Colin violently flung his arms out.

A sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over him, followed by a sharp impact to his head, as if he’d been punched.

He opened his eyes.

Colin found his head resting on the floor, while the lower half of his body was still on his small, straw-covered bed.

He’d rolled out of bed. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey man, could you please keep it down?"

A muffled voice called out from the other side of the wooden plank wall.

"Okay," Colin answered as he climbed back into bed.

Ever since the Blood Hand Gang had cornered him a few days ago, the attitude of his neighbors had changed drastically. He’d never thought he would actually hear someone speak to him so politely in the slums.

Colin glanced at the ring on his right hand.

He had started wearing the ring for the past couple of days. After all, the Great Druid had said there was no curse on it, and Donkexes hadn’t noticed anything unusual either.

They were the most knowledgeable people in the field of Magic that Colin had ever met. If something still managed to trick him after they’d checked it, then he’d just have to accept his fate.

The item’s Panel was still just a bunch of question marks.

It did have an effect, though. Colin recalled his dream from the night before.

In his dreams the last two nights, he had been endlessly swinging a sword, as if he were training his Swordsmanship.

So far, there had been no changes to his Panel, and he had no idea when these dreams would end.

Recalling the sensation of increasing a Skill Level, and the claim that an Elf’s soul resided in the ring, he felt that being caught in such dreams wasn’t a bad thing. ’Maybe I’ll end up learning some Swordsmanship from this?’

Colin got up and put on his Armor.

After going downstairs and washing up, he ate a piece of bread with a bowl of oatmeal. He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly spent another five Copper Coins on a skewer of roasted meat. The skewer held seven pieces of pork, each about half the size of an egg—a decent value for the price.

All told, he now had a little over eight Gold Coins.

Colin simply couldn’t bring himself to skimp on food like he did at the beginning. ’How can I find the strength to train and work if I don’t eat properly?’

After finishing his meal and wiping the grease from his mouth, he went to Kase’s house. He picked up the Half-Orc, and together they headed toward the Dwarves’ sewer outlet.

Although Edwin had said they could be called at any moment to hunt down the Druids, they still needed something to do in their downtime. They hadn’t needed to work for the past two days, so the pair had dedicated all their time to training.

They arrived at the sewer outlet and went inside.

This time, there were two other figures in Donkexes’s herb shop.

"Langgrin? I..."

Before Colin could finish, Kase bellowed, "Our equipment!"

Langgrin, clad in full Plate Armor and looking like a cast-iron statue, turned and replied, "Of course."

"Just give them the stuff already, for heaven’s sake. These two have been pestering me about it every day," Donkexes complained, annoyed.

The Black-haired Dwarf in front of the counter promptly pulled two necklaces from his pocket. The necklaces themselves were simple: holes had been drilled through two Winter Wolf fangs, each as thick as a thumb, and a leather cord was threaded through them.

What was eye-catching, however, was the Rune carved into each of the two fangs.

The Rune’s strokes were sharp, angular, and carved remarkably deep. A faint blue glow emanated from within the lines, while wisps of an ethereal blue mist seeped from the fangs, trickling slowly downward like a viscous liquid.

Colin swallowed hard.

Just one look was enough to tell him that these necklaces were no ordinary items.

"This is your Rune Equipment, carved from the fangs of a Winter Wolf and imbued with the masterful craftsmanship of my people..." the Black-haired Dwarf slowly explained the equipment’s specific effects.

Meanwhile, Colin was looking at the Magic Item’s Panel.

The information it displayed matched the Dwarf’s description exactly.

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

[Winter Wolf Necklace / Ordinary Magical Item]

Effects:

1. Fear No Cold: You can activate this effect to become completely immune to the next instance of cold Damage you receive. Usable once per day.

2. Cold-Blooded: The wearer is immune to a range of negative effects caused by cold when operating in frigid environments.

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

Seeing the equipment’s effects, Colin had mixed feelings.

The equipment was clearly specialized against cold environments and cold-type Damage. It would be completely useless if he were traveling somewhere extremely hot.

On the other hand, when facing a creature that dealt cold Damage, a one-time immunity could be a huge advantage in a life-or-death battle.

For instance, if a Winter Wolf were to use its breath attack on him, he could activate the immunity, catch it off guard, and land a devastating blow.

"...and that’s about it." Having finished his explanation, the Black-haired Dwarf handed the items over.

"If that’s the case, I suppose it’s useful."

Kase grumbled after speaking, seemingly unwilling to acknowledge the Dwarf’s fine craftsmanship.

Colin took them, put one necklace on, and handed the other to Kase.

"This is your first time using Magic Equipment, isn’t it? Remember, for it to take effect, you have to wear it against your skin for a while, usually about ten to twenty minutes," the Black-haired Dwarf stressed.

"Got it," Colin nodded.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he could feel waves of warmth coming from the fang where it touched his skin.

Donkexes, standing off to the side, took out a notebook. "This lists the types of monsters you might encounter in the north, along with their habits and what parts of them are useful. Remember to bring some materials back for us after you’re done."

Colin took the notebook and chuckled. "Aren’t you afraid I won’t bring anything back?"

"You’re well aware of our skills. No materials, no new techniques for you," Langgrin said from the side, crossing his arms. He then asked, "You’ve been training recently, haven’t you?"

"Besides practicing Casting..."

Halfway through his sentence, Colin saw Langgrin’s body twitch violently.

His fist, clad in its metal Glove, was raised high, his short body leaning back slightly. It was obvious he was winding up for a punch.

Colin reflexively stepped back, raising a hand to block the likely path of the punch.

"Hmph. Looks like you’ve been training well, kid." Langgrin pulled back his fist and chuckled twice. "Why have you improved so fast? Tell me about your insights from this period."

"It’s probably because I’ve been through too many life-or-death battles lately."

Of course, Colin couldn’t tell him he had a Golden Finger that let him gain Skill Level from completing quests, so he just made something up to deflect the question.

He continued, "Specifically, it’s about figuring out the enemy’s attack patterns first, then choosing how to counter. Dodge what you can, and for what you can’t, block with your weapon or use the thicker parts of your Armor to absorb the hit."

"That’s more or less it..."

The Black-haired Dwarf waved his hand, cutting Langgrin off. Langgrin slapped the back of his head and said, "Oh, right, you haven’t brought us any materials yet. I’ll go into detail with you next time, after you bring some."

"That works. Anyway, I feel like my Armor Technique is about to level up, and I was just about to go train."

Just as Colin was about to head to the training ground with his things, a rustling sound suddenly came from the corner of the room.

Immediately after, a rat’s head peeked out from behind the counter.

The rat opened its mouth and said, "Colin and Kase, assemble at Horn Castle now. The City Watchers need you... The mission has begun! Yes, yes!"