Newbie's Quest: Awaiting Challenge
Chapter 27: That Won't Do

If the first encounter was a coincidence, the second was harder to explain. Ethan Walker had chosen this remote material dungeon precisely because he didn't want to be seen. It was a place people normally wouldn't venture for mining. Although puzzled, he greeted James Mitchell with a nod and continued mining in silence, just as before.

The material dungeon had a four-hour limit. After mining his quota, Ethan turned to replace a bag full of ores left by James, along with a note saying "For Ethan." Ethan wasn't one to refuse a gift, so he gladly took the two bags of ores back to Avalon Guild.

"You strike it rich?" Emily Johnson asked, seeing Ethan's barely concealed happiness when he returned to the room to fetch something during a training break.

"Sort of. Ran into a generous soul," Ethan replied casually.

For the next three days, the pattern continued: Ethan and James met in the dungeon, mined in silence, and James left his haul for Ethan. Without realizing it, Ethan had amassed a considerable sum of money from selling the ores. On the fourth day, in the mining area, James stood at the bottom of a pit, focused on his task. Ethan's voice came from above, "Don't you need to train?"

James looked up to see Ethan squatting on a flat surface above, idly scratching the ground with his pickaxe. "I... I took a few days off for some rest," James hesitated.

"Oh."

James's excuse seemed flimsy, but Ethan didn't probe. He descended skillfully to a spot near James and resumed mining. "If you need help, just ask. After all, I've taken quite a bit of your ore."

"No, I... I don't need the ore. I come here to relieve stress," James confessed, scratching his head.

He didn't elaborate on the source of his stress, but Emily Johnson's constant remarks had given Ethan some insight into his situation.

"Alright," Ethan said, tossing a golden ore into his bag. "My offer stands, though. If you need help, feel free to ask."

The two miners maintained their tacit understanding for a week, during which Ethan occasionally had to step out for paperwork. Alex Johnson was efficient, handling all the processes smoothly without much need for Ethan's involvement. As the focus of the online community shifted to new signings and high-difficulty dungeons by other guilds, Ethan enjoyed his peaceful time in the mining area. The only downside was James's absence for two consecutive days, halving Ethan's ore income.

Ethan was a bit disappointed about the reduced earnings. Alex Johnson called him in the afternoon, mentioning that all the paperwork would be completed in a couple of days. Ethan planned to mine for two more days before returning to his usual routine of tackling various dungeons.

The teleportation portal, designed like a tall chimney, had barely released Ethan when another figure emerged nearby. It was James, whom he hadn't seen for a while.

"Hey, James," Ethan greeted him, noting James's pallid complexion and worried look. Something seemed to have happened, but at the sound of Ethan's voice, James managed a smile. "Long time no see."

"It's only been two days, not that long," Ethan responded lightly, hiding his concern behind casual words.

Ethan Walker was pleased; James Mitchell's presence meant double the ore for him tonight. However, James seemed preoccupied with heavy thoughts. Ethan noticed but didn't inquire, as he wasn't good at offering comfort. He believed that if someone trusted you enough, they would eventually open up.

As usual, they mined in their quiet corners. Amidst the rhythmic sound of their pickaxes, James finally opened up. "I might have to leave Emerald Tempest Guild."

In a guild, there's the decision-making layer (top management), the administrative layer, the combat team, and ordinary players. Initially part of the combat team, James had failed to shine, leading Emerald Tempest Guild to view him as redundant. The guild gave him an ultimatum: either terminate the contract and become an ordinary player within the guild or leave altogether.

"My lease agreement has been up for over a month, with no team willing to rent me. It's partly because almost all guilds have enough players now, and partly because they think... renting me would be a waste of money, ineffective."

Ethan listened silently as James poured out his heart, needing someone to talk to even if Ethan wasn't the best person for it.

"I never expected things to end up like this..." When James first joined Emerald Tempest Guild, he was full of ambition and hope. Unfortunately, various reasons prevented him from utilizing his talents, leading to his current predicament. He couldn't deny feeling regretful.

There was little he could do; he had tried to fight for his place.

Ethan finally spoke as he struck the ore with his pickaxe. "Well, there's nothing to be done about it, then. You'll have to replace another way."

James felt a sting from Ethan's blunt words, but looking at Ethan's calm profile, he felt his troubles drift away momentarily.

"I envy you."

"That's normal. It means you have good taste," Ethan replied.

James couldn't help but chuckle. "Do you always talk like this? Straight to the point."

"Yeah. People who care will care regardless of what I say, and those who don't care won't be swayed by nice words. I say what I think; others can take it or leave it."

Ethan, having lived once already, didn't want to live a constrained life. He didn't care much for others' opinions.

"That's great," James sighed with envy. "If only I could..."

It was 8 PM, and they had been mining for an hour when James's wristband beeped twice. It seemed someone from the guild was contacting him. Glancing at the message, James's brief good mood vanished, his shoulders drooping. "Ethan," he corrected himself by using the first name, "I have to go."

"Okay, take care. See you around."

Ethan focused on extracting a particularly deep ore, didn't look up. When he finally dug it out and looked around, James had already left.

James had forgotten to leave his ores for Ethan.

That wasn't acceptable.

As the teleportation chimney began to fade, Ethan, with his bag of ores, crawled into the portal.

...

James emerged from the teleportation point only to be confronted by his team members. His absence from training due to a feigned illness had been reported to the third team's captain, and somehow, the first team had also been alerted. When James returned to Emerald Tempest Guild, he found a group waiting for him in the teleportation room. Henrik Jensen, the first team's captain, Isabella Martínez, the vice-captain, and the third team's captains were all present. The moment James appeared, the third team's captain infuriated, scolded him. "James Mitchell, you skipped training for no reason and went out to have fun! You've disgraced the entire third team!"