"A weapon! Kase, give me the Short Spear on the ground!"

Colin roared, reaching out to grab something, but several dark figures immediately pounced on him and held him down firmly.

"Damn it... Fuck you, you Jackal Wolfmen!"

After spitting out the curse, he began to rapidly chant a Spell.

"Calm down, good sir. Please, calm down."

A familiar voice drifted over.

Colin looked around and found himself lying on a wooden bed, with the old Priest he had met a few days ago sitting by his side. The figures holding him down weren’t vicious Jackal Wolfmen, but several old soldiers.

He took a few ragged breaths.

The Flame between his fingers dissipated into sparks that floated into the air.

Colin calmed down and, lying on the bed, said, "Sorry, I..."

"We’re the ones who should be sorry. I’ve met a few soldiers before who’ve gone through the same thing. One of them killed his own comrade right after waking up, which is why we held you down." The commander walked over.

Only then did Colin realize just how terrible his condition was.

Pain radiated from every inch of his body. Even some of his bones throbbed with sharp pangs. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he felt like he’d been surrounded and beaten by a dozen burly men for an entire day. Now that he had relaxed, his whole body went limp, devoid of any strength.

"Where’s my Half-Orc brother?"

"Right beside you, sir." The old soldiers spoke as they moved aside.

Only after seeing Kase, who was also lying on a bed with his chest still rising and falling, did Colin finally feel completely at ease.

The old soldiers and the commander rose to their feet, standing together at the foot of the bed.

They raised their right hands and almost simultaneously snapped a salute.

"Thank you for your contribution. If you and your companion hadn’t held the gate that night, none of us would have lived to see this day." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Colin asked, "So what happened that night?"

"Some Jackal Wolfmen climbed over the walls. We fought for our lives inside the city until reinforcements from the surrounding area arrived and drove the monsters back."

"We found the two of you among the corpses of five Jackal Wolfmen. It was you who protected the city gate, stopping the other Jackal Wolfmen and the hyenas who couldn’t climb the walls. You saved the entire Dragon’s Fang Castle!" the commander said.

"How could an army of monsters that large go unnoticed?"

The commander lowered his voice as if someone might be eavesdropping. "That’s the problem. I suspect Dark Magic was involved. There might have been some of those disgusting Evil Deity Shamans among the Jackal Wolfmen."

Hearing that, Colin had nothing more to say.

In a world like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if Magic could level an entire fortress in an instant, let alone allow a group of Jackal Wolfmen to sneak past human defenses undetected.

He spoke up, asking, "Can we leave now?"

"Please wait a little longer. The lord of this land, the next head of the Weston Family, wishes to thank you in person."

The old Priest interjected, "Although your wounds have been healed with Divine Art, the damage to your bodies hasn’t been fully repaired. No matter how urgent your business is, I still recommend you rest for a few days."

"Alright, thank you."

After speaking, Colin lowered his head and looked at his arm.

There were no bandages, but there were several white marks where the large Jackal Wolfman had bitten him yesterday. Those must be the bite wounds.

’I’ve already requested a few days to stay anyway,’ he thought. ’Recovering from my injuries shouldn’t set me back.’

"Gentlemen, please leave the room for now. Wounds heal faster with quiet rest. Let’s give them some fresh air." The old Priest stood up, clapped his hands, and led the others out of the small room.

And with that, the surroundings fell completely silent.

Colin looked up and surveyed his surroundings.

This seemed to be someone’s bedroom. Kase was likely on the room owner’s bed, while the one he was on had probably been moved in later.

He glanced at his Panel.

-----------------

[Commission: Deliver a Letter]

[Rating: 5 (Mortal)]

[Reward: 50 Skill Level points, Intelligence +1, Specialty "Refuse Death"]

-----------------

’I actually got a new Specialty?’

’I wonder how this Specialty compares to a more tangible attribute point.’ Comparing it to his previous "Combat Mage" Specialty, Colin still felt that Specialties were probably more powerful.

’But it all depends on the specific effect.’

’I might have another ace up my sleeve now.’

Perhaps because of the powerful Specialty, the Skill Level reward for this quest wasn’t as high as the one for dealing with the Winter Wolf.

Colin looked at the other parts of his Golden Finger.

The Skill Levels for Casting and Dwarf Armor Technique had reached 528 and 331, respectively. The increase for the Armor Technique was a bit higher, probably because he’d taken so many hits these last couple of days.

Including the Skill Level from the quest reward, his Dwarf Armor Technique should be ready to level up again soon. He would get another new Specialty then.

’The gains from this trip have been pretty significant.’

’But the risk was way too high.’

The Short Sword Kase had given him was broken, and his own Axe was probably unusable too. He would have to find a suitable replacement after returning to Thousand Masts City.

A second-hand Long Sword would cost over ten Gold Coins.

And he wasn’t used to fighting with other weapons.

’If only I’d been a little more careful with it,’ Colin thought, annoyed with himself. ’But I just didn’t have time to react back then.’

Besides, he probably wouldn’t be able to go out and gather herbs for the next few days.

’When I meet that nobleman, I’ll have to ask for some money no matter what. Otherwise, I won’t even break even on this trip.’

’This really sucks.’

Colin lay on his pillow, staring silently at the ceiling.

He had known that the path of an Adventurer was fraught with danger, but he never expected it to be this ridiculous.

Even in a fortress within the Northern Grain Storehouse, attacks could happen at any moment. A horde of Jackal Wolfmen could just appear out of thin air with Magic. So, where were all the heroes you always hear about in fantasy worlds?

Colin recalled the scene of the men saluting him just moments ago.

’Right. The so-called hero is lying in bed, riddled with wounds.’

The thought made him laugh at himself. A hero wearing Leather Armor and wielding Orc Weapons was a pretty lame sight.

"Sigh..."

Colin turned his head and saw Kase staring at the ceiling with a look of utter despair.

He grumbled, "You scared me. What are you sighing about?"

"We’re actually still alive... That scene yesterday, the two of us against an entire army of Jackal Wolfmen, fighting to the death... I can’t think of a more fitting way to die. It’s rare for me to experience a great battle like the old days, and yet here I am, still alive."

Kase wore the most dejected and depressed expression Colin had ever seen on him.

He looked as if his entire life’s savings had been stolen overnight.

Honestly, Colin had no desire to offer any comforting bullshit. He, for one, certainly didn’t want to die.

"A nobleman might come to see us in a couple of days. Be ready for it."

"Oh, is it for a celebration ceremony?"

"Probably just to check in on us," Colin said casually. "We’d better ask for a reward when the time comes, or this whole trip will have been for nothing. Since he’s a nobleman, he shouldn’t be short on cash."

"Sigh. What a shame. It would have been so much better if we’d died..."

Kase sighed again as he spoke.

’If I could get up right now,’ Colin thought to himself, ’I’d definitely punch him good and hard.’