Mission: Success!

After a few stops at several food stalls and Fei and Sofia made it to the guild. As soon as they opened the door, they were welcomed by the raucous laughter of drunken adventurers, as well as adventurers completing their quests and receiving rewards. Fei surveyed the several receiving counters, before setting her eyes on the one manned by a female guild employee.

"Welcome! How may I assist you tonight?" the female guild employee asked, her face brimming with a full smile. Fei and Sofia brought out the proof of completion and the mission parchment.

"We would like to report the completion of the quest for the extermination of the Imp Devil camped at the nearby valley. Here are more than a hundred Imp Devil fangs as a means of verification".

The guild employee checked the contents of the mission details, then counted the number of quest items. "A total of one hundred fourteen Imp Devil fangs had been successfully submitted to the guild by Ms. Fei and Ms. Sofia. The quest is hereby complete," the guild staff declared. She then proceeded to fetch the equivalent compensation for the quest.

"Here you go. As promised, here are five thousand seven hundred silver coins. For convenience, we split the amount into two separate satchels," she said as she handed Fei and Sofia their individual quest rewards.

The weight of the silver coins holds a testament to a job well done. Having completed her very first quest (Fei as well, but Sofia doesn't know that), Fei decided to have a lavish dinner for once.

"Hey, Sofia, why don't we have an after-quest dinner, tabs on me today," she said as she made her way towards one of the empty tables in the guild's dining area. "We'd like to order," she said as she hailed one of the waitresses.

A petite girl immediately attended to them. She was holding a note and a pen, probably for jotting down the orders of each customer. After relaying their order, the girl vanished inside the guild's cooking area.

While waiting for their food, Fei and Sofia chatted for a bit. Their topics are mostly related to the recent events in the academy, as well as several adventuring pieces of advice. Moments later, the girl arrived with their ordered food. "Please, enjoy yourselves," she said as she attended the other customers.

They ordered lavish dishes like a lump of whole roasted meat, fruit wine, and other side dishes that would surely make one's mouth water. Merely looking at the feast laid out in front of them is enough to make Sofia regret agreeing to partake in this after-quest party of hers.

"Uhmmm... can we really eat all of this? Sofia asked as she looked down at the table, her hands shaking as she prepares another bite of the meal. "I mean, this looks more like a meal for a dozen people at least," she said.

"Don't be absurd! We can easily finish this off! Let me tell you, a mage's magic is dependent upon her body's state, and the body gains strength from eating, so eat up!" Fei explained as she offered Sofia another slice of the meat she ordered.

While the two are merrily (at least Fei is) eating their fill, a group of adventurers approached them. Judging from the sparkling new armor and weapons they carry, they are most probably greenhorns that have just only recently become an adventurer. One man in leather armor equipped with a sword on his waist, presumably the leader of the ragtag bunch, approached them.

"Good evening to you two beautiful ladies," he said as he casually took a sit at their table, his comrades just behind him. "It's a shame that there is no one escorting you two tonight, so our party will be more than willing to accompany you two tonight," the man said, adding a wink at the end of his sentence.

Sofia glanced at Fei to see what her reaction was. However, Fei wasn't moving at all, she kept her head low while holding a glass in her other hand.

(Maybe Ms. Fei couldn't handle this kind of situation? She kept silent the entire time) Sofia hypothesized as she assessed the situation. (In times like this, I should protect her instead) she concluded.

"Get lost. We do not like the company of you people," Sofia declared coldly, her eyes staring daggers at the young man. A commotion is slowly forming at the surrounding tables, gossiping in hushed voices.

"Hey, isn't she the one from yesterday?"

"Yeah, the one that defeated Bruno quickly,"

"Hey, those guys are in trouble! Someone, stop them."

"Hehe, why bother? This should be interesting,"

"I wanna throw up."

The crowd has mixed opinions regarding the ongoing tension between the two groups, but no one is willing to stick out their neck and intervene. Adventurers are adventurers, they are free to do whatever they like.

"What's this? You a bigshot her, miss? I wasn't interested in you anyway. I am only interested in this beautiful lady right here," the man said as he casually threw his arms around Fei.

"You! Get your hands off Ms. Fei!" Sofia howled as she raised several ice shards in the air, threatening to throw them toward the man. The man snapped his fingers, and his comrades surrounded Sofia in an instant.

"Oi, oi. You seem to be confident in your abilities, but can you handle all of us at the same time? Huh?" the man said. Fei remains motionless while the man kept on his act.

Sofia was hesitant, but she has to do something sooner. She is confident that she can take them all, but she couldn't bother risking Fei at the same time. She was at a standstill. She peered at the people around them. No one is willing to give them aid despite the predicament they are in. She can't blame them. No one wants to risk their lives for a complete stranger like her. Especially her, who has a reputation for being a scary newbie capable of defeating veteran adventurers. She can only blame her own ineptitude for the situation they are in.

"It's pointless. No one in their right mind would step into other adventurers' business with only risks and no gains," the man snarked, pointing to the people inside the tavern. "So why not just be a good girl, and let us have some fun night, OK?" he ended his remark.

(This conniving little-)

Sofia held in her urge to blast away these fools.

(I'll have my chance. As soon as she let go of Ms. Fei, then will I make my move)

Sofia pretended to comply with the man's demands and prepared to sit down once again when it happened.

"See? This lady likes me already," the man said as hands Fei moved for the first time since the exchange. Her delicate hands moved towards the man's arm.

"Hey," Fei said in a lower pitch than usual.

Hearing her speak, the man tried moving closer. But in just an instant, he found himself seeing the table, then the floor, then the ceiling. With a loud thud, he was thrown towards the table. Pieces of food and morsels were scattered in different directions.

Confused, the man tried to comprehend what happened. He looked towards his arm. Fei was still holding the arm with his petite hands.

"What do you think you're doing!" he shouted towards Fei.

Fei only looked at him, her eyes focused on something other than him.

"You *hiccup* I don't know you *hiccup*," she managed to let out those few words.

"Wait ... are you ... drunk?" the man asked, looking at the state Fei was in.

Fei looked at her hands, then towards the man, then at Sofia, and the group of thugs surrounding her. Oblivious to the man's question, she nodded by herself, as if finally understanding the situation.

"I *hiccup* see. So you *hiccup* are *hiccup* enemies of Sofia *hiccup*," she concluded. As she raised her fists toward the ceiling, lights started to form around it. The man can only look in disbelief at what is unfolding in front of him.

"Bullying is bad," she said as she unleashed the strongest punch the guild had ever witnessed.