Chương 21: Back to Mirevale

During the journey back, Kyle couldn't help but glance at the surrounding environment, feeling a sense of déjà vu. It was only after seeing a familiar open space that he remembered where this was.

"It's the place where I fought goblins for the first time. That means… Those 15 goblins were part of that settlement?" That was the reason why that settlement with less than 30 goblins had a giant goblin as its leader.

"I guess these guys had bad luck, not that the absence of the giant goblin would have changed the result, though." Nevertheless, Kyle decided to be more cautious after this ambush. It's not only monsters that can constitute a threat to him in this world, but fellow humans can be even deadlier. After passing through the familiar place, it didn't take him long to reach Mirevale town. Walking across the familiar street, Kyle paid more attention to the various shops on the street.

He noted down the location of popular magic item shops and blacksmiths.

'I need to visit a blacksmith later, not only to sell the looted weapons, but also to repair my leather armor and vambraces.' Kyle thought as he looked at his worn leather armor. Despite being high-quality leather armor, it was filled with cuts, scratches, and stretched leather. It was still usable, though; it just needed some repairs. He soon reached the adventure guild and walked up to Celia's counter.

"Good afternoon, Celia. Here's the quest item for the [Hunt the Great Fang Wind Wolves] quest." Kyle said, placing a leather pouch on the counter.

"Good afternoon, Kyle. It's amazing that you've completed the quest so quickly. Please wait a moment; I'll process your quest right away." Celia replied with a smile on her face. She looked with admiration before processing the quest. This confirms it; Kyle didn't lie to her; he had indeed become a professional.

"Here you go, 25 silver coins. Nice work." She smiled as she handed him a small pouch. After pausing for a moment, she continued.

"Now that you proved that you can independently complete E-rank quests, I recommend that you complete two others as soon as possible; that way you can become a copper-class adventurer, and truthfully, only copper-class adventurers are really considered part of the guild." Celia looked him in the eye and said. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"I won't go into the details; I can only say that the convenience that you'll enjoy as a copper-class adventurer goes far beyond your imagination." Kyle looked at the earnest Celia and smiled.

"Is that so? Thanks for the advice, Celia. I will complete the remaining E-class quests as soon as possible." Kyle said as he walked out of the guild. He glanced at the adventurers in the guild hall but didn't find Marcus and the other two.

'I'll check on them later.' Kyle decided as he headed out of the guild.

'I should sell these weapons and leave my armor to be fixed before going back to the inn.' He pondered for a moment, then walked back to the commercial district. He decided to look for the most reputable blacksmith among adventurers. Although his fees might be high, he probably wouldn't be greedy for a piece of high-quality armor. Looking at the elegantly decorated, stone and brick shop in front of him, then at the adventurers walking in and out, Kyle hesitated for a moment before walking in.

What came into his sight was a wide space with an L-shaped wooden counter and many weapons hanging on the walls.

"Welcome!" An attendant greeted him as Kyle walked to the counter.

"Hi, do you buy used weapons here?" Kyle said, placing four daggers and the short sword on the counter.

"Yes, we do, sir. I'll appraise them; please wait a moment." The attendant nodded and began inspecting the weapons one by one.

"Hmm, how about 8 silver coins for each dagger and 12 for the short sword? They aren't in pristine shape after all." The attendant said after closely examining each weapon. Kyle considered bargaining for a moment before deciding that he couldn't be bothered to.

"Fine, and I'll leave this armor here for repair. Can you give me an approximation for the price and time?" He removed his leather armor and placed it on the counter.

"This… Please wait a moment, sir. I'll call the master and ask him." The attendant said after looking at the leather armor.

"Master Hogan! Please come look at this." He stuck his head in the door behind him and shouted.

"What now? You dimwit!" a weathered yet energetic voice sounded. A disgruntled, burly man walked out the door, looking as if he was going to punch someone.

"Master, this customer wants to repair his armor. Please look at it." The attendant said, nervously handing him the armor.

"Hmm? This leather armor…" Hogan carefully inspected the armor in his hand, tracing his fingers over the various scratches and grooves.

"It's made of the scales of a rank 1 great swamp serpent, right? It's good armor; it's a pity that it hasn't been enchanted. However, it's in rough shape. You didn't take care of it well, young man." Hogan placed it back on the counter and said.

"I clean it daily and apply shining oil weekly. Is that not enough?" Kyle frowned and said.

"Those are just the basics; you also need to apply maintenance cream after every battle and clean it using a mixture of water and pure alcohol to remove stubborn stains and smells." Hogan shook his fingers and said. Looking at the silent Kyle, Hogan sighed.

"Anyway, the repair and maintenance will be done together. I'll also provide you with a bottle of maintenance cream as an after-service. Come back in tomorrow; your armor will be as good as new."

"Thank you, I'll be back tomorrow." Kyle nodded, took the money for the daggers and short sword, and left. Walking out of the blacksmith shop, he looked at the setting sun over the horizon and decided to go back to the inn. He needed to ask the proprietress some questions.