Chapter 20

Today is the second chapter. This is the last update for today.

I'm feeling happy these days as my points are gradually increasing.

(What to do...)

It has been a week since Node was called by his mother, Maria.

Node is currently in the snow.

To be precise, he is burrowing through the snow in the winter mountains.

"The cold of winter is more terrifying than monsters."

Believing the words that the adventurers in the tavern spoke in unison, Node sought advice from senior adventurers. The reward, as always, was a drink at the tavern.

Taking their advice to heart, Node's equipment has changed from the scale armor to hard leather armor once again. Moreover, the details of this hard leather armor are different from ordinary hard leather armor.

When Node was about to trade in the hard leather armor for the scale armor, the armorer simply told him, "Keep it as a spare."

Armor also needs maintenance. If it is damaged, it is good to have another set on hand.

Node stopped trading it in and stored it in his room at the mansion. However, the hard leather armor had transformed into winter gear with a dense, warm underlayer of winter fur.

The fluffy fur inside the armor retains a lot of air, keeping Node's body heat inside the armor.

The tips of his fingers and toes are also made the same way, and the coat can be worn over it. Although it required some money for the modifications, it was essential equipment for operating in the harsh winter environment.

Wearing the winter armor, Node moved slowly to avoid sweating, but he steadily dug through the snow and found his target.

On the side of a cliff on a snow-covered mountain, something peeking out from under the snow reflected the faint sunlight that filtered through the overcast sky, shining eerily.

Node roughly collected the crystal – a special natural magic stone called an Ice Spirit Stone, which can only be obtained in winter – and put it in his backpack. He also held bags of Ice Spirit Stones in both hands.

The weight pressed down on Node's shoulders through his armor, and his feet began to sink into the snow.

He quickly shifted his weight to his walking sticks – ski poles for the snowy mountains.

After adjusting his stance and putting on the snowshoes he had taken off for the collection, he walked on the snow.

Looking down, he saw the tracks he had left leading down to the base of the mountain.

§

Walking on the snow.

– How much will this Ice Spirit Stone be worth?

He thought of the amount, roughly calculated from the price written in the request.

– Well, that's about it.

Walking on the snow.

– It's still not enough.

Walking on the snow.

The winter mountain is very quiet.

When the wind is blowing and there is a blizzard, it is not noticeable, but when the wind stops and the clouds part, it becomes even more apparent.

At the peaks of distant mountains, it seems that the snow spirits are continuously dyeing the steep slopes white, but the mountain where Node is located is completely calm.

The only sound that echoes is the crunching of the snow under Node's feet.

Occasionally, the wind brushes the surface of the snow, making it dance in the air.

Node heard a sound like crystals rubbing against each other.

The source of the sound was some distance away from where Node was.

(... An Ice Spirit?)

He can see a blue-white shadow dancing on the snowfield.

The illusion, which looks like a dancing girl, is that of an Ice Spirit that appears in winter.

(... I can't let it play tricks on me.)

Relieved that it is not a dangerous monster, he lets out a sigh.

From the half-mask made of yarn that covers his mouth and the front of his face, a white breath, formed by the freezing of dust in the air, escaped.

Ice Spirits, and spirits in general, are mischievous and like to play tricks on humans. They do not have malicious intent, but their power is strong, and their mischief often leads to serious damage.

Especially when carrying heavy Ice Spirit Stones, being knocked down by a playful spirit is out of the question.

Being buried in the snow would be bad enough, but the worst-case scenario would be sliding down a snowy slope at high speed, crashing into a wall, or falling off a cliff. Needless to say, the end result would be a pile of flesh.

Fortunately, the spirits seem to be engrossed in their play. At this distance, they probably won't notice him.

Node judged this and continued down the silent, snowy expanse.

§

Just when he was about to reach the base of the mountain, Node encountered a disaster.

"Roarrrr—!"

During his descent, the sound echoed through the snowy mountain, and Node instinctively threw himself onto the snow.

To avoid sliding, he buried himself in the snow and remained motionless.

With a slight puff of powder snow, Node's prone figure would have blended into the snow from above, as his armor, cloak, and backpack were all dyed white.

With a view of the slightly shadowed white snow, Node, who remained motionless in the snow, felt the cold touch of the snow on the exposed parts of his face. Despite the cold, he was sweating, not from exertion but from cold sweat.

A strong gust of wind passed over the snowfield where Node was lying.

