Am I screwed?
That was the first thought that came to me as soon as I opened my eyes.
The memory of choosing a perk in yesterday’s dream was vivid.
And the result—I could tell right away.
[Enhancing the “range” of “Blue Magic: Waterflow Shield.”]
The result of the random selection was a “range enhancement.”
For someone like me, who had been hoping for durability or an added effect, it was closer to disappointing.
[The defensive radius of “Blue Magic: Waterflow Shield” has been expanded.]
[“Blue Magic: Waterflow Shield” has evolved into “Blue Magic: Waterflow Barrier.”]
But after seeing the messages that followed, I could at least place some hope in it.
More than anything, “Waterflow Barrier.” What was with that name? It sounded grandiose, like some kind of ultimate spell.
I had no choice but to check it myself.
Without hesitation, I stirred my mana.
[Waterflow Barrier(水流防壁)]
Shwoooak—
Moisture condensed, beginning to take form.
And a moment later, the completed Waterflow Barrier floated before my eyes.
It had definitely changed.
Unlike its previous rounded form, this one had sharper angles.
It was also clearly larger than before at a glance.
Not just my upper body—from my head down to my lower abdomen. The defensive area had noticeably widened.
It felt almost like it called to mind a Roman soldier’s shield.
On top of that, the phrase “range enhancement” didn’t simply mean an expansion in size.
The magic that I had previously only been able to generate over the back of my hand could now be manifested at a distance from my body.
In other words, as long as I had my gaze and intent, I could even make it float in midair.
“Holy shit, this is amazing.”
It was far more useful than I’d expected.
Just the fact that the inconvenience of it only coming from my hand had disappeared increased its potential applications exponentially.
I’d been disappointed because it was a random perk, but at this level, it was more than enough of a success.
Honestly, if this was how good it was, I couldn’t help wondering what the others would have been like.
‘Well, a person ought to know how to be satisfied.’
I raised my hand and lightly brushed the edge of the barrier.
The curtain of water, rippling like the surface of a pond, responded to my movement.
It would become even clearer once I used it in actual combat.
I quietly withdrew my mana.
The curtain of water slowly scattered, lightly flowing down outside the window.
After I habitually drank a little and let the droplets flow away, they soon disappeared, and I rose from my seat.
…I’m hungry.
I stretched my stiff body once, opened the door, and stepped out into the hallway.
Thud, thud—I walked down to the lobby with light steps.
I sat at a table, ordered a meal, and blankly looked around.
I was penniless, but fortunately, Barrett had taken care of the lodging and food expenses.
Thanks to that, I wouldn’t have to worry about starving for the time being.
‘What should I do now?’
Until Barrett brought a new request, there wasn’t anything in particular to do.
On top of that, until I received my pay from him, I didn’t even have a single coin in hand.
For all practical purposes, my entire livelihood depended on Barrett.
“…Maybe I’ll look around the city a bit.”
As I muttered to myself and put together something that barely counted as a plan, the meal finally came out.
The one who brought the food was Calea, the owner of this inn and a middle-aged woman.
The name of this inn was also “Calea Inn.” She must have a lot of self-love.
With practiced hands, she set down the dishes and gave a brief smile.
I gave a small nod and looked down at the warm plate.
It was more comfortable when people did things quietly like that.
Someone clinging to me annoyingly like Barrett didn’t suit my personality.
The breakfast menu was oat porridge, black bread, and one boiled egg.
By this world’s standards, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this a feast.
In particular, the oat porridge here had a strangely deep flavor.
As if cheese had been mixed in, a thick, savory richness lingered on the tip of my tongue.
I had just scooped up a spoonful of porridge and was slowly savoring it when I sensed someone approaching from behind.
Why do they always come only when I’m eating?
…No, now that I think about it carefully, I don’t come outside except when I’m eating.
I turned around, and contrary to my expectations, it wasn’t Barrett.
That face—I’d definitely seen him before.
“You’re Sir Liv, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Um, Captain Barrett sent me.”
Ah, so he was from Barrett’s mercenary band after all.
No wonder he looked familiar.
The man seemed a little nervous as he half-bowed at the waist and continued speaking.
“Captain Barrett headed out right away, but he said to pass this along if you were awake. There’s supposed to be contact with the client sometime this morning…”
I paused with my spoon in midair and looked at him.
As expected, peace never lasted long.
“A client… What kind of request is it?”
No sooner had I asked than he shook his head slightly.
“That, I don’t know exactly yet… The captain said he’d explain it himself. But he did say, ‘It’d be best to prepare for combat’…”
Damn it, combat again? Just hearing that made me feel suffocated.
I nodded.
“Understood. Do you happen to know where?”
“He said you’d meet at the mercenary guild. I’ll be going now.”
He hurriedly got up and left the inn, and I turned my head back to the porridge.
Still, I could probably get one more bite in.
As I pushed the rest of the porridge into my mouth, I raised my head slightly.
