In a wooden room with a worn-out bed, Laos paced around randomly, muttering, "What a disaster!" Meanwhile, Maris kept staring at him helplessly, sitting on the bed in a way that made it seem like she had just finished having sex. After a while, she finally broke the silence and said: "Don't blame yourself!"
"How can I not?! I was the one who decided to register with the Alis guild. This is all my fault… Goddamn it, I ruined our family! I ruined our lives!!" Laos exclaimed, his face full of shock.
"Laos, stop!" Maris suddenly shouted.
"..."
"I'm scared, Maris..." Laos muttered.
Maris then stood up and hugged her trembling husband, trying to calm him down, but all she managed to do was make him feel lost—lost between regret and self-blame. But what had happened? How did Laos' life, which had finally started to improve, take such a sudden turn for the worse?
Fuck, FUCK! I swear misfortune is following me everywhere now! I can't believe my rotten luck!! Just when we finally registered with one of Iveleth's guilds, it turns out that someone from Alis has been murdering adventurers from other guilds, preventing rescue teams from doing their jobs, and even stealing adventurers' weapons. In short, there's someone from Alis sabotaging the other guilds!
Now, you might think this is a good thing—that since I'm also in Alis, this killer wouldn't harm me since we belong to the same guild. But what if the other guilds retaliate the same way? That would mean I'd find myself caught in a bloody war between adventurer guilds! There's no such thing as luck in my life anymore—I'm sure of it. Everything happening to me now is just one misfortune after another!
"Thalesa, what should I do now?"
"Hmm… It seems like the Dark Eye is incredibly powerful, to the point that even rescue teams aren't safe from him. So there's a high chance that the other guilds will avoid him and instead target the weaker adventurers of Alis for revenge."
"Oh God, noooo!!!"
"But even so, your life as an adventurer must continue. You're not in a position to quit and look for another job to earn a living. And don't forget, you still have a debt to pay."
"You're right. There's no other option but to keep adventuring. So… I'll stay here for now, and if I notice any problems or dangers for me and Maris, I'll leave this town."
"That would be a good choice..."
◆ ◆ ◆
After having breakfast, Maris and I headed to the guild to take on another quest while I summoned Astral Sword as usual. Alright, I have five Nova now, and I only have four days left to pay off my debt. Can I really gather nineteen Nova in time? I feel like things are spiraling downward fast!
"Maris, I want to take on a slightly harder quest," I said as we walked through the bustling streets of Iveleth.
"We're still Leaf-ranked adventurers, so we're not allowed to take on anything higher than Wood rank," Maris replied.
"Fine, I want the highest-paying quest we can get."
"Let's ask the receptionists about the best-paying quest available for a Leaf-ranked party."
After walking for a while, we finally arrived at the guild entrance, which was as crowded as ever. Fuck these adventurers—I wish they'd all drop dead. I wish their souls would get sealed into the void. I wish a fucking great demon would crush their heads. Fuck you, I hate how they all gather here like this!
"Maris, ask that girl," I said, pointing at a receptionist.
We then walked up to her and waited in line. No one was going to the other male receptionists, but her line was packed. She wasn't even that pretty! Adventurers here are really starved for female attention. After some time, it was finally our turn, so Maris stepped forward and asked:
"Can you tell me the hardest quest available for a Leaf-ranked party that offers the highest pay?"
"Oh… There's one quest that no Leaf-ranked adventurer has been able to complete in Alis guild, and it pays five Nova," the receptionist answered.
Five Nova?! That's amazing! What kind of quest is it? The receptionist then pulled out a document—it was a quest sheet covered in multiple guild seals, meaning many adventurers had attempted it but failed.
"Here it is—guarding Mr. Bolf's sheep from the wolves that keep killing them."
"What do you think?" Maris asked, turning to me.
"I'll take it," I replied.
After that, I signed the quest, and the receptionist stamped it after checking our IDs. Alright, time to get this fucking quest over with. As I left the guild, I spotted Grell and the others, along with that talking fox. Just then, Penny ran up to Maris with a big smile and cheerfully said: "Good morning, Maris! Good morning, Laos!"
