"Captain, come take a look. What do you think of this quest?"
The Assassin, Kent, pointed to a quest on the wall marked with an exclamation point.
"Let me see... an urgent quest?"
Bain carefully read the quest description, his brow furrowing slightly.
'The reward is generous... but this kind of quest is also highly unpredictable.'
As an experienced, veteran Adventurer, he knew it was normally best to avoid quests like this.
But the team's expenses had been a bit high lately. After Kent and Millian replaced their weapons, Evan's weapon was also in desperate need of an upgrade.
For safety's sake, Kent and Millian, the two newcomers who had just joined, also needed to be equipped with at least one set of Leather Armor as soon as possible.
All of this required money. A lot of money.
If they completed this quest, they were guaranteed a minimum of 10 gold coins. That was equivalent to two or three normal quests and would be enough to get Leather Armor for the two rookies.
Factoring in the bounties for any Demons killed along the way, if their luck wasn't too bad, they could also take care of Evan's new weapon.
And if their luck was off the charts and they brought the merchant's daughter back safely...
The 100 gold coin reward was a huge sum, even for a veteran Adventurer like Bain who had been at this for years.
With 100 gold, he could go to Old Riel's shop and have him bring out the good stuff he kept in the back. He could replace his own heavily worn Iron Armor with a new set, and the old set could be passed down to Evan.
There would even be enough left over to buy a couple of precious Life Potions. For Adventurers who frequently walked the line between life and death, a treasure that could grant Rapid Recovery from injuries at a critical moment was as good as half a life!
After a long moment of contemplation, Bain ultimately couldn't resist the temptation. He walked up to the counter and accepted the quest.
'I'll just give it a try. If it gets too hairy, we'll just give up. In any case, with an experienced Adventurer like me around, we should be able to retreat in time if I spot any trouble.'
'If you can't even accept a little risk, what's the point of being an Adventurer? Might as well go home and be a farmer!'
"Don't you worry, Miss Camilla, I'll be sure to come to you for my next quest~"
Waving to his favorite counter lady, Bain turned to look across the hall. The two youngsters were sitting in a corner. Evan was leaning forward with his chin in his hand, excitedly chattering away at Millian.
The short-haired girl had the White Oak Bow resting on her lap, her fingers idly plucking the bowstring. She seemed to be letting Evan's words go in one ear and out the other, not paying him any mind.
"Let's go. Time to head out."
He beckoned to the pair. Millian immediately stood up and walked over. Evan's excited expression faltered for a moment, then he reached a hand out toward Millian's retreating back and hurried to catch up.
"Wait for me, Millian..."
The group left the Adventurer's Association and headed straight for the edge of town.
Along the way, Bain began to brief the party members on the details of their new quest, repeatedly emphasizing the key points.
"Remember, this quest could be dangerous. Stay close on the road, no more than a meter apart. Keep quiet, and if you see my hand signal, retreat immediately!"
"I know, I know... Uncle Bain, you say that every time."
Evan was clearly a little impatient. He had started adventuring with his uncle Bain when he was sixteen, and it had been almost two years now. He considered himself a "veteran" Adventurer of sorts—no longer the rookie who would get nervous at the slightest rustle or whose legs would turn to jelly at the sight of a Goblin.
"Even if something unexpected happens, we've got you, don't we, Uncle Bain?"
He was full of confidence in his distant uncle. "A Level 0.8 Professional has almost no rivals in the outer parts of Loran Forest!"
Bain wanted to scold him and tell him to take it more seriously, but on second thought, his big nephew wasn't wrong. With his strength, the Demons in the outer reaches of Loran Forest really weren't much of a threat.
'In another two or three years, once I've completely mastered Shield Strike, my physique should be up to standard. Then I can officially advance to a full-fledged Professional!'
Thinking of that bright future, a smile couldn't help but tug at the corners of Bain's lips. Over a decade of adventuring, of relentless effort, was finally about to pay off.
"You're quite the sweet-talker."
He said it with a chuckle, feeling even more expectant about the quest at hand.
If he could successfully get that 100 Gold Coins, he might even be able to shorten the time to his promotion by another six months.
...
Stepping into Loran Forest again, Lin Mo felt distinctly different compared to the anxiety and unease of his first time.
Curiosity... or perhaps anticipation?
The dense jungle didn't just hold dangerous Demons; it also teemed with rich ecosystems. For Lin Mo, who had lived in a city for nearly twenty years, such a purely natural landscape was a rare sight.
Of course, he didn't let his guard down. On the contrary, because he was alone this time, and because he had encountered a monster like the Mutated Goblin before, Lin Mo was filled with a healthy respect for the forest. He took every step with extreme caution.
For the vast majority of the time when not encountering Demons, the swarms of diverse insects were an Adventurer's greatest enemy.
The noises they made often kept inexperienced Adventurers in a constant state of jumpy stress. And clearly, Lin Mo was as green a rookie as they came.
He was very scared of—or rather, he hated—insects, especially the kind with lots of legs. Just the sight of them made his skin crawl.
That was why he had invested so heavily in Insect Repellent, buying two whole packs just in case one wasn't enough.
After smearing some Insect Repellent on himself to avoid being targeted by mosquitoes nearly the size of his knuckles, Lin Mo held a simple map he'd bought in town in his left hand and a compass in his right, carefully comparing the two.
Forcing someone with no sense of direction to navigate was, without a doubt, a form of torture. But without the convenience of a phone's GPS, he could only rely on his own slow and steady study.
Fortunately, although the map was simple, this was, after all, the outermost area of Loran Forest. It was detailed enough that, when combined with a compass to confirm his direction, Lin Mo wasn't left running around like a headless chicken.
Aside from having to stop frequently to confirm his bearings, his progress was generally smooth.
'I should be getting close...'
After pulling out the map again to confirm his general location, Lin Mo looked ahead. His gaze pierced through the clusters of trees, and in the distance, he saw tall clumps of grass covered in red berries.
Red Snake Fruit. A berry about the size of a pinky finger with slightly coarse skin. The fruit inside was soft, juicy, and intensely fragrant. One bite... and you could find a nice tree to sit under while you waited to be reincarnated.
That's right, the stuff was highly poisonous.
Lin Mo closed the book, incredibly grateful that he had bought the Adventurer's Guide to Plants.
Although the skin itself wasn't toxic—theoretically, you wouldn't be poisoned as long as you didn't eat it—Lin Mo still kept his distance, making a small detour to avoid the plant altogether.
From time to time, he would spot various kinds of mushrooms under the trees in the woods. Holding the plant guide, Lin Mo compared each one and committed them to memory.
Which were edible and which weren't—this was knowledge that would likely come in handy later.
He picked the edible ones as he went and put them in his backpack. There weren't many, and they didn't take up much space anyway.
He continued onward for a while until, finally, Lin Mo saw a lone, pale purple, flower-like herb. It stood out conspicuously, solitary amidst the vast surrounding patch of grass.