I Have a Task Log

Colin took the gold to the Temple of the Goddess of Wealth.

After the Priests weighed and appraised it, and after deducting taxes, melting losses, and a series of miscellaneous fees, he was left with a little over two hundred and fifty Gold Coins.

The giant rat pelts, goblin ears, and a pile of other miscellaneous items were then exchanged for a few more Gold Coins.

Carrying a gold bar and ten Gold Coins, Colin returned to the sewers.

After getting the money from Donkexes, he did a quick calculation of his earnings.

The broken-off Gold, the Hobgoblin’s equipment, the Drow’s equipment, and a large pile of miscellaneous items sold for a total of over two thousand Gold Coins. After splitting the profits, each person’s share came out to about five hundred and twenty-eight Gold Coins.

This brought Colin’s total to six hundred and ninety-six Gold Coins—practically seven hundred if he rounded up.

The thought of it shocked Colin.

He licked his lips as he looked at the heavy backpack in his hands.

’Calculating it in my head is one thing, but actually holding the money is something else entirely.’

’Over seven hundred Gold Coins is enough to buy a decent house in the Dock District... Of course, I have no intention of settling down right now. My early twenties are a time for adventure, and with the way things are, this is no time to buy a house and just laze around happily.’

After returning to Donkexes’s herb workshop, Colin took out the Drow’s Potion Bag and showed it to him.

He asked, "I got this from the Drow. Can you make something similar?"

"A Drow Potion rucksack." Donkexes stroked his white beard. "This isn’t easy to make. It’s made from the hide of a Lurking Mimic. That creature lives underground; we don’t have the materials for it on the Surface."

"Can’t you use something else?" Colin asked. "Like cowhide?"

"Not even close." Donkexes scoffed. "Cowhide isn’t nearly as soft, and its airtightness and other properties aren’t good enough. You might not be able to draw the Potions, or they could get contaminated. If you insist on getting something similar, I can look for a suitable substitute material."

"That would work. I just think this thing would be really useful."

With that, Colin stretched and added, "Alright, I should go warm up. I’ve had a full day of rest. Time to get back to training and get back into form."

"Most people don’t rest for one day and then start clamoring about getting back into form," said Donkexes. "You’re a scary one, Colin, my boy. Maybe you’ll actually end up learning everything we know."

"That would be perfect."

Colin waved, picked up his now-empty backpack, and walked into the training room.

Kase was there, fiddling with his Big Axe.

Meanwhile, Ale was firing the Giant Crossbow at the wall behind a straw dummy. Her accuracy was nearly one hundred percent—though it was possible she was actually aiming for the dummy.

Colin grabbed a Wooden Sword from the rack, walked over to Kase, and said, "Want to spar?"

"Huh? You even have to ask, Colin?" The Half-Orc grinned. "Feels like we haven’t sparred in a while, huh? Not since I got better."

"You didn’t think I was scared, did you?" Colin retorted.

He couldn’t help it. He was just too curious about his new Defense in Attack Specialty, and Kase was the only suitable partner to practice with right now.

Colin tossed a Wooden Sword to him and vaulted onto the small platform in the training area.

He then asked, "Should we wear full gear? I have quite a few more Magic Items on me than you do."

"You can’t even use most of those little trinkets right now, can you? Let’s not waste time." Kase seemed strangely excited. "Just make sure you’re wearing your metal shell so I don’t end up hurting you."

"Wait, let’s get something straight first. I just want to test my current defensive abilities. When I say stop, we stop. Don’t get carried away," Colin said immediately, seeing the manic look on Kase’s face. He then used the leather strap on Burning Blood’s sheath to tie it firmly to the hilt.

"Come on, Colin. Are we starting or what?"

"Let’s begin."

WHOOSH!

As the word left his mouth, Colin tried to focus on his Defense in Attack Specialty, but before he could even gather his thoughts, the sound of a Wooden Sword slicing through the air reached his ears.

Kase leaped into the air, gripping the Wooden Sword with both hands, and brought it down in a powerful overhead chop aimed right at his friend.

’This guy really isn’t holding back,’ Colin thought.

The instant he tightened his grip on the hilt, he entered his Sword Dance state, preparing to meet the Half-Orc’s assault.

And the moment the Defense in Attack Specialty came to mind, Colin suddenly felt as if time had frozen.

He could clearly see the bulging veins and flexing muscles on the Half-Orc’s body. Combined with the enhancements from Attack Prediction and Silent Sword Dance, Kase’s attack unfolded before his eyes like a video he had already seen.

Colin could clearly sense the source of the Half-Orc’s power and the trajectory of his movement.

A single, clear thought surfaced in his mind: ’The goal right now is Defense.’

’The angle of the slash, the opponent’s vital points, the opportunity for a fatal blow... none of it matters. All I need to think about is Defense.’

In the split second before the blow landed, Colin lowered his center of gravity and blocked the Wooden Sword’s chop with his Sword Guard.

At the same time, he twisted his wrist, using the Strong Sword Body of his weapon to push his opponent’s blade aside, executing a perfect Cross Strike.

This time, however, the push wasn’t to set up an attack, but purely for Defense.

Colin didn’t look for an opening, nor did he plan a counterattack.

Using the recoil, he moved his feet fluidly, creating a body’s width of space between them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

CRACK!

Kase’s Wooden Sword smashed against the stone platform, leaving behind a few splinters.

Colin drew in a soft breath.

He could feel his breathing was perfectly steady—completely different from how it normally was in a fight. The steadiness calmed his heart, which had been pounding with tension.

"Not bad, Colin," Kase grinned.

Colin replied, "You’re not so bad yourself, Kase."

The words had barely left his mouth when Kase attacked again with an upward slash.

Colin swung his sword diagonally downward, using his height advantage to perfectly neutralize the attack. At the same time, he shifted his feet, once again using the force of the blow to adjust his position and move to a spot where his opponent couldn’t attack as easily.

"Try this on for size!" Kase yelled, spinning into a horizontal slash.

Expecting the move, Colin met the powerful, heavy blow with a backhanded block from his Sword Guard, simultaneously shifting his feet to dissipate the Half-Orc’s incredible strength.

"Nice one, Colin!" Kase roared again.

Eerie blue flames erupted all over his body as he went straight into a Frenzy.