"Almost there?"
"I think so. Let me check."
At midday, on a narrow road stretching beyond sight across the wilderness, several figures followed an old cart horse, making their way forward at an unhurried pace.
As he walked, Gauss surveyed the surroundings. He wasn't admiring the scenery; he was comparing it against the map in his mind.
Everywhere he went, the surrounding area lit up on the map.
So whenever he traveled outdoors, he would make a habit of naming and marking landmarks or places with distinctive features as he passed them.
That made the map look a little more complete.
At the moment, aside from the area around Grayrock Town, the rest of the map in his mind was pitch-black.
Several winding paths extended outward from Grayrock Town, their ends connecting to a number of villages.
Those were all places he had passed through on previous missions.
The map might not have sounded very useful, but when you found yourself lost in an endless sea of trees or in the wilderness, where no man-made structures were in sight, you could appreciate the comfort of always knowing where you were and how far you were from the nearest town.
He never had to worry about getting lost.
That alone was a powerful ability, especially for low-level adventurers.
And once he became a professional and was strong enough to explore more complicated ruins, secret realms, dungeons, and other places, the map might prove even more useful.
Whether in mazes, caves, underground worlds, or on seafaring adventures, no matter the environment, he would never lose his way again once he had traveled through it.
After marking a water source, he exited the map in his mind.
In the distance, the outline of a broad, shimmering river came into view.
That was the destination of their current commission: the Ense River.
This time, their task was to clear out a group of water ghouls that had settled along the riverbank. There were around twenty of them. The group needed to search the area around the docks and kill the monsters.
This was the second mission the group had taken on since the heavy rain. Their last one had been to clear skeletons from a cemetery.
Ordinary skeletons were the weakest monsters he had encountered so far.
Unfortunately, there hadn't been many, and Gauss had already killed quite a few. In the end, he had only managed to kill eight.
Commissions involving skeletons were also rare, so it was just good luck that Gauss and the others had found one.
It was probably because skeletons were so weak that there was no need to pay adventurers to deal with them. The villagers could handle them with a pitchfork.
They were the absolute disgrace of the monster world.
Fortunately, those eight skeletons had still moved Gauss a little closer to his goal. He was now just ten kills short of reaching a total of fifty.
Ten monsters sounded like a number he might be able to reach in a single mission.
"Everyone, be careful. This heavy rain might have brought some other strange creatures here besides the water ghouls," Leven warned them, as he always did, before they entered the docks.
Gauss nodded.
There were already plenty of monsters in the river, and after days of heavy rain, it was possible that creatures from other places had been swept here as well.
A small fishing village sat on the high ground above the riverbank.
Below it was a level wooden pier, with dozens of small boats moored alongside it. Colorful water plants swayed beneath their hulls, and sunlight pierced the water, making the view beautiful.
Sailors, stevedores, and fishermen worked hard at the docks.
"Everything looks normal."
After surveying the area from above for a long while, they could see the whole stretch of riverbank nearby, but there was no sign of the water ghouls described in the commission.
"Let's ask around at the tavern first."
The group headed for the only tavern in the village.
The commission had been issued by a trade association in Grayrock Town, which also ran and managed the docks.
The tavern in the village was part of the association's business, too.
The tavern was the obvious place to ask.
"Mermaid Tavern."
The tavern's sign depicted a beautiful mermaid with a fish's tail and a woman's body.
Though it was still daytime, the tavern was already bustling.
There were workers eating, merchants drinking, and locals sitting together, arms around each other as they clinked their cups.
"Creeeak—"
The door opened with a grating sound as its hinges rubbed together.
Blinding sunlight spilled into the tavern's dim, noisy interior.
The sudden commotion drew everyone's attention.
Under the tavern patrons' gaze, the muffled, synchronized thud of footsteps announced the arrival of a fully armed group of men and women.
At their head was a burly man with a stern expression. He strode in like a cold, solid wall, and the people following him looked just as intimidating.
The group's imposing presence made most of the patrons instinctively look away and return to what they had been doing.
