I Have a Task Log

"Hey, Dragon Slayer, how are you doing today?"

Halfway there, a man who looked like a local called out to him, then approached with a broad smile and held out his right hand.

"Hey, good morning." Colin smiled and greeted him back, extending his right hand to shake the man’s.

"Great weather today, huh? Is this your teammate?" the man said cheerfully. "You brought glory to us here in Thousand Masts City from your dealings with the Elves. Keep up the good work, man!"

Colin smiled. "Thanks for the encouragement."

With that, the man waved and headed toward the other end of the street.

Colin and Ale also continued on their way.

Ever since his name appeared in the paper, whenever he walked the streets without Kase and the others, he would occasionally run into enthusiastic locals coming up to greet him.

He didn’t actually know them, but seeing their enthusiasm, he couldn’t just pretend not to see them.

To Colin, these greetings from the citizens felt like words of encouragement.

Of course, this popularity would probably fade in a few weeks, so he didn’t have to worry about constantly being approached on the street.

After that little episode, the two made their way to the Grand Market of Thousand Masts City to sell the black coins and gemstones they had acquired yesterday.

The one thing Thousand Masts City had no shortage of was discerning collectors.

Just as Ale had said, everything sold for a total of over two hundred and fifty Gold Coins.

Lastly, there was a Burning Hand scroll and a Web scroll.

Colin knew how to cast the spells on both scrolls. While carrying them could save Spell Slots in a pinch, he was in urgent need of money right now, so there was no point in holding onto them.

The two scrolls sold for a total of 182 Gold Coins.

Not counting the loose change, Colin now had 1,228 Gold Coins on hand—the most he had ever saved up at one time.

If he wanted to just settle down and take it easy, this sum was actually enough to buy a decent apartment, with the rest covering daily expenses for a long time to come.

However, buying a house and settling down was, to some extent, no longer Colin’s sole ambition.

Once a person’s basic needs are met, they always start wanting something more.

After tallying up their savings, Colin and Ale arrived at Donkexes’s small herb shop.

This time, two vaguely familiar Dwarves were standing at the herb shop’s counter. They were likely also members of the Shadow Anvil Clan.

Upon seeing someone approach, they turned and left.

It seemed many Dwarves from the Shadow Anvil Clan had been frequenting Donkexes’s shop recently, though Colin didn’t know why.

Colin stepped forward and asked, "How’s the work on the materials coming along?"

"It’s still early. Tanning the leather will take a while, and the bones are soaking in a Potion. That will also take some time." Donkexes adjusted his monocle. "By the way, Dorn brought back a huge pile of Mind Flayer materials yesterday. Must be from your latest haul, right? Thanks for that."

"My budget is a little over nine hundred Gold Coins, at most. Of course, I can trade in the Armor I’m wearing to put toward the cost," Colin said.

He wanted to use the remaining two hundred Gold Coins on learning magic.

Having recently acquired a Tier Four Magic scroll, Colin was eager to advance further down the path of Magic.

As he thought this, Colin took a suit of Plate Armor from his Dimension Bag and said, "Also, we recently acquired a set of Full Plate Armor. Could you modify it with the dragonbone? Turn it into Half-plate Armor."

"A little over nine hundred Gold Coins, plus your current armor?"

Donkexes’s beard twitched. "More would certainly yield better results, but I get the feeling you can’t spare any more cash. This will have to do."

"How long will it take, roughly?" Colin asked expectantly.

"If all goes well, two months, minimum. If we get unlucky and are short a few materials, then who knows how long it’ll take," said Donkexes. "Things like Refined Gold aren’t something you can just buy. They’re strategic materials!"

After a brief pause, he asked, "Okay, so what’s the budget for the Dragonbone Longsword?"

"Didn’t I just tell you? Nine hundred Gold Coins, plus the Dragonbone Longsword and the armor I’m wearing."

"Isn’t that just the budget for the armor?" Donkexes asked.

The room fell into silence.

Colin cleared his throat. "Okay, I should be able to take on some jobs and earn more money in two months. You definitely don’t need to worry about the budget."

"There’s no need to rush, actually. The potential of a young dragon’s bones is limited, so it’s not worth spending too much money on them," said Donkexes. "Tell you what, since both of your swords are already quite decent, I’ll prioritize making your Armor."

"I’ll bring the money next time I visit."

With that, Colin slung the Dimension Bag onto his back.

Ale’s voice came from behind: "Colin, are you going to the library?"

"I need to go to the Black Tower. I have to learn Sending and Tier Four Magic quickly, especially since I have a Tier Four Magic scroll on hand," said Colin.

"Alright." Ale looked a little disappointed. "Do your best."

"Of course I will."

With that, Colin shouldered his backpack and prepared to leave the sewers.

As he said it, he suddenly had a rather unpleasant realization.

Most melee-focused Adventurers spent their money on armor and weapons, while Casters generally spent theirs on Magic Scrolls and learning new magic.

But as a Mage who could wear Armor and fight with a sword, didn’t that mean he had to fund the expensive habits of both fighting styles?

At that thought, Colin suddenly felt the pressure on him double.

Before he could leave, Kase and Orelia emerged from a small door to the side.

"Hey, Colin, my friend," Kase asked boisterously. "Been any work lately?"

"Edwin told us to rest for a bit."

"Perfect. I’m planning on heading back home for a bit."

"When are you leaving? Remember, Albert has a mission for us in a month," Colin said.

"I remember," Kase said. "I’ll head out this afternoon."

"So soon?"

"I’ve got this feeling... every time I come back from an adventure, I get a little stronger." Kase’s tone shifted, and he looked down at his palm. "The connection I have with my ancestors deepens. I think that’s part of why I’m getting stronger, so I want to go back and ask the War Mistress, see if I can try to communicate with the ancestral spirits again."

"I’m leaving this afternoon as well, Mr. Colin," Orelia spoke up. "I want to go train at the place Mr. Helder took me to last time. I want to get stronger, too!"