Volume 2 Chapter 14 (2/2)

The big man that had impressive facial hair said so and smiled.

Upon that sight, the young warrior regained a bit of his composure.

In any case, it was the time to eat their food.

Their exploration this time ended in a massive failure. There was the fact that they got careless at exploring the familiar dungeon but it was primarily because a ridiculously strong monster appeared in the first few floors. They ran for their lives but in so doing, they were forced to leave behind the knapsack filled with their food and treasures.

They always carried a tiny amount of provisions on their persons but that too was used up. With their bodies too worn-out to hunt, they thought they had no other choice but to beg for help from any passing adventurer.

“I’m sorry, everyone. If only I had enough magic power…”

Said the female magic user in an apologetic tone.

She was a practitioner of a very valuable magic: healing magic. However, at this moment, her magic power had run out and thus, she was unable to use magic.

The male warrior and the big man with impressive facial hair desperately pretended to be fine but in addition to the bruises all over, they suffered from sprains and broken bones in various places of their bodies.

“Don’t be, Mira. If it weren’t for you, I would have died already. I’m only alive because you healed that big gaping hole I had. If only I wasn’t injured that badly, you might still have some magic power…”

The male warrior recalled the battle that happened the other day. The monster that suddenly appeared was nightmarishly strong. He had no doubts it was a B rank monster. It was actually a wonder they were still alive.

After their necessary escape, they decided to hide themselves, to heal themselves through whatever means, and to then somehow get out of the dungeon.

“Rather, I should be the one to be sorry. I’m the only one with good health and yet I wasn’t able to do anything.”

The female thief looked downhearted as she casted her head down.

“What are you talking about? It was because you took guard duty that we were able to sleep at night. Also, if it weren’t for you, we all would have been killed by traps long ago.”

“Hmm, you are still young but your capabilities as a scout are excellent.”

“Solt, Fam.”

They were certain on what they said. A thief was able to perceive the presence of traps and enemies, unlock chests and the like. They were useful on many aspects and were indispensable to a party.

The girl then spoke with a voice overcome with emotions.

“Anyway, let’s eat!”

“Hmm, let’s”

And so, they began to eat. First, they drank the water. The male warrior drank it and was surprised. It entered his body smoothly and spread. What a taste, he thought.

As parched as he currently was, it would certainly taste good but this water went beyond that. It tasted good in the true sense of the word. He was in disbelief. Moreover, he was being reinvigorated by it.

He next ate the red fruit which the clerk called an apple.

It had a nice texture to it in his mouth. As he chew, the bittersweet juices that came from the fruit spread all over his mouth. It was so delicious, he thought he’d cry. The moment he gulped it down, he knew his entire body, down to his cells, felt ecstatic.

What is this, he wondered, is this the fruit of the heavens?

His body relaxed and his aches faded away. The fatigue that weighed on his body like heavy lead also vanished.

By the time he noticed it, the fruit he held was already gone.

It was strange. He considered himself to be a glutton but this one fruit pleasantly drove away his hunger. He next ate the bread. It looked like any other bread but it was unbelievably good. He tasted the sweetness of the wheat it was made from. He himself grew up in a household of farmers but never has he tasted a bread this delicious. The quality of the ingredients, most especially the wheat, was very exquisite.

Anticipating the same kind of experience, he tried the dried meat but to his disappointment, it was utterly ordinary. The male warrior then turned to check the state his companions were in. After they drank the water and ate the fruit and bread, everyone was in some kind of stupor.

After the last lingering effects of the stupor had faded, the male warrior spoke.

“Hey, everyone, wasn’t that red fruit unbelievably delicious?”

“Yeah, it was the best. I still couldn’t believe something like this existed in this world. The water and bread too were superb. This city is great. We gotta tell the others.”

“I know, right? Like, I was so tired but now it’s all gone. And I know shouldn’t feel so happy right now, considering our circumstances, but I am!”

“It’s exactly like the taste of something blessed by the land. It got rid of my tiredness and at this rate, it looks like my magic power will soon recover.”

Each of them were shocked by the great taste of their meal, especially by the apple. It was not only delicious but it had also provided them with obviously good effects.

“Hey, how about if we return to Eclaba, withdraw some money from the bank, then stay at our usual inn until our injuries are healed? And, right after that, go to the dungeon again?”

“Sounds good. Considering our injuries and Mira’s spent magic power, that might just be our only choice.”

This four-man party was a top-class party. With their forces combined, they could hunt even C rank monsters down. The feat alone earned them money, plenty enough to have some savings. With such savings, even if they suffer serious setbacks like this time, it was possible to recover. But doing so was not cheap, not at all.

“How about a change of plans? I think we should stay at this city for a while. If we eat those red fruits daily, our injuries and magic power should recover. And we can challenge the dungeon sooner. If I remember correctly, the sign the girl held said this city had an inn and it costs dirt cheap to stay too.”

“But then, how about our broken equipment? We have to get the blacksmith we frequent fix them. One way or the other, we have to return to Eclaba. Besides, I’m not confident the inn in this town is a proper one.”

The warrior was confused. He couldn’t deny any of what the big man said but the price of the inn in this city was so much cheaper than the one in Eclaba. So too were the food and drinks in this city.

Their wound and magic power recovery time was also bound to be shorter here. And if so, that would mean that their dungeon exploration downtime was also going to be shorter.

No matter how much savings they had, they wanted to avoid spending it as much as possible.

Any which way he thought about it, staying at this city was for the better.

He knew these and yet returning to Eclaba…

At that moment, a lone fine looking young man came. He aged somewhere between 15 and 19 years old.

He was wearing finely made black clothes. The young man was supposed to be smiling but for an instant, the warrior felt so much dread, it made his spine tingle. His long years of experience as an adventurer had honed his senses and he felt nothing but the aura of a true man of battles from this young man.

“I thank you for taking the time to visit our city this fine day. It might be impolite of me but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”

“And you are?”

“I am the leader of this city as well as the father of all the demihumans that reside here. I am called the great sage Procell. This city that has welcomed you, dear adventurers, besides having an inn, also has a blacksmith that has prepared an arrangement of high quality items. Certainly, you’ll allow me to guide you there?”

He said so and the elegantly bowed.

It was nothing short of a blessing. It was good news to the adventurers to learn that the city also had a blacksmith.

They didn’t expect much from this city’s blacksmith but they thought the said blacksmith would at least have enough skill to be able to do simple repairs.

The warrior turned to check on his companions’ responses…

“Then, please lead the way.”