Only then did he slowly raise his head.

The snow was swirling around like a dusty warehouse had been overturned. It was not snowfall but a strong wind, and the phenomenon was caused by a certain existence that had stirred it up.

The shadow that had raced across the white expanse was already soaring high in the sky and flying away.

"... It's passed."

Node watched the figure until it disappeared from sight and then spoke.

He got up, brushed the snow off his body, and picked up the bag of Ice Spirit Stones he had dropped in a hurry, lifting it again.

"A dragon..."

Node muttered the identity of the shadow.

§

After returning from the snowy mountain where he had gone to collect the Ice Spirit Stones, Node was sprawled out in a tavern in the capital.

Not that he was drinking. He couldn't afford such a waste.

Therefore, the waitress, who was showing a lot of cleavage, was looking at Node, who was sitting in the tavern without ordering anything, with a cold stare, but Node was sighing as if it didn't matter to him.

The reason was simple: he had no money.

No, to be precise, he did have some.

He had just delivered the Ice Spirit Stones to the adventurer's guild's counter and received additional rewards for delivering more than the required amount.

However, the few silver coins he received were far from the amount he needed, which was '200 silver coins.'

"Ah, no money..."

"Here we go again, kid."

"Hey, where's Elsa? That's unusual."

"What, you don't know? Her party disbanded."

"Really? Did she get dumped?"

"No, it's not that. She—"

The adventurers, who were making a racket, were using Node's situation as a topic of conversation. For some reason, one of them even bought Node a drink, despite the misunderstanding.

(Well, it's free, so why not?)

Node gulped down the drink in one go, letting out a "Phew" with a breath mixed with alcohol. His brain, which had been in a rut, felt refreshed.

"– Alright!"

He decided to change his mood.

Getting up from his seat, he walked past the noisy drinkers and moved to the request board.

His body felt stiff from staying in the same position for so long.

Stretching, Node looked at the requests.

New requests are posted every morning, and the popular ones are taken care of first.

On the other hand, unpopular requests remain on the board for days without being taken.

Sometimes, they stay for a week or two, and if no one takes them, they are either withdrawn or have additional rewards added.

The adventurer's guild is basically stingy, so only the contribution points are increased, but for troublesome collection requests like the one Node had just completed, the client might increase the reward.

In such cases, the request is updated even if it's not morning, so Node checked every night to see if there were any good deals.

"– But, you know..."

Of course, the rewards are not bad, but they are only enough to earn a few silver coins at a time.

Considering that an adult male can live for a year with four silver coins, it is a very good deal. (Of course, it is also very dangerous)

However, it would still take a long time to earn the amount Node needed.

200 silver coins – an amount equivalent to the annual income of a small lord.

Node's mother, Maria, probably didn't think he could earn the full amount.

Still, she must have asked him, hoping to somehow make her daughter's long-awaited marriage happen, even if it meant begging and grasping at straws.

Even if 200 coins were impossible – 50 coins. Earn that much, pay off part of the debt, and gain the understanding of the groom's side.

Thinking about this, Node wondered if it would even work out.

It has been two weeks since Maria consulted him.

Travel time is also required for the requests. Therefore, in these two weeks, Node has only completed two requests. Both had high rewards (though the effort was considerable, the time was well spent), and he has already earned nearly five silver coins, but high-reward requests like the winter bonus are rare.

Realistically, it would be impossible to earn the necessary silver coins by the spring, when his sister Hanna's wedding was scheduled.

(If only Elsa were here...)

He shook his head at this thought.

Elsa is gone, and even if she were here, it wouldn't make a difference. Even if Node were a Bronze Rank adventurer, it would be impossible.

The Ferries family's debt was that enormous.

(... Don't give up!)

Node whipped his discouraged heart.

This is about his sister, Hanna.

As a member of the Ferries family, and as a sister who had always been kind and loving to him, it was about Hanna's happiness.

What Node needed to do was figure out how to make it happen, not give up.

Switching his thoughts, Node began to think again.

If it's not possible as a Crystal Rank adventurer, then what kind of request would make it possible?

"To earn dozens or hundreds of silver coins in one request..."

Node glanced sideways.

There, on the board for requests for adventurers of a higher rank than Crystal Rank.

Node decided to look at them to change his mood.

First, he looked at the requests for Bronze Rank adventurers.

