Chương 116: Become stronger, please! part 4
"Is this... you... and you walked all this way with so much money?"
Risa's reaction was completely out of character, but she was too flabbergasted to even gather her words. The others stared in complete silence at the biggest pile of gold coins they had seen in their life.
As if hypnotized by the money, Shortie extended a hand forward, but the shopkeeper took it quickly. No one expected something like that, not even the shopkeeper who didn't know what to offer.
The amount wasn't that much, he couldn't afford anything made of mithril because it was much more expensive than gold. But this was the first time a rookie adventurer brought so much money.
"I would like the red leather cape, the jeweled dagger and, if possible, that ring too"
Ryu said ignoring the shock on everyone's faces. The shopkeeper took the items and placed them on the counter.
"This is for you, Sera"
Ryu took the ring and the cape for himself, and he gifted the dagger to Sera who received it with a flushed face.
The tall man was desperately trying to sum up the change but Ryu stopped him.
"Whatever is left use it on shortie"
It took no genius to know which one of the rookies was shortie and the man nodded to Ryu. He wasn't an adventurer anymore, but he still reminded his youthful days along his comrades at the guild making him feel respect towards the young man in front of him. If he cared enough for his companions to gift them expensive equipment, he may succeed in becoming a respectable adventurer, something he always dreamed of but failed to accomplish.
It was only after becoming an assassin and stealing equipment from other adventurers that he managed to climb up the ladder, by the time the knights found him he was already too strong and sneaky to be taken down, so he decided to settle in the black market street.
Not only because it allowed him to make a living without much effort, but also because it was a safe place to raise his daughter. Every time the knights raided the black market street they simply turned off the lights and made a run for it, until it was so filled with mercenaries and rogue adventurers that even the knights were hopeless.
After everyone was ready with their new gear they headed outside, the man unlocked the door so everyone could leave and ushered them outside.
"I hope you found everything to your liking"
The shopkeeper said.
"Yeah, we did. See you next year, dad"
Risa said after hugging the man leaving everyone astonished, but it also made sense. She's really different from everyone they've ever met, even other adventurers, and she coming from the slums provided an explanation for her eccentricities.
On the way back they didn't find trouble, attacking a group of rookie adventurers accompanied by an instructor everyone wearing basic gear and loaded with gold coins was one thing, but attacking them after they geared up in enchanted items while not carrying a single gold coin was suicidal at best. Not just that, even if they managed to steal their gear, they wouldn't be able to sell them at the black market without people finding out who attacked them and they could be attacked in revenge.
After arriving at the guild everyone was getting ready to go back to their homes but Risa stopped them in their tracks.
"Where are you going? we have yet to complete a quest"
Risa said confused by their behavior.
"Uhm, but miss Risa, it's past lunch time and there's no need to push ourselves to complete a quest daily"
Thea said with a face that showed how tired she was. They didn't do much physical effort, but the mental stress they suffered was enough to last a week.
"Of course not, cupcake, but the reason we went to the black market today was in preparation for the quest I've already taken. You got your soulbound cards, passed the test, passed the first mission and you took a quest with your instructor, but that instructor wasn't me and I need to know what you can or you can't do. You all are able to take on any quest you think you can complete, as long as it's in your rank or lower, but only with me you can take more difficult tasks."
Everyone got excited at her words.
"Does that mean we're going to take a D rank quest!?"
Ryu asked excitedly.
"Don't be so hasty or the beasts will eat you before I do. I'm a C rank, this means I can take C rank quests or lower, but it doesn't necessarily mean I can complete them. While anyone can complete an F rank by themselves, C rank quests usually require different skills and gear so a single person, no matter how strong, won't usually be able to do it by themselves. There are special cases, some quests are pretty straightforward, like hunting rats or any kind of beast, those kind of quest depend only on raw power. I once participated on an A rank mission consisting on taking down a wyvern."
"Miss Risa did you kill a wyvern!?"
"Of course not, it took an army and we suffered many casualties that day"
She said with a sad smile.
"Anyways, don't even dream of taking on a D rank quest, even if you become D rank, people who take on D rank quests are all C rank or higher"
Just as the instructor finishes speaking a commotion arose at the guild hall, a huge group of adventurers surrounded the counter and then started cheering.
"What's the matter?"
Shortie asked.
"I'll go find out"
Kinda said as he walked towards his father, Ryota, who was currently active as a guard inside the guild. When Kinta came back he was as excited as everyone else.
"It seems some adventurers managed to kill a crimson cobra..."
He managed to say when his voice was overshadowed by the chants of the group.
"Golden boy! golden boy!"
They shouted joyfully and what followed brought a smile on Ryu's face. Luke was being lifted and thrown into the air and then caught by the adventurers, then they lifted him up and started walking around the guild visiting the tables.
Risa's group, who still had to find a table, wasn't left out as they came close.
"This guy defeated a crimson cobra!!!"
Luke waved at Ryu with the biggest smile he had seen so far on his face and it made him sincerely happy for him.
Thea thought Luke was waving at her and her heart raced, until she noticed Ryu waving back at the blond adventurer.
"What are you doing, idiot? he's clearly waving at me"
She nudged at Ryu with a frown on her face. Despite feeling wronged, he remained silent and just let her enjoy it, he didn't want to spoil anyone's mood.
"Is killing a crimson cobra a big deal?"
Sera asked her instructor.
"I would say it can be a challenge even for a C rank adventurer, but for a D rank is nigh impossible."
Risa muttered wondering if she made the right choice while staring at the twenty meter snake Bob was carrying inside the guild for everyone to see.
Lorenzo was entitled to a share of the loot, if she had stayed with Bob and Luke her purse would be heavier. Because she had been raised in the slums, money was almost all she cared about, almost... because there's only one thing that was more important and that was power.
She knew all too well it didn't matter how much money someone had, only power could get people out of life or death matter. Beasts can't be bribed after all.
"Hey kids, we don't have time to celebrate, let's get moving, come on! we're losing daylight!"
Instructor Risa hurried the rookie adventurers out of the guild and headed towards the city gate.
"Before we arrive I'll give everyone a warning. This is not a straightforward beast slaying quest, there's something out there attacking the cattle near the south gate. We're only there to investigate the matter and take care of it if it's not too dangerous, but I'll be the judge of that. If you don't take this quest seriously you would be disrespecting the guild and I can't allow that, if you don't follow my instructions I can get you kicked off the guild"
Even after spending the whole day with a serious and reliable Risa, they still found her attitude out of character. Be it to make them take the quest seriously or that she may be undergoing some sort of self improving period, it still surprised everyone.
In truth, Risa always took quests seriously. She didn't have a good relationship with her father after learning what he did for a living, despite knowing he did all kinds of dirty jobs just to be able to raise her against all odds. Taking quests and helping innocent people was her way of making amends for the pain and suffering her father had caused to so many people after years of killing and stealing.
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