The thief who was driven out of the town has returned for revenge.
I only overheard this much, but it was information I couldn't ignore.
The thieves who attacked the village and were slaughtered by me were originally based in the slums of this town.
The thief who was driven out of the town might be one of their companions. If that's the case, who would be the target of their revenge?
I felt a chill run down my spine.
Thinking calmly, the possibility that I would be the target of their revenge is small.
Firstly, the reason they were driven out of the town is the root cause, so they would target the town first.
Secondly, since they were defeated when they attacked the village, it would be more like a grudge.
Thirdly, in this world without photographs, it's unlikely that my face would be easily identified.
Still, I can't feel at ease.
Even if they are driven out of the town and seek revenge, it would be difficult to target the knights.
Even if it's a grudge, they won't stop unless the other side thinks so.
If they gather information from the villagers or the knights, they might be able to trace back to me.
No matter what the thief's purpose is, I can't deny the possibility that I will be targeted.
I won't be able to sleep soundly until I find and eliminate the thief who was driven out of the town.
Reluctantly, I was forced into the situation of hunting thieves for a reward.
That day, I explored the town of Baire until late in the afternoon.
I didn't go deep into the slums.
I didn't find a single thief, but I got a good grasp of the town's geography and terrain.
Since I have the ability to warp, knowing the town's terrain is important.
I also understood why the slums are located in the north.
Two rivers flow through the town of Baire, both entering from the south and flowing out to the north.
There were wells behind the inn, so I don't know how far they are used for drinking water. However, the sewage is probably discharged into the river.
The water from the south, which just entered the city, is clean, but it becomes murky as it flows downstream.
By the time it reaches the slums, the river emits a foul odor.
No one wants to live in such a place.
From the rich and powerful, houses are built starting from the south.
The remaining north side becomes the slums.
I didn't see any thieves, probably because they are being cautious.
I don't think there are many people who can use appraisal, but if they used to live in this town, there's a possibility that their faces are known.
Or perhaps they are active at night.
I might not encounter them unless I go deep into the slums.
They might also be outside the town.
While thinking about various things, I arrived at the dungeon.
"How far have you progressed?"
I asked the explorer at the dungeon entrance, with a discount.
"Seventh floor."
"Take me to the fourth floor."
"Yes."
The third floor won't yield any rewards.
I should be taken to a lower floor.
Cobalt Level 3 can be defeated with one magic attack, and the others can be defeated with one strike from Durandal.
The explorers at the entrance will be gone by midnight.
It's better to be taken there in the evening.
"...How much?"
Since the other party didn't say anything, I asked.
"Silver coins, as many as the floor you want to go to."
"Understood."
It's a straightforward pricing system.
It might have been common sense.
I took out four silver coins from my backpack.
I can't cheat with the item box in front of a professional.
The timing might be off.
When I handed over the silver coins, the explorer took out an item box.
Oh. That's the spell.
Thinking about it, it would be fine to remove the spell abbreviation.
Without spell abbreviation or spell shortening, the correct spell and timing would activate the magic.
The explorer cast a party formation spell.
When I confirmed the addition with a "Yes," the explorer immediately entered the dungeon.
I followed inside.
"This is the fourth floor."
"Huh?"
As soon as I entered, the explorer said.
I couldn't react to the sudden statement.
The wall I passed through led to a small room at the dungeon entrance.
There was a black wall behind me, and three paths extended from the front and sides, just like the usual small room.
This was as expected, but...
"Party release" flashed in my mind.
The explorer left through the back wall, leaving me confused.
I thought they would go out to the first floor entrance and use dungeon walk to move.
I assumed that's what they would do.
The explorer didn't cast anything and came directly here.
Spell abbreviation?
That can't be it.
It seems you can specify the floor when entering.
Or is it a scam?
Since they always do business at the dungeon entrance, it's unlikely to be a scam.
I took out Durandal and moved forward to test it.
Mino Level 4
It seems this is indeed the fourth floor.
A Level 4 monster appeared.
It's a bull.
A brown buffalo, but with a short body and a strange, compact shape.