The rewards were indeed higher than those for Crystal Rank adventurers. The names of the monsters listed were all troublesome, and the gap between a Bronze Rank adventurer and the current Crystal Rank adventurer, Node, was evident.

Even the collection requests listed valuable materials that required dangerous locations or special techniques to obtain.

None of them seemed within Node's reach at the moment.

However, even with those rewards, it was still far from the number of silver coins he needed.

Sighing, Node moved his gaze further to the left.

The board for requests for Black Iron Rank adventurers.

The requests listed there were for monsters that, if Node were to encounter, would require him to beg for his life and run away like a rabbit. They were so strong that his reinforced and proud sword could barely scratch their surface.

The collection requests included materials that he had heard of (mostly from powerful monsters) and others that he had never heard of.

The gap between ranks made it difficult for Node to even imagine how to complete the requests.

The reward amounts varied greatly, but some were listed in the hundreds of silver coins. Node thought that it might not be impossible for a Black Iron Rank adventurer.

However, the problem was that Node did not even have the right to challenge the promotion request to become a Bronze Rank adventurer, let alone a Black Iron Rank adventurer.

How could he take on a request for a Black Iron Rank adventurer?

(... No, that's not right.)

Node immediately corrected his mistake.

To be precise, requests for Black Iron Rank adventurers cannot be taken through the adventurer's guild.

For the guild, it is undesirable for useful adventurers to take on requests that are too difficult for them, resulting in death or the payment of high penalties for failure. Furthermore, repeated failures would damage the guild's reputation.

Therefore, the guild uses a ranking system to ensure that adventurers take on requests that match their level.

However, if the request is not through the guild, adventurers (and others) can take on requests freely.

However, in this case, the guild is not involved, so they take no responsibility – in other words, it is entirely at the adventurer's own risk. The guild does not recommend this method of work.

(Well, even if I were to take on a request, I have no idea how to defeat such a dangerous monster...)

Node shook his head again.

It might be a hopeless situation.

He sighed.

Then, he turned his gaze to the next board out of curiosity.

If this is what Black Iron Rank adventurers deal with, what kind of monsters do Silver Rank adventurers face?

"... Ha ha."

Looking at the request board for Silver Rank adventurers, Node couldn't help but laugh.

The request he happened to see was about a monster he had just seen recently.

"‘Seeking Dragon Materials! Reward for one – 800 silver coins’... What a dream."

Node recalled the figure he had seen in the snowy mountains.

The dragon scales, which were of a different caliber from the scale armor, were as strong as forged armor.

The carapace of the flying dragon, reminiscent of a thick fortress.

The powerful jaws that could cut Node in half in an instant.

The vicious claws on the developed limbs.

And the wings that soared through the sky.

"To think that Silver Rank adventurers can fight such a monster... They are on a different level..."

Indeed, many elite adventurers who have surpassed the Crystal Rank, advanced to the Bronze Rank, and even reached the Black Iron Rank cannot overcome the wall of the Silver Rank.

It makes sense – Node understood.

Among all the monsters, the top of the hierarchy is the 'dragon.'

Even if it is the 'weakest of the dragon species,' a flying dragon is still a dragon.

(Flying dragons are ridden in battle, so the kingdom's Iron Dragon Knights must be a bunch of monsters.)

Node recalled the stories of the kingdom's knight orders that he had heard from his father and brother.

The Iron Dragon Knights, a completely merit-based and the strongest knight order, different from the local knight orders, the Hamil Kingdom Knight Order, and the Royal Guard.

They ride flying dragons and freely gallop across the battlefield, and are hired with high salaries regardless of their status in the kingdom.

(I'm sure there were adventurers who joined the order. I think that adventurer was a Silver Rank adventurer...?)

He felt a sense of déjà vu.

He was sure he had heard about the Iron Dragon Knights recently. Where was it? Node searched his memory and remembered.

(That's right, it was during a meal. My brother was unreasonably told by my father to join the Iron Dragon Knights...)

He chuckled at the memory.

While it is said that parents are destined to place expectations on their children, to suggest the Iron Dragon Knights of all things. At the very least, the Royal Guard would have been a better choice...

Thinking about this, something flashed in his mind.

It's a long shot, but there is still a possibility.

It could be a last-ditch effort to achieve the 200 silver coins.

Well, in that case, it's a staple of M○H○N. The author quite liked this quest.

R○P○S must be eradicated, no mercy.