Chapter 239: Looking for Teammates
"That depends on the strength of the evil spirit or demon involved," Farlin said with a faint smile.
"Generally speaking, the more dangerous the creature, the higher the resentment value it produces."
"Of course," he added, "there are rare cases where even low-rank creatures generate intense resentment."
"That usually happens when a spirit has undergone extreme emotional trauma—but the probability is very low."
Farlin continued, "An Disturbance-level evil spirit usually provides around 100 resentment points.
Corruption-level targets are typically 500 points or more."
"As for anything exceeding 2,000 points in a single mission, that's already considered exceptional."
Gideon glanced at the top ten on the leaderboard.
Most of them had accumulated over 100,000 points,
and the first place had reached a staggering 150,000.
He also noticed that many names in the list were marked as 'Anonymous'—
clearly, these people preferred to keep a low profile.
"As I mentioned earlier," Farlin added,
"the points awarded after completing commissions refer to these resentment values."
"Ranking consumption is tied to point expenditure."
"If you spend all your points, you'll also drop off the leaderboard."
"I see." Gideon stroked his chin.
Under such a system, maintaining a high ranking truly required strength.
After all, one had to balance resource exchange and ranking preservation at the same time—
no easy feat.
"Thank you for the explanation."
Farlin bowed slightly, smiling.
"You flatter me. This is simply my duty."
"By the way," he added,
"would you like to register as a member? Some areas of the Guild are restricted to members only.
Of course, if you're only here to purchase materials, membership isn't required."
In the past, Gideon might have brushed off such a suggestion.
But Farlin's professionalism had left a good impression,
and since Gideon intended to accept commissions anyway, Guild membership would only make things more convenient.
After asking a few questions and confirming there were no unreasonable restrictions,
he nodded and agreed.
---
A short while later, Gideon was idly turning a brand-new silver coin between his fingers.
After completing the membership registration, he finally learned the meaning of the Latin inscription engraved on it:
"Let the world return to the ordinary."
That surprised him.
He had expected something like "Purge all evil" or "Eternal war against demons."
Farlin had already excused himself,
so Gideon began exploring the hall on his own.
Through the silver coin, he accessed the Guild's exchange catalog.
The most basic service was accommodation—
including nearly every top-tier hotel in North America.
Even places like the Ritz-Carlton near Central Park in New York were listed.
No matter the time, one room would always be reserved for exorcists.
The cost, however, was steep:
1,000 resentment points per night—equivalent to ten Disturbance-level missions.
As for materials, the offerings included holy oil, relics, ritual tools, and occult herbs.
Their quality was generally superior to what was available on the open market.
Gideon even spotted five-year holy oil, priced anywhere from several hundred to several thousand points.
Evil remains were far more valuable.
A complete Disturbance-level remnant cost 500 points,
even though the creature itself only generated 100 resentment points.
This made it clear that the source energy contained within evil remains was just as precious to other exorcists.
Putting away the coin, Gideon headed toward the commission board.
He squeezed through the crowd to the front and began reading.
From right to left, the rankings were displayed as:
Catastrophe – Dangerous – Corruption – Disturbance
The Catastrophe-level section had the fewest onlookers,
and only a handful of missions were posted.
Gideon casually read one:
"Deep within a dark forest stands a mysterious cabin, seemingly connected to an ancient god's sacrificial ritual.
According to Guild investigations, young men and women periodically enter the area—and are never seen again…"
"This mission is restricted to holders of a Three-Star Exorcist License. Proceed with extreme caution."
Gideon rubbed his chin.
"Judging by the description… this feels a lot like that original work," he muttered.
"So it's already appearing here…"
Although he had dealt with a few 'evil descent' cases before,
those had been stopped before the demons fully acted.
He didn't believe he was ready for something of this scale.
He moved on to the Dangerous-level section.
There were noticeably more missions here.
His eyes were drawn to the very top—
a slightly crumpled notice that had clearly been posted for quite some time.
"…According to police reports, the town of Haddonfield has experienced a series of murders over many years.
