TalentPlus!: Talent + Effort = Strongest Capture Target!!!

Lyle POV

My name is Lyle Stein, at least for now. I am currently hiding from some important people so I'm planning to change my name sooner or later. Speaking of which, I am still trying to think of a good name for me. It can't be boring, but it can't be too conspicuous either. I'll leave that matter for another time. 

Currently, I am in a city about 4-5 days away from the capital. If I recall, this city's name should be the City of Rand, one of the cities that border the Wasteland. The Wasteland was one of the nations that were once ruled by the Demon King. It was called the Wasteland because it is a place that is uninhabitable by normal humans due to the harsh environment only suitable for strong monsters. The harsh conditions of the environment there just so happens to attract a lot of strong monsters, thus the Wasteland became somewhat of a danger zone. That is why the City of Rand was established, as a means of defence against any potential threats that come from the Wasteland. 

As for why I, a non-combatant is currently in this city, it is to become a receptionist for the adventurers guild. The combat force of the city is divided into three: the army, the adventurers, and the mercenaries. The army refers to the actual military force owned by the kingdom themselves, consisting of knights and such. Adventurers, on the other hand, are freelancers who get paid for missions that they choose fit themselves. The missions they take are provided by the guild itself, which is an entity separate from the government but stands with the kingdom. This separation is done so that the government cannot abuse its power and violate the freedom given to adventurers. Different from those two are the Mercenaries, privately-owned organisations that don't have any obligation towards the kingdom and only move whenever money is involved.

As for the reason why I chose to become a receptionist is simply because I thought that it would be fun. As to why I thought being a receptionist would be fun, it would be what I had witnessed when I went inside a branch of the adventures guild when I was in the capital. When I entered the guild, I saw a vast amount of people, people of various origins, personalities, looks, and all that.  It all looked so interesting!

And at that moment, I knew for a fact, that I had to get involved in this entire adventurer guild business. I knew that as along as I was part of this, I would have the most fun as this would never get old. I thought of being an adventurer, but soon realized that I wouldn't be able to due to my lack of combat prowess. Just as I was about to be disappointed, a sudden thought came to my mind, "Why not be a receptionist instead?". I thought for a while and came to the conclusion that it would be the best option there is. I, a receptionist, would be able to interact and observe the countless adventures that would come up to me to handle their requests, and I wouldn't ever be bored due to the variety of interesting people there are. Which then brings me to the present. 

I am currently right outside of the guild. Well to be precise, I am a few meters away from the entrance of the guild as there are lots of adventures going in and out of the guild. When I looked at the guild, one thought came to mind. Wow this is big. I guess it makes sense as the City of Rand has the most adventurers in it. As these thoughts were going through my head, a group of adventurers approached me.

"Yo kid, what's up?"

A muscular man with a large build suddenly spoke to me. He must be a warrior type. He reminds me of a grizzly bear.

"Oi Finn, don't suddenly call out to a kid, people would think you're picking up a minor."

A thin man who looks to be in his thirties holding what appears to be a staff is rebuking the grizzly. He seems to be a mage.

"Oliver is right you know, especially after you suddenly took in Reina, people around us think you're a child predator." 

A beautiful woman in light clothing is doubling down on the grizzly. Judging by the fact that she's holding a bow, she must be an archer.

"Oh come on you guys, I just thought that the kid over there seems to be troubled over something." (Finn)

"That is true, but you should at least consider the other side's feelings Finn-san. Someone like you suddenly approaching a minor would probably frighten the poor kid. At least let someone like Hina-san take care of it."

A frail looking man who looks to be in his early twenties retorts to the wild grizzly. From his clothing, I assume he would be a cleric.

"Nah, Hina would look too suspicious. I mean, the kid's fave doesn't look half bad, no, he's actually a looker now that I think about it. Considering the fact that Hina has been rejecting guys left and right, she might look like a shotacon instead. I guess it makes sense considering she's basically a spinster. It'd be way better if you did it Luke." 

A slender young man who looks to be about the same age as the cleric replies. Judging from the daggers on his waist and his light clothing, he appears to be a thief.

"Hee~, I heard something very interesting coming from your mouth, Shin-kun~" (Hina)

"Hee~, I didn't hear anythi—Ah, shit, stop, get off me, you old ha-" (Shin)

"Say that again you brat!" (Hina)

"Wow~ calling me a brat cause you're ol-" (Shin)

"Shut up." (Hina)

"Geez, those two are at it again. Anyways, my name is Oliver Wick and I am the leader of this party. I apologise for my party members and their idiotic behaviour." (Oliver)

"It's fine, in fact I should thank you guys." (Lyle)

"Ah, so you really did need help, if it's to make a request then just go over to one of the receptionists. They'll be available as long as you have the money for the reward. If you need so, you can line up with us. We're already going to do so so it won't be that much of a bother." (Oliver)

I meant thanks for the entertainment, it was pretty amusing to see. It's a hundred times better than being around nobles who are boring. My friends were an exception, but I thought that this would be way more interesting. Can't be bothered to fix the misunderstanding though, and this could actually work out for me though.

"Then I'll accept your hospitality Oliver-san." (Lyle)

"It's no problem, helping out people is what adventurers do after all." (Finn(

"Hey, you shouldn't just butt into the conversation, but you are right." (Oliver)

"Well that's settled, let's go kid." (Finn)

"Hey you guys, we're gonna go in so stop your petty squabbling!" (Oliver)

""Yes!""

We then entered the guild and lined up for one of the receptionists. Although there are multiple receptionists, there are those whose lines are longer than the others. From what I see, it's cause the receptionists are beautiful ladies and the ones queueing up are all male adventures. This is kind of dumb, but at the same time interesting to look at.

"Hey kid, what's your name?" (Finn)

"It's Lyle." (Lyle)

"No family name? You an orphan?" (Finn)

Well it makes sense, in this kingdom, one's bloodline is given the utmost importance, especially due to descendants being able to inherit their ancestors' abilities. Although, there are rare cases of families without surnames due to having migrated here from another place where commoners didn't have surnames.

"Nope, my family just didn't have one." (Lyle)

"Ah, interesting. You see here, I'm an orphan." (Finn)

Hee~, interesting. I've never talked to an actual orphan before. Our village was relatively safe so there weren't really any accidents that take the lives of adults. 

As that short exchange was happening, it was finally my turn to talk to the receptionist.

"Welcome, what's your business here?"

"I wanna become a receptionist here!" (Lyle)