Outside a bustling city protected by high walls and guards clad in high-tier equipment, three fairly decent-ranked adventurers talked enthusiastically as they waited for their party members to finish their preparations.
However, it wasn't only them.
Similar scenes happened everywhere near the city's entrance. Some waited inside the city; others on the city gates chatting with the guards, while a few waited outside the city.
Dubbed as an "adventurer hub", cities such as this one did not have an adventurer academy.
The reason for this is there were no beginner adventurer zones in its periphery.
In short, adventurer hubs are cities where veterans and promising rookies gather.
The competition of guilds and adventurers in such cities was way more intense compared to an academy city like Colzen.
On a well-traveled path near the city, a young male adventurer with ash-colored hair had desperation and agony written all over his face as he trudged along.
Shye didn't look as attractive as usual, however, he couldn't care less.
Why would he bother, considering that a potent poison had already permeated nearly half of his body? If not for him drinking random expensive, high-grade, no-harmful-effect antidotes and expensive high-grade health potions every thirty minutes, he wouldn't have survived.
Although he felt pained that he had to spend the points he saved up through countless battles, at least he was alive.
Moreover, he had purchased a few life-saving passive skills along with lots of attribute upgrades so it wasn't like the points went down the drain.
Shye had to use it for less ideal purposes, however, it was definitely more ideal than dying.
As he drew nearer to the city, his bone-chilling poison-vein-infested appearance easily captured the attention of the adventurer parties waiting outside the city.
This time, a few of them were actually kind-hearted enough to sprint towards him and check his condition—all too ready to help him.
However, for some reason, seeing them approaching him brought nothing but vigilance in his heart and a scowl on his face.
The thought of them trying to help him didn't even cross his mind.
'What the heck...how is that guy still alive?' thought the young female adventurer.
Luckily for Shye, one of the good hospitals was close.
In just a few minutes, he was already in front of one—adventurers—a good deal of them priests/priestesses—walking in and out of the wide wooden doorways.
Momentarily pausing, Shye entered the hospital, attracting the attention of almost everyone in the lobby due to his striking yet terrifying appearance.
This was the first instance in their lives witnessing someone so severely poisoned yet still alive.
"I...I have money. I can pay for the treatment." he exclaimed, taking out a small, filled-to-the-brim sack of silver coins before collapsing onto the ground.
He is all too aware that many hospitals would turn away individuals lacking funds, even if they were facing death.
He and his little sister had experienced this firsthand, after all.
His absurd final move turned out to be the correct decision as the hospital staff immediately sprang into action after momentarily looking into each other's eyes.
Controlled chaos unfolded in the hospital lobby as various staff members suddenly emerged from different rooms, carrying a stretcher and essential medical equipment.
They moved swiftly to securely place Shye in one of the rooms and efficiently stabilize his condition for the time being.
A few moments later, a bespectacled slim old man entered the room with a stern expression.
"Doctor Stein, the patient seems to be badly poisoned. We've given him poison stabilizers for the time being."
Hearing the head nurse's report, Stein nodded, sitting beside Shye to check his condition.
A few minutes later, Stein couldn't help but furrow his brows.
'How the hell is this young man still alive?' he thought before looking at the head nurse beside him and giving out instructions.
"It's poison from a Mist Arachne, make sure to give him an appropriate antidote and have a priest heal him back to full health."
"Understood, Doctor Stein."