The caravan set out early the next morning.
The quiet road offered little novelty. Aside from the gentle breeze and the distant scenery, the travelers had no other companions.
Colin sat in the seat beside the driver, clutching his aching head.
Kase, sitting in the back of the wagon, was full of energy, as if nothing had happened yesterday.
'Maybe alcohol really has some unknown, mysterious effect on Orcs?' Colin couldn't help but wonder.
"You really went hard on the drinks yesterday, Colin."
Bob smiled and patted Colin's shoulder, then handed him a waterskin. "This is some tea I had someone brew this morning. It might do you some good."
Colin took it and had a sip, only to feel the bitterness numb his tongue.
Fortunately, his headache did ease considerably. No wonder the older Bob still looked to be in such good shape.
Bob smiled. "Not bad, right?"
"It's certainly invigorating," Colin said, patting the back of his head. "We need to be careful on this trip. I heard from the village chief that a giant bear is rampaging in the area."
"One bear is much easier to deal with than a pack of wolves," Kase said. "With so many people in this caravan, if we take it down, everyone can get at least a few Gold Coins."
Hearing this, the Adventurers on the surrounding wagons cheered at Kase.
Compared to their private disdain on the way there, the Adventurers' relationship with the Half-Orc had improved considerably.
"We'll be counting on you then, my friend," Bob said.
Colin muttered, "Maybe."
However, this time, the caravan traveled a long way without running into any trouble.
The autumn sun wasn't too harsh, and the gentle breeze from the sea was refreshing and pleasant.
Swaying along in the wagon, Colin felt more relaxed than he had ever felt before.
Leather Armor worth over ten Gold Coins, plus a brimming Herb Bag.
Just from the herbs alone, he and Kase could expect to split at least nine Gold Coins after selling them.
Nine Gold Coins!
By any measure, this was a fortune in the slums!
After calculating this number, Colin knew he would likely never have to work as a dock laborer like this body's previous owner.
The drop in quality of life would be too steep; there was no way he could accept that.
Colin leaned back leisurely against the wagon.
For the first time since transmigrating, he truly felt relaxed.
The weight of his coin purse soothed his anxious heart. Nine Gold Coins were enough to live on for several months; he shouldn't have to be as desperate as he had been for quite some time.
In addition to that, there were the two sets of Armor they had acquired.
Colin recalled seeing prices at the secondhand market before: a piece of used Cotton Armor went for three Gold Coins, and used Leather Armor was, he thought, around nine Gold Coins.
This could also be considered a major part of their haul from this trip.
For Adventurers like them, weapons and Armor were essentially the tools of their trade.
The difference was that for other professions, poor tools might only lead to a loss of income. For them, poor equipment could cost them their lives.
To be honest, though, Colin still knew next to nothing about how to properly use Armor.
After all, he had no such experience from his past life; his only exposure to things like Armor was from movies.
'Maybe I should spend some money and find a retired Mercenary or someone similar to learn from?'
Colin remembered that lessons like that in the slums cost several Silver Coins each, and frankly, he didn't find the old Mercenaries who taught them to be very reliable.
But learning from someone like a Guard Captain within the city would be far too expensive.
Of course, it was a necessary expense.
In this world, there were actually many different styles of using Armor.
Just as there's a difference between randomly swinging a sword and mastering a style of Swordsmanship, simply wearing Armor was not the same as learning an actual technique for fighting in it.
The latter would definitely cost money.
And Colin didn't want to cut corners on a life-and-death matter. Learning how to fight in Armor was definitely a priority…
'I'll worry about that once I get back to Thousand Masts City.'
Colin leaned against the wooden planks behind him and opened the Panel in his mind, which appeared as if drawn on parchment.
-----------------
[Commission: Escort Caravan]
[Rating: 5 (Mortal)]
[Reward: Skill Level +150, Intelligence +1, Constitution +1]
-----------------
'The stats changed. It seems gathering the herbs was also factored into the mission's difficulty.'
That was a good thing. If escaping the goblin pursuit and killing the Winter Wolf hadn't been factored into the rating, Colin would have coughed up blood in frustration.
The reward this time was pretty decent.
Ever since adding that point to Intelligence, Colin had felt a new sense of clarity every day. If he added a point to Constitution this time, his physical condition would probably improve as well.
In addition, he looked at the new Specialty he had obtained during the battle.
'Combat Mage'.
Simply put, it reduced his Casting failure rate and enhanced the Damage of his next Close Combat Magic.
Since he was self-taught, fumbling his way through, Colin remembered that this body's previous owner had failed numerous times during Casting practice.
The consequences of failed Magic were usually just being unable to cast the spell and losing some Spiritual Power. On his unluckiest attempt, the body's previous owner had even burned his own fingers.
So, reducing the Casting failure rate was quite useful.
If he failed even once during a battle, the consequences would be unimaginable.
So far, the weapons and Magic Colin had seen all had a set damage range, so it went without saying that the other effect—enhancing Close Combat Magic Damage—was incredibly useful.
Colin thought back for a moment.
'It seems that gaining these Specialties is related to my own Combat Style.'
'My last few fights against monsters have all been close-quarters battles, so that must be why a Specialty for enhancing Close Combat Magic appeared.'
'That's not bad, actually.'
Mages in anime and movies usually wear Magic Robes and carry long staves. After being shot by that goblin arrow, the thought of adventuring while dressed like that was enough to scare him to death.
'I can't learn any Defense Magic right now, let alone get my hands on an Enchanted Magic Robe.'
'Perhaps being an armor-wearing Magic Warrior is more my style.'
At least until he could learn powerful Defense Magic, Colin felt it was better to wear something thicker.
"Hey, Colin."
"What is it?" Colin said, looking back at Kase. "Why are you whispering?"
The Half-Orc hesitated for a moment before asking, "That Magic of yours… I don't think I've ever seen you study it."
"That's… complicated to explain."
Colin frowned. 'For an Orc with limited close-combat options, Learning Magic would be a good thing… But I rely on my Golden Finger for it all. How am I supposed to teach that?'
"I know. The Shamans and Druids in the tribes are the same way."
Kase sighed.
He looked at the coastline gradually appearing in the distance.
After a long moment, the Half-Orc finally spoke. "You remember what happened to me, right? So if you also have faith in something, it's best not to defy it."
Colin nodded.
He understood Kase must have interpreted his Power as something obtained through faith.
"But if one day you have to…" Kase continued seriously, "then come find me. I might be a good-for-nothing who has lost everything, but when it comes to being punished by the Gods, you could say I'm pretty experienced."
"What if I'm being punished for trying to do something bad?"
Kase bared his fangs in a grin. "In the eyes of humans, do you think they see me as a good guy, or a bad guy?"