This chapter is sponsored by The Bitch in the Fantasy World Patrons:
• [Crusader] The orc warrior 261
• [Mercenary] Tafadzwa Kungwengwe
• [Crusader] uxel
I would also like to thank the donators for December 2025 (Ko-Fi account is unavailable at the moment due to technical reasons):
• [Crusader] uxel - $5
This chapter 1/3 for the 3rd week of December 2025.
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Novus 28, 3023, Day of Tuar, 5:04 a.m.
Luxen City, Luxen Kingdom.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Gaze was topless and all sweaty as he was doing his daily morning training inside his "bedroom".
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
And the moment, he was imagining all of the monsters and people he could be facing with each thrust he made with his knife.
His "bedroom" was actually a storage/tool room. The room was only 8ft in length, 6ft in width, and 10ft in height, no windows, and its light source was a single lamp created with an Origin Crystal carved with Runes. About 2ft of the width was already taken by the crates and barrels that had a couple of old tools on top of them. His bed consisted of a single, thin mattress stuffed with hay that could be rolled, one pillow, and a thick blanket. And as for his bags, clothes, boots and all, they were on top of the crates and barrels along with the old tools.
It wasn't that his parents didn't love him or anything; it's that he was already 15 years old and had undergone his Coming of Age Ceremony. At that age, as a man, he was expected to find a job and have his own place, so he rented the storage/tool room of his parents' home.
In his head, instead of renting a room from a different landlord, he might as well just rent a room from his parents. That way, the coins he would pay for rent would still go to them.
And as for getting a girlfriend, marrying her and starting a family, unfortunately, his sole focus was to become the best Adventurer in the world or at least reach the highest Adventurer Rank: Diamond Rank, so it wasn't even in his mind.
Whooosh!
Whooosh!
Gaze threw a few more thrusts and then stopped.
Time to help pa'…
He placed the knife on top of a crate and grabbed a slightly used shirt. After wiping himself with the shirt, he put on a freshly washed long-sleeve shirt and his boots, and then finally left his room.
Ka-cha!
As he exited his "bedroom", he found himself between a kitchen area and dining-living room.
They didn't have a proper dining area because that space of the house was used by his father as a butcher shop.
"Morning, ma'," he said as he passed over the stairs that led to the second floor and headed for the entrance door. "Pa's already outside?"
Gaze's mother, an orange-haired woman in her early 30s, was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Back in her youth, when she was 16 years old, she worked as an apprentice for a seamstress when she met Gaze's father, who was 20 years old and was working as a Silver I Adventurer at that time. They got married a few months later and their first child was Gaze.
And for how Gaze's father was able to afford this house, he got lucky. One day, he was out hunting in the forest for some meat to eat for the week when he accidentally found an old Magic Item engraved with ena lost and forbidden Rune Art or Sequence before or during the dawn of the Age of Magic. When he came back to the city, he immediately went to a Merchant whom he had done an escort-type Quest in the past and tried to sell it to him. However, the Merchant told him that he couldn't afford it, so he introduced him to a Noble who bought it for 10,000 gold coins.
In the end, Gaze's father got 8,000 gold coins while the Merchant got 2,000 gold coins.
And that Merchant was Torr's grandfather from his paternal side.
"He just started opening," Gaze's mother said.
Ka-cha!
When Gaze opened the entrance door and stepped outside, he was immediately greeted with the cold and coming winter wind.
He ignored the cold and immediately went over to help his father, a red-haired man in his mid-30s, who was removing the wooden panels of the butchering shop.
Regarding Gaze's father, back in his youth, the moment he became 15 years old, he immediately joined the Temple of Hunters and then the Adventurer's Guild. It was at the age of 25 and a Silver II Rank Adventurer when he decided to focus more on the butchering and meat-selling business over being an Adventurer.