"Good morning."
"Hey, Laos!" Miro replied.
"We were busy yesterday finishing the Stingers quest, so we couldn't thank you. Honestly, you were a great help to us during the quest. I won't lie—without you and Maris, we would've struggled a lot. You really helped us," Grell said. For some reason, I couldn't respond. All I did was smile, look into his eyes for a moment, then stare at the ground. Fuck, these introverted habits of mine.
"So, as a token of gratitude, we decided to buy you an armor!" Grell added.
"Really?!" I responded, surprised by the decision. Sure, I fought with everything I had last night, but buying me an armor was unexpected.
"Then let's go to the weapon shop!" Penny said excitedly, grabbing my hand. Hey, hey!
After that, we walked together toward the weapon shop while I imagined how I would look with an armor. I wonder what kind of armor I'll wear. Should I go for something like Goblin Slayer's? No, no, I hate wearing helmets. I feel like they'd obstruct my vision. I need something light, with a long cloak flowing behind me. That would be so tough! Finally, I'd start looking like a real adventurer instead of some fucking villager in these flimsy brown clothes.
"So, what do you think about the Dark Eye issue?" Grell asked as he walked beside me.
"I was thinking about it when I woke up. It's really terrifying, and it could escalate into an all-out war between guilds," I replied.
"You're right, it's dangerous. At first, I was afraid of the guilds retaliating too. But it's been months since this killer started moving, and no guild has done anything."
"Well, it seems like this killer is incredibly strong… Oh, right! What about that Platinum-ranked adventurer?!" I asked, recalling that particular adventurer. Maybe she's the killer—after all, she's the strongest adventurer in Alis.
"A lot of people suspect her," the talking fox chimed in.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Sorry about that. I'm Ponier, an old friend of Grell and a Bronze-ranked adventurer," the fox added.
"Thalesa, what race is this fox?"
"He's a Foxen," Thalesa answered quickly in my head.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Laos, an adventurer from Pascal, and this is my wife, Maris," I said, trying to act normal. But it seems like he already figured out my introverted nature. Fuck! Why can't I make eye contact with the person I'm talking to?!!
"Pleasure to meet you both," Ponier said with a slight smile.
"Alright, we're here," Penny whispered as she stood in front of the large shop entrance.
God, why is every place in this town so crowded? They should rename it to the Town of Congestion instead of the Town of Adventurers. Well, it's a weapon shop, Dumbass—it's only natural for it to be crowded. We entered the shop while Maris and Penny waited outside. The four of us moved forward and lined up.
"The shop's packed today," Miro muttered.
"Yeah."
After a while of waiting, with the noise filling the place, an eerie silence suddenly spread. Then whispers started rising everywhere. Everyone was murmuring to one another, but no one spoke aloud. What's going on here? Then I saw the reason.
All eyes were on her.
She stood there, not looking at anyone, her gaze full of arrogance. I had no idea who she was or why the whole store fell silent the moment she walked in.
She was of average height, with short black hair and ears with some white fur inside. She moved forward slowly. She was slim, with white skin, walking with confidence, her mismatched eyes—one blue, one yellow—glinting. As she walked, people in line instinctively stepped aside, making way for her as if she were the ruler of this town. Even her clothes were plain, almost like a villager's, but she wore light leather armor and carried a lot of swords—two short ones strapped to her bag and a longer one at her waist.
"Who is she?"
"The Wolf Who Won't Sleep… Etomi Sleva," Grell muttered.
"So this is her!" I said, staring at her.
"Well well well! Look at what we have here—the girl with wolf ears. Do you think you can just take the first spot in line? Guess what, I won't let you! Ha!" A tall human man with a massive green armor and brown hair smirked arrogantly as he stared into her eyes.
"Who's that?" I asked.
"Ralce, the second strongest adventurer in the town. He's from the Miracles guild and has reached Emerald rank," Grell answered.
"People say it's only a matter of time before he reaches Platinum rank as well," Ponier added.
