The muscular man was covered in thick hair and had an unusual bone structure. He didn't look like a pure-blooded human; instead, he resembled a brown bear standing on its hind legs.
“You... took the... Giant-Winged Bat... commission?”
The giant asked, sizing Lynn up as if trying to gauge his strength.
Although the other man was much stockier and looked like he could lift Lynn with one hand, Lynn wasn't intimidated. He retorted bluntly,
“I did. What of it?”
The surrounding adventurers gathered around, expecting a good show. But once they got a closer look, they realized that both parties in this potential conflict were actually quite well-known.
One was the rogue apprentice who had embarrassed the mentor Damon, while the other was a marksman highly renowned among the low-level adventurers.
The adventurers watched with excitement.
Hurry up and fight! I want to see blood!
However, the giant did not give the onlookers what they wanted. He slowly unslung the longbow from his back and spoke in a deep, booming voice:
“Aguda. Archer... want to join party...”
Hearing this, the surrounding adventurers immediately lost interest and dispersed.
Only then did Lynn realize what was happening.
The giant simply wanted to join their party.
Given his fierce appearance, Lynn had assumed the guy was looking for trouble and had already prepared himself for a fight.
The Monk whispered in Lynn's ear, “Accept him. This guy is strong.”
It seemed the Monk knew this giant as well.
Even without the Monk's reminder, Lynn could tell that the giant's strength was nothing to scoff at.
Before officially obtaining a class, physical build often equated to combat power.
With a physique like his, there was no way he was weak.
Lynn even suspected that this guy might have already reached the threshold of becoming a class-holder.
His Strength and Constitution might have already reached ten points.
“Welcome to our party.”
With that, the final piece of the party puzzle fell into place. Lynn looked at their temporary party—
a five-foot-three Shield Guard and a six-foot-seven archer with bulging muscles...
He couldn't help but feel that this was a rather bizarre combination.
But bizarre or not, the party's overall strength was definitely up to par.
Lynn estimated that even if they ran into a ranked monster like the Dungeon Slime, they would have the strength to fight it if they worked together.
“Now that we have everyone, shall we head out?”
Lynn asked the Monk, who seemed to be contemplating something.
As a rookie adventurer, he still had a lot to learn.
So, in matters outside of combat, he needed to defer to the advice of veteran adventurers like the Monk.
Sure enough, the Monk gave a helpless smile. “How can we just head out like this? Mossy Hill Village is in the mountain forests east of town. It's even further away than Yar Village. There's a high probability we won't make it back today, so we need to prepare supplies for camping overnight. We also need to rent a carriage to take us there.”
Lynn nodded, taking the advice to heart.
...
About an hour later,
everyone was ready with their supplies. Strictly speaking, the Monk had taken care of everything. He had bought food, tents, torches, insect-repelling herbs,
and most importantly, a giant interceptor net.
Lupa asked from the side, “What is this for?”
The Monk replied, “Giant-Winged Bats are cave-dwelling creatures. Setting this net at the entrance of the cave will prevent them from escaping.”
The group gathered at the entrance of Wingen Town,
where a covered wagon pulled by two horses was already waiting for them.
Lynn whispered, “How much did it cost to rent the wagon?”
The Monk smiled. “The driver is an old friend of mine. It only cost eighty copper coins, and that includes the round trip.”
Lynn was a bit surprised. “That cheap?”
That was barely the price of one of his meals.
Naturally, the Monk didn't know what Lynn was thinking, or he would have laughed and teased him for being such a glutton.
In reality, while the price was indeed lower than the market rate, the driver could still make a decent profit.
In Wingen Town, a riding horse generally cost anywhere from 50 to 80 silver coins. If one wasn't picky, an elderly pack pony could be bought for as little as 25 silver.
If calculated solely by the purchase price of the horses, the driver could recoup his investment in just two or three months.
Of course, this didn't account for hidden costs like taxes, harness gear, the wagon itself, and fodder.
If all of those were factored in, it would probably take a few years to break even.
Soon, the group boarded the carriage and set off toward their destination.
Passing the increasingly golden wheat fields outside the town, the carriage drove up a slope and gradually entered the mountain forests.
It was already late summer, and the sweltering heat was easing day by day.
In the shade of the forest path, Lynn pulled back the canvas covering the carriage window. A cool breeze rushed into the cabin, bringing a pleasant chill.
