Slime Cleanup Quest

[Regarding the Cave Pollution Cleanup]

The water quality of the town's backup water source had deteriorated significantly over the past half month, accompanied by an unpleasant odor.

Preliminary investigations confirmed that slimes had appeared in an abandoned cave along the underground river supplying the backup water source. Their secretions were the primary cause of the contamination.

To ensure the drinking water safety and health of Blackstone Town's residents, a reliable and efficient adventurer party was being recruited to carry out the following task in the abandoned cave.

Commission Rank: Standard.

Commission Objective:

Eliminate all slimes within the abandoned cave and investigate the specific circumstances.

Reward:

Three silver coins would be paid for each slime, with slime cores serving as proof for the count.

Association Note:

The abandoned cave was dark and damp inside. Be sure to prepare sufficient lighting equipment.

"Not bad. Let's take this one." Zeliel nodded in agreement.

Slimes were not much of a threat, and he had learned Illumination, so it would come in handy.

"Come to think of it, will it just be the two of us for this mission? Isn't that a little risky?" Zeliel suddenly recalled something.

"Then count me in." Another familiar voice sounded.

The half-elf ranger Vales had also happened to arrive at the Adventurers' Association. With a longbow slung across his back, he still wore that poker face that kept strangers at arm's length.

Still, Zeliel acknowledged both Vales's skill and character.

He was the sort of person who looked cold but was kind at heart. Even Gray, whom Vales clearly disliked, had received his help and treatment. He was not someone who would leave another to die.

"That makes three of us."

Marcus pondered for a moment, looking at Zeliel and Vales. "Do we need to find any more teammates?"

"Three should be enough, right? Slimes aren't particularly dangerous. Calling in more people would just be a waste." Vales said.

Zeliel agreed as well.

The danger level was not that high, anyway.

And the fewer people there were, the more money each of them could take home.

"By the way, where's Gray? Have either of you seen him lately?" Zeliel asked.

"I saw him outside the tavern last night."

Vales snorted.

"That guy's built like an ox. His chest and shoulders were wrapped in bandages, yet he was still full of energy. Even injured like that, he didn't forget to go looking for his old flames."

"Gray can't stay still. Making him behave himself would be no different from killing him."

Marcus shook his head. "Then it'll be the three of us for this mission."

Junior warrior Marcus, junior ranger Vales, and magic apprentice Zeliel.

After confirming the party, Marcus took them to the counter to accept the mission. They would gather at the Blackstone Town checkpoint the next morning.

After leaving the Adventurers' Association, Zeliel began preparing for the commission.

Though he was a mage, until he reached the point where he could casually fling low-level spells around and keep protective magic on himself, he still had to buy some necessary equipment.

Better safe than sorry.

Zeliel was still unfamiliar with Blackstone Town, but he did not need to look for a blacksmith's shop. All he had to do was follow the clanging sounds of hammering.

On a street not far from the Nightflower Inn, Zeliel picked out a blacksmith's shop.

The shop was open-air, like a stone cave with only three walls, displaying the blazing scene within without reservation.

Even standing at the entrance, Zeliel could feel a scorching wave of metallic heat rushing at him.

Flames spat from the furnace mouth, warping the surrounding air slightly with heat.

A bare-chested man was working the bellows. Sweat ran over the surface of his muscles, carrying a wild sort of beauty.

"I'm Brown, the owner."

The man's rough voice rang out. "You here to buy equipment or commission something?"

"Uh... buy equipment." Zeliel was a little intimidated by the sight.

"The finished goods are all here. Tell me which one you like, and I'll take it down for you to try."

Brown pointed toward the room on the right. "Pick whatever you want."

The room was divided into two sections. The front half displayed armor, while the back half displayed weapons.

Zeliel intended to get suitable protective gear, then buy a weapon that felt right in his hand.

As for armor, Zeliel did not consider cloth armor.

Its protection was too poor, and since he worked with fire, he might accidentally set himself ablaze.

Chainmail was too expensive, and there was no need for it anyway. He was not a frontline fighter meant to soak up damage.

After some thought, Zeliel chose a studded leather cuirass.

Its main body was hardened cowhide that had been boiled and waxed, with several iron plates riveted onto it. It offered decent protection against slashing attacks and the like.

As for a weapon, Zeliel looked around and selected a rapier.

It was relatively light and did not take much effort to wield.

Even without any foundation in swordsmanship, Zeliel could use it with ease. It would mainly serve for situations where there was no need to cast magic.

The two pieces of equipment cost him a total of eighty silver coins.

As he left the blacksmith's shop, Zeliel looked at his increasingly shriveled coin purse and felt a little melancholy.

He only had a dozen or so silver coins left.

It doesn't feel like I bought much. How am I already out of money?

Sure enough, being a mage was truly a money-burning profession... His biggest expense these past few days had been the white ash wood blanks, which had cost him a full three gold coins.

And that was only one part of a finished wand.

Zeliel sighed.

Ah... I need to work hard and take missions to make money.

At noon the next day, Zeliel arrived at the gathering point on time. Marcus and Vales had already been waiting there.

During their last mission, Marcus's small round shield and battle blade had both been damaged.

This time, he had upgraded his equipment, replacing them with a larger one-handed shield and a better battle blade.

Vales still carried the same setup: a curved sword at his waist and a bow and arrows.

With the party assembled, they set out for the abandoned cave.

According to the map provided with the commission, the mission site was not too far from town. They could reach it after roughly three or four hours on foot.

If they moved quickly, they might even return to Blackstone Town in time for dinner after finishing the mission.

Nothing unusual happened along the way. After passing through a sparse forest, Marcus finally caught sight of the abandoned cave's outline.

"This is it." Marcus put away the map.

Directly ahead was a pitch-black cave, roughly three or four meters high and wide enough for several people to walk side by side. The terrain would not hinder their combat abilities.

The rock walls outside the cave were covered in dark green, slick moss, while the surface of the stone itself was deep red, giving the place an eerie appearance.

Vales crouched down and carefully examined the ground.

"What are you looking at?" Zeliel crouched beside Vales as well.

"Slime."

Vales pointed at the glistening traces on the ground.

"Slimes leave trails of mucus when they move. Based on those, we can roughly determine how many there are."

Following Vales's indication, Zeliel examined the area carefully as well.

There was indeed quite a lot of thick fluid, and it extended all the way into the cave.