Unfortunately, he only had 1 Magic Art Affinity -- Fire, and the chances of him accidentally finding a Magic Item that featured a lost and forbidden Rune Art or Sequence before or during the dawn of the Age of Magic were very rare. Although he could go to more dangerous places, he had a wife and 2 children to feed, so he couldn't take such risks anymore.
And the next thing he knew, years passed without realizing that he had already indirectly retired.
As the father and son were busy opening the shop, neither of them said a word because they had done this many times. When they were finally done, a man in his late 30s pulling a cart carrying meat stopped in front of the shop.
"Gavin! Got your meat here!"
Gavin, Gaze's father, stepped outside the shop.
"How much are you getting today? I got Tamare, Wako, Meizer and Paparu," the man said.
"Give me 10kg of Tamare and 8kg Paparu."
"Tamare is now 2 silvers and 2 coppers, and Paparu is 2 silvers and 3 coppers."
Gavin raised an eyebrow.
"It increased?"
The man nodded.
"Tamare and Paparu are now 2 silvers and 4 coppers. But I'm selling it cheaper because you and I go way back."
"Let me get some coins," Gavin said and then went inside the shop.
While he was packing the meat with some giant leaves, Gaze stepped outside.
"Morning, Mr. Jamie."
The man stopped and looked at Gaze.
"Morning too, Gazey boy!" he said with a warm grin. "So how's the Adventure life going? Slain any powerful monsters or found any precious treasures?"
"Not yet."
"I know you'll do one day, just like your father."
"Thanks," Gaze said with a forced smile.
When Gavin finally returned, he immediately handed over the coins.
"Thanks a lot!" Jamie said with a grin on his face as handed over the 2 packs of meat wrapped with large leaves.
Gavin turned to Gaze.
"Put these on the table."
"Yes, pa'," Gaze said and then went inside the shop.
"They say that the price of spices and vegetables will also increase, and will continue to increase that some people are already trying to stock up on spices before the prices get higher," Jamie said.
"It's that bad?" Gavin said.
Jamie nodded.
"They say that the supply lines from the Iron Kingdom's Duke domain were blocked by the Holy Kingdom because of some business or border despute."
"I see."
"Not taking Wako meat today? For you, I'll sell them 1 silver and 8 coppers per kilo."
Gavin shook his head.
"We still have some leftovers. My missus is going to use it to make pies today and sell them."
Jamie's eyes sparkled.
"Wako meat pie? Tell Loisa to save 4 slices for me. I'll pick them up later."
Gavin nodded.
"I'll tell her that."
***
7:39 a.m.
Adventurer's Guild building.
Felize, Torr and Gaze stepped inside a very busy main lobby that other Adventurers decided to wait outside despite the cold wind.
The 3 teens weren't in full gear at the moment because they had yet to take any Quest:
Felize had a sword on her left hip.
Torr wore a belt pouch that had a small notebook and pen.
And Gaze carried a sling bag over his shoulders that had a small notebook, pen, and other things.
Torr turned to Felize and Gaze.
"Let's all get to work?"
Felize and Gaze nodded.
They all went their own way.
Felize went over to the female Adventurers to say "hi".
Torr went around to the "relaxed" or "easy-going" Silver I, Copper II and Copper I Adventurers to say "hi".
And Gaze went over to the "serious" or "studious" Adventurers who were mostly gathered near the Quest Information Counter. Although some of them would just ignore him, especially the Gold I, Gold II and Silver II Adventurers, just being near them and listening to their conversation would be enough for him.
When Gaze arrived at the Quest Information Counter, he saw a few familiar faces and approached them.
The first one was a bespectacled Silver I Adventurer with green hair in her late teens.
The second one was a bespectacled half-black and half-white Copper II Adventurer with black curly hair in her mid-teens.
And the third one was a Copper II Adventurer with red hair and in his mid-teens.
"Ms. Chisa, Diane, Flein, how's it going?"
All three of them nodded at him.
Diane pushed up her glasses.
"We're discussing the recent price increase. They say that the prices will continue to increase."
