When I took out my robe from the magic pouch to dry it, I remembered the small leather pouch I’d received and decided to check what was inside. To my surprise, there were twenty silver coins in it. No wonder it had felt heavy. But twenty silvers just for that little favor?
Checking my wallet pouch, I found that I still had a little over 840,000 dara. Together with the money deposited in my guild account, I could afford to improve the preservation enchantment on my Magic Pouch. Since no one was pursuing me and Werner lay within Count Radcliffe’s territory, I decided to visit a magic-tool merchant while I was there.
After a late breakfast, I went to the Adventurers’ Guild to check my account balance. I had saved about 1,870,000 dara, so I withdrew 1,200,000 dara in gold coins and asked for directions to a magic-tool shop. Unfortunately, it was quite far away.
Since I didn’t know the city well and it would take time to get there, I decided to stay one more night.
The hotel staff gave me directions, but the trip still looked long and confusing, so I hired a carriage. The daily fee was 40,000 dara—ridiculously expensive, but better than getting lost. Before the merchant could dismiss me as a penniless child adventurer, I showed him the gold coins.
When I said that I wanted the preservation enchantment on my Rank 3 Magic Pouch extended, he invited me inside with a sour expression. He probably saw few adventurer customers and treated me dismissively, but I endured it for the sake of keeping my supplies fresh.
In the end, I didn’t leave Werner until shortly before noon on the third day. I had stocked up on plenty of food at the market, so I wouldn’t need to enter another town for some time.
After leaving Werner, I traveled eastward, keeping a reasonable distance from the main road. I made a magic dome in a hidden spot to test its durability.
Since I only made it to avoid getting drenched in the downpour, I hadn’t done a proper stress test, and I wasn’t sure how strong it actually was. It could probably handle wolves, but I wasn’t confident it could withstand a Big Horn Boar’s charge.
Between the grasslands and the forest edge, I had encountered nothing stronger than a Big Horn Boar. Other adventurers spoke of Horn Rhinos—rhinoceros-like beasts—and massive, aggressive Armor Buffalo, but both were apparently rare, so I wasn’t worried.
If I did meet one, I’d tear it apart with wind rings or blow it away with a tornado.
If that failed, I would simply pour in more mana until the spell worked. I would need to hide inside my dome first, though, so I wasn’t swept away with the target.
Also, during that night attack, I realized I should find out how far my magic can actually reach.
For the strength test, I hurled a rock about the size of a man’s head at the dome. The impact grew from a thud to a boom, but the barrier didn’t break.
I could place [Whirlwind!] accurately within forty to fifty meters. Beyond that, its precision declined, and I would probably need a larger-scale spell.
I had no way to measure my maximum range yet, but I intended to test it someday.
For the time being, I would limit the magic I showed others to [Dome!], [Whirlwind!], and [Ring!] so that I didn’t attract too much attention. Mintz and Scott had taught me that nothing good came from standing out excessively.
I passed through Folka and continued to the next city, Roxanne.
It belonged to a marquis, and I planned to sell the game I had accumulated and replenish my travel funds.
At the city gate, the guard eyed me suspiciously. I was a young traveler with no visible luggage and only a knife at my belt. When I showed him my Bronze guild card, however, he looked surprised and let me through.
Adventurers passing by recognized me as one of their own by my clothes, but since they didn’t know me, their appraising stares were unpleasant.
It was still early afternoon when I entered the Adventurers’ Guild. An idle-looking clerk waited at the purchasing counter.
“I’ve got a lot of game to sell. Can I use the disassembly area?”
“Huh, haven’t seen your face before. How much is ‘a lot’?”
“About ten horned rabbits, a few hedgehogs, a small elk, a horn boar, two types of sheep, and four or five each of runner birds, red chickens, and chikki-chikki birds.”
“That’s pretty vague. You’re telling me you’ve got runner birds and chikki-chikki birds?”
“Sure do. I just tossed them in my pouch, so I don’t remember the exact count.”
“Let’s see them, then. Show me your runner and chikki-chikki birds.”
He clearly didn’t believe me, so I pulled out the runner birds, chikki-chikki birds, and red chickens and laid them on the counter.
“Hey, look at that! He’s got runner birds and chikki-chikki birds — even red chickens!”
“Looks like he’s a solo adventurer. Pretty skilled, huh?”
“Never seen him before. You?”
“Nope, first time.”
“Alright, fine. Take these and head to the disassembly hall.”
He pointed down a corridor and immediately turned to question the next person in line.
Impatient old man.
I returned the game to my Magic Pouch and followed the corridor. The building’s layout matched the guild in Lynas, so the disassembly hall was easy to find.
