## Chapter 396 – Harpy Lady
Three days later, I visited the Magic Tower again with Winia.
“The appraisal fee is 30 silver.”
“Holy…”
The news I heard as soon as I went up to the second floor mercilessly tore at my heart.
30 silver.
The appraisal fee was 15 silver, and the meteorite’s value was 30 silver.
“Well, I guess so. It was so small… Darkie?”
Of course, I made a profit of 15 silver, but the thought of the appraisal fee being the same amount almost brought me to tears. But it was only natural.
The meteorite was very small.
It couldn’t be helped because its absolute size was small. It was barely the size of my pinky finger. Rather, I should be grateful that it was worth 30 silver despite its size.
“Except for a trace amount of Adamantium, the meteorite was made entirely of ordinary iron. The Magic Tower has offered to buy it for 30 silver. Will you sell it?”
“A trace amount of Adamantium?”
Adamantium?
I knew the name, but not the details.
“It’s a rare metal commonly found in meteorites.”
When I asked, intending to find out more, the appraiser began to explain.
“It’s very difficult to process because it’s not easily damaged, but because it’s not damaged, its durability is extremely high, so it’s used to make top-tier weapons, as well as precision parts for magical artifacts.”
In other words, it was a powerful metal that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of.
If you made a weapon out of this deadly metal, a weapon made of ordinary iron would be shattered like a school window.
It seemed that it had broken through the atmosphere and fallen to the ground because of its extremely high durability. Anyway, the meteorite I brought contained a trace amount of Adamantium.
Some really lucky bastards might have picked up chunks of this Adamantium meteorite. Thinking about that made my stomach ache, so I decided to stop thinking about it.
Damn it.
Bastards.
“Therefore, it’s a very expensive rare metal, but unfortunately, the content is very small. Do you want to sell it?”
“Damn it.”
Well, it’s a shame, but it’s not something particularly useful to us.
Who would put this tiny bit of Adamantium on their nose?
If a trace amount came out of a pinky-sized meteorite, it would be smaller than half of my fingernail. There’s nothing to make with it, and it’s useless to keep it.
“We’ll sell it.”
“Understood.”
Leaving my disappointment behind, Winia completed the transaction. Administrative procedures began, with various documents being exchanged.
After waiting for a while, an employee appeared with a money pouch.
It contained 30 silver.
This concluded the overall income from this meteorite-finding journey. The cash I earned in a little less than three weeks, after deducting everything, was about 75 silver. Since there were three of us, we each earned a little over 1 silver per day.
Thinking about it that way, it didn’t seem like we earned that much, but considering that most of the schedule was travel, it seemed okay.
“Let’s go, Darkie.”
Winia, who received the meteorite’s composition report, examined it, folded it neatly, put it between her breasts, and took my hand.
“Okay…”
“Why are you so gloomy? Is 15 silver nothing to you?”
“It’s not that, it’s just that my heart aches so much when I think about the appraisal fee. Why is it so expensive? I’m holding back a scream right now.”
As expected, technology is important in both Earth and this world. The skill of killing people with swords is as common as stones on the road, but wizards are literally con artists.
“Wizards are originally high-end manpower. And you’re using the Magic Tower’s equipment to appraise it, so of course, they have to charge that much. Right?”
“I’m a warrior, so I don’t know.”
“Originally, only idiots become warriors.”
“Yeah, damn it.”
“But Darkie is stronger than me, right? And you’re better at swordsmanship.”
“Yeah… Thanks for the compliment.”
Now, even if Winia uses Strength Magic, my strength seems to be stronger. But what would I do by beating Winia in strength?
Besides banging her… Oh. That’s right.
I’m glad I became a warrior.
“But why don’t you become an appraiser?”
“I can’t do such a frustrating job.”
“You’re a free spirit, after all.”
In fact, Winia doing dangerous things like adventuring as a wizard was to improve her skills.
There’s nothing better for improving magical proficiency than battles that require impromptu judgment and quick reflexes, and the various experiences that come from performing them.
Surprisingly, many wizards with ambition do this kind of thing.
Quite a while ago, when Winia was an adventurer from when I first came to this world and was a complete noob, she has now become a very powerful wizard.
She’s always beating up monsters and robbers with magic, so it’s only natural that her skills improve. She’s full of grit.
“Originally, I was going to keep improving my skills and live comfortably when I got older. But I got caught by Darkie? You’ll make me live comfortably later, right?”
I didn’t catch her, Winia caught me.
“Yeah. I will. Trust me.”
“Hehe. Okay. I trust you. You’re so reliable these days.”
Anyway, on the way back, Winia borrowed a few magic books from the Magic Tower. She plans to rest for a while and focus on personal training.
I’m also thinking of training or doing something else.
There’s no point in resting for too long. Making the most of the given time. That’s the way to become a macho.
* * *
A few days have passed.
I couldn’t count how many times I’ve come during that time.
I thought I was going to die from having all my essence sucked out, so I went to the Swordsman’s Guild to train my swordsmanship, but in the end, I ended up getting sucked again.
If I don’t work, I’m just a meat stick, Kim Kat. It’s like my body never runs out of fluids. Does that make sense?
So, I visited the Adventurer’s Guild after a long time.
It was gradually becoming summer, and the jungle was rampant, making the area around Isvant even more lush. And with the monsters stirred up by the meteorite’s influence, adventurers had a lot to do.