The suspect is believed to be an adult male wearing a white mask, though no such individual has been identified among the residents…"
"An exorcist previously accepted this mission.
Later confirmation by a Lord Knight verified that the exorcist is deceased.
Please carefully consider the extreme danger of this mission…"
Next was the Corruption-level section—the most crowded of all.
This tier offered moderate difficulty with generous rewards,
making it especially popular among exorcists.
As Gideon approached, several people tried to recruit him as a teammate.
He declined politely and focused on the nearest postings.
One read:
"A group of hell-born creatures is hiding within the forests of Maine.
Investigation confirms they possess the ability to alter their appearance.
The Guild, in cooperation with authorities, has established defensive lines to prevent infiltration into human society…"
"This mission is recommended for at least four participants.
Strong mental resistance is required…"
Gideon turned to the next one:
"…Multiple cases of child disappearances have occurred in the town of Derry.
Witnesses claim to have seen a strange clown…"
He paused.
Slowly, a familiar smile crept onto his face.
Almost every commission included a "Recommended Conditions" note, something Gideon found deeply commendable.
Any piece of information—no matter how small—could become a life-saving clue.
In that regard, the Exorcist Guild's attention to detail was a tremendous boon to its members. It was easy to imagine how many exorcists had survived because of this, and how grateful they must feel toward the Guild.
Compared to this, the Church somehow still managed to produce cases of "incorrect commission ratings."
Gideon couldn't help but sigh at the memory.
What kind of hard life was I living before…
Finally, he arrived at the Disturbance section—the real reason for his visit.
But almost immediately, his lips twitched.
There wasn't a single commission posted.
The empty board stood in stark contrast to the other three sections.
"Is this… truly a revelation from the Lord?" Gideon thought helplessly.
It seemed that low-level commissions were in high demand no matter where one went.
Just as he was considering whether to accept a higher-tier mission, a voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you looking for an Disturbance-level commission?"
Gideon turned around, and a strong scent of herbs rushed into his nose.
Standing before him was a black-haired young man wearing a brown trench coat stained with dirt and grime.
Though he stood still, faint clinking sounds occasionally came from his body—clearly, he was carrying quite a few items beneath his coat.
Gideon recognized his origin at a glance.
A wizard.
The man's introduction confirmed it.
"My… my name is Zor Toray. I'm a wizard, and I'm currently looking for a partner to complete a commission."
"Yes," Gideon nodded. "I am waiting for a commission."
Zor tilted his head, fingers twisting together nervously.
"Um… may I ask—after the mission, do you need the evil remains?"
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
"Isn't it a bit early to discuss that? I don't even know what the commission is yet."
He had no intention of revealing his own needs so easily.
He had already learned that when exorcists searched for teammates in the Guild, the usual process was to first review the commission itself, then negotiate the division of rewards based on individual needs.
The commission details were public information—anyone could decide to walk away if they felt unqualified.
But personal needs were another matter entirely.
Those could reveal crucial information: combat style, cultivation path, even hidden motives.
There had once been an incident in the Guild's history where someone's exposed objective led to a violent power struggle.
Since then, "no probing into personal goals" had become an unspoken rule.
By that standard, this wizard's question was undeniably intrusive.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to offend you," Zor said hesitantly.
"It's just…"
After a moment, he seemed to steel himself.
"I need evil remains. So… if there's only one in the commission, that portion has to go to me."
"If you're the one who destroys the spirit," Gideon replied calmly,
"then the remains would naturally belong to you. The rest would be compensated with other items."
This was basic, unspoken etiquette—there was nothing awkward about saying it aloud.
"Yes… that's correct." Zor scratched his head, struggling to find his words.
"You can probably tell—I'm a wizard, but I mainly specialize in healing and mental soothing spells. I'm not very good at dealing with evil spirits directly…"
"What can you offer as compensation?" Gideon asked.
"Healing potions for external injuries… sleep charms… would that work?"
Zor's voice grew smaller with each word.