Looking at the lush greenery outside, Lynn felt a sense of nostalgia, as if he had returned to the countryside of his past life.
His thoughts drifted back to his previous life. When he was a child in the countryside, he would walk along the embankments just like this, completely carefree, with shade casting down from both sides and the sound of cicadas rising all around.
But so much time had passed that his memories of his past life had grown somewhat hazy. Recalling them now only brought a faint sense of warmth.
Inside the carriage,
Lupa was still somewhat afraid of Lynn, while the Monk sat next to Aguda.
As a result, Lupa was forced to sit opposite the two of them, right next to Lynn.
Trembling, Lupa didn't dare to utter a single word.
And the newly joined Aguda was a man of few words, so the atmosphere in the carriage was rather stifling.
The Monk grasped the opportunity to liven up the mood. “Speaking of which, the Autumn Hunt should be coming up soon, right?”
“Autumn Hunt?”
Lynn, snapped out of his reverie, asked curiously.
In the countryside, the militia indeed had a habit of going out to hunt wild beasts in autumn to stockpile food for the winter.
He hadn't expected the town to have a similar event.
Although Lupa didn't say anything, she looked over with interest.
Aguda, clutching his ridiculously large longbow, scratched his head.
“Autumn Hunt... kill monsters... eat meat...”
Kill monsters...
Hearing Aguda's words, it seemed this Autumn Hunt was quite different from the one in the village.
Lynn asked, “What is the Autumn Hunt?”
Knowing that Lynn had spent his time in a village and probably hadn't heard of it, the Monk explained patiently,
“When winter comes, monsters often attack Wingen Town to scavenge for food. To alleviate the pressure of the winter beast tides, the Adventurers' Guild and the Mages' Association team up in autumn to organize a campaign to clear out monsters in the forest. This is known as the Autumn Hunt.”
As he spoke, the Monk glanced at Aguda with a smile.
“During last year's Autumn Hunt, Aguda had just arrived in town to become an adventurer, but he performed exceptionally well. I heard from others that he even hunted down two ranked monsters on his own.”
Lynn was slightly surprised. According to the Monk, didn't that mean Aguda already possessed strength comparable to a class-holder last year?
Then why hadn't he obtained a class yet?
Once an adventurer obtained a class and became an official class-holder, they would typically be promoted to Shining Silver Rank.
Yet Aguda was still White Iron Rank.
Unless there was an exception, Aguda was likely not a class-holder.
Unaware of Lynn's confusion,
Aguda gripped his longbow tightly, his thoughts seemingly drifting back to last year's Autumn Hunt.
A moment later, a bit of drool escaped the corner of his mouth.
“Mountain boar... delicious...”
Then, he showed a look of disgust. “Direwolf... sour... won't eat.”
Lupa, sitting nearby, suddenly couldn't help but burst into laughter.
“Who actually eats direwolves?!”
Lynn gave the wolf-eared half-beastkin girl a strange look.
Lupa noticed Lynn's gaze. At first, she didn't understand, but she quickly caught on. In her frustration, her ears perked up, pushing her beret straight up.
“I'm a half-beastkin! I'm not the same species as those wild beasts!”
With this banter, the atmosphere in the carriage lightened up considerably.
Even Lupa, perhaps emboldened by the presence of others, found the courage to speak to Lynn.
“Lynn, how can a noble like you not know what the Autumn Hunt is? Don't nobles usually love showing off on occasions like this?”
Lynn: “?”
“Who said I'm a noble? I'm a commoner. I've been in town for less than a month.”
Lupa was clearly skeptical.
But the Monk chimed in to back Lynn up. “Lynn is telling the truth. I only met him recently when I went to his village for a commission. But given his strength, it really is hard to believe he was just a villager less than two weeks ago.”
“Huh?!” Lupa's face suddenly flushed red.
So, it had all been her own misunderstanding this whole time?
Lupa's ears drooped out from under her beret, framing her embarrassed face.
Only now did Lynn realize why Lupa had been so afraid of him—she had mistaken him for a noble.
Looking at the blush coloring the wolf-girl's fair cheeks, he wanted to reach out and pat her head, but remembering the others were present, he immediately suppressed the urge.
Amidst the laughter, Mossy Hill Village drew near.
Rate on N.U.
