Afterward, the two dazedly collected their reward of five Gold Coins, then shuffled dejectedly into the Black Heart Tavern and ordered bread and cheese for dinner.

"That sword was gorgeous," Kase muttered from across the table. "If I could get my hands on a sword like that, wouldn’t I be able to take down those goblins, Jackal Wolfmen, and whatnot in a single strike? Even if they blocked with a Long Spear, the shaft would get chopped in two."

"Goblins? I bet even a Winter Wolf would be half-dead after a single blow from that thing," Colin said.

"Human stuff is really something else..." Kase stroked his chin. "What do you think? Should we learn to wear that metal plating too?"

"You’d have to be able to afford it first."

"You hit the nail on the head there, my friend."

After dinner, the two trained for a while in the sewers before heading their separate ways.

By the time evening came and he was lying in his own bed, the image of that sword still wouldn’t leave his mind.

Lying in bed, Colin felt a heat flush through him, his heart pounding in his chest.

’I used to think moving into the Inner City District and owning a piece of Magic Equipment would be great,’ he mused. ’But compared to truly powerful Magic Items, my own gear is nothing special.’

’Of course, those Plate Armor Warriors are the elites of Thousand Masts City. Their equipment is definitely not just some Ordinary stuff.’

Still, Colin couldn’t help but wonder—

’How much would a weapon like that even cost? Will I ever be able to afford one? In a few years, how much will I have grown? What kind of life will I be living?’

He thought and thought, but for the longest time, he couldn’t come to any conclusion.

Other than working hard to earn money and improve his strength, he couldn’t think of much else to do. After all, that was the only way to move into a better district, eat better food, and never return to the nightmare of the slums...

Slowly, exhaustion and darkness washed over him.

「The next morning.」

Just as Colin was about to head to the Black Heart Tavern to find Kase, he opened his door to find a rat pawing at the threshold.

He hesitated for a moment before crouching down. "Are you here for me?"

"Oh, oh," the rat said, quickly lifting its head. "Your superior wants you for a job. It’s urgent, so hurry, hurry!"

’Another job? This soon?’

Colin, who had planned on taking a few days off, pressed, "Do you have any idea what it’s about?"

"It’s a job only you guys can do! It has to do with evil servants of Nature," the rat rattled on. "You asked a question. Give something, give something!"

"Uh..."

Colin thought for a moment, then tossed a piece of leftover bread on the ground.

"What, you couldn’t just hand it to me? Impolite human thinks I’m dirty, yes, yes, so impolite!" Cursing, the rat scurried off with the bread.

The job threw a wrench in his plans, but it was a good thing nonetheless.

He wasn’t worried about food or drink for the time being, but after the shock of the previous day, Colin felt a renewed urgency to earn as much as he could.

With this in mind, he made his way to the Black Heart Tavern and found Kase.

After a brief explanation, the two of them hurried toward Horn Castle, grabbing a meat roll on the way for a makeshift breakfast.

The moment they walked into the office, they saw Edwin pacing back and forth.

The Paladin was now wearing his scuffed and damaged Plate Armor Chest Guard. The weapon at his waist and the pack on his back were secured, as if he were preparing for a long journey.

"What’s go—"

"Do you have time?" Edwin asked, his tone urgent. "Traces of Cultists have been spotted around Pig Badger Village, south of the city-state. This Cult’s teachings are quite primitive—they worship sacrifice and bloodshed. Many believe it’s an infiltration by the Frostland Druids."

"You want us to take a look, right?" Colin nodded. "We have time."

Kase added, "But we’re short on cash."

"Ten Gold Coins if you can find something that proves they’re Cultists. If you kill the Cultist leader, bring back a token, and get proof from a village head or constable in the area, the reward is thirty Gold Coins. How about it?"

Thirty Gold Coins! Colin blinked.

’For that much, there’s nothing to think about.’

Edwin added, "But you should head over quickly. Leave right away."

"Agreed." Colin glanced at Edwin’s gear. "What’s with the getup?" he asked curiously.

"There’s a White Dragon rampaging in the north. I have to go lend a hand. See you around, Colin." Edwin forced a smile, then hurried out of the office.

The remaining two exchanged a look.

"What are you staring at? Let’s go." Kase waved a hand dismissively.

"I’m going to the Dwarves’ to pick up my Armor. You go to the tavern and see if Bob is around. If we’re lucky, we might be able to hitch a ride on a cart," Colin said with a sigh. "It’s great to be earning money, but I guess moving will have to wait."

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

[Quest: Investigate the Cultists]

[Rating: 0]

[Reward: Uncalculated]

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

With that, the two parted ways at the intersection.

Colin went home, slung the backpack containing his rations and bedroll onto his back, and hurried toward the Dwarven sewers.

’Come to think of it,’ he muttered, ’I don’t think I’ve used this sleeping bag more than a few times since I bought it. I’ll probably get to use it on this trip, though.’

After a short walk, he arrived at Donkexes’s herb shop.

"Have you finished appraising my Potions? I have another job," Colin said.

"So soon?" Donkexes placed two ceramic jars on the table. "Two vials of low-potency Healing Potion. Just drink them straight; there are no side effects. Also, your Chain Armor Shirt is repaired."

With that, he placed the Chain Armor Shirt on the table.

"I’m heading south to Pig Badger Village to investigate Cultists. Do you need anything?" Colin asked, beating the Dwarf to the punch.

"Cultists don’t have anything useful, but Pig Badger Town has some good-quality hides. Bring us back two hyena pelts—skinned or bought, doesn’t matter." With that, he placed two small pouches on the table.

"What are these?"

"A medical kit for two. It has bandages, splints, and a salve I prepared. You can use it if the Potions aren’t enough," the Dwarf said. "Call it a favor."

’This would be really useful.’

’Up until now, someone else has always been there to heal me when I get hurt,’ Colin thought. ’With this, I can perform basic first aid on myself even out in the wilderness.’

He stowed the medical kit and asked casually, "Aren’t you guys short on money? Why am I the only one who’s been helping you so far? I feel like you could gather materials much faster if you just lowered your standards a bit."

"Being short on money doesn’t mean we should peddle our knowledge to just anyone. The techniques our ancestors spent thousands of years developing are not for us to squander!"

Seeing Donkexes’s stern expression, Colin fell silent.

’These Dwarves were decent folk, but they were also stubborn as hell about certain things.’

He gave his equipment a quick check.

The hole in his Chain Armor Shirt had been patched, and the status Panel for his worn Long Sword now showed it was repaired to an Ordinary state.

After putting on the Chain Armor Shirt, Colin emerged from the sewer and stepped onto the main road.

In the distance, he could see Kase waiting at the intersection.

The guy’s backpack was stuffed to the brim with things like Beast Traps and Javelins. It was a good thing this type of adventurer’s pack was sturdy enough to withstand the Orc’s rough handling.

"Bob got a job today, too. He has to haul some goods to the east. Said there aren’t any caravans heading south for the next few hours," Kase said.