“We’re recruiting people to exterminate the Nol! There’s a reward of 3 coppers per head!”
“The killer hornets have reappeared… They say we need to exterminate them while the scale is small. How about it? Will you come with me?”
“Anyone want to raid a Kobold cave!”
It was quite lively.
Various people were shouting and recruiting party members. Among them were some who were drinking from the morning, and it turned out to be Kopson.
“Hey. You’re alive?”
“Isn’t that the Barbarian? It’s been a while.”
“Indeed. But how did the meteorite search go?”
“Hehehe, you want to know?”
This guy also said he was going to look for meteorites. Judging by that meaningful smile and the fact that he’s been drinking since morning, did this guy hit the jackpot?
“Hey. Did you find a meteorite?”
“I didn’t find it. I almost died instead. There were so many robbers and guys claiming territory. I think I was running away with my party members almost every day.”
“Hehehe, you crazy bastard. But you survived.”
“Hehe, I survived in the jungle, so what’s the problem with those robbers?”
I immediately joined him and had a drink. When I heard his story, it turned out that Kopson already had something to do tomorrow.
It seems that a large number of Gremlins have bred near a village, and he’s going there.
“Gremlins are pushovers.”
“That’s right. Well, it’s a good thing that there are so many monsters these days… Damn it. I went to look for meteorites and only lost money. I don’t think I’ll be able to rest for a while.”
“If you cut back on drinking and gambling, you can rest a lot.”
“Drinking and gambling are resting. What are you telling me to cut back on?”
“You crazy bastard.”
Anyway, I was going to work with this guy for a while, but the timing didn’t work out.
I stopped Kopson, who was already red-faced, and made him get up and return to his lodging. What a typical adventurer.
Then let’s find some work for a while.
It seems that Winia is going to focus on magic training for the time being, and Claudia wants to rest a little more. So, I decided to find a party and work for a while.
“D-rank Kat?”
“Yes.”
When I went to the counter and showed my tag, the male employee shuffled through the papers.
“Just a moment… There’s definitely a D-rank quest… Ah, here. Yesterday, some D-rank adventurers took a quest. They said they were looking for party members.”
“What kind of quest is it?”
“A pack of Giant Wolves has appeared on the outskirts of the village of Bauwell, and the request is to exterminate them before they attack the village.”
Giant Wolves.
Beast-type monsters. They look a little different from Earth’s wolves, but the feeling is similar. They are quite aggressive and ferocious, but a lone wolf can be defeated by an E-rank adventurer. Although the probability of taking a critical hit is high.
If you evaluate their objective combat power, they are almost on par with a seasoned E-rank adventurer. I also ganged up on two of them with five people and defeated them a long time ago.
Anyway, it seems that such a guy has appeared in a pack, so it was assigned as a D-rank quest.
I asked the employee for more information.
“According to the village hunters, the pack is about fifteen. The reward is 14 silver in total. Currently, the D-rank adventurers Falchion, Janice, and Anna have formed a party. They said they were looking for one more D-rank.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Fifteen wolves for 14 silver.
There are four party members in total, so each person can earn 3 silver and 50 coppers upon completion of the quest. And since the wolf hides will be ours, the profit margin is even greater.
And although I don’t know any of them, D-rank adventurers are those who have acquired trust and credibility officially recognized by the guild. There’s nothing to worry about in this regard.
Honestly, up to E-rank is the bottom of the barrel, but from D-rank onwards, they are regular guild members. They are all diligent and skilled.
“Then I’ll do it. What time?”
“Come to the guild before sunrise tomorrow and find Falchion. Then I’ll write down your name.”
“Do that.”
I received the quest and went outside.
I’m going to work with strangers for the first time in a while. No, when I think about it, it’s the first time since I was promoted to D-rank.
In the past, I almost always worked with strangers. I saw a lot of shitty things, and I had a lot of frustrating experiences. But that won’t happen this time. That’s what D-rank is.
I returned to my lodging.
“Kat? You’re back early?”
“I just got a job.”
When I returned, Claudia was awake. Winia was sitting at the table, with her staff propped up next to her, reading a magic book.
“What’s the job?”
“It’s a D-rank quest. Apparently, a pack of Giant Wolves has appeared near a village. I think I’ll have to go out tomorrow to catch them.”
“Hehe, I see. Kat is diligent as always. Have a good trip.”
“I’m leaving tomorrow, already?”
Claudia reached out her arms, asking for a hug. I immediately took off my clothes and hugged her. “Ugh… Kat…” She also asked for a kiss, so I kissed her.
Then Winia, who had closed her book, said.
“Ah, damn it. I’m a little worried. Can Darkie go alone? Why am I so worried?”
“What are you worried about? I’m just catching some wolves.”
“You got lost in the jungle last time.”
“That was a really special situation. That won’t happen, so don’t worry.”
That was a really special situation that almost never happens. On the other hand, this quest is just routine, so there’s no need to worry.
“You said I was trustworthy before.”
“You’re trustworthy when you’re within my sight.”
“Trust my combat power.”
“Okay. I will.”
There’s nothing to prepare in particular.
Let’s rest until today and go to work tomorrow. If I catch all the wolves and collect the hides and teeth, I think I’ll get about 5 silver.
“Kat. Then you should rest well today, right? Come here.”
Claudia smiled seductively and lifted the blanket, making room.
“Mama? You’ll let me rest?”
“Yeah. Come here.”
Of course, it was a lie.