The din of the tavern also seemed to be abruptly silenced, its volume dropping all at once.
Gauss watched Leven, who had deliberately put on a stern face, without letting it show.
I've learned something.
Putting on a bit of an act could help avoid unnecessary trouble, especially in a place like a tavern, full of all sorts of people. If you looked too easy to bully, some drunk hothead might pick a fight.
What he didn't know was that, in the eyes of the other people in the tavern, he looked even more intimidating.
He wore leather armor and a round shield, with a longsword at his waist. Aside from his unusually bright emerald-green eyes, he looked fairly ordinary.
But if you met his gaze, a strange pressure would slowly rise from the depths of your mind.
It was the oppressive effect his seven points of Spirit had on ordinary people.
It sometimes happened even when Gauss wasn't trying to intimidate anyone.
"You're the adventurers who took the commission, right? I'm Harvey, the owner here."
"Hello."
The group had only been standing in the main hall for a little while when the tavern owner came over to meet them.
"Let's talk in the private room."
To avoid disturbing the tavern's business, Harvey led them to a private room for guests.
"We didn't see any water ghouls. Weren't there supposed to be around twenty of them along the riverbank?" Gauss asked casually once the door was shut.
"Ha ha." At Gauss's question, a hint of awkwardness appeared on Harvey's face.
After meeting Gauss's gaze and feeling an inexplicable pressure, he quietly looked away.
"That was the case before, but yesterday a group of sailors from the village had a few drinks. While they were still feeling the effects, they went after the water ghouls."
"They killed them all?" Gauss asked instinctively, thinking they had come all this way for nothing.
Harvey gave a rueful smile and shook his head.
"Of course not. A few sailors were injured, and they left behind two dead water ghouls. The rest vanished—we don't know where they're hiding. They haven't shown themselves along the riverbank at all today."
"A lot of merchant ships will be coming in to unload cargo over the next few days. Brave adventurers, could you search for the water ghouls hiding nearby and wipe them out for good as soon as possible?"
The group exchanged glances.
They were rather speechless. Why had those drunks gone and stirred up the water ghouls?
Now that the creatures were frightened and hiding, the group had been saddled with extra work for no reason.
Perhaps because the group had been silent for a long time, Harvey spoke up again.
"How about this? I'll ask the trade association for more funds and offer you an extra twenty silver coins in compensation. What do you say?"
Hearing that, the group reconsidered.
Water ghouls were already a fairly lucrative monster, which was why they had chosen this mission.
The commission paid one silver coin for each water ghoul. Add the extra twenty silver coins and whatever loot they might find on the creatures, and the total reward for the mission could easily rise to sixty silver coins or even more.
That could mean a share of over ten silver coins for each person.
To be honest, earning more than ten silver coins per person from a single mission was already a considerable haul.
"We'll have to discuss it."
"Of course. Let me know once you've decided." Harvey tactfully left the private room to give them space to talk.
"What do you think?"
"Twenty extra silver coins. I think it's worth continuing."
"And we can scavenge quite a bit of loot from the water ghouls, too. Weapons, supplies they've salvaged from shipwrecks, and even their gallbladders, innards, tongues, and brains can be used as raw materials for making poison."
"If nobody objects, we'll continue with the mission." Leven nodded after hearing everyone's opinions.
"But stay alert. Something feels off to me." Ever since they had arrived nearby, Leven had felt a tightness in his chest and a lingering sense of restlessness.
His Shield Bearer instincts seemed to be kicking in again.
But he couldn't say what the feeling meant, so he could only remind his companions once more to stay cautious.
Everyone nodded, but they didn't take his warning too seriously. Leven often told them to be careful.
Gauss, meanwhile, was still wondering whether he could push himself to kill ten more monsters and reach his target this time.
Total monsters killed: 40/50
Monster types killed: 3/5 (goblin, slime, ordinary skeleton)
Keeping up with the story over the next few days is very important. The novel's about to get a promotional recommendation, and I'm counting on your support! These next few days are crucial.
Before you continue