SMACK!

The Wooden Sword struck Colin’s thigh again. The moment it hit, the faint orange-yellow glow covering his skin trembled violently. The Wooden Sword itself jolted, and nearly half of the force was deflected.

Colin clutched his head and took a deep breath.

The edges of his vision, already darkening, were filled with swimming yellow dots, and his head began to feel dizzy.

He didn’t feel much pain, but the repeated Casting had drained his spirit.

"That’s enough. From now on, train this way," Donkexes said, catching his breath.

He glanced at the human before him.

This guy had really pushed his mind to the absolute limit. Now he understood why Dorn, the gatekeeper, complained every day. The human’s diligence was truly admirable.

’Talent and hard work.’

Donkexes mused to himself. ’Perhaps this is why humans, with their short lifespans of only a few decades, are able to dominate the Northern Lands.’

"I get it." Colin plopped down on the ground.

It took a great deal of effort to keep from throwing up his breakfast of cheese and bread. That meal had cost him four Copper Coins, after all.

Taking advantage of the break, Colin looked at his Panel.

As expected, a new Magic spell had appeared in his spell list.

[Blade Ward]: For six seconds after Casting is complete, Damage taken from weapon attacks is reduced by half.

This was a spell that required quick thinking. Its duration wasn’t very long, and Casting took time. It would be awkward if he got hit while Casting or if he wasn’t attacked at all while it was active.

However, for Colin’s current role, this spell was quite suitable.

After all, he wasn’t a Mage who just blasted opponents with Magic from a distance.

Besides, this kind of simple life-saving Magic was exactly what Colin wanted. In addition to Armor, he really needed more ways to protect himself.

"Alright, practical lesson’s over."

Donkexes continued, "I should remind you, you’d best find time to buy a Spellbook or something similar later.

A person’s memory is limited. Once you learn a large number of spells, it’s best to write down every formula to ensure you don’t make mistakes in battle. This is something every Mage must do."

"Uh, wouldn’t a regular notebook be fine?" Colin asked.

"You could just rip two leaves off a tree for all I care, but how are you going to protect them from moisture, fire, and all sorts of other accidents?" Donkexes bellowed. "You’re still a young man, but you’re already stingier than the worst cheapskate I’ve ever met."

"Alright, I’ll keep that in mind," Colin said with a wave of his hand.

The two of them rested for a while longer.

Unable to keep his mouth shut, Donkexes said, "Since you and that Half-Orc are so interested in Magic Equipment, I’ll explain the principles to you."

’I’m not interested in the principles. I’m only interested in the Magic Equipment I’m about to own.’

Seeing the Dwarf was getting excited, Colin managed to hold his tongue.

"’Magic Equipment’ is just a general term. The craftsmanship of all Magic Equipment can be broadly categorized into Enchantment, Runes, and naturally occurring items.

Enchantment is a Mage’s specialty. Specifically, it involves affixing Magic to a piece of equipment for a long period. These are the most common type of Magic Equipment you’ll see.

Runes are our craft. Equipment sustained by ancient Runes is more powerful than Ordinary enchanted equipment..."

"So the equipment you’re making for me is Rune Equipment?"

"Of course."

Donkexes crossed his arms and puffed out his chest, trying to hold his head high.

Unfortunately, his height didn’t lend the posture much dignity.

But Colin failed to notice. His mind was completely consumed by this revelation.

’Rune Equipment is stronger than Ordinary Magic Items?’

Not to mention expensive—the cheapest piece of Magic Equipment costs tens, even hundreds of Gold Coins. That meant Rune Equipment, being stronger, must be worth even more.

This would explain why this group of Dwarves had so readily agreed to craft it for him. If what they said was true, even Rune Equipment made from the leftover scraps of the Winter Wolf materials could net a profit of hundreds of Gold Coins!

Colin licked his lips.

’I wonder just how rare this technology is... ’

"The biggest drawback of runecrafting is that it takes time. So, you and that Half-Orc kid need to be patient. It’s not like we have any reason to cheat you out of your materials."

’Ah, so that’s what he really wanted to say,’ Colin grumbled inwardly.

Donkexes continued, "The last type is naturally occurring equipment. This is the rarest and most effective, but such items are born from the hands of heroes. They are essentially the crystallization of some intense emotion and cannot be artificially created."

"I see," Colin nodded.

After resting a bit longer, he got up and headed home.

For today, at least, his brain was completely fried. He couldn’t spare an ounce of energy for any other training.

Since that was his condition, Colin didn’t want to force it.

He returned to his small attic, collapsed onto his bed, and slept like the dead.

