The Thrill of Adventure Wasn't Bad

Vales used the same method to remove the remaining iron fragments.

Gray's face had gone pale from the pain, and beads of sweat dripped continuously from his forehead.

Zeliel could not help but worry for Gray.

Going without anesthesia really could hurt someone to death. He had no idea how that old master had endured scraping poison from his bone back then... What a man.

Gray weakly removed the cloth from his mouth.

"If I can't make it back alive, help me tell Marianne at the tavern that I love her."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Who told you to take the cloth out?" Vales frowned, stuffed the cloth back into Gray's mouth, then wiped the saliva off on him with disgust.

Wounds caused by metal fragments had to be disinfected. Otherwise, if they became infected, death was nearly certain.

The moment he saw the stopper pulled from the bottle of Firethroat Wine, Gray's expression instantly turned terrified.

This cheap medicinal liquor, worth thirty copper coins on the market, had no special qualities except that it was strong enough. Even dwarves known for their heroic drinking capacity would have to think twice before drinking it.

Without giving Gray time to prepare himself, Vales poured the liquor directly over the wound.

"Ugh... Ah!"

The pungent scent of alcohol mixed with the smell of blood and spread through the air. Gray's entire body convulsed in pain, his legs kicking and flailing uncontrollably. It took a long while before he gradually calmed down.

Seeing Gray suffer like that, Zeliel could not bear it.

"Didn't we buy any recovery potions before setting out? Wouldn't those work better?"

"You mean Life Potions? Those precious things made by holy healers? How could we afford them?"

Vales wiped Gray's wound with a white cloth as he spoke. "One bottle would be enough to buy his life."

Life Potions... were they really that valuable? Zeliel was stunned.

It seemed healing resources in this world were much scarcer than he had imagined.

The next steps were not quite so cruel for Gray.

After cleaning the wound, they applied a layer of hemostatic powder and wrapped it with strips of linen. That was the end of the treatment.

"Done." Vales clapped his hands.

"I owe you one, Vales," Gray said weakly.

"Enough with the sentimental nonsense. Nobody owes anyone anything. If you hadn't held off the Mist Demon, we wouldn't have been able to kill it either." Vales rose to his feet.

Zeliel covered Gray with a blanket and let him rest against a tree for a while.

A gentle breeze swept past, carrying away the thick mist. The surrounding whiteness finally faded, and the shape of Graywood Forest reappeared.

No one would have imagined that such a brutal battle had just broken out in a place like this.

After confirming there were no more threats, Marcus began gathering the spoils.

He picked up his dagger and carefully began cutting apart the Mist Demon's corpse.

As the blade sank in and flesh split open, an unknown blackish-red fluid flowed from the opening, giving off a foul stench.

"Be careful. Don't get it on you. It's corrosive," Vales warned.

There was nothing valuable on the Mist Demon's body, only rotten flesh. Its body had been pieced together from scraps in the first place. The true prize was the Magic Core located in its heart.

Marcus cut open the thick chambers of its heart, hooked the crystal with the tip of his knife, slowly removed it, and wiped it clean with a cloth.

"How much is this Magic Core worth?" Marcus asked.

Vales leaned closer and took a look.

It was a diamond-shaped crystal wreathed in faint mist, filled with abundant magic power.

Mist Demon Magic Cores could be used as the core of certain staffs, brewed into magical potions, or used as alchemical materials. They had many uses.

"I'm not much good at appraising them, but at this quality, it should sell for at least fifteen gold coins," Vales said.

"Wow..." Zeliel raised his brows.

If they split it equally, he would get nearly four gold coins, equivalent to four hundred silver coins. Wasn't that far better than the eleven silver coins from the wild wolf commission?

"So my beating wasn't for nothing." Gray also revealed a gratified smile, and even his pain seemed to ease somewhat.

"Then there's no problem. We'll split it evenly, as usual."

Marcus put away the Mist Demon's core and patted Zeliel on the shoulder.

"I never thought I'd kill a Mist Demon one day. Bringing you into the team really was the right choice. Good work, lad."

The class ranks of warriors were similar to those of mages, progressing from apprentice to lower, middle, and upper levels. After breaking through the upper level, they also had to choose a Class Change path.

Marcus had remained a Lower-Level Warrior for many years. Because he could not master battle qi, he had never managed to advance to a Middle-Level Warrior.

When facing magical creatures like Mist Demons, whose defenses could only be penetrated by battle qi or magic, he could only keep his distance.

Magic power came from the Source Seed, while battle qi originated from the Heart of Qi.

But a mage's Source Seed required luck and talent to awaken, and could not be forced. Cultivating the Heart of Qi was far more accessible.

Even if someone's aptitude was terribly dull, there was still a chance that, after decades of grinding away, their Heart of Qi could advance and allow them to master battle qi.

In some ways, battle qi was similar to magic power, as both could greatly enhance combat strength.

However, battle qi could usually only strengthen the user's own body, while magic power could be released through spells to achieve all sorts of effects.

After briefly tidying up, the group helped Gray onto the road back to town.

There were no more mishaps along the way.

The forest gradually thinned out, and a clear blue sky stretched overhead all the way to the horizon. Beneath it, the silhouette of Blackstone Town stood clearly in view.

Signs of human activity began to appear around them. Many villagers working outside cast curious looks at the group.

Zeliel took a deep breath and revealed a genuinely relaxed smile.

So this was what it felt like to return after completing a commission. It really was pleasant...

For his first mission, the gains had been quite generous.

He had earned four gold coins and eleven silver coins, unlocked Spell Structure Evolution, gained two levels, and added Great Creation Art and Mistflow Veil to the analysis queue.

An adventure in another world... seemed pretty good after all.

Blackstone Town lived up to its name. It was a town built around mineral veins.

The local Blackstone was an ink-black volcanic glass. It was a fine crafting material and could also be made into arrowheads, making it popular among high-level rangers.

Together with the presence of Graywood Forest, which provided nearby villages and towns with plenty of timber and hunting resources, Blackstone Town was considered fairly prosperous among towns of similar size in the Ser Kingdom.

After walking for most of the day, the group arrived at the outskirts of Blackstone Town.

A crude wall built from dark logs and huge stones came into view.

Several guards could be seen leaning beside the arrow slits atop the wall. They wore simple chainmail and looked utterly bored.

A line had formed at the town gate, mostly farmers or hunters pushing wheelbarrows, preparing to enter the town and sell their goods.