Two horns extended from its head.
It's not at all cute.
The bull glared at me aggressively.
I tried to hit it with a fireball.
The Mino started to run.
It didn't try to avoid it, so the fireball hit it halfway.
It was pushed back, but the monster endured the fire and ran again.
I hit it with a second fireball.
The Mino charged straight again.
Does it have resistance to fire? It doesn't seem like it.
Is it just a stupid bull charging forward? Like a wild boar, but a bull.
I readied Durandal, and the Mino stopped in front of me. I hit it with a third fireball.
The horns were swung. Three fireballs weren't enough to defeat it.
I received the attack with my sword, but it was quite strong. If it were to charge from below, it would be a big problem.
I can only imagine bad scenarios.
I struck down from above with Durandal.
Skin
All that was left was the skin.
I confirmed no one was around, took out the item box, and put it away.
I used Durandal without thinking.
The fear of a monster with clear malicious intent charging with its horns is terrifying.
It's a horn.
It would probably pierce human skin easily.
Even with a leather armor, it doesn't cover the entire body.
If I equipped the torso armor from the bonus equipment, it would provide full armor, but it would be a waste of points.
Incidentally, the acceleration boots, which are foot equipment level 3, have a skill that increases movement speed, and I thought it would speed up dungeon exploration, but it only worked during encounters.
The Flamberge, which is weapon level 5, doesn't have MP absorption.
So I had to use Durandal to recover MP.
The bonus equipment turned out to be less useful than expected.
There are probably plate armors and other heavy armors for sale, but considering their weight and ease of movement, they are not very practical.
Thinking about it now, the Green Caterpillar was good.
The body slam attack was painful, but it was just a body slam.
The Needlewood only swung branches.
Branches.
The Cobalt's knife was scary, but the Cobalt is weak.
It can be defeated with one magic attack.
Considering this, it was a mistake to skip leveling up on the third floor.
If Mino Level 4 can be defeated with three magic attacks, there shouldn't be a problem.
Or maybe it's just scary because it's the first time I've seen it, and it's just a matter of getting used to it.
In any case, this is definitely the fourth floor.
The explorer didn't cast any spells.
Can you choose the floor you want to go to when entering the dungeon?
I thought about testing it, but immediately going in and out on the fourth floor would look bad.
I used warp to return to the adventurer's guild and decided to conduct the experiment later.
"After dinner, give me hot water and a lantern."
"Sure. Since it's hot water and a lantern, I'll give you a special service for 21 nals."
I returned to Baire Inn, received the key, and placed my order. The man at the inn told me the price.
The hot water is 20 nals, and the lantern rental is 10 nals, I believe.
For some reason, a 30% discount was applied.
My persistent use of the discount skill paid off.
But it's not like that, since it was always 20 nals for hot water before. What kind of change in attitude is this?
Maybe I'm treated as a regular from now on.
No. There was one time when the hot water was not 20 nals.
When I paid for the room and the hot water together.
It might be 20 nals for a single item, but a 30% discount is applied when ordering multiple items.
It feels like 21 nals for hot water and a lantern is a bit much, but I gratefully paid.
After confirming the character "2" during dinner, I returned to my room, wiped my body with hot water, and went outside with the lantern.
It was already dark.
The lantern isn't very bright either. It would be difficult to work at night with this light.
It's not comparable to fluorescent lights.
It's better than nothing, though.
The Meiji era's gas lamps symbolized civilization and enlightenment, and I can feel that deeply.
Gas lamps probably aren't comparable to fluorescent lights either, but thinking about the darkness of the lantern, it makes sense.
I walked, illuminating my feet.
But walking with a light in the dark is very noticeable.
There were a few people walking with lights.
If there's a light, someone is there, so I can identify them with appraisal. This is limited to me, who has the appraisal skill.
I don't know how many people walk without lights.
I tried to appraise blindly, but it didn't hit.
I walked towards the north.
I thought about asking the inn man if there was a bar, but I didn't.
I don't intend to drink at a bar, so it would be obvious that I didn't drink when I return and receive the key.
