Going upstairs, Lynn went straight to the commission board to check the newly posted commissions.
Lynn's target was the monsters inside the mines located at the foot of the volcano.
Because the mines were tied to the kingdom's ore supply, the authorities took them very seriously, even stationing guards in most areas.
Consequently, most of the monsters in the mines could only huddle in the narrow, hard-to-find abandoned mine shafts.
Compared to other areas on the outskirts of the volcano, the powerful monsters here had mostly been cleared out, making it relatively safer.
After browsing for a while, Lynn finally found a suitable quest—
【Quest Name】: Abandoned Mine Shaft Maintenance
【Type】: Subjugation Bounty
【Client】: Colzan Chamber of Commerce - Kingdom of Vallenia Branch
【Quest Description】: The chamber of commerce recently plans to reclaim and resume mining operations in the abandoned mine shafts. However, a damn kobold tribe has occupied them. Please clear out these pests who are getting in the way of the chamber's profits as soon as possible!
【Bounty Reward】: 30 copper per Kobold Minion, 50 copper per kobold. If there are Kobold Sorcerers or Dragonborn Kobolds, 4 gold coins each.
In terms of sheer numbers, kobolds ranked in the top five among the monsters around Wingen Town.
The vast majority of kobolds hid in the various branching tunnels of the mines. A seemingly unremarkable dog hole could very well lead to a small kobold tribe inside.
As naturally evil monsters, kobolds were slightly smarter than goblins; at least they knew to stay out of the way of humans.
Unlike those green-skinned runts, who would have gone extinct long ago if not for their prolific breeding capabilities.
“How about we take this commission?”
Lynn looked at his two temporary teammates and asked for their opinions.
Seeing that the target of the subjugation was kobolds, Hilda, the female fighter who wanted to challenge powerful monsters, was actually a bit reluctant.
But for some reason, after Lynn spoke, she nodded as if possessed.
At this moment, Lynn did not yet know that his new Feat was quietly working its magic.
Seeing both teammates cast their votes in favor, he tore down the commission sheet and went to the counter to have the receptionist process the paperwork for the three of them.
The location of this quest was further away than any of their previous commissions, which meant they needed to prepare more supplies.
Fortunately, the guild provided adventure supply kits for adventurers, which only cost a few silver coins.
After purchasing all the supplies, the three boarded a carriage heading to the outskirts of the volcano.
After Lynn left,
“Boss, do we still have a chance? Why does it feel like this kid is always moving with a party?”
On the third floor of the guild, the dual-dagger man, who had been secretly spying on Lynn from the shadows, asked the plate-armored man.
The plate-armored man gritted his teeth.
“Follow them. It's happening today!”
The dual-dagger man's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to head downstairs, the plate-armored man grabbed him.
“What is it, Boss?”
“Do it!”
The plate-armored man blurted it out, then felt like something was slightly off. “Bah, I mean, go prepare a few fireproof potions. If we can rob him, we rob him. In case we can't beat him, we'll have a way out!”
...
Once they left the town, Henry leaned against the carriage window, looking rather excited as he stared at the golden wheat stubble left after the harvest and the occasional goblin corpses that hadn't been disposed of yet.
Seeing his reaction, Lynn asked, “What, have you never been outside Wingen Town?”
Henry let go of the window curtain. “I've been out of Wingen Town. I went to Whiteport with my father before, but I've never done an adventure commission.”
Well, this kid had actually been to Whiteport, while Lynn himself hadn't even been there yet.
Hearing their conversation, Hilda glanced at Henry.
Seeing the high-quality equipment he wore, Hilda had originally thought Henry was a veteran adventurer.
She hadn't expected him to be a complete novice.
However, with Lynn here—whose strength Hilda had witnessed with her own eyes—
Hilda wasn't particularly worried about their safety on this commission.
The carriage ride was a bit bumpy; the driver's skills were far inferior to those of Betty's private coachman.
Or perhaps it was an issue with the carriage and the draft horses themselves.
After about five or six hours, just as the sun in the sky began to sink toward the horizon—
“We've arrived, esteemed adventurers. The carriage can't go any further.”
The driver's voice drifted inside.
Lynn and the other two unloaded their supplies from the carriage. After agreeing on a pickup time with the driver, the carriage departed.
“How spectacular...”
Henry muttered.
Lynn also looked toward the direction of their commission.
A vast, boundless sea of trees stretched between the adventurers and the volcano like a somber, ink-colored riverbed, cutting off any further path for the carriage.
Behind the forest belt, the active volcano that nurtured all of Wingen Town rose slowly from the earth. Its slopes were gentle, yet its massive bulk heavily blocked half of the sky.
Even in its slumber, this sleeping behemoth still spewed fire, pumice, and ash from its peak, like the warm breath of the earth itself.
The twilight over the mountains stood there quietly, awaiting the arrival of every adventurer.
Facing such majestic natural power, Lynn felt a sense of awe wash over him.
This was also his first time seeing the volcano from such a close distance.
Hilda was the only one in the party who had long since grown accustomed to it.
“Let's go. We most likely won't reach the vicinity of the volcano today, so we'll have to find a place to camp in the forest.”
The three walked in silence through the forest as the sky gradually darkened, leaving only the glowing sphere of light hovering around Lynn to illuminate their path forward.
After walking for over an hour, just as Henry was sweating and panting, Hilda, who was leading the way, finally stopped.
“This is the spot.”
Lynn swept his gaze around.
Hilda clearly possessed extensive wilderness camping experience. The campsite she chose offered a clear view and sat on slightly elevated ground, which would provide excellent defense against nighttime monster ambushes.
As for pitching tents...
Lynn wasn't very good at it. After a brief scramble, he was shooed aside by Hilda.
“Alright, just leave your tent here. I'll help you pitch it.”
Hilda took the messy tent from Lynn's arms and gently pushed him aside.
Watching Hilda expertly set up her own tent and then start working on his, Lynn felt slightly embarrassed.
Fortunately, after watching her do it once, Lynn learned how.
He wouldn't need Hilda's help next time.
Once the tents were set up, Lynn began walking around the forest, hoping to run into some monsters and secure the final piece of the puzzle to unlock his next Rune reward.
Henry followed him as well.
The two crept quietly through the forest for a while.
Finally, about a kilometer away from the campsite, the voice Lynn had been eagerly anticipating finally rang out:
“New Star Calendar, Year 442. Adventurer Lynn has unlocked a new entry in the monster encyclopedia—Walking Mushroom. Current unlocked entries: 20.”
The new Rune was here.
“Obtained encyclopedia reward. Drawing for you now—”
The deck shuffled rapidly, and several cards were drawn in sequence, resting quietly on the pages of the book.
This time, there were a whopping four options—
【Lunch Money】: Every time you kill a monster, three silver coins will be deposited into your treasury. The value of the silver coins fluctuates based on the region you are in, adopting the local currency value (if there is no circulating currency in the region, the Rune becomes inactive).
【Triple Shot】: When you hit with 「Magic Missile」, you can instantly cast two additional 「Magic Missile」 spells at no cost. These missiles can trigger other Rune effects.
【Seasoned Sniper】: When your ranged spells hit an enemy from beyond thirty meters, 60% of the mana consumed by the spell is refunded.
【Mage's Juice Box】: Monsters you kill will charge the juice box's progress by 10%. Once the juice box is fully charged, it can be used. Drinking the juice will immediately fully restore your mana and spend a certain amount of time healing mild to moderate injuries. (Can be consumed up to three times a day).
Rate on N.U.