"Aren't you looking for the Dark Eye? Or are you not looking because you're the Dark Eye?" Ralce said with that same smug smile.
Etomi completely ignored him, her cold eyes uninterested as she walked toward another counter. Suddenly, an another demi-human girl with round ears—similar to a bear's—stepped forward. She looked somewhat cheerful as she clutched a wooden staff and asked, "Miss Etomi, how was your adventure in Yavan Forests? Is it still as dangerous?"
"Who do you think you are to speak to me like that?" Etomi replied coldly.
"Just… a fan," the girl mumbled shyly.
After that, the girl moved away when she realized that the one with the wolf ears was ignoring her. Fuck, what's wrong with this bitch? What kind of arrogance is this? I hate people like her. Not only do I hate them, but I also despise them. Fuck her, I just wish she had stayed a fucking slave and never gotten the freedom that brought her to this position. It's her... no doubt about it, The Dark Eye!
After that, the line finally ended, and it was our turn. There was a short dwarf who stood on a wooden chair to reach us. He had a white bandana wrapped around his head and a thick beard, but unlike the dwarves I know, who have sharp eyes and serious expressions, he looked at me with a smile and said: "Welcome to our store, Arsenal. How may I assist you?"
"So, what type of armor do you want?" Miro asked.
"A light armor," I replied. I don't want to get an armor that makes it difficult to move.
"Leather, iron, silver? Here, this is a list of the materials we use to make armors. Choose," the dwarf said, handing us a paper.
What do we have here... oh, there are obsidian armors and... mithril? But they are very expensive, more than five hundred nova per piece. Well, I guess I'll just take a leather armor, it's only five nova per piece. Why don't they just give it to me? I want to pay my debt, I don't care about the armor right now.
"Okay, I think a leather armor will be enough," I said.
"How many pieces?" asked the dwarf.
"Do you want an armor that covers your whole body?" Grell asked.
"Yes, but without the helmet," I replied.
"Twenty nova," the dwarf added.
"Okay, here it is. Now, step in, Laos, so they can take your measurements," Grell said as he placed twenty nova on the counter.
◆ ◆ ◆
"Okay, after four days, your armor will be ready," the dwarf said as we were leaving the store.
"Thank you, guys," I said.
"It was Miro's idea. When we were fighting alone, the three of us, he couldn't find anyone to protect him from his recklessness and ended up getting seriously injured. But you were the only one who managed to kill the Stingers that he couldn't even handle," Grell said.
"True! By the way, haven't you paid your debt yet?" Miro asked with a slight smile.
"No, I have five nova, and I still owe nineteen," I replied.
After that, Maris and Penny came back and stood with us. Maris seemed happy. Well, she finally got the chance to hang out with a girl again. She hadn't hung out with girls since she was at the palace, so this will make her happy. Also, Penny is a demi-human like her, so they'll naturally get along.
"So, what happened with the armor?" Maris asked.
"I'll get it in four days," I replied.
"Nineteen nova, huh..." Ponier repeated.
Then Ponier handed me a pouch, looked at me with his yellow eyes, and said: "Go pay your debt. I've heard that women don't like being with a man who's in debt."
"..." I went silent as I opened the bag to find it full of blue coins, each with a crown insignia. What a beautiful sight!
"Thank you, guys, I won't forget your support," I said, shocked.
"Thank you, sir!" Maris said as well.
"Well, I heard from Grell that some bandits blocked your way, so... come on, take that amazing sword of yours and show me what you can do, you fallen adventurer!" Ponier said.
"Ponier... can we join your party?" I asked nervously. I couldn't control myself. The happiness I'm feeling right now is indescribable. Ponier has lifted a huge weight off my life.
"No problem," he replied.
"Great!" Penny exclaimed.
Thank you, thank you all for making me happy. I never thought my life would turn out like this after I reached it. I can't say that luck is against me anymore. I can't say I'm an unlucky person. It seems I'm lucky now... no, no, it seems I have random luck... life outside that fucking palace will start to improve from now on. Thank you, good people!