Phase Spiders

On the Misty Path, Renato felt a faint unease despite being close to Brekka Town.

His tension did not come from the novice adventurers around him-though they were certainly frightened, gripping their weapons desperately, sweat even beading on their foreheads.

That strange feeling came from the Misty Path itself. Something about their surroundings seemed... wrong.

The Misty Path was different today.

Renato could not say what had changed, but it left him feeling as though needles were pricking his back.

When he realized the novice carrying a spear had vanished, Renato's unease reached its peak. He immediately regrouped the party:

"Everyone, gather around me!"

Looking at the bewildered eyes around him, Renato reluctantly added:

"We're under attack! Form a circle, back to back! Hurry!"

The adventurers carried a motley assortment of equipment, mostly logging axes and short spears. Only two wore leather armor; the rest had nothing but shabby cotton and linen clothes.

After a bout of confusion, the party barely managed to form a circle. Renato narrowed his eyes and scanned every direction.

Soon, a giant spider, bright blue all over, appeared in the mist. A faint glow shimmered across its body as it licked its dark blue forelegs with its fangs, savoring the blood left on them.

Another appeared behind the party, and a third to one side. The three giant spiders surrounded the adventurers.

These graceful giant spiders were in no hurry to attack. Instead, they leisurely cleaned their forelegs where they stood, as though arranging their cutlery before a meal.

Phase Spiders. Renato recognized the monsters before him. They were extremely dangerous, possessing the magical ability to move freely through the Ethereal Plane. They could retreat into it or phase into the Material Plane to launch an attack.

Renato recalled the note for adventurers in the Monster Guide: in practice, their ability resembled short-range teleportation.

The three Phase Spiders abruptly vanished, throwing the party into turmoil. But Renato could spare them no attention now. A dark blue foreleg materialized beside him and stabbed toward him!

He turned his blade, bringing the Silent Lady behind his back to block the Phase Spider's thrust. Using the momentum, he twisted his waist and drove his hips forward, swinging his sword hard!

Before the Phase Spider could retreat into the Ethereal Plane, the Silent Lady sliced its head off. Half its corpse remained in the Material Plane forever, leaking milky-white blood.

Renato looked around. The novice adventurers were nowhere to be seen.

Two Phase Spiders could not have killed four people in an instant. Looking at the scattered footprints on the ground, Renato could only shake his head.

What difference was there between running blindly through the Phantom Forest and suicide?

His unease had vanished. Presumably, the other two Phase Spiders had gone after the others.

But he dared not be entirely certain. Renato picked up the remaining front half of the spider's corpse and hurried toward the exit of the Misty Path, keeping his ears pricked.

Walking out of The Crucible and the Joke again, Renato had never imagined he would practically become a regular at this magic shop.

Just a week earlier, he had thought spending money at such a "luxurious" establishment had nothing to do with him.

Half a Phase Spider was the most valuable loot Renato had acquired since becoming an adventurer.

Oliver did not have that much cash on hand. Renato had no idea where all his money went, but the corpse had earned him an essential magic item worth ten gold coins.

Feeling the inconspicuous little pouch at his waist, Renato was thoroughly satisfied. He had finally fulfilled his dream of owning an item with an extradimensional storage space.

The Bag of Holding looked like a bag with an opening only a foot wide and a depth of barely half a foot, yet it could hold up to 500 pounds of items, with a total volume of no more than 64 cubic feet.

Although the bag itself was fragile and easily damaged, and retrieving anything meant reaching inside by hand, Renato still thought it was absolutely fantastic. It was worth every coin.

At the guild office in the center of town, Renato handed over the Calmflower required for the assignment. After a brief round of questions, [Quest] showed as complete.

The 100 experience points were not enough to level up. Rather than rush to spend them, Renato saved them for now.

In a corner of the Last Call tavern, Renato found Marcus, the "Deserter."

Marcus had ordered roasted potatoes, a pot of stewed meat seasoned with chopped parsley and black pepper, and a mug of cloudy ale.

The table was large enough for two to eat together. Renato greeted him, set down his order of grilled sausages and white bread, and sat opposite Marcus.

"How's Bagg? Is he doing any better?"

"He's doing great. The moment his wound healed, he was bouncing around again." Marcus struggled to chew a tough piece of stewed meat as he spoke indistinctly. "The cleric told him to rest for a week and calm his mind, but he went straight to a brothel the next day..."

No wonder he had not seen Bagg lately. Somewhat speechless, Renato changed the subject:

"Marcus, do you know any ways to find private work? Preferably in Brekka Town."

"Spent all your money? I've never gone looking for private work myself. I just take whatever One-Eye assigns me, so I don't really have any contacts. You could ask Little Finger. He should know."

"I already asked him. Little Finger's never reliable." Renato shrugged. "Not a single truthful word comes out of his mouth."

Marcus nodded in agreement. After considering it for a moment, he said:

"If you're willing to head north, you could work as a caravan guard. The pay's a little lower, but it's safe. There aren't many monsters along the roads. Most of the trouble comes from local thugs looking to scrounge food and drink. They won't actually fight you to the death."

As though he had warmed to the subject, he continued:

"There are plenty of caravans in Fried City. Winter's coming. In another two months, once the muddy ground freezes solid, it'll be a good time to move goods. But more people will be out begging because they have nothing to eat, too, so the caravans will definitely be hiring. You're good with a sword, and you can write. They'll certainly want you."

"The usual trade route goes out of Fried City's north gate and turns east, heading to Atwood Manor first, then north. If they leave through the west gate and head west... don't take the job. It's probably a smuggling caravan. Don't get tempted by the higher pay-once you're in Falania, running into a noble's patrol could cost you your head..."

Renato had no intention of becoming a caravan guard. He disliked wasting time dealing with merchants. Besides, he would have to eat and sleep alongside them and submit to frequent inspections... His identity would not stand up to scrutiny.

Although there was no entertainment, he often hovered on the brink of death, and his life had no security whatsoever... Renato did not think his current days were all that bad. Perhaps one battle after another had dulled his nerves.

He shook his head, suppressed the urge to spend, and silently set himself a goal.

No more wasting money. I have to save thirty Silver Crowns this month, then head into the city for the winter!

A comfortable big bed, delicious food, a safe environment, and the occasional trip to the bathhouse for a bath and a massage from a female attendant...

Yes, that's how a person ought to live. Renato had not become an adventurer merely to scrape by in Brekka Town.