Episode 331

“How is it? Is it good?”

“I think it’s good? How did you even make this?”

Nillia examined the leather water flask up and down in amazement.

It was even more fascinating since there were no special gems, materials, or reagents visible.

“But it only lasts about two weeks.”

“Two weeks? That’s a bit of a shame… but it’s still usable.”

“If you were buying this with silver coins, how much would you pay?”

“???”

Nillia was bewildered at her friend suddenly conducting a market survey in all seriousness.

What was he trying to do?

• * *

The hunters picked out some fairly useful artifacts and gave their thanks.

“Thanks. Never thought I’d be able to get things like these.”

Baisada, who found a ring of strength enhancement, was especially satisfied.

Of course, wearing it would put him under a curse of mobility reduction, but it was a curse he could fully handle.

“It’s not from me. The priests of the Prisinga Order gave these as gifts.”

“True. But we couldn’t have received them without you. Still, priests, we feel bad just taking them like this…”

“No, please. We’d be glad if you saw this as the mercy of Prisinga.”

The two hunters, after some hesitation, seemed to recall something and asked:

“Come to think of it, we heard there’s a small dungeon discovered in the woods outside the South Gate. Isn’t the Prisinga Order interested?”

The South Gate is Granden City’s southern gate, and this meant a dungeon had been found in the forest about half a day south of the city.

It wasn’t a particularly large dungeon or some age-old ruin, so it hadn’t become much of a sensation. Dungeons were found more often than people thought.

Normally, adventurers would just wander in, poke around, and slowly clear it out…

…But to the priests in the neighboring city, it was a different matter.

Just as merchants who target adventurers would immediately pack up and rush over upon hearing of a new dungeon, priests would right away prepare for trouble upon hearing the same.

Even a small dungeon could contain unknown curses inside. If someone cursed emerged into the city, it could spark an epidemic.

So, whenever a dungeon was discovered, the Order typically sent priests to the vicinity, just in case.

“We were actually planning to go check it out. We’ve asked the city council for guards…”

“If you don’t mind, we can escort you.”

And naturally, priests never went alone to such places.

The Order would assign paladins or hire trustworthy escorts, always preparing for any eventuality.

Between monsters and deranged adventurers, there were plenty of dangers—it was necessary.

Hunters from the Shadow Patrol or Wasteland Star-Catchers were more than strong enough.

“It would feel wrong to ask you for such a favor, but…”

“No, it’s nothing. After you’ve given us these gifts, if we just ignored it, the spirits of the mountains would laugh at me.”

“He’s right. Please let us help.”

With the two hunters sincerely insisting, Priest Mehred realized refusing further would be rude.

“Thank you. Let’s leave the remaining tasks to others and head out for a moment.”

“I’ll help too.”

“Thank you.”

Priest Mehred expressed gratitude at Priest Tijilling’s offer to volunteer.

Lee Han felt something spark within.

‘This is a chance!’

“I’ll help too.”

“Pardon? Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family. Uh… Didn’t you come with the professor?”

“It’s fine. The professor will handle what’s left.”

While Professor Verdus was off eating, Lee Han plotted his escape.

He could always say he disappeared for a bit to help with the Prisinga Order’s work.

“I’ll help too.”

Tap—

Nillia put a hand on Lee Han’s shoulder as she spoke.

With the hunters—and even Lee Han—offering sincere help to the Order, she couldn’t just sit still.

“But are there really that many monsters around there?”

“Hmm? I’m not sure.”

“…???”

Nillia tilted her head.

“Weren’t you planning to help because of monsters?”

“No. I’m just running away from the professor. And also checking the artifact market demand among adventurers.”

“……”

Hey!

• * *

The group quickly exited the city gate. Lee Han looked back. Fortunately, Professor Verdus wasn’t in pursuit.

‘He hasn’t noticed yet.’

After passing through the gate and heading along the road, it didn’t take long to reach their destination. In the distance, tents and camps appeared scattered throughout the woods.

The fast-moving merchants had arrived first, set up their tents, and parked their wagons. Adventurers shared information nearby.

“So there were mud lizards inside?”

“I’m telling you. It’s better to take a blunt weapon.”

“I don’t want to swap my weapon just for one mud lizard. Any other way?”

“Hang on. I have a book. Mud lizard, mud lizard…”

“Anything besides monsters worth finding in there? Just catching and selling monsters won’t fetch much. The valuable stuff is what matters.”

“Forget it. It’s a naturally occurring dungeon. If there’s anything worth having, folks like us won’t recognize it even if we see it.”

“Why not just grab everything you can? Whether it’s ores or plants, bring everything out and one of them’s bound to be valuable, right?”

“Have you even been in a dungeon? Yeah, right. You never know what’ll pop out in those pitch-dark places. And once it’s out, how will you even identify it? A wizard will just toy with you.”

“Damn… You sure know how to ruin the mood before we even start.”

Lee Han listened to these conversations with interest. Nillia wasn’t as engaged—she’d heard plenty of such talk as a patrol member.

“Did you hear that, Nillia?”

“Huh? What? Hear what?”

“Don’t you sense a need there? Smells like business to me.”

