"I have an idea."
I murmured while staring at the elemental orbs on the table.
If my theory was correct, these little friends could save my ass in a lot of situations.
I knew very well that they didn't exist in the original series, but when I used the Pyro bomb—or rather, orb—it worked exactly as expected.
I was pretty sure the Hydro and Electro versions would behave the same.
"I'm literally crawling around the woods like a barbarian. I should go to the city and get a commission from Katheryne."
I didn't like the idea of returning to the city, but I had no choice.
I just… never mind. I wasn't in the mood to talk.
After washing up in the river, I put my clothes back on and headed for the city.
It didn't take long. Judging by the sunlight, it was already around noon.
After walking around a bit inside the city, I saw Katheryne and called out to her.
"How are you, Katheryne?"
She looked surprised to see me. I couldn't really make sense of her reaction.
"Mr. Kane? You're alive? Amber was very worried about you."
…Amber, huh?
…Honestly, I wish someone else was the one worrying about me but…
My mood was already starting to sour again.
"I'm fine. Nothing happened. You can tell her I'm alright.
Do you have any commissions for me, Katheryne?"
It seemed she noticed the differences between how I looked yesterday and how I look now.
But without pushing further, she simply answered—smart choice.
"Yes, Mr. Kane. We have all kinds of commissions.
For your current Bronze rank, the recommended ones are: helping farmers, tracking wild animals, and finding a lost key."
I didn't understand.
These were commissions? Really?
What kind of nonsense was this?
My patience was wearing thin these days lately.
"I don't get it. This is the kind of busywork Bronze ranks do?"
"Rather than busywork, these are easier tasks that Bronze adventurers—who are not ready for dangerous commissions—can take to earn money, Mr. Kane."
…Fine.
Time to get to the point.
"Alright then, what rank would a Hilichurl camp-clearing commission be?
Let's assume there's no Mitachurl in the camp."
Katheryne answered without hesitation.
"In that case, the commission would be High Silver, Mr. Kane.
If a Mitachurl is present, the commission is at least Gold."
Now we're talking.
Looks like my basic barbarian skills are strong enough to handle a Silver-tier commission with no problem.
"I see. Then can you give me a Hilichurl camp-clearing commission?"
She froze for a moment.
A normal reaction—some newbie who joined yesterday suddenly wants a Silver commission.
But I'm not your average adventurer.
"But this commission is too dangerous for someone of your rank, Mr. Kane.
I can't let you get hurt or allow something bad to happen to you."
Your good intentions are getting in my way, Katheryne.
"Just do what I said.
I've already cleared several Hilichurl camps.
They were pretty easy."
Katheryne let my words sit for a moment, then decided that trying to convince me wouldn't work.
"Very well, Mr. Kane.
I assign you the Hilichurl camp-clearing commission.
Their locations are marked on this map, and this is your current position.
The reward is 10,000 mora.
May luck be with you. Ad Astra Abyssoque."
"Thank you. Do I need to bring anything back as proof?"
"I can tell whether people are lying or not, Mr. Kane.
That won't be necessary."
…Interesting.
I didn't know she had a skill like that.
"Alright then. I'll be back later today."
I left the city, returned home, grabbed my axe and the elemental orbs, and headed toward the marked destination.
The map was drawn clearly enough, so following it wasn't difficult.
Speaking of which… this map was definitely bigger than the Mondstadt I remembered.
For example, the northern mountains didn't extend this far, and the lake surrounding the city wasn't this big.
More to explore, I guess.
I had no idea how long I'd been walking.
With the commission reward, I was definitely buying a watch.
I couldn't keep tracking time by the sun.
After walking a while longer, I finally reached what seemed to be the right camp.
The details matched perfectly.
Let's see…
6 club-wielding Hilichurls, 3 archers, and 1 shaman.
Why do your numbers keep increasing?
And why was the shaman standing on top of a tower?
I really don't understand your thought process.
But…
I have something that can even out our numbers.
I'd deal with the archers first, obviously.
I got close enough without alerting them.
The archers were standing pretty close to each other while the club-users patrolled the area.
The shaman…
No idea what he was doing on the tower.
I quietly placed the axe on the ground and took the Hydro and Electro orbs in my hands.
I took a deep breath and threw the Hydro orb at the archers.
It burst instantly, splashing water over a five-meter radius.
Probably around ten liters of water.
Ridiculous.
The soaked Hilichurls panicked immediately.
"Hiaak!"
Without wasting time, I threw the Electro orb at them.
A sharp crack of electricity erupted.
They were electrocuted on the spot, their muscles twitching violently—unable to even scream before dying.
Being soaked had lowered their resistance to electricity.
It was Basic science.
As soon as I threw the Electro orb, the shaman noticed me and yelled something in its language.
The six club-wielders rushed toward me.
If I stayed still, I'd get hit by whatever spell that shaman was prepping.
Not ideal.
I moved back and waited for the club-users to get close enough.
Then I quickly threw my last Hydro and Electro orbs at them in sequence.
Another violent crack.
All six died instantly.
"Combining Hydro and Electro creates a five-meter radius kill zone.
Now that I've confirmed it's lethal, one Electro orb must output around 220 volts."
As I talked to myself, I sprinted toward the shaman with my axe.
The tower was around 220 cm tall.
With my 180 cm height… yeah, I could reach it.
I tossed the axe aside and climbed the tower in one swift motion.
The shaman reacted slightly faster and cast something—suddenly I felt like fifty vacuum cleaners were sucking me backward.
No way that's stopping me.
I flexed every muscle and pushed out of the spell's range.
It swung its staff at me, but I kicked it in the skull, knocking it off the tower.
Then I jumped down onto it and crushed its tiny body beneath me.
This was starting to get fun.
I found the camp's chest and smashed the lid open with a punch.
"Some mora, rope… more rope, and… more rope.
Unbelievable."
I still took the loot though.
"Maybe I can sell Hilichurl gear."
I pulled off their masks.
Their faces were DISGUSTING.
I shook the image out of my head.
Then I collected their charred weapons—their clubs, bows, arrows, and the shaman's staff.
I tied everything together with rope and wrapped the remaining length around my arm.
Time to head back.
Pretty productive hunt.
After roughly a twenty-minute walk, I returned to the city and called out to Katheryne.
"Hello again."
I dropped the Hilichurl loot onto her counter.
No way I was selling the ropes.
Katheryne's eyes widened like saucers.
"What?? It hasn't even been two hours, Mr. Kane?!"
Alright, stop yelling.
You're hurting my ears.