Chapter 71: Pride

Chapter 71: Pride

"Please give me the 92 gold you stole."

"No."

So goddamn shameless.

"Nat, please don't look at me like that. It doesn't suit your pretty face."

Damn it, don't call me Nat.

But wait a moment. The main objective of the quest is to witness the end of the world. Do I really need to pay back all this money?

"How long do I have to pay it back?" I try.

"A year?"

Huh? I know that I might not have to pay it all back, but what the heck!The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

"You said a level 50 soldier makes 1 gold a year."

"Yes."

"I am level 27 now."

"Yes."

How does this make sense?

"Your angry face is funny."

Okay, let's calm down.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Repeat.

"So after 12 months, I need to have 200 gold and pay it back, right?"

The second floor might end much earlier than that, so it would be perfect.

"Nope, monthly payments."

"Are you messing with me?"

"A bit, it's funny. Master can probably forgive you a bit if you miss a payment or two - if she likes you, but if you push it too much, she will feel as if you are disrespecting her, and who knows what will happen then."

Great.

"What are good paying jobs?"

"Soldier is pretty well paid."

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

"You just said again that they make 1 gold a year if they are level 50."

"Yes."

She is quite special, this woman in front of me.

"Anything else?"

"You can sell your body."

Huh?

"For experiments? Or selling body parts?"

"Nope, as a prostitute."

She listens without a single word.

"I will pay back for everything. Not in the same amount. I will be unreasonable, I will be petty. I will be cruel."

I always did it that way.

"That's the way I live, and that's my pride."

So in the end, I decided to become a freelance hunter, adventurer, or however Ruby called it.

They are individuals who go into the wild and hunt monsters or animals. Obviously, the owner of the land and the intermediary take a cut and the amount of money a person can get starts at a few copper and can become much higher.

The reason I picked this path is that I can level up while making some money at the same time, so that's quite good.

There are three ways hunters make money.

First is hunting monsters and bringing back their bodies for people to make use of them. Skins, meat, bones, teeth, nearly anything can be used.

Second, killing monsters that have multiplied way too much or pose a risk to roads; they can even get hired as guards for caravans if they want to.

Third is hunting monsters alive. This one is probably the best-paying one, as they will buy a live monster from you and sell it off to someone rich. The main reason is that rich people can kill them inside the safety of their houses and gain some experience to level up. I heard it's pretty popular among super-rich people, even though the amount of experience they gain isn't much.

So yeah, there are a lot of options.

Before I left with an average-looking sword, a few pairs of clothes, some food and paperwork, and owing a bit more silver, Ruby warned me not to run away and to come back every week to report to her and her. It looks like her master left some sort of marker on me, and I still can't find it.

It also surprises me how easily they let me go.

I could die out there, you know. Aren't you worried? Is it because of her master? Is it because of Ruby? Is it the system's work?

Well, it works for me. It's just annoying not to know.

So here I am, walking through Stonehaven, alone. It feels weird now that there isn't anyone leading me somewhere or giving me orders.

I stop by the side of the road, making sure I'm not in anyone's way.

The last thing I want right now is to bump into a hotheaded individual.

I open the community.

Noname (Hell, group 4)- Anyone?

Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - Sup, Noname. Grumpy was super worried about you, dude.

Sset (Hell, group 4) - Hello, you are late. The other two already spent their allotted time.

Yes, that's true. But it's not like I could use the community in front of Ruby.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - I couldn't help it.

Sset (Hell, group 4) - Is everything fine?

Noname (Hell, group 4) - Yes, you said you were a hunter, are you near Stonehaven?

Sset (Hell, group 4)- They took us to another city and still keep us on a leash, but we are leveling up.

That's good to hear. Still, it looks like I will be on my own. I don't mind it that much; it just means I will have to be more careful.

I terribly lack any useful information, and I think they're not for free. Plus, a single high-level monster probably means the end.

Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing)- Oh, Noname and Sset! I wanted to tell you something. When both of you were away, a new guy joined the community. I'm only telling you because he is batshit crazy, and I haven't seen him before.

At first, I almost ignore him, not curious about this kind of stuff, but then he says something that catches my interest.

Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - He was from your group, so you probably know him. He named himself "FoodFood" and kept spamming in the chat, the one word only, and all the time. Either "Food!" or "Food?" or just "Food."

I sigh.

Why am I not even surprised?

Goddamn it, Biscuit.

I'm glad you seem okay, you little twerp.