Chapter 588: Evening Chitchat

Chapter 588 -587: Evening Chitchat

“It was a mission to investigate Demons. The incident happened around Thousand Masts City. The Gray Squad’s Scout and Shield Guard were killed by a Narzugon. The rest of the squad felt this line of work was too dangerous, so they chose to retire.”

The smile on Edwin’s face slowly faded. “All Narzugon Riding Lances are forged in Hell Fire. After being killed by one, the victim’s soul is drawn into the Nine Jails… May the Morninglord protect them.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Morel said. “No one could have known they would run into that kind of trouble before we sent them.”

After chatting with Edwin and the others for a few more moments, the squad took their leave and departed from Edwin’s office.

The group went to the temple of the Goddess of Wealth to exchange their Gemstones and other items for Gold. They had the Priests of the Goddess of Wealth cut the gems for them while they were there. Afterward, they also visited the Grand Market and the Dwarf Sewer to get rid of their miscellaneous loot.

By the time they had taken care of everything, it was already evening.

At Colin’s strong recommendation, the squad went to a burrito shop in the Dock District, and each bought a few for dinner.

They ate as they walked back to the Field Staff’s apartment building. After arriving, they brought their luggage and sat down at the table in the courtyard.

After putting down his bag, Kase led Big Hoof Treasure into the stable and casually picked up a brush to groom him.

Sitting at the table, Colin held up the Cloak toward Kase. “Here, this Cloak is definitely the most suitable for you.”

“Suitable for me? Feels to me like that Cloak needs a good brushing.”

“That’s just a cosmetic change from the Enchantment Magic. There’s nothing wrong with it.” Colin patted the fuzz on the Cloak, and new bits immediately sprouted out. ‘This Cloak would definitely make someone with OCD a little uncomfortable.’

“Alright,” Kase said, brushing the horsehair off the brush. “I’m not one to turn down a good thing when it’s right in front of me.”

“Next up is the Gold Coins we earned from this trip. We still have some loot like the Dire Wolf Hides that we haven’t sold yet, but all told, we’ll each get a cut of five hundred and eighty Gold Coins.” Colin sighed after speaking.

‘I can’t believe this month’s income is just enough to offset the cost of Learning Magic. But the main reason for this is that I didn’t choose the Gold Coin reward for this quest. If I had, I would have at least earned a little.’

‘But a few thousand Gold Coins can’t compare to a genuine piece of Magic Equipment. That’s pretty much a consensus among Adventurers.’

As he thought this, Colin looked at his quest Panel.

—————–

[Quest: Investigate the Ruins]

[Rating: 14 (City-State Hero)]

[Reward: 400 Skill Level points, Strength +1, Specialty “Mastery of Illusionary Techniques”, Tier Five Magic “Hold Monster”]

—————–

Colin glanced at the quest rewards. He hadn’t expected to be directly awarded a Tier Five Magic spell this time.

He had a pretty strong impression of this spell because there was also the Tier Two [Hold Person]. As the name implied, that spell was effective against humanoid creatures, whereas [Hold Monster] worked on most creatures.

The moment he thought of this, Colin was once again transported to the Spiritual Space for Learning Magic.

After failing for who knows how long, he finally learned the spell within the Illusion Realm.

[Hold Monster], a Tier Five Magic spell. The Caster designates a creature within thirty meters and holds it in place for up to one minute. This spell is ineffective against Undead Creatures.

‘Even though it was a pain to learn, the spell’s effect is simple and brutal.’

‘Simply put, it makes a creature stand still.’

‘That makes whoever gets hit by it a lamb for the slaughter.’

It was also worth noting that when [Tasha’s Hideous Laughter] was in effect, attacking the controlled creature would cause intense pain that disrupted the target’s mind. This made it more difficult to maintain control with the spell, which could lead to it failing.

But when a creature was controlled by [Hold Monster], the mental shock from pain didn’t affect the spell’s control. The target could only break free through its own willpower.

In short, the latter spell’s control was much more stable.

‘If it weren’t for [Steel Wind Slash],’ Colin thought, ‘this would probably be the first Tier Five Magic spell I’ve learned.’

As he thought this, he looked at the Specialty granted by the quest reward.

[Mastery of Illusionary Techniques: 1. Only a creature with an Intelligence higher than 13 and knowledge of “Defense in Attack” can learn this Specialty. 2. When you initiate a melee attack, you can more easily perform a feint. A deceived creature will find it very difficult to dodge your attack. The effect may be reduced against non-humanoid creatures and those with low Intelligence.]

Judging by the fact that learning this Specialty required [Defense in Attack], it seemed to be an advanced type of Specialty.

Just like [Cleave], this Specialty was an advanced version of a basic one.

‘But compared to Defense, this Specialty seems more suited for offense,’ Colin felt.

‘In any case, getting this Specialty means my Swordsmanship has improved once again. The techniques mentioned in the Specialty will be applied naturally in actual combat, so I don’t need to worry too much about it.’

Finally, there was the one-point increase to his Strength.

With this, Colin’s Strength Attribute had reached sixteen.

There wasn’t much to say about this kind of change in his Attributes. It just meant he was stronger and sturdier. A certain amount of strength was also necessary in Swordsmanship contests, so this extra point would definitely be very useful.

Colin blinked and returned to reality.

A red glow shone on the table before him. He lifted his gaze.

The weather was unusually nice today. The setting sun hung on the horizon, its fiery afterglow turning everything on the ground into shades of gray-black. At a glance, they looked like exquisitely cut-out silhouettes.

“I feel like Big Hoof Treasure needs his hooves trimmed,” Kase muttered from the side.

“Any old Groom can handle that job,” Colin said. “By the way, I think we can pay to have some Enchanted Magic Horseshoes fitted on him. Should we get something like that for Big Hoof Treasure?”

“No way, that’s too expensive.”

“Really? Aren’t you the one who dotes on Big Hoof Treasure the most?”

“Even if I’m fond of him, I know he’s an animal, and there’s no need to spend so much money on an animal.” Kase glanced at Orelia. “Pointy-tail, on the other hand, could probably use a Magic Horseshoe.”

“Huh? I’m not a horse,” Orelia said, lifting a leg to show off her little hoof. It looked rather goat-like, a standard cloven hoof.

Orelia pouted and complained, “My hooves are a bit sturdier, so they don’t wear down as easily, but sometimes pebbles get stuck in them. Even Ale’s Magic can’t clean them out properly. I have to pick them out with a twig, which is really uncomfortable. Feet would be better.”

“But I’ve seen some oxen get shoes, too. Maybe it would be good for you,” Dorn said from the side.

“Really?” Orelia blinked, seeming to seriously consider the question.

Colin quietly rested his head on the table.

Before him was the fiery sunset, and in his ears was the sound of his companions chatting.

The sky was growing dark, and not many Adventurers were loitering around the apartment building now. Tucked away deep in an alley, it felt quiet and peaceful.

He looked up and could only see the figures of his companions, not their faces.

It might sound a bit strange to say, but he truly felt that no scene could be more relaxing than this one.