"I was at Old Man Reily's shop the other day. They say that the reason for the increase was because a group of Necromancers took over a mine called Mount Blackmir or Blackmetal in the Marbleam Kingdom.
"And just this morning, I heard from my father that the price of spices and vegetables is going to increase because the Holy Kingdom has some border and business dispute with the Iron Kingdom's Duke," Gaze said.
"It's called Mount Vald'mir, not Blackmir or Blackmetal," Flein said.
Diane looked at Flein.
"Weren't you calling it Mount Virmir just a second ago?"
Flein gave her a deadpan expression.
"You didn't have to mention that."
Diane returned her gaze to Gaze.
"It was Ms. Chisa who told us the proper name."
"Oh…" Gaze said and then turned to Chisa. "You really know a lot of things, Ms. Chisa. You're so smart."
Chisa shook her head.
"I'm not smart. I just know what I know," she said nonchalantly. "Also, Mount Vald'mir isn't located in the Marbleam Kingdom, it's at the Great Plains of Stanza."
A confused expression flashed across Gaze's face.
"Great Plains of Stanza...?"
Chisa cleared her throat.
"It's located down south of the Marbleam Kingdom and it's the only land bridge connecting the Northern Continent and the Southern Continent. And although it's nothing but sand, it's filled with many mines, powerful monsters, treasures, and ancient secrets from the old world.
"Also, the name Vald'mir came from a Necromancer named Vald'mir who claimed that area his domain between 400-1,300 A.D. And one of his prized heirlooms is a Lore Item called Vald'mir's Hatza'a or Vald'mir's Offering which could heal the owner's wound with each attack he causes to others, making the owner of the item practically immortal in the battlefield.
"Unfortunately, no one already knows where the Vald'mir's Offering is now or has seen it. But some say it's in the hands of one of the Golden Families of the Holy Kingdom."
Gaze, Flein and Diane's jaw dropped.
"Virmir's Offering…" Flein murmured to himself.
"It's Vald'mir's Offering, Flein, not Virmir's Offering," Diane corrected him.
Flein's cheeks immediately turned red and then he looked at her.
"That's exactly what I said!"
"No you didn't!"
"Have you ever been there, Ms. Chisa?" Gaze asked.
"In the Great Plains of Stanza? Not yet, but my group and I plan to go to La Spada Kingdom in the future, so we'll have to pass there," Chisa replied.
"When exactly?"
"I can't say exactly when, just in the future."
"Ms. Chisa, La Spada Kingdom is the only human kingdom in the Southern Continent, right? I remember you mentioning it to me one time," Diane said.
Chisa nodded.
"Yes."
Diane's eyes sparkled.
"Ms. Chisa, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know all of these things?"
Chisa pushed her glasses.
"If you really want to know the answer, as Adventurers, you must know that one of the most powerful tools of an Adventurer is information, and such things aren't free, some information can even cost you your life. So, what are you willing to exchange it for?"
Gaze, Flein and Diane let out wry smiles.
"No takers? How unfortunate," Chisa said.
Gaze turned to Diane and Flein.
"By the way, where's Cram?"
"Cram is still working at one of his part-time jobs right now. He will come by after 9:00," Flein said flatly.
"He has another part-time job? How many is it this time?"
"4 at this point."
Gaze's jaw dropped.
"4?! How is that even possible? How is he sleeping? And how is he even still fat?!"
"Cram spends most of his coins on food…" Diane said dryly.
Gaze turned to her.
"And the sleeping part?"
"According to him, 'As long as I can eat a lot of food, I don't need sleep.' That's what he says."
Gaze shook his head and then turned to Chisa.
"Lorietta is still in bed, Hazan and Iris are currently busy with a Special Quest, and Drake…" Chisa said and then turned over to the crowd that was gathered in front of the Quest Board, waiting for the new set of Quest Papers to be posted.