At this rate, a quiet day was out of the question again.
***
When I opened the inn door, dusty air struck me first.
People were already on the move.
Merchants pulling carts, street vendors shouting from early morning, foreigners haggling in unfamiliar languages.
Mondak was a city with no room for silence.
I quietly squeezed through the crowd and walked along the road.
The buildings were all different.
They were built from bricks of similar colors, but no two patterns or decorations were alike.
The most eye-catching thing was the enormous gray stone building in the central square.
A simple symbol was carved into its front, and lamps burned quietly on either side of the entrance.
A church, probably.
In front of it, an old woman was kneeling and praying quietly.
What god did she believe in?
The people here might have a god of their own.
It could be a god of agriculture, or perhaps something like a guardian deity said to protect the city.
At the large mansion facing the central square, there must have been someone important living there, because guards stood lined up all around it.
They all wore similar armor, and their movements were refined.
Was it a government office, or a noble’s residence?
I turned my head and walked along the road again.
It would be exhausting to show needless interest and get caught up in something.
The guild was definitely to the left of the square, wasn’t it?
I turned left at the square.
On the sunlit stone road, merchants and porters hurried back and forth.
I turned toward the square. On the sunlit stone road, merchants and porters hurried back and forth.
The guild was definitely to the left of the square, wasn’t it? After passing a well and walking a bit farther, a large building came into view.
‘Is this the mercenary guild?’
The signboard with a sword drawn on it was faded by the sun, but as expected of a guild in a large city, there was no end to the flow of people.
I took a short breath in front of the door, then stepped inside.
I looked around as I slowly made my way inward.
On one side of the wall, befitting a large city, recent requests were posted in abundance, and in front of them, several mercenaries stood with their arms crossed, heads together in discussion.
A long line had already formed in front of the reception desk, and I could also see an argument breaking out.
“We saw that one first!”
“Just because you noticed it first makes it yours? And you lot botched the last one!”
A tired-looking receptionist was struggling to mediate.
Avoiding that commotion, I took the stairs up to the second floor.
The second floor was a bit noisier.
Mercenaries seated at large tables were eating or drinking while exchanging information, and some were speaking directly with merchants.
It was a scene I’d grown somewhat used to by now.
No one paid attention to me, and I had no intention of standing out either.
In a place this big, it would actually be stranger if someone reacted to every newcomer with, “Huh? A newbie?”
I found an empty seat by the wall and sat down.
‘Is he not here yet?’
Among the noisy mercenaries, Barrett was nowhere to be seen.
For now, I had no choice but to wait here until he arrived.
Maybe it was because I was sitting alone blankly.
People kept bothering me, asking me to join their parties.
On top of that, perhaps because my appearance looked so unimpressive, every request they shoved at me was utterly trivial.
I worried they might hit me for refusing.
But perhaps people that far outside common sense had already all died off, because not a single one had appeared yet.
“Excuse me…”
What now, another party invitation?
When I raised my head slightly, I saw a familiar face.
“Sir Liv, it is you! Were you waiting for me?”
“Ah, Mr. Barrett. That’s right.”
Beside Barrett stood a face I hadn’t seen before, in an awkward posture.
Given the situation, he was probably the client.
“What kind of request is it?”
I asked quietly.
Barrett grinned and lightly pushed the man beside him forward.
“It’d be better to hear the explanation directly, wouldn’t it? Ah, this is Mr. Doroen. He’s here to request an escort for his wagon.”
The man called Doroen bowed his head as if gauging our reactions.
He was a middle-aged merchant, and though his clothes were plain, the coin pouch at his waist looked fairly hefty.
After briefly introducing himself, he quickly moved on to the main topic.
“We’ll be departing from Mondak and heading to a village on the southern frontier. It should be… about two days’ travel.”
He continued cautiously.
“There’s talk of bandits appearing these days, so I’m a bit reluctant to go alone.”
At those words, I let out a low groan.
Were those bandit bastards causing trouble here too?
They were truly detestable.
“What are you transporting?”
“Dried foodstuffs and general goods. They’re valuable items in that village…”
Phew… So they weren’t expensive goods.
High-priced items had a higher chance of being targeted, so that was at least a relief.
Actually, the important thing wasn’t that.
“And the pay?”
At my question, Doroen hesitated for a moment, and Barrett answered in his stead.
“Five silver coins. According to guild regulations, two paid upfront, and the rest upon arrival.”
There were regulations like that? Since Taren had basically roped me into the last one, I hadn’t known.
In any case, that seemed like a decent request.
Of course, I didn’t have many examples to compare it to.
After thinking for a moment, I nodded.
“I’ll do it.”
Doroen bowed his head with a relieved expression.
Barrett laughed cheerfully and lightly patted Doroen on the shoulder.
“As expected! Ah, if you need one more companion, just let me know.”
I passed it off with an ambiguous smile.
