[Regarding the Cavern Contamination Cleanup]
Over the past half month, the water quality of the town's backup water source had deteriorated significantly and developed an unusual odor.
Preliminary investigation confirmed that Slimes had appeared in an Abandoned Cavern along the underground river feeding 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, reliable and efficient adventurer teams were hereby recruited to carry out the following task at the Abandoned Cavern.
Commission Level: Standard.
Commission Objective:
Eliminate all Slimes within the Abandoned Cavern and investigate the specific circumstances.
Reward:
Three silver coins would be paid for each Slime, with Slime Magic Cores serving as proof for the count.
Association Note:
The interior of the Abandoned Cavern was dark and damp. Please ensure you prepared sufficient lighting equipment.
"Not bad. Let's take this one," Zeliel said with a nod.
Slimes were not much of a threat, and he had learned Illumination, so it could come in handy.
"By the way, will it just be the two of us for this mission? Wouldn't that be a little risky?" Zeliel suddenly recalled something.
"Then count me in."
Another familiar voice rang out.
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 strength and character.
He was cold on the outside but kind at heart. Even Gray, whom he disliked, would receive treatment from Vales. He would never stand by and watch someone die.
"Then that makes three of us."
Marcus pondered for a moment, looking at Zeliel and Vales. "Do we need to find any more teammates?"
"That should be enough, right? Slimes aren't that dangerous. Calling more people would just be a waste," Vales said.
Zeliel agreed as well.
The danger level was not that high anyway.
Besides, the fewer people there were, the more money each person could get.
"By the way, where's Gray? Have either of you seen him recently?" Zeliel asked.
"I saw him at the tavern entrance last night."
Vales snorted.
"That guy's built like an ox. His chest and shoulders were wrapped in bandages, but he was still full of energy. Even injured like that, he didn't forget to go looking for his old flames."
"Gray can't sit still. Making him stay put would be no different from killing him."
Marcus shook his head. "Then the three of us will take this mission."
Lower-Level Warrior Marcus, Lower-Level Ranger Vales, and Magic Apprentice Zeliel.
After confirming the team, Marcus took them to the counter to accept the mission. They would gather at the Blackstone Town checkpoint the following morning.
After leaving the Adventurers' Association, Zeliel began preparing for the commission.
Though he was a mage, before reaching the level where he could casually fling low-level spells and keep protective magic on himself at all times, he still needed to buy some essential equipment.
Better safe than sorry.
Zeliel was not very familiar with Blackstone Town, but he did not need to search for the blacksmith's shop at all. He simply followed the clang-clang 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, openly displaying the blazing scene within.
Even standing at the entrance, Zeliel could feel a blast of scorching metallic heat washing over him.
Flames licked from the furnace mouth, warping the surrounding air slightly with heat.
A bare-chested man was working the bellows, sweat rolling across his muscles with a wild sort of beauty.
"I'm Brown, the owner."
The man's rough voice sounded. "You here to buy equipment or place a custom order?"
"Uh... buy equipment," Zeliel said, somewhat intimidated by the display.
"The finished goods are all here. Tell me which one you like, and I'll take it down for you to try."
Brown pointed to 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 and a weapon that felt right in his hand.
As for armor, Zeliel did not even consider cloth armor.
Its protection was far too poor, and since he played with fire, he could easily set himself ablaze by accident.
Chainmail was too expensive, and there was no need for it. He was not a frontliner meant to soak up damage.
After considering it for a while, Zeliel chose a studded leather cuirass.
Its main body was hardened cowhide boiled and soaked in wax, 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 fairly light and did not take much effort to swing.
Even without any swordsmanship training, Zeliel could use it easily enough. It was mainly for situations where he did not need to cast magic.
The two pieces of equipment cost him eighty silver coins in total.
As he stepped out of the blacksmith's shop and looked at his increasingly deflated coin pouch, Zeliel felt a little melancholy.
He only had a dozen or so silver coins left now.
It didn't feel like I bought much. How am I already out of money?
Sure enough, being a mage really burned through money... his biggest expense these past few days had been the white ash wood bases, which had cost him three gold coins outright.
And that was only part of a finished magic wand.
Zeliel sighed.
Sigh... I need to work hard and take missions to make money.
At noon the next day, Zeliel arrived at the meeting point on time. Marcus and Vales had already been waiting there.
During the previous mission, Marcus's small round shield and battle saber had both been damaged.
This time, he had upgraded his gear, replacing them with a larger one-handed shield and a better battle saber.
Vales still carried the same setup: a curved blade at his waist and a bow with arrows.
With the team assembled, they set out for the Abandoned Cavern.
According to the map provided with the commission, the destination was not far from town. They could reach it in roughly three or four hours on foot.
If they moved quickly, they could even return to Blackstone Town for dinner after completing the mission.
Nothing unusual happened along the way. After passing through a sparse forest, Marcus finally caught sight of the Abandoned Cavern's outline.
"This is it." Marcus put away the map.
Directly ahead stood a pitch-black cave, three to four meters high and wide enough for several people to walk side by side. The terrain would not limit their ability to fight.
The rock wall outside the cave was covered in dark green, slick moss, while the stone itself was deep red, giving it an eerie appearance.
Vales crouched down and carefully inspected 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 slime when they move. Based on those, we can roughly determine how many there are."
Following Vales's gesture, Zeliel examined the ground carefully as well.
There was indeed quite a lot of viscous fluid, and it extended all the way into the cavern.
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