letting her observations serve as the team's "official" intel.

"Raymond, what's the plan?" Sylph asked, arms crossed.

Lorene and Arya turned to him as well, waiting for his response.

Raymond let out a dry chuckle. "Plan? I don't have enough information yet to come up with one."

Sylph groaned. "Well… okay, that's fair."

Still, Raymond's mind was already working through the possibilities.

If only he could have Sylph use her 'Explosion Magic' to wipe out the entire nest in one go. With her current blast radius of ten meters, one well-placed explosion would flatten the house, annihilating every Red-Eyed Crow inside. After that, they could deal with the remaining crows more methodically.

It was the perfect solution, except for one very big problem.

That was someone's home. Destroying a house would mean massive losses for the villagers, and there was no way they'd allow it. Not unless they were desperate.

So that plan was out.

Which also meant Sylph, their explosion specialist, was effectively useless as long as the crows remained inside.

Village Chief Gamens, sensing Raymond's hesitation, quickly stepped forward. "Raymond, if there's anything you need to know, just ask! We'll tell you everything we can."

The surrounding villagers nodded eagerly. They were desperate for a solution, willing to share any detail, no matter how small, if it helped rid them of this menace.

Raymond wasted no time.

"You mentioned earlier that you've been feeding them livestock, to keep them from attacking. I need to know: Do they all come out to eat at once, or separately?"

The village chief immediately shook his head. "No, not all at once. They take turns. After one group finishes eating, the next group comes out."

Another villager quickly added, "And when they eat, one of them always flies up to the rooftop, keeping watch. It doesn't let anyone get close."

A few villagers murmured in agreement.

Then, one of them let out a frustrated sigh. "We even tried poisoning the food, hoping to kill them that way… but it didn't work."

Raymond wasn't surprised.

Ordinary poisons were ineffective against monsters, just as they were against awakened ones like himself and his team. The presence of magic in their bodies made them naturally resistant to toxins that would be lethal to regular humans.

If poison wasn't an option, they'd need to rely on strategy and brute force instead.

Raymond exhaled slowly, his mind already formulating a new approach.

Now, he just needed a way to turn the crows' feeding habits against them.

Not all monsters were susceptible to poison. Some, like the Poison Wasp or venomous snakes, carried natural toxins in their bodies, but those venoms only worked if directly injected into the bloodstream. If swallowed? Completely ineffective.

Moreover, these natural venoms degraded rapidly once exposed to air or separated from their host. The moment the creature died, its poison would begin to lose potency, making it nearly impossible to preserve for later use.

As for the 'Pharmacist' profession, despite their expertise in concocting potions, they lacked the skills to produce poisons themselves. However, after years of research, some had managed to develop toxic potions, sold in high-end pharmacies in Wittes. These potions worked against both monsters and awakened individuals, but they came with a major drawback.

They were expensive.

So expensive, in fact, that most adventurers didn't bother buying them. Using costly poison on regular monsters wasn't worth the expense, and against stronger creatures with high poison resistance, the effects were too weak to justify the price.

This was why poison-based strategies were rarely considered in monster-hunting missions.