"You're saying…" Gideon's mouth twitched.
"You want a frontline fighter to handle the danger, still expect to take the most important evil material afterward, and all you can offer in return are low-value support items?"
This guy really has some nerve.
Gideon roared internally.
This wasn't looking for a teammate—this was looking for a sucker.
"Y-Yes…"
Clearly aware of how unreasonable he sounded, Zor rubbed the back of his head.
"You've been rejected a lot, haven't you?" Gideon asked.
"You could tell?" Zor laughed awkwardly.
"I've been asking around here for several days now."
Gideon looked at him strangely.
"Then why did you approach me?"
Zor lowered his voice.
"I saw you walking with Farlin earlier. Only newcomers use the Sea Lion Hotel's main entrance, so…"
Gideon took a deep breath.
Flora… why didn't you just give me the official member entrance? he thought.
Being seen through this easily gave him the uncomfortable feeling of standing naked in public.
Still, unreasonable as Zor's terms were, Gideon could accept them.
He only needed evil aura, and Disturbance-level commissions were scarce.
As for remains, the Seminary's containment chambers had plenty.
After a brief pause, Gideon said, "Let's look at the commission first."
Zor's eyes immediately lit up.
The exorcists he'd approached before had either rejected him coldly or told him to get lost outright.
Knowing his demands were excessive, Zor usually apologized and withdrew.
Now, he'd finally found someone willing to consider it.
He immediately invited Gideon to a private room for discussion.
---
Inside a well-furnished room, the two sat across from each other.
Private rooms required resentment points to use, but Zor generously covered the cost himself.
"This is the mission file," he said, placing a folder on the table.
Guild commissions became bound once accepted.
Only the registered contractor could claim the rewards upon completion, so Zor wasn't worried about Gideon stealing the job.
However, if left unfinished for too long, the mission would return to the pool.
Gideon opened the folder and began reading.
"Reported by the Los Angeles Police Department:
On Sunday local time, an incident occurred at a private villa.
The deceased was a young woman found hanged in the stairwell of her home.
Preliminary investigation indicates suicide, with no known interpersonal conflicts prior to death…"
The first document was a police report.
From the conclusion alone, authorities had classified it as an accidental death.
Gideon flipped to the second file—a personal account written by one of the victim's friends.
"…Debbie would never commit suicide. Before it happened, I already felt something was wrong with her…"
"…That evening, I invited Debbie to watch a game together, but she said she wasn't feeling well. I didn't insist. Before we parted, though, she told me she had used the Ouija board again—though she claimed she'd already burned it…"
"The Ouija board was a childhood game of ours. They say it can trap wandering spirits, even allow you to see deceased loved ones…"
"…But there are rules that must be followed!
First, never play alone.
Second, never play in a cemetery.
Third, always say goodbye when the game ends…"
"Debbie's mother was devastated and decided to travel, leaving the house in my care. That's when I found something that shouldn't have existed—a Ouija board!"
"It was supposed to have been burned. Why was it still here?"
"…No matter what, I decided to play the game with a few friends. If we could contact Debbie, maybe we'd learn the truth behind her death—and say a proper farewell…"
Gideon inhaled sharply.
The narrator, Lainey, had been the victim's closest friend.
But this didn't read like an investigation at all.
This girl was speedrunning death.
You already suspected your friend's death wasn't normal.
She burned the Ouija board.
Why do you think she did that?!
And the deceased herself—
According to the file, the rules were written directly on the board.
She knew them.
And she still chose to play alone.
If you don't die, who will?
What truly left Gideon speechless was that Lainey had already noticed something was wrong—
yet still had a "brilliant idea" to keep playing.
This kids nowadays really did have astonishing courage.
Summoning spirits seemed to them like taking a post-dinner walk.
Sighing, Gideon turned to the next page.
"…I gathered a few friends and chose an evening to return to the villa.
After reminding everyone of the rules, we placed our hands on the Ouija board…"
"Very soon, the board began to respond…"
---