Chapter 442 - 419: Becoming a Wanderer

Chapter 442: Chapter 419: Becoming a Wanderer

"Of course!"

Avril nodded emphatically.

Seeing that Roland seemed to "enjoy" the food she made, she grew even more cheerful. She slid her own untouched plate in front of Roland, completely ignoring the flash of almost despairing bitterness on his face.

She rested her hands on the stone table, propped up her chin, and began to share the information she had gathered.

"I asked Elder Duadeng about it..."

When she mentioned the Zor Elder, a strange expression appeared on Avril’s face.

Ever since she revealed her identity as a Divine Favored One of the Spider Queen, Duadeng had been almost excessively respectful toward her.

His attitude—a mixture of reverence, fanaticism, and a trace of instinctual Fear—always made her feel uncomfortable, as if countless little bugs were crawling all over her.

She subconsciously rubbed her arms before continuing.

"He said the most numerous and common Demons around here are the Cavemen."

"Those things usually live in groups in dark caves or abandoned mines. They’re not very smart, and they’re both timid and greedy. They typically survive by digging up roots, preying on small animals, or ambushing lone members of other Races."

"When their numbers grow, they sometimes get bold enough to crawl to the surface and attack passing merchant caravans and travelers."

The Elf Maiden pouted, her tone laced with a hint of disdain.

"As for their strength... it’s probably about the same as surface goblins. Their individual combat strength is very weak; they mainly rely on numbers. And I made sure to ask specifically..."

She added, "The nearest Caveman settlement isn’t far from here, and the route isn’t complicated. A round trip would only take about half a day. Oh, right..."

Halfway through her sentence, she noticed Roland seemed to be choking as he tried to quickly "finish" the pile of terrible food in front of him. She quickly handed him a cup of water and tilted her head curiously, asking,

"Roland, why did you suddenly ask me to gather detailed information on these low-level Demons? Are you planning something?"

After taking the water and gulping down a few mouthfuls to wash down the horrid lump of food in his throat, Roland caught his breath and explained,

"I just want to find a suitable target to test how much of my strength has returned. And... to stretch my legs a bit."

Avril was already used to Roland’s almost obsessive attitude toward his strength. Hearing his explanation, she wasn’t suspicious and just asked with concern,

"Do you need me to go with you?"

Roland shook his head.

He had assessed his current condition. Even though he was far from his peak, he still possessed the strength of an ordinary Extraordinary Professional. Dealing with a disorderly mob of Cavemen would be more than enough for him.

More importantly, the true purpose of his trip was to complete the Profession investiture for [Wanderer].

The investiture requirements clearly stated the need to "independently complete thirty successful instances of Stealth Penetration or assassination."

If Avril came along and saw him, a person with overwhelming power, using stealth and assassination on the lowest-level Cavemen like an Assassin from the Shadows, she would definitely become suspicious. He would then have a lot of explaining to do. Going alone would save him all that trouble.

"Your injuries haven’t fully healed either. It’s better for you to get more rest."

Roland found a reasonable excuse.

"I’ll just ask Elder Duadeng to assign a Zor Elf who’s familiar with the terrain to be my guide. You stay here and help me look after Duraga and Mr. Bronson. Don’t let them cause any trouble."

Mentioning those two unruly partners, Roland paused. He suddenly remembered another figure he hadn’t seen in a long time and looked at Avril with some confusion.

"By the way... what has that guy Galvis been up to lately? I feel like... I haven’t heard from him or seen him in ages."

"That guy..."

The moment Galvis was mentioned, an expression of undisguised disgust appeared on Avril’s face.

"He solemnly told everyone not to disturb him until he finished his ’great work.’ Then he locked himself in his room and hasn’t stepped out for over two whole months!"

The Elf Maiden gestured extravagantly.

"If the plate of food left at his door every day wasn’t taken in and eaten clean, I’d suspect he had quietly died in there and started to stink."

Hearing this, Roland immediately understood what his Minstrel friend was busy with.

Back when he had just woken up from his coma, everyone else was concerned about his physical condition. Only Galvis, that pain-in-the-neck friend of his, had pestered him relentlessly.

He had insisted that Roland recount, in painstaking detail, every experience from his arrival in the Rock Kingdom all the way to the final battle with Corellon’s incarnation, refusing to let a single detail slip by, much to Roland’s annoyance.

Now that the guy had locked himself away, he must be engrossed in writing that thick notebook titled something like "Mortal Heroes."

Just thinking about that blunt title, and the fact that he would be the protagonist of the book, sent a wave of heat mixed with embarrassment and shame creeping up his cheeks.

He shook his head hard, as if he could physically banish the cringe-worthy images from his mind.

Forcibly suppressing his complex emotions, he continued to chat with Avril about trivial matters around the camp while steeling himself and, with astonishing willpower, finishing every last bite of the indescribably bizarre-tasting food on his plate.

Only after watching the Elf Maiden leave gracefully with the empty plate, a satisfied smile on her face, did Roland finally let out a sigh of relief.