Wages

Looking at his level, which had risen by another two levels to 36, Lin Feng's conscience was once again put to the test.

—If Lesser Lord Kusanali hadn't given up yet, I should find some time to look for the Aranara and meet her indirectly.

Lin Feng silently made up his mind.

Feeling that his body had grown stronger by several degrees thanks to Entry Enhancement, Lin Feng was in such a good mood that even the knocking coming from outside the window sounded refreshing.

Wait, knocking?

Realizing something, Lin Feng hurriedly got up and opened the door. Outside stood Nasrin, who had been waiting for a long time with an angry puffed-up expression.

"Forest Ranger Lin Feng, I've been knocking for a full five minutes!"

Nasrin's adorable little face, framed by brown hair, was puffed up high like an angry hamster.

Lin Feng quickly apologized. After explaining that he had gone to bed late yesterday because he had been clearing out monsters, Nasrin reluctantly forgave him and explained why she had come.

"Senior Tighnari seems to be going to meet one of his friends and will be away for a while, so he asked me to bring you your recent work assignments and this month's pay in advance."

As she spoke, Nasrin opened the pack on her back and handed Lin Feng a forest patrol route map and a small pouch.

"Thanks for making the trip, Nasrin."

He weighed the pouch in his hand and was surprised by the considerable amount of Mora inside.

"While Tighnari is away, if you find any monsters, please let me know. I'll do my best to keep the surrounding area safe."

His boss was simply too reliable, and his coworkers had always looked after him because of his young age, so Lin Feng took the initiative to offer to help clear out monsters.

"Sigh, you're clearly only as old as my little brother, but you've become as dependable as Senior Tighnari."

Seeing Lin Feng like this, Nasrin felt even more regretful about her little brother at home, who spent every day clamoring about going treasure hunting.

"Then I'll leave it to you. Visions really are enviable. When will the gods ever look my way?"

Full of envy for Lin Feng, Nasrin left while curiously wondering what element her own Vision might possess.

Back inside, Lin Feng eagerly opened the pouch.

"Whoa, there's actually 20,000 Mora?!"

Lin Feng was somewhat shocked. In his previous life, 20,000 yuan a month would have been pretty good already. Could a Trainee Forest Ranger really earn this much?

After reading the note Tighnari had left inside, Lin Feng finally understood the reason despite his lingering doubts.

First, although he was a Trainee Forest Ranger, he had awakened a Vision and thus counted as rare talent, so he received a certain additional subsidy.

Second, some of the monsters from the camp he had cleared out last time had bounties posted through the Adventurers' Guild. Tighnari had given him those rewards as well, which was why Lin Feng, despite having only been employed for a few days, could receive such a generous sum.

"With a Vision, it really seems like there's no need to worry about making money."

Holding the heavy pouch, Lin Feng realized that he had underestimated the status of Vision bearers.

According to the game's texts, the source of a Vision's power was a fragment of the Seven Archons' authority. Their numbers in the world were already low enough to be considered exceedingly rare.

—The protagonist's social circle in the game had simply been too elevated. Before Adepti and gods, a mere Vision naturally did not seem all that precious.

But for Lin Feng, who possessed only a few thousand Mora scavenged from others, the subsidy for this "rare talent" was already more than sweet enough.

"Come on, Xiao Bai. Let's go treat ourselves to a proper feast!"

Holding Xiao Bai, who had become excited at the mention of good food, Lin Feng set off for a nearby market.

"Help! Could some hero please come save me—"

Halfway there, Lin Feng heard a familiar voice. Looking down, he saw:

—Farbod, whom he had not seen in several days, surrounded by a group of Hydro Slimes and crouching with his head covered.

Lin Feng stared blankly at the small Slimes, each only about as big as Farbod's two hands.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Feng decisively turned and walked away.

—At this level, even Timmie by Mondstadt's bridge could knock down a whole bunch of them.

"Hey, benefactor, don't go! Save me!"

Hearing Farbod's energetic cries for help, Lin Feng, who had originally intended to ignore him, ultimately jumped down from the suspension bridge out of curiosity about what a Slime felt like to touch. He landed beside Farbod.

He reached out and grabbed a Slime by the head. Watching the round little thing instinctively struggle in his hand, Lin Feng felt even more speechless toward a certain useless man.

—The texture was pretty nice, though. Like an overinflated sponge.

Lin Feng gave his assessment inwardly as he held the Slime.

Casually using the weakest Wooden Spikes to dispose of the Slimes, Lin Feng walked over to Farbod, whose face was full of relief.

"What happened? Slimes at this level could be cleared out with a couple of swings from any stick you picked up." Lin Feng was puzzled.

"Hehe, benefactor, hear me out. Under normal circumstances, forget these things—even those legendary Giant Slimes wouldn't scare me. Today's situation is special."

Farbod stood up from the ground, and only then did Lin Feng see why he had been crouching all along.

—He had been protecting a basket overflowing with mushrooms beneath him. There were so many that even the slightest movement might make them spill out.

"If I ran, the mushrooms I picked all night would be ruined. Besides, Slimes like these don't hurt when they hit you. If I just crouched here for a while, they'd scatter on their own."

Lin Feng: "."

Sure, if the Slimes damaged them, it would indeed affect the mushrooms' appearance, but wasn't this taking things a little too far?

With a sigh, Lin Feng satisfied his curiosity, casually crushed the Slime in his hand, and prepared to leave for breakfast.

"Hey, hey, hey, benefactor, don't go! How about coming to my place for a mushroom meal? They were just picked, absolutely fresh!"

Farbod enthusiastically invited Lin Feng.

"No thanks. I don't like watching colorful little people dance."

Lin Feng decisively refused. After all, his first encounter with Farbod had left far too deep an impression.

"Don't say that, benefactor! It's not like I get sick from eating mushrooms every time. I've only gotten sick twice this month."

Hearing Farbod trying to persuade him from behind, Lin Feng picked up his pace in alarm.

After taking Xiao Bai through several food stalls, Lin Feng looked at the merchants who had closed up early because he wanted Xiao Bai to have a good meal and truly felt how much his life had changed.

At first, he had been chased through the rainforest by Long-Bearded Tigers with nowhere to hide, surviving on wild fruit every day. Now, he had the strength to protect himself, a stable place to live, and could even spend 2,000 Mora to give Xiao Bai a good meal.

All these changes seemed to have begun when he arrived in Gandharva Ville and met Tighnari. Feeling grateful, Lin Feng decided that after a while, he would head into the rainforest and clear out as many nearby threats as possible, reducing some of the workload for Tighnari, who was out visiting a friend.