Gin emphasized the words "all their savings" heavily, and noticing this, Rex and his two companions became extremely embarrassed.
As experienced adventurers, Rex and his team, even if they were down on their luck, wouldn't have all their assets amount to just that bag of copper coins. They had said that merely to take advantage of Gin, whom they assumed was a naive country bumpkin.
But they never imagined the world to be so small. They thought they wouldn't meet again, yet here they were, encountering each other again in the same afternoon. Moreover, Gin turned out to be the brother of Rex's crush, Soya!
"Rex, I didn't expect you to have such a helpful side! But I don't want to owe you too many favors. How much money did you give to Gin? I'll repay it on his behalf."
Hearing the goddess's inquiry, Rex felt even more embarrassed. He had intended to gain her favor, but if the truth came out, his chances with her would be over.
"Ha...ha, it's nothing. I just enjoy helping others. By the way, Soya-san, is your brother really a new adventurer?"
To avoid disappointing his goddess, Rex thick-skinnedly said this. Luckily, Gin only smiled playfully and didn't expose him.
"He did register as an adventurer today, but he claims to have some skills and wants to take on quests above E-rank. I was worried about his safety, so I thought you could help him gain some experience."
In Soya's view, although Rex and his team were not the strongest adventurers in the town, they were of average strength and should be more than capable of guiding a "newbie" like Gin.
However, upon hearing Soya's request, Rex and his companions looked constipated. Two of Rex's teammates immediately found excuses and fled.
"Rex, I suddenly don't feel well, so... I'll be going."
"Me too. I just remembered my girlfriend wanted to go shopping today, and I've promised her for a long time, so... sorry."
Listening to his companions' excuses to escape, Rex cursed internally. The guy who claimed to feel unwell had been showing off his muscles the whole way here.
And the other guy? Rex had no idea he even had a girlfriend! Shopping with his right hand and left hand, perhaps?
"Soya-san, you see the situation. My two companions have urgent matters, so we can't take on the commission today. How about we take your brother on an adventure some other time?"
Rex fully understood why his companions fled. If it weren't for the goddess being present, he would have escaped too.
Soya's "newbie adventurer" brother was actually a top-tier expert disguised as a rookie! Taking him on an adventure? Gin could easily wipe the floor with them.
Moreover, they had previously tried to scam Gin. Going on an adventure with him now would likely result in them being left for dead.
"Soya-nee, I really am strong. If you don't believe me, why not let me spar with Rex-san? If I win, give me higher difficulty tasks. If I lose, I'll follow your arrangements and take on tasks according to my rank. How about that?"
Gin and Soya weren't really siblings, but since Soya had introduced him as such, he had to play along.
"Sorry, I just remembered I have something important today, so I'll be going!"
Before Soya could respond to Gin's proposal, Rex decided to flee. Spar with Gin? That would be pure masochism. The three of them together couldn't last a minute against unarmed Gin. Now, soloing him would make him a five-second man!
Running away might be shameful in front of his goddess, but it was better than being instantly defeated.
"Fine. If you can defeat Rex, I'll assign you higher-ranked quests."
Rex had just taken a step when Gin placed a firm hand on his shoulder, smiling with gritted teeth, "Then please guide me, helpful Rex-san."
There were always onlookers in the adventurers' guild, and seeing an upcoming fight, many adventurers gathered with mugs of ale, even setting up betting pools.
Rex looked constipated, surrounded by onlookers. He was now riding a tiger and couldn't get off. Finding another excuse to flee would make him the laughingstock of the adventurer community.
Lust truly was a bone-scraping knife. If it weren't for his attraction to Soya, he wouldn't be in this situation.
With no way out, Rex drew his sword, facing Gin with a serious expression.
"No way, no way, look at Rex's face. He looks serious, even though his opponent is just a newly registered adventurer today."
"Seems my bet will be a loss. I thought Rex would go easy on him because of Soya-san, but now it looks like he's going all out."
Gin had registered as an adventurer today, witnessed by many in the guild. While Rex was mediocre, beating an inexperienced rookie should have been easy. None of the onlookers thought Gin would win.
But compared to the onlookers, only Rex, the participant, knew the white-haired man before him was no rookie at all!
(End of Chapter)