“I don’t know… that stuff…”

Nillia couldn’t understand her friend’s suspicious obsession with business.

Did he really have to start a business?

Lee Han would surely make plenty on his own without a business…

“Huh?”

“Aren’t those the priests?”

The adventurers brightened when they saw the priests of the Prisinga Order arrive.

Merchants might charge hefty silver coins for even a simple healing salve, but priests were different.

Here, the only ones who genuinely worried and cared about adventurers were the priests.

“Thank you, priests. Thank you for being here!”

“Ah, could you move a bit? Let the priests have a seat.”

“Hey, we were here first…”

The adventurers pushed aside the peddlers and cleared out the best spots for the priests. They snapped at the grumbling merchants.

“Don’t you have any faith? If you get hurt, you won’t even go to the temple?”

‘Bunch of dirty cheats.’

As they moved away, the peddlers swore to jack up their prices for the adventurers.

“Priests. We’ll help set up the tents.”

“No, that’s alright.”

Lee Han stopped the adventurers and lifted his staff.

“Dig.”

A hole opened up for the tent pole, and the surrounding dirt was neatly flattened.

As soon as the tent was set up, Lee Han lit a fire, summoned water to the pot, and sat comfortably.

The adventurers looked on with awe at magic that finished in minutes what would take hours otherwise.

“So that’s magic…!”

“You can do stuff like that?”

“Well, it’s magic, of course you can.”

“That’s weird, though. I was in a party with a wizard once. I was so thirsty and begged him to summon water, but he said absolutely no, said he had to conserve mana.”

“So that guy was lying.”

“That bastard… so that’s what was going on!”

While the adventurers misunderstood, Lee Han looked over the peddlers.

‘Potions, tools, sundries. Hmm. Competition is fierce.’

Since buying quality goods cheap and selling them expensive was the name of the game, competition was tight.

Still, there’s always a niche.

‘But no artifacts.’

Of course.

What crazy peddler would bring expensive artifacts all the way out here to sell? If you weren’t robbed on the way, you were lucky.

‘If I made artifacts…’

As Lee Han pondered in all seriousness, Priest Tijilling asked Nillia curiously,

“Are you worried that a curse might pop up?”

“Uh… Well…”

Nillia couldn’t bring herself to tell Priest Tijilling the truth.

• * *

“Priest!! My leg!! Is it a curse!?!”

“No. Just a muscle cramp.”

“Ah.”

Just as expected, nothing serious happened.

Occasionally, adventurers would come out looking tired, or with a bone broken somewhere.

Sometimes, an adventurer would drag out a giant monster, groaning all the way.

Thud!

“He’s got guts, that one.”

“But the real test is field dressing.”

“Right. Just bringing it out isn’t enough.”

Even after catching a monster, selling it for high value took skill.

If you got a mana stone from it, it was easier; peeling its hide or properly cutting the meat was also quite tough.

Of course, for these Shadow Patrol and Wasteland Star-Catchers veterans, this was second nature.

“Tch tch.”

“His knife work was off, just now.”

“Really was.”

The two hunters critiqued the adventurer’s skinning technique with hand axe and utility knife.

Lee Han nodded and commented,

“If he cut sideways there and pulled, it would’ve come off much easier.”

“Wha…?!”

Baisada was shocked.

It was the same as last time—the boy from the Wardanaz Family handled hunting and butchery as if he’d learned directly from the Shadow Patrol.

It truly was amazing.

“……”

Nillia stared at Lee Han. Lee Han lowered his head slightly.

“Thanks for the tip.”

“No, that’s… never mind…”

Nillia instinctively knew it’d be more trouble to tell those hunters ‘actually, I taught him.’

She was already misunderstood enough as it was.

‘What is social skill anyway? It’s not some dark cult technique.’

Rumbleeeee!

The ground shook with an underground roar.

Everyone present was alarmed by the sudden tremor.

“What in the…?”

“Priest, this way!”

The hunters immediately shielded the priests first. Whatever had happened, something was clearly triggered in the dungeon.

‘What’s going on?’

Thud!

Fortunately, they soon found out what happened inside.

A disheveled adventurer burst out and rambled incoherently.

“P-people got teleported…! People from other places, together with monsters…!”

“What? What are you talking about??”

“Outta the way!”

Someone more capable of explaining ran out.

“I am Berhirg, knight of the Kerel Family! My expedition force was subjugating the Crimson Forest when we were teleported here along with monsters! Many are badly wounded—please send help! On behalf of my family and all those who joined the expedition, anyone who assists will be justly rewarded… urk.”

His injuries severe, the knight fell to his knees and coughed up blood.

But that was enough for people to understand what had happened.

“Looks like a teleportation spell fired off in the middle of the expedition and sent them and monsters together into the dungeon. Let’s contact the city and request healers be dispatched urgently.”

Merchants prepared places for the wounded to lie down, and priests requested additional aid from the city.

Lee Han approached Berhirg and used magic to heal his large wounds, then gave him a potion.

If he’d tried to heal everything with potions alone, either the man or the supply of potions would have run out.

“…???”

Priest Mehred was shocked to see how naturally Lee Han cast healing magic.

Just what are you doing???