Early the next morning, Colin opened his eyes, feeling a slight tightness in his chest. The first thing he saw was a large rat standing on it.

That gave him quite a start.

Just as Colin was about to grab the little beast, the rat spoke. "Your superior is waiting for you at Horn Castle. You have a new mission, sir."

’If this little thing keeps popping up out of nowhere, I might just end up killing it one of these days.’

While complaining internally, Colin said, "...Alright."

He then put on his Leather Armor, slid on his ring, and went to a tavern in the Dock District to order a meat roll—a favorite of the dockworkers—before heading toward Horn Castle.

Being close to the port, the streets of Thousand Masts City were filled with dockworkers just like him, eating meat rolls as they walked.

The meat roll had a wrap made of coarse grain, filled with a thick stew of various organ meats and seasonal vegetables. The flavor was strong, and it was quite filling.

At only five Copper Coins each, it was cheap and substantial.

By the time he finished his breakfast, Colin had nearly reached Edwin’s office.

The Paladin was still sitting behind his desk.

Seeing Colin arrive, he looked up and said with a smile, "Colin, I know you’ve probably been wanting to rest for a while... and while this might sound annoying, I have to ask, are you busy?"

"So there’s another job? I can do it."

Colin didn’t feel annoyed at all.

There wasn’t much for him to do in the city anyway. It was much more practical to be out earning money.

"I’m glad you’re willing. We’re really short on manpower lately. Luckily, this mission isn’t too difficult, or I wouldn’t have the nerve to ask."

"But didn’t you just recruit field agents like me?"

"That’s the terrible part. Even after recruiting field agents, we’re still short-staffed. And there have been quite a few reduc—" Edwin took a deep breath. "Sorry, I can’t say too much."

Hearing this, Colin’s heart skipped a beat.

Edwin’s smile vanished. He continued, "To put it simply, this is a letter delivery mission. You have four days to deliver this letter to Dragon’s Fang Castle in the northeast. The reward is two Gold Coins."

’Dragon’s Fang Castle...’

Colin had a vague memory of the name.

Silverpine Village, from his first carriage escort mission, was in a small forest east of Thousand Masts City. Flint Village, not far from the coastline, was to the north. Dragon’s Fang Castle seemed to be somewhere between them, on the edge of the Supreme Forest to the north.

This trip was a bit far.

However, it was only a two-day journey by carriage, which meant he had plenty of time.

Colin asked, "After I deliver it, can I stay in the area for a while?"

"As long as you state your length of stay. Just as we agreed before, we won’t restrict your method of travel to Dragon’s Fang Castle or what you do during your stay."

Colin thought for a moment and said, "Four days then."

"Very good. Here is the letter. I look forward to your good news." Edwin took out a wax-sealed envelope and placed it on the desk.

Taking the envelope, Colin turned and left, planning to meet up with Kase first.

The envelope in his pocket felt heavy.

What Edwin had said was not good news for anyone in Thousand Masts City.

Thinking back, it seemed like something had gone wrong on all of his recent carriage escort missions. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

That couldn’t be just because of his own bad luck.

The winter disaster in the north was driving the monsters from the wildlands southward, and Thousand Masts City’s military was clearly stretched thin. Even after recruiting new field agents, they were still short-handed.

’Maybe the recruitment standards were too high,’ he thought, ’but it still shows the situation isn’t optimistic.’

’Something isn’t right.’

’Also, far more refugees have poured into Thousand Masts City because of this winter disaster than before,’ Colin thought. ’The winter disasters in my original body’s memories were never this severe...’

’In other words, I’m in the middle of a major disaster, the likes of which haven’t been seen in decades.’

’In my past life, I only ever saw large-scale natural disasters like this on TV. I never thought I’d end up in the eye of the storm myself.’

The more Colin thought about it, the more his head ached.

’I just hope this whole mess is over soon.’

Lost in thought, Colin entered a tavern, found Kase, and explained the mission.

The Half-Orc took a sip of beer and asked, "So, when are we leaving?"

"First, we’ll go see Bob and ask if there are any caravans heading to Dragon’s Fang Castle. Then, during our stay there, I plan to make some money gathering herbs, so we’d better get prepared."

"Oh."

"You don’t have any plans? Like buying a sleeping bag or something?" As Kase was about to speak, Colin waved his hand. "Never mind, I know what you’re going to say."

"I’m not about to buy a pile of useless junk like some pampered brat." Kase drained his beer in one gulp. "How about we split up? I’ll go find Bob, and you can go buy all that optional gear."

Kase thought for a moment, then added, "Oh, right. Get me a waterskin."

"Fine."