"Hey! Someone grabbed my ass!" a Silver I Rank Adventurer with blue hair and in his late teens cried.
"I'm coming…!" a male Silver II Rank Adventurer from the crowd moaned.
In the Adventurer's world, the most common Ranks were Silver I and Silver II. Because of that, there was a huge shortage of quality Silver Rank Quests available, so a lot of Silver Rank Adventurers had no choice but to wait in front of the Quest Board in the morning for the new set of Quest Papers to be posted.
And although there were also many Copper I and Copper II Adventurers, most of them would rather focus on part-time jobs because the pay is higher.
With Copper Rank Quests, the minimum reward for each Quest was 10 copper coins.
With Silver Rank Quests, the minimum was 10 silver coins.
And with Gold Rank Quests, although the minimum reward was 1 gold coin (10 silver coins), there were many ways that a Gold I and Gold II Rank Adventurer could earn more coins. One of those was through Special Quests, where clients would specifically ask for them, which meant higher pay.
Gaze turned to Chisa.
"Ms. Chisa, since the prices of everything are increasing, will the Adventurer's Guild also increase the rewards?"
Chisa shook her head.
"I don't know."
Diane made a sad face.
"I really hope they'll increase it, because I won't have enough time to study and train if I have to take on an extra part-time job, and then it will take me longer to reach Silver I..."
The Adventurers waiting in front of the Quest Board suddenly became riled up.
A Guild Receptionist entered the main hall and was carrying a fresh set of Quest Papers.
"LET HER PASS! LET HER PASS!" a male Adventurer said.
"HEY, STOP PUSHING!" a female Adventurer said.
"I CAN'T BREATHE!" another female Adventurer said.
"Ooooh…! Thank you, Elemental Gods for this blessing…!" another male Adventurer moaned.
"WHO IS THAT FUCKING BASTARD THAT KEEPS TOUCHING MY BUTT?!!!" Drake shouted.
A Silver I Rank male Adventurer approached Gaze.
"Are you Gaze?"
Gaze turned to him.
"Yes… Can I help you?"
The Adventurer pointed with his thumb at one of the Guild Receptionist, an orange-haired woman in her mid-20s.
"Ma'am Pana is calling for you."
"Oh, okay. Thanks!" Gaze said and then went over to the Quest Information Counter.
When Gaze reached Pana's counter, he gave a quick and slight bow.
"Good morning, Ma'am Pana. Someone told me you were looking for me?"
Pana smiled and nodded.
"Yes. Last night, a Merchant named Mr. Charles came to issue a Special Quest for an Escort Quest and he asked for promising Copper II groups. Your group was one of the groups that the Guild recommended. If your group is interested, you are to come here at 2:00 p.m. for a meeting."
***
1:51 p.m.
Adventurer's Guild building, Luxen City.
Ka-cha!
A door opened.
Felize, Torr and Gaze stepped inside a Meeting Room, and their gaze immediately honed in at the center of the room.
Sitting in the middle of the room, on one of the three-person sofas, were 2 people: a chubby man with brown hair in his mid-30s enjoying a cup of tea and some cookies, and a thin man with red hair in his late 20s.
The 3 teens gave a slight bow.
"Good afternoon."
The chubby man dusted off the cookie crumbles on his hand and let out a warm smiled.
"You're finally here!" he said and then gestured to the food in front of him. "Come, please take a seat and join me."
The 3 teens gave a quick and slight bow.
"Thank you."
And then they went over to the other three-person sofa.
The chubby man took one last sip from his cup and then placed it down.
"As you may already know, I am Charles. You may call me Mr. Charles if you want.
"I'm Cole. Mr. Charles' assistant," the thin man said.
The 3 teens lowered their heads.
"I am Felize."
"I am Torr."
"I am Gaze."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Charles, Mr. Cole," they said together.
Cole nodded with a smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all as well."
Clap!
Charles also nodded with a smile, and then clapped his hands.
