Chapter 53: Neutral Trade Post

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Neutral Trade Post

Rejoining Rowan, Barney, and Caelen at the stream bank, Mirei and Seraphina adjusted their gear straps, their damp hair tied back neatly. With the entire squad refreshed and geared up, Rowan gestured forward with his Rank C Hoe, leading the group out of the boggy reed thickets and onto the stone-paved main road of Layer 2.

High above, their stealth-bound third-year monitor quietly re-anchored herself in the tree canopy, keeping pace like a silent shadow as Squad 07 made their steady trek toward the Layer 2 trade outpost.

After an hour of marching through the receding mist, the wild marshlands gave way to reinforced stone walls and the bustling sounds of a thriving hub. Banners fluttered over the wide wooden archway marking the entry to the trade outpost, a neutral zone where students, merchant caravans, and free-roaming adventurers gathered to trade spoils and repair equipment.

As Squad 07 turned down the primary thoroughfare toward the blacksmith district, the heavy, rhythmic clang-clang-clang of hammers against glowing metal echoed down the cobblestone street.

Outside a massive open-air forge glowing with furnace fire, they spotted Squad 12.

Their group’s primary blacksmith—a stocky dwarf-lineage student covered in soot—was hard at work at an anvil, hammering out a deep dent in his frontline tank’s breastplate while the rest of Squad 12 waited nearby, sipping cold water and nursing various minor bruises from their own morning skirmishes.

"Hey, Rowan!" Squad 12’s leader called out, giving a tired wave as Squad 07 passed by. "Looks like you guys made it through the bog intact!"

"More than intact," Barney grinned, patting his unblemished tower shield. "Our front line didn’t take a scratch."

Continuing down the main avenue into the open-air market, the smell of roasted meat, dry herbs, and fresh alchemy ingredients filled the air. Rows of wooden stalls lined the square, crowded with first-year teams liquidating low-tier drops.

Near a prominent central booth, they ran directly into Squad 04.

Squad 04’s leader was in the middle of haggling with a merchant over a sack of low-grade slime cores when he turned and caught sight of Squad 07 approaching. His eyes widened slightly as his gaze landed on Rowan’s new Enchanted Straw Hat, resting above his calm, even expression, and the Rank C Hoe resting casually over his shoulder.

"Squad 07?" Squad 04’s leader blinked in surprise, pausing his trade. "We heard a rumor that someone triggered a Level 5 Field Boss spawn out in the peat bogs an hour ago. You guys didn’t happen to see what hit it, did you?"

Caelen exchanged a quiet, amused glance with Seraphina before adjusting his sword belt. "We saw it," Caelen said smoothly. "Safe to say the bog path is completely clear now."

Squad 04’s leader stared at Caelen for a moment, trying to read his expression, before looking back at Rowan’s team. "Clear? You mean someone downed the Slime Lord already? Man, whichever upperclassman squad did that saved everyone a massive headache."

Barney snorted, suppressing a grin, while Mirei simply adjusted her Wind-Blessed Quiver and kept her eyes on the market perimeter. Rowan offered a noncommittal nod. "It’s definitely clear. Anyway, good luck with your trades."

Leaving Squad 04 behind at the booth, Squad 07 navigated through the crowded market stalls toward the central supply depot. With their five-day tower pass rapidly ticking away, they had a clear objective: clear through Floor 2 and breach the portal to Floor 3 before their allotted time ran out.

"Alright, let’s tally what we need," Rowan said, resting his hoe against the wooden counter of the general store. "We’re aiming for Floor 3 by Sunday evening. That gives us roughly three days to push through the upper reaches of Floor 2."

Seraphina stepped forward, laying down a list of essential alchemy supplies. "We need high-purity glass vials, basic mana-restoration salves, and extra stasis cloth. If we encounter higher-tier toxic monsters on Floor 3, I’ll need raw ingredients to mix anti-corrosive neutralizers on the fly."

"Get double what you need," Rowan said smoothly, pulling a heavy pouch of gold coins from his belt—part of their accumulated spoils from the Slime Lord and previous skirmishes. "Caelen, Barney, grab extra rations, high-grade whetstones, and extra monster-repellent incense for tonight’s camp."

While the rest of the team gathered supplies, Rowan checked in with the outpost’s primary resource merchant. He liquidated a portion of their duplicate monster drops—slime membranes, mud-golem cores, and raw marsh herbs—collecting a clean stack of 1,200 Gold Coins in return, while carefully holding back the highest-grade mana crystals for his own domain cultivation.

Within thirty minutes, Squad 07 was fully restocked, their packs secured, and their equipment polished.

"Packs are loaded, water skins are filled, and gear is prepped," Barney reported, swinging his heavy tower shield onto his back. "Floor 2 terrain gets mountainous past the northern ridge, leading straight to the Floor 3 gate."

Rowan adjusted his Enchanted Straw Hat, feeling its steady passive pulse of freshness keep the heat and fatigue at bay. "Then let’s not waste daylight. We move out now, clear the northern bogs, and push for the Floor 3 ascension staircase by tomorrow morning."

"Understood!" the team echoed in unison.

Turning away from the bustling trade outpost, Squad 07 marched past the stone gates in tight formation, heading straight toward the rugged, uncharted northern frontier of Floor 2.

***

The iron bell atop the outpost’s watchtower clanged violently, its frantic rhythm echoing across the stone walls and scattering the market crowd in an instant.

"GOBLIN WAVE!" the sentry screamed from the battlements, pointing frantically toward the northern tree line. "DEFENSIVE POSITIONS! SECURE THE MAIN GATE!"

Through the receding fog, a low, rumbling roar shook the dirt road. Hundreds of guttural shrieks tore through the air as a massive horde of goblins surged out of the bogs—spear-wielding scouts, heavily armored hobgoblins, and frenzied wolf-riders kicking up a cloud of dust.

Without missing a beat, Rowan spun on his heel. "Back inside! Hold the gate threshold!"

Squad 07 darted back through the wooden archway just as the outpost’s heavy iron-reinforced gates began to swing shut.

"Stop the gates!" Barney roared, slamming his tower shield into the stone ground right at the entrance, setting a firm, unyielding anchor. "If we shut the gate entirely, they’ll choke the perimeter and breach the wooden palisades! We hold the bottleneck right here!"

Caelen unsheathed his blade with a sharp metallic ring, his eyes tracking the approaching tide. "Barney’s right. A narrow choke point plays directly into our favor."

Outside, panicked merchants and lingering student squads rushed to take cover behind the stone parapets. At the forge, Squad 12’s blacksmith hoisted a massive warhammer, while Squad 04 drew their weapons, forming a secondary line of defense inside the courtyard.

Up on the high roof of the supply depot, unseen by the panicked crowd, their third-year monitor crouched in the shadows, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Squad 07 smoothly transition into a vanguard formation at the front line.

Mirei drew an arrow from her Wind-Blessed Quiver, resting the nock against her bowstring as she leveled her aim at the leading wolf-rider. Beside her, Seraphina unclipped two glowing, volatile alchemy flasks from her belt, her fingers humming with preparation.

Rowan stepped up beside Barney, his Enchanted Straw Hat tilted slightly forward, his hands gripping the smooth wooden handle of his Rank C Hoe. Earth mana rippled across the cobblestones beneath his boots, waiting for his command.

"Hold the line," Rowan said, his voice deadly calm as the front edge of the goblin horde charged straight for the open gateway. "Let them crowd together."