There might be dangerous bars to prevent lost guests, but I want to go to those dangerous bars.
If I'm introduced to a safe recommended bar, it would be troublesome.
As I walked north, there was a street that was very bright in one area.
Several buildings with the first floor open to the street continued.
It's a brothel.
Whether it's a decorated window or a display, there were women on the first floor, calling out to passing men or being chosen by them.
It exuded a very lively atmosphere.
Is it just because it's bright at night?
Or is it because of my own lust?
No. I don't intend to go in.
Even though I don't intend to go in, my heart raced just by looking.
This is what "heart thumping" means.
Wait.
Calm down.
Think rationally.
There's the risk of disease.
There's also the risk of being overcharged.
Not going in is the right choice.
Most likely, there won't be a beauty like Roxane.
Even if there is, she won't be assigned to a first-time customer.
Deciding not to go in, I calmly observed the brothel.
The noise of the brothel district could be heard.
It sounds fun.
But... the language didn't make sense.
The sounds coming from the brothel were in an unknown language.
The women, customers, and probably the pimps in the brothel were not speaking Baram language.
I didn't notice because I could communicate with the women at the inn and the guild, but it seems many people don't speak Baram language.
It's the same as the first village.
The local language is not Baram language.
The brothel is probably for locals.
There might be some Baram-speaking prostitutes, but...
I observed the street from the outside for a while, enjoying the atmosphere, and then left.
I wouldn't go in if I couldn't communicate.
I might get involved in strange trouble if I'm seen as an outsider.
I don't know how I was perceived by the surroundings, just observing the brothel from the outside.
I might have been noticeable because of the light.
But I hope I wasn't seen as strange, since many men probably come to the front of the brothel but don't go in.
After that, I wandered around the town until the lantern's light ran out and used warp to return to Baire Inn.
I didn't want to appear on the inner wall, so I appeared on the outer wall next to the entrance.
I didn't see any adventurers using field walk in the city.
It might be a violation of etiquette to appear in random places.
There's no privacy or anything.
Since it's dark at night, it should be fine to move to the outer wall of Baire Inn at this time.
I returned to the inn, returned the lantern, and went to bed.
In the middle of the night, I woke up, entrusted the key, and used warp to go to the slums.
It was successful. It was dark, but it was probably the place I came to earlier.
I looked in the direction where I thought the brothel might be, but it seemed to be quiet.
I tried to appraise.
A piece of information appeared in my mind.
There was someone there.
From the dimly lit dungeon cave, I knew that appraisal is not affected by the presence of light.
A 27-year-old female villager.
She was quite far away.
In this darkness, she probably can't see me.
What is she doing in such a place?
Suddenly, the corner of the street lit up, and a man with a torch appeared.
There were three men, all thieves.
They were the first thieves I found in this town.
However, their levels were low, all in single digits.
Among the thieves who attacked the village, only two had bounties.
There was a bounty on Level 19, but not on Level 11.
At least, a thief with a double-digit level is considered a full-fledged thief.
The three men started moving in different directions, illuminating the surroundings.
It would be dangerous to stay here.
I was thinking about using warp when I heard a sound from the other side.
The three men moved towards the sound.
The light from the torches revealed the woman's figure.
The 27-year-old woman seemed to be in a hurry and stumbled.
The thieves approached the woman.
They surrounded her, speaking in a language I couldn't understand.
One of the men kicked the woman in the stomach.
"Leave her face alone. Body, body."
I don't know if they really said that, but it felt like that.
The three men started to beat her.
The woman seemed to be pleading, but they ignored her.
Eventually, one of the men grabbed her hair and dragged her away.
The four of them disappeared around the corner.
Silence returned to the area.
With the thieves gone, there was no longer a risk of being discovered.
But...
I saw something unpleasant.
It's unnatural for a young woman to be in such a place, so she might be a prostitute.
Did she try to escape, spill tea, or fail to serve a customer well?
The thieves probably punished her with violence.
It seems that thieves do exist in this slum and are involved in violent rule.