On the small road leading from the Grote family castle toward Wingen Town, a horse-drawn carriage sped along.
Morning dew along the roadside trickled into streams through the gaps in the gravel, splashed aside by the rolling wheels.
Inside the carriage, the mood among the passengers was quite relaxed.
Lynn lifted the curtain, gazing back at the castle as it gradually vanished into the morning fog.
Gray teased, “What? Do you think the punishment for Grote wasn't enough?”
Lynn shook his head.
Their gains this time were already substantial. Pushing for an exorbitant price any further would only back Moni into a corner, forcing him into a desperate life-or-death struggle.
Although with Gray present, Moni wouldn't be able to cause any real trouble no matter what tricks he had up his sleeve, pushing Moni to that extreme would certainly sour Gray's impression of Lynn.
After all, in Gray's eyes, while there was conflict between the two, it hadn't escalated to the point of an absolute life-or-death vendetta.
“I've really troubled you this time, Mentor Gray,” Lynn thanked Gray respectfully.
Ever since he arrived in town, he had troubled Gray a great deal.
Gray didn't respond, instead suddenly reaching out toward Lynn.
Lynn subconsciously leaned back to avoid him, but with four people crammed inside the carriage and Lupa occupying the seat beside him, he had nowhere to hide.
Fortunately, Gray merely pulled open Lynn's leather gorget.
There was a smooth slice across the neck guard left by the Psionic Corpse. The tanned brown leather had turned black from fel energy contamination, and the rest of the leather armor was more or less stained with blood.
Seeing the cuts on the neck guard and chest, Gray couldn't help but frown. “What kind of monster did you encounter on this commission to get injured like this?”
Gray actually knew a bit about the rumors surrounding Lynn's exploits at the Adventurers' Guild.
Thus, he knew Lynn's strength was definitely top-tier among apprentices. Even in the royal capital, his talent at his level would be considered that of a genius. In a place like a cemetery, there shouldn't have been any monster capable of wounding him.
Speaking of this, Lynn was actually a bit puzzled as well. “We ran into a Psionic Corpse in the graveyard.”
“A Psionic Corpse?” Hearing this, Gray paused in thought, seemingly searching his memory for information on such a monster.
Such low-level monsters were rarely mentioned in Gray's daily life, so he didn't recall it immediately.
However, he quickly remembered details about the creature.
Gray's brow furrowed. “A Tier 2 monster, a magic-resistant Psionic Corpse?”
Lynn nodded.
“Then how did you escape?” Saying this, Gray motioned to rise. “No, I need to go kill that monster first!”
Lynn quickly pulled Gray back. “Gan and I teamed up and defeated the Psionic Corpse.”
“Defeated it?!”
Settling back into his seat, Gray was somewhat astonished. He glanced at the Monk—an ordinary-looking class-holder with a modest aura, likely only Tier 1.
An apprentice and a Tier 1 class-holder had joined forces to slay a rare Tier 2 monster with magic immunity?
Gray was instinctively skeptical, but Lynn had no reason to lie to him.
Noticing Gray's skepticism, Lynn took out the Mind Wall Pendant from his vest and showed it to him. “It was all thanks to this item that I was able to kill the Psionic Corpse.”
A blue light flashed in Gray's eyes, allowing him to grasp the general effects of the Mind Wall Pendant.
His lips twitched into a stiff smile, feeling deeply conflicted inside.
Gray truly didn't know what to say about Lynn's luck!
If he said Lynn was lucky, the boy had managed to encounter an exceedingly rare Tier 2 monster in a mere cemetery. But if he said Lynn was unlucky, he happened to possess a magic item that perfectly hard-countered the Psionic Corpse.
Without this gear, Lynn, as a Mage apprentice, would have almost certainly failed to defeat the Psionic Corpse.
Feeling a mix of emotions, Gray settled on patting Lynn's shoulder. “When we get back to town, go get yourself some proper gear.”
Then, recalling something else, Gray asked, “Did you drink all your Life Potions? Do you have enough left?”
Clearly, the damage to the leather armor led Gray to misjudge the intensity of the fight, assuming Lynn had consumed Life Potions to stand here unscathed.
Lynn hurriedly shook his head in refusal.
The bottle of Life Potion Betty had gifted him remained unopened to this day.
Seeing Lynn decline, Gray sighed helplessly and placed the two magic items he had received from the butler into Lynn's hands.
“Of these two items, one is a Portable Teleportation Scroll. It can teleport up to three people to a previously visited location within one thousand meters of the starting point. If you encounter danger while adventuring, just tear it open to use it.”
Saying that, Gray pointed at the rolled-up piece of leather.
“This one is a magic map. Once activated by absorbing ambient mana, it can map the rough terrain within five kilometers of the holder and show your exact position. Take it along on adventures to keep from getting lost.”
“Stay safe when taking on commissions in the future. No matter how much of a genius you are, you only have a future if you stay alive.”
Gray rambled on at length, but Lynn took every word to heart, feeling a surge of warmth in his chest.
He was undoubtedly fortunate. After coming to this world, every person he met had helped him immensely.
From Rogan, the village militia captain, and his childhood friend Sarah, to Betty and the Monk he met upon arriving in town, to Mentor Gray...
Without their help, his adventuring journey might have been far more tedious.
As for the two magic items, Lynn had no intention of turning them down.
Back when he was in the sewers, he had wished for a magic map, but magic items were far too expensive for him to afford.
He never expected that Moni's scheme would end up delivering this very item straight into his hands.
The Portable Teleportation Scroll was also a lifesaver, so Lynn naturally wouldn't refuse it.
A senior like Mentor Gray truly gave one a great sense of security.
After thanking Gray, the carriage's speed gradually slowed down.
The scenery outside the window transitioned from endless green to golden fields of wheat.
The outline of Wingen Town flickered faintly through the mist.
Upon returning to town, Lynn's first task wasn't selling the loot from this commission or returning to the inn to ask Aurora to make Moon Fungus Cake.
Instead, he headed straight to the Adventurers' Guild, intending to report all the unusual circumstances encountered during the commission.
The receptionist, who had already become familiar with Lynn, turned slightly pale upon hearing that a Tier 2 monster had appeared near Wingen Town and immediately went upstairs to report the news to the guild's higher-ups.
Soon, Loffan, the guild secretary who had received Lynn's party during the gnoll incident, walked downstairs.
Seeing that it was Lynn and his party once again, the slightly weary Loffan gave a bitter smile.
Them again...
Why did trouble seem to follow these adventurers wherever they went?
Rate on N.U.