Not only did I not know anyone, but bringing along an unfamiliar face for no reason would only make things tiresome.
“When do we depart?”
“I’d like to leave as soon as possible, but due to circumstances, it’ll probably be around the day after tomorrow.”
The day after tomorrow… I’d have to get my equipment ready in the time I had left.
In truth, among the equipment taken from the bandits, there had been things like leather armor, and the caravan leader had actually offered to give me a set.
But wearing equipment that belonged to people I had killed still felt far too unpleasant.
For now, the most I could accept was a weapon I could hold in my hand.
I’d just take the money and look for something myself.
That aside, when was he going to give me the money?
When I quietly mentioned it to Barrett, he pulled a small pouch from his coat and handed it over.
“I’d forgotten. I made sure everything was included.”
When I opened the pouch slightly, I saw five silver-colored coins.
Excluding the advance payment for this request, that made three silver coins? Still, that was quite a lot.
I didn’t know whether it was proper compensation, but this much was satisfying enough.
“I’ll be going now. Then I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”
With the thought of buying equipment on my mind, I quickly said my farewells and left.
***
The commercial district wasn’t very far from the central square.
I’d thought, “How is this a trade city when there isn’t even a sea?” but once I came out here, I could definitely feel it.
The sight of various races from different regions mingling together to sell goods and call out to customers was the very image of a trade city.
The streets were filled with the voices of countless merchants and the sound of people’s footsteps.
Luxurious silk, unusual spices, unfamiliar fruits, and even rare pieces of equipment.
Everything was full of strange and fascinating things, making me feel as if I’d come to some tourist destination.
People bumped elbows with one another, and at times tried to push past each other with their voices.
“Take a look at this! This is a very special item!”
“You’ll know once you see it! This is top quality!”
All sorts of races were selling all sorts of goods, and now and then the sounds of haggling reached my ears.
What stood out in particular were the dwarves. Short like Valdik, they carried heavy metals around and handled them with ease, an impressive sight.
One of them was even darting here and there, boasting about a sword he had made.
“This is the finest sword I’ve ever forged! It’s expensive, but it’s worth every coin!”
Even to an amateur like me, the weapons looked quite high-end.
Were dwarves seen as craftsmen here, too?
But what I needed was equipment that was cheaper and more practical.
I entered the first shop I saw on the commercial street.
Luxurious-looking swords and axes were laid out on display stands, and the owner was loudly proclaiming, “Our blades are supplied to the nobility as well!”
But what I needed wasn’t some flashy weapon, but practical armor.
“Is this all the armor you have here?”
When I asked, the merchant thought for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and said,
“We don’t have any more armor. We only sell weapons. People don’t wear good armor that often, you know. Swords and axes get used far more.”
He wasn’t exactly wrong, but I hadn’t come here to buy an expensive weapon.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to look around some other shops.”
I stepped back and moved on elsewhere.
I visited several shops like that. But everywhere I went, they were packed with lavish weapons, and there was no decent armor to be found.
Every single piece was either too expensive or impractical.
After going from shop to shop, I eventually found a small stall tucked away in a corner of the commercial district.
Unlike the other merchants, this place had equipment piled messily on its display stand.
“Hey, what are you looking for?”
A middle-aged man standing in front of the stall called out to me.
His gaze looked sharp, and he seemed like someone accustomed to dealing with equipment.
“I’m looking for armor. Something cheap and practical.”
I answered honestly.
The man nodded and pointed to a wooden display stand set off to one side.
“There are a few usable pieces over here. The prices are decent, and they’re sturdy, so take a look.”
I peered into the display stand. Several pieces of armor were laid out there.
There was leather armor that looked old but durable, and cloth armor that seemed like it would be hot to wear.
But the first thing that caught my eye was a cloth breastplate studded at regular intervals.
I reached out and lifted it.
Contrary to its appearance, it had iron plates fitted inside, making it heavier than I expected.
“What kind of armor is this? It looks like it’s in good condition.”
The man nodded and said,
“It’s a brigandine made with wool. I maintained it myself. I oiled it a few times, so it’s got good water resistance, and the weight’s just right, so it’s easy to move in. Being able to move comfortably in battle is important.”
The man grinned as he spoke.
“Try it on.”
I fitted the armor to my body.
It was a little large, but it didn’t hinder my movement at all.
It looked fairly good, too. I should buy this.
“Good. I’ll take this one.”
Having made my decision, I asked the price. The man nodded and named it.
Three silver coins. It was cheaper than I’d expected.
Curious about why the price was so low, I asked casually.
“I put this out when I retired from being a mercenary. Now it should go to someone who needs it.”
Was it something like loyalty between mercenaries?
Nodding at his words, I completed the transaction.
I bought the armor, and as the man handed it over, he added one more thing.
“A mercenary… has to know when to retire.”
As he spoke with a bitter expression, on his hand… several fingers were missing.
“…I’ll use it well.”
I quietly bowed my head in thanks and left the place.