Another night passed after they arrived in Thousand Masts City.
The next morning, as Colin was squatting by the gutter downstairs brushing his teeth, he saw his landlord, Mr. Mole, hurrying over from a distance.
The plump, middle-aged man was wearing a somewhat old-fashioned overcoat. The area around his small eyes was dark, and he looked quite haggard.
"Colin, where's your rent?"
Colin reached out and took out the money he had already prepared.
Mr. Mole snatched the money from his hand and left in a rush without another word.
Colin was a little surprised.
Although the landlord was always pushy about the rent and not particularly friendly, he would usually chat with them for a bit. He had never seemed so anxious before.
'Probably because of the recent gang wars.'
Lost in thought, Colin went up to the attic to grab his haul of herbs and other things, then headed down the main road toward the Black Heart Tavern to meet up with Kase.
When they had first arrived in Thousand Masts City yesterday, he and Kase had taken the letter to the Divine Hall to have a Priest heal their wounds. Judging from the attitude of the Clergy, they seemed to know the village chief.
He didn't know why a village chief from faraway Flint Village would know people at the Divine Hall, but at least with their wounds healed, they could get back to earning money.
The tavern wasn't far from where he lived.
Colin quickly found Kase, who was sitting in his usual corner.
He pulled out a chair and sat down, shouting to the person behind the counter, "Oatmeal, bread, and cheese."
"Don't you think the tavern is a little empty?" Kase asked.
Colin looked around the Black Heart Tavern.
They were a bit early, but usually, at this time, there was no shortage of other Adventurers who couldn't find work. Now, aside from the owner, the tavern was completely empty.
Colin said, "I don't know. Maybe everyone found a job."
"Stop guessing."
The owner placed their food in front of them and spoke again. "The Northerners have banded together and formed a gang recently. A few of the slum gangs are in a heated war with them. All the new Adventurers have been hired to join the fight."
'Looks like I guessed right,' Colin thought silently. 'Everything is heading toward the worst-case scenario.'
The owner said, "Are you two going to join?"
"If there's work, why wouldn't we?" Kase said.
"Well, for Bob's sake, I'll give you some advice." The owner yawned. "Running with gangs never ends well. I've hardly seen any gang members live past thirty. Anyway, I suggest you don't get involved with them."
With that, he turned and went back behind the counter.
Kase grumbled for a bit, then looked at Colin. "What do you think of the job?"
"It's no good."
Colin continued, "Think about it. If you help one gang, the other gang will have you marked, won't they? As long as you live here, they'll eventually find out where. You can't exactly be on guard against someone torching your house while you sleep, can you?"
Kase grumbled for a while before saying, "Hmm... I'll listen to you."
"That's easy to say, but it looks like we can't find any other work right now," Colin said.
Kase scratched his head. "Let's just sell our stuff first, then. We still have to sell that Leather Armor later. I can't wear that style, and I'm not used to it."
"Then there's something I need to discuss with you," Colin said. "I want to take the Frost Star Grass and go check out that Dwarf's place, see if there's a chance to learn some Magic. Do you remember? The Dwarf we saw at the herb shop that day."
There was a moment of silence at the table.
Colin noticed the Half-Orc across from him sizing him up. He probably thought he was crazy.
"Are you still half-asleep?"
"No."
"Then you must be cursed! Maybe it's the ghost of that Druid!" Kase exclaimed. "You're actually planning to hand over five Gold Coins to some shady Dwarf? He's got to be a con artist!"
"I'm not just going to hand it over. I'm just going to try. Don't worry, if it works out, I'll pay you back for the Frost Star Grass out of my share."
"It's not about the money. I just don't get why you want to spend it," Kase said.
Colin asked, "Do you know why we can't find any work?"
"No impressive gear," Kase said, wiping his nose.
"And no powerful skills."
After a pause, Colin continued, "Impressive gear costs money, and we don't have any. So our only option is to try and learn something new. If we don't learn, we'll be stuck as bottom-tier Adventurers for the rest of our lives!"
"What if that Dwarf is a con artist?"
"Then we'll just take the herbs and sell them somewhere else. We won't lose anything either way."
"Then I can just teach you Swordsmanship."
Colin stood up, spun around to show off his roughly 1.7-meter, malnourished body, and said, "You want this body to learn how to fight like a two-meter-tall Orc giant?"
"That's... pretty persuasive. Wait, how come you look a little stronger?"
'Can this Half-Orc really tell I just added one point to Constitution?'
After receiving the reward yesterday, his Intelligence had reached 12, and his Constitution had increased to 11.
Colin hadn't felt much different, except that he wasn't as cold when he slept at night, his sleep quality the next day was much better, and his mind felt a little clearer.
To be honest, this feeling of clarity was quite addicting.
However, his body would quickly adapt to this state, and it wouldn't have any major impact on his daily life.
Of course, if he wanted to, his calmer mind and better memory were always there to be utilized.
As for the 150 Skill Level points from the reward...
He wanted to see if he could learn any skills that increased Skill Level after learning to use Armor, so he hadn't spent them on "Casting."
Finding it too troublesome to explain, Colin just said quietly, "Maybe it's because I've been eating better recently."
"Still growing at twenty... humans are weird..." Kase mused, then added, "But if we go over there, how can you guarantee they won't just rob us?"
"We'll call the Dwarf out first, and then..."
"Lively in here, huh?" Bob interrupted Colin mid-sentence as he pulled out a chair and sat down at their table.
Kase's eyes lit up when he saw him, and he immediately asked, "Got another job for us?"
"See my leg?" Bob said. "No matter what, I'm taking a good long rest after this trip. Honestly, I suggest you two rest up as well."
Thinking about the recent gang chaos and the city's exorbitant rent, Colin gave a wry smile. "We can't afford to rest."
"I know you're short on work. I heard a group of Dwarves came to the slums recently and are hiring. You could give them a try," Bob said with a smile. "As an old coachman, I hear things."
Colin and Kase exchanged a look.
They asked in unison, "What are they hiring people for?"
"To look for herbs or something, they say. I don't really understand Adventurer business. I hear that bunch of Dwarves is very picky, but I doubt they'd turn down two heroes who killed a Magic Giant Wolf," Bob said.
Kase said, "What a coincidence. We were looking for those Dwarves too."
Then, Colin explained the whole situation from the beginning.
"If those Dwarves really know Magic, it would indeed be a good deal... And making sure they don't rob you is actually pretty simple." Bob nodded.
Then he shouted toward the back of the counter, "Send someone to act as a witness for my friends, old pal! And bring us a few more cold beers while you're at it."
"You damn old scoundrel."
Although the owner, Old Black Heart, was cursing, he quickly went out to find someone.
The tavern waitress placed three cold beers on the table.
"You two are experts at dealing with monsters in the wild." Bob picked up a beer and grinned at the two surprised men. "But here in Thousand Masts City, this so-called 'socializing' is my specialty. The two of you together can't compare to me."