There was one group ahead of me, chatting with a butcher over a Big Horn Boar, with several elks, fang dogs, and carrions lined up beside them.
“What’ve you brought, kid?”
“A small elk, a Horn Boar, two kinds of sheep, Runner Birds, Red Chickens, and Chikki-Chikki Birds—about four or five of each. I also have Horned Rabbits and Hedgehogs. Where should I put them?”
“Line the runner and chikki-chikki birds along the wall, red chickens in front of them, elk and horn boar by that pillar, and the sheep beside them.”
I set everything out:
Chikki-chikki birds: 8
Red chickens: 11
Runner birds: 6
Horned rabbits: 17
Hedgehogs: 9
Elks: 2
Horn boar: 1
Brown sheep: 2
Prairie sheep: 1
“Hmm… not a single wound on any of them. How’d you hunt these?”
“I launch stones with whirlwinds.”
“A wind mage, huh? Don’t see many of those.”
He muttered while recording each type, quantity, and price.
“Here’s the total. If everything looks good, hand over your guild card.”
I skimmed through the appraisal sheet and everything looked perfect. Feeling quite satisfied with a job well done, I handed him my guild card.
Appraisal Results:
Chikki-Chikki Birds: 8 × 63,000 = 504,000 dara
Red Chickens: 11 × 24,000 = 264,000 dara
Runner Birds: 6 × 38,000 = 228,000 dara
Horned Rabbits: 17 × 7,500 = 127,500 dara
Hedgehogs: 9 × 22,000 = 198,000 dara
Elks: 2 (31,000 + 33,000) = 64,000 dara
Horn Boar: 1 × 35,000 = 35,000 dara
Brown Sheep: 2 (53,000 + 58,000) = 111,000 dara
Prairie Sheep: 1 × 63,000 = 63,000 dara
“You’re already Bronze Rank? Not bad for someone so young—especially a wind mage.”
He said that as he returned my guild card along with the appraisal sheet. My name was listed under “Recipient,” and the appraiser’s signature read Gregg.
I thanked him and took the appraisal sheet to the payment counter, where I asked for the entire amount to be deposited.
Total earnings: 1,594,500 dara.
With my previous deposit added in, that brought me up to roughly 2,200,000 dara.
If I kept working steadily, I might be able to afford a Rank 5 Magic Bag sooner than expected.
Now that I camped regularly, my greatest problems were the blinding morning sun and the risk of heatstroke in summer. The dome became as hot as a greenhouse.
Even with a tarp overhead, the humidity was unbearable. I needed a proper camping shelter—something like a small cabin in which I could shut myself away.
Adding a bedroom and a separate toilet compartment would make it more than three meters long, which was another reason I needed at least a Rank 5 Magic Bag.
A Rank 5-10 Magic Bag cost about 7,000,000 dara—not beyond my reach.
The area around Roxanne was rich in bird-type monsters. If I hunted moderately without becoming greedy, no one should complain.
Planning to remain in Roxanne for a while and earn money, I went to a tavern to look for a guide and ordered ale and steak.
I sipped my ale slowly while scanning the room. It was still early, so the place wasn’t crowded.
The locals’ suspicious, appraising looks made it clear that they disliked outsiders. I decided to return later in the evening next time and quickly finished my meal.
As I was about to stand up, a voice called out from a nearby table.
“Hey, haven’t seen your face before. Where’d you come from?”
It was the same group of guys I’d seen earlier at the disassembly hall.
“From Lynas,” I replied.
“We saw you at the hall earlier — good work. If you’re on your own, why not team up with us?”
“I’ll try hunting along the highway for a while. If it looks promising, I’ll think about it.”
“Oh? So you weren’t hunting around here?”
“No. Everything I sold came from along the road between Werner, Folka, and Roxanne.”
There were seven of them, and two gave off an unpleasant air. They were definitely not people I wanted as companions.
They didn’t press the issue, so I just picked up my plate and mug and took them back to the counter.
As more adventurers returned from their hunts, I felt their eyes measuring me. Being alone was uncomfortable.
I realized that Mintz and Scott had always acted as shields against this sort of attention.
Before the city gates closed, I slipped outside and wandered into the nearby grasslands to find a spot to sleep.
The star-filled sky was breathtaking, but without a single familiar constellation, it was merely beautiful—and rather boring.
Once I’ve saved up a bit more, I should buy some liquor for the nights.
Morning comes early for adventurers.
That line popped into my head as the blinding sunrise woke me.
I had planned to visit the guild tavern in the evening, but the thought of a room packed with drunks persuaded me to go early in the morning instead.
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