"Okay, let's get down to business, shall we?"
"I am a weapon and armor Merchant, and I'm looking for young and promising Copper II Adventurers who could escort my wares to the other settlements within the kingdom.
"And if I like your performance, I might consider your group as one of my go-to people whenever I'm in need of escorts."
Felize, Torr and Gaze looked at each other for a moment and then returned their attention to Charles.
"We're thankful for the opportunity," they said.
Charles simply nodded as he waited.
"But we have a few questions, Mr. Charles," Felize said.
"What is it?"
"For this Quest, to what settlement do we have to escort you?"
"The wares are at Ston Town. We will go over there to pick them up and then we will transport them back here."
"How many carriages are the wares?"
"Two wagons. On our way there, we will have 1 carriage and 1 wagon. So when we return here, we would have 1 carriage and 3 wagons."
"How many escorts will be there?"
"It's still unclear. But I plan to have around 20 escorts: preferably at least 2 Mercenaries, 5 Gold, 5 Silver and 5 Copper Adventurers."
"How much is the pay?"
"Food and lodging will be covered. As for the pay, for you Copper II Rank Adventurers, it would be 2 Gold coins each."
"How many days will the Escort Quest last?"
"About 5 days."
Felize, Torr and Gaze looked at each other.
Although they were only Copper II Adventurers and the minimum reward for Copper Rank Quests was 10 copper coins (or 1 silver coin), 2 gold coins for 5 days was too low.
Thanks to the help that Vivian gave them, their group could earn 4-6 silver coins a day. On top of that, they could also come home by the end of the day to spend time with their family, and also train and study.
However, they could also see the importance of building relationships with clients.
"You're not satisfied? I can make it 3 gold coins each," Charles added.
Although the 3 teens were trying to best to wear neutral expressions, as a veteran Merchant, he naturally noticed the slight flinch when he increased the pay.
"I hope you 3 will keep in mind that this is just the beginning. If I find your performance acceptable, I will not only make you 3 one of my go-to people for escorting, but I will increase the pay to 5 gold coins each at our next transaction and I will also recommend you to my friends."
Felize, Torr and Gaze looked at each other once again and only communicated with their eyes as usual.
Gaze turned to Charles.
"Mr. Charles, when will this Escort Quest start?"
"Two days from now, on the Day of Thura, at 8:00 a.m."
"Mr. Charles, if you don't mind me asking, since you're capable of hiring Mercenaries and Gold Rank Adventurers, why do you want to hire Copper Rank Adventurers?"
"Trust and friendship."
A confused expression appeared on the teens' faces, and Charles let out a knowing and understanding smile.
"You see, for Merchants like me, paying people coins is no big deal. However, for powerful Mercenaries, Adventurers or fighters in general, simply paying them coins isn't enough. So before a talented and trustworthy fighter becomes powerful, it would be wiser to invest in them while they're still climbing the ranks. That way, when they eventually become powerful fighters in the future, you can still hire them without any issues or complications because of the trust and friendship built over the years."
Torr raised his hand.
"I have a question, Mr. Charles, if you don't mind..."
Charles picked up a cookie and then took a bite.
"Please, you can ask me anything, I'm the one here who's searching for young and promising Adventurers," he said with a warm smile.
"Since this escort Quest will involve Mercenaries and Gold Rank Adventurers, what's the hazard pay?"
Torr was from a Low-Tier Commoner Merchant family, so he was more or less informed about such things. In fact, the type of questions they're asking, most of them came from him. And given that Felize was the strongest in their group, they had her memorize and ask the basic or common questions.
"Since you 3 are Copper II Adventurers, if any of you get severely injured, I will pay for it. And if any of you gets killed, and your bodies are still intact, I will cover the entire payment for the [Resurrection]."
The payment for [Resurrection] was 1,000 gold coins. But for Felize, Torr and Gaze, who are Adventurers, they would only have to pay 750 gold coins.
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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