I Have a Task Log

"If Karen’s situation is really related to the sewers, then he must be providing intelligence to that newcomer in the sewers."

Colin continued, "The janitor he escorts is different every day, so it’s almost impossible for him to pass along intelligence during the escort. When we followed him today, we didn’t find any dropped notes or anything else out of the ordinary.

So he must be passing the intelligence at night. At the same time, no one can fly over Thousand Masts City to the sewage outlet outside the walls without alerting the Griffin Knight Order. Therefore, he has to be entering the sewers from within the city, and from an entrance near his apartment to avoid drawing attention."

After he finished speaking, Colin looked at the barber and asked, "Do you have a map of the sewers around Karen’s apartment building?"

"We do."

The barber answered and turned to rummage behind the counter. He eventually pulled out a somewhat tattered piece of parchment. "This is the sewer map for the Castle District."

"How much for this information?" Colin asked.

The barber placed his right hand on his chest and gave a slight nod. "Mr. Greco has given instructions. This is just a friendly bit of help, completely free of charge."

"Then I’ll remember this favor," Colin said with a nod.

’It would be foolish to believe in "free help" from a gang. Worst case, I’ll just owe them a favor.’

After they finalized the plan, time flew by, and soon it was dusk the next day.

Sitting by the side of his bed, Colin tucked the [Mystic Code] into a small, buckled pouch.

Because this magic item could directly substitute for magic materials, the little trinkets inside his Magic Material Bag were now essentially useless.

Still, Colin had no intention of throwing or selling them away. If he ever lost his Spellbook, they would serve as a backup.

He glanced at the smooth, warm gemstone in his hand, wondering if this "lucky stone" was actually useful as he tucked it into his pocket.

Colin adjusted his gear and walked out of the room.

Ale, who lived across the hall, pushed her door open at the same moment.

The Half-Elf spoke up, "I learned a Tier Three Magic called Surge. It might come in handy later."

Colin briefly recalled the spell’s description he had read before.

[Surge], Tier Three Magic. The caster summons a giant wave, three meters wide and three meters high, that crashes into enemies within a ten-meter area in front of them. Creatures struck take 4-32 bludgeoning Damage and may be knocked prone.

As they headed downstairs together, Colin asked, "So, you really just learn Magic whenever the mood strikes you?"

"Not exactly," Ale said. "It’s more that my own Magic Power will suddenly start acting erratically, beyond my control. I slowly learn to control that erratic power, and then I’ve learned a new Magic."

"That sounds plausible enough. At least it still requires a learning process."

Even so, Colin couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

At the very least, learning Magic by controlling anomalies in one’s own Magic Power sounded much cheaper than hiring someone to teach it.

The two of them reached the first floor.

Kase and Orelia had been waiting there for a long time.

The Half-Orc stood with his arms crossed, the new Longbow hanging at his waist. His massive frame made even the Longbow look a little short.

Orelia hadn’t changed much, though her face showed a newfound confidence that hadn’t been there when they first met.

"Let’s go," Colin said. "First, we’ll meet up with Dorn. Then we’ll go through the Dwarves’ territory to get to the sewers near Karen Stone Heart’s apartment. We’ll observe for a few days, and if nothing happens, we can consider this mission complete."

"You’re the boss." Kase reached down to touch the Longbow at his waist. "I’m hoping I get to try this baby out."

"Let’s get going, then."

After he spoke, Colin led the group to the Dwarven section of the sewers. Once they rendezvoused with Dorn, they used the map provided by the Hundred Eyes Gang to quickly make their way to the area beneath the Castle District.

Along the way, they encountered many minor creatures, like giant rats.

Whether it was animal instinct or some other reason, these creatures immediately scurried away the moment they saw the group.

When Colin and Kase had escorted the janitor previously, these critters had actually tried to chew on them.

After reaching the sewers beneath Karen Stone Heart’s apartment, the group split up, each taking a position to watch one of the nearby sewer entrances.

Time ticked by in the foul-smelling sewer.

Just as Colin was counting pieces of floating trash to pass the time, Dorn’s voice echoed in his mind. ’That guy came down. He’s over by me. Come quick.’

’Got it.’

After replying, Colin immediately got up and headed in that direction.

One by one, the rest of the group arrived at Dorn’s location.

’Is he wearing his gear?’

After receiving Dorn’s confirmation, Colin opened his Spellbook and immediately began casting [Object Positioning Skill].

Using the map and the spell’s positioning, the group easily tailed Karen Stone Heart as he moved away through the sewer. Dorn, wearing his [Elven Boots], stayed closest, while the others followed from a greater distance.

The sound of running water in the sewer mingled with the scraping of Armor Plates.

No one dared to speak.

Even though Colin could use a Specialty to suppress the noise his armor made, he couldn’t help but worry that Karen had detected their presence.

Fortunately, Dorn, up ahead, hadn’t sent any bad news.

After walking a short distance, Karen turned and ducked into a small doorway at the side of the sewer tunnel.

Dorn, at the head of the group, suddenly froze. His voice rang out in Colin’s mind, ’He’s gone!’

’Isn’t he still heading deeper into the sewer?’

Colin rushed to the small doorway as he asked, peering inside.

Inside was a smaller channel, a tributary of the main sewer. Its outlet was several meters up, creating what looked like a spectacular waterfall of sewage.

At the outlet was a sturdy-looking iron grate. The gate that should have been part of it was missing, leaving an opening large enough for one person to pass through.

The channel was now empty, and as far as Colin could tell, there wasn’t the slightest trace of any magic.

Dorn strode into the smaller channel and began examining his surroundings.

Orelia hurried over from nearby. As Colin led her into the small channel, he sent a message to Dorn. ’Ask Orelia for me if she senses anything strange. I can feel him moving quickly along the channel. He must have climbed up.’

Orelia shook her head, looking confused.

’There are no traps here. He must have used some kind of Teleport magic to get away.’ Dorn stood up, dusting off his hands. ’Did he spot us?’

Colin pulled out his [Climbing Rope], throwing one end up to the iron grate and securing it.

The others understood his intent and immediately began to climb the rope.