When Kells and Ailiya had finished preparing their gear for the journey, Karlina returned. She carried on her back a large black cloth bag, presumably containing the equipment she had purchased. Her entire body was drenched with water—such professionalism! Even in that state, she could go buy equipment without changing her clothes. Speaking of which, since there was nothing underneath, and she was completely soaked from head to toe… “Forget it! Better not think about it!” Kells’ nosebleed was already showing signs of breaking loose…


    “Young Master Kells, I’ve acquired all the equipment. Please take a look.” As she spoke, she placed the large bag on the table and opened it up. The items inside seemed to be of decent quality—after all, it was a place specializing in second-hand goods. Though the equipment wasn’t brand new, it didn’t look shoddy in the slightest. Especially that magic staff in the middle, flashing with red light, appearing very much like high-end merchandise.


    “This… it couldn’t be made of gemstones, could it? Such a large piece…” Kells picked up the magic staff and examined it closely. The most striking feature was the red gemstone at the tip, as big as half a human palm. How much would that cost? Kells couldn’t even begin to imagine.


    “Hehe, it’s made of colored glass. The finer kind of this material is called ‘liuli.’ This is good stuff from the guild. Just the staff alone, without any magic attached, costs 20 gold coins,” Karlina said.


    “20 gold coins!” Kells was already feeling somewhat dizzy. A staff that looked rather pretty was worth such a high price—20 gold coins! How many years would an ordinary commoner need to save to afford that? Even a big restaurant like the one Ailiya’s father ran would take one or two years to accumulate that much. Magic users were indeed the exclusive domain of nobles, wielding equipment priced beyond the heavens!


    “Young Master Kells might not know, but this is already considered the worst kind of staff. Most nobles wouldn’t use fake gemstones to decorate their staffs, hehe. We got lucky today—the guild happened to have one with fixed healing magic. But as for the specific effects, I’m not too sure; I’m completely clueless about magic.”


    Karlina had always been very respectful toward Kells, unsure if saying such things might be a bit embarrassing. Kells picked up the staff and put on an act, saying, “No problem, this thing looks like good stuff. How much did it cost?”


    “50 gold coins.”


    “Damn it, 50 gold coins for a wooden stick! That’s worth how much? It’s enough to marry a pretty wife in the countryside!” Of course, Kells wouldn’t utter such disgraceful words aloud. But the truth was the truth—items with magic attached were expensive. This was still a light-based one; if it were of another type, it’d be an astronomical price. The fixing of light magic was done at the church, where the fees weren’t as exorbitant. For this lowest-level healing magic, due to its high demand, the attachment fee was even lower. Naturally, attaching magic wasn’t something just anyone could do. To attach the lowest one-star magic, one needed at least four-star magic power. But magicians generally weren’t short on money—a few thousand gold coins were something they wouldn’t even glance at.


    To display his expertise, Kells bluffed a little. “Hm! Look at the craftsmanship of this staff—so refined. The fixed magic must surely be powerful. From now on, we’ll rely on it for healing injuries. And this honorable task shall be entrusted to Ailiya, hehe. Take it; you’ll be our healer from now on.”


    “Hm! Thank you, Brother. This staff is really beautiful, and I love the red decoration too. Great! Is that leather armor mine? It looks about my size. Sister Lina, how did you manage to find something so fitting just by glancing a few times?” As she spoke, she picked up the smaller leather armor from the bundle. It felt quite sturdy to the touch, but its weight wasn’t as heavy as she’d imagined. She weighed it in her hands and didn’t find it heavy at all. Only the style was a bit outdated—really not cute for a girl to wear…


    “This one cost 5 gold coins. The leather quality is good; it’s said to be from the hide of a tough monster. It can withstand ordinary sword strikes, and as long as the force isn’t too great, it won’t sustain damage. Though the style is somewhat old-fashioned, its value lies in the clever design. This piece is adjustable. I was worried about the size not matching, so I bought this one,” Karlina explained. Compared to equipment for magic users, the price of ordinary armor was clearly much cheaper. That one staff could buy 10 sets of clothes like this.


    “It’s pretty good. Sister Lina, Brother Kells, do I look good wearing it?” Ailiya put on the leather armor and spun around the room several times.


    “Haha, it’s alright. Looking too good isn’t good—we’re going to be mercenaries. If we attract unnecessary trouble, that’d be bad. Dressing a bit plain won’t make it easy for noble young masters to take a fancy to you. Oh, Lina, don’t call me Young Master Kells anymore. I’m just a country bumpkin who’s never seen the world. Hm, hm! From now on, call me Captain!” he declared.


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    “Alright, Captain Kells!” And so, Karlina’s fondness rose again. Why? This was called humility—what a grand virtue! Likewise, Kells remained completely oblivious.


    “Oh, oh! This one’s mine, then. As expected, it’s soft leather armor. If it’s too hard, I can’t move freely. But doesn’t soft leather armor have much lower defense?” Kells asked.


    “Yes, but this one isn’t bad. It’s genuine monster hide—cost 20 gold coins. The guild boss told me the material for this outfit was skinned from an F-tier monster. If sold through legitimate channels, it’d be at least 80 gold coins or more!” Karlina said.


    “Heavenly Father! 20 gold coins! Just this tattered outfit costs 20 gold coins… Speaking of which, is this really monster hide? I’ve never seen it before. F-tier, huh! That’s not on the same level as G-tier!” Kells was secretly shocked. Acquiring a set of mercenary gear indeed came at no small cost, but equipment was truly critical. As long as your defense was strong enough, even a B-tier monster couldn’t do anything to you—though that’s the stuff of legendary equipment, not something ordinary people could dare to dream of.


    “Weapons… where’s the bow I asked for?” Kells rummaged through the entire bag but couldn’t find his bow and arrows.


    Karlina smiled and pulled out a stick-like object from behind her, about half a meter long, its purpose unclear. “Captain Kells, this is today’s fine catch. I spent 50 gold coins to get it!”


    “But this… no matter how you look at it, it doesn’t resemble a bow. A stick—what am I supposed to do with a stick…” Kells really wanted to give Karlina a good scolding. This foolish woman kept getting useless things. What could he do with this broken stick? Scare Fat Dragon? Well, that might be worth a try…


    “Hehe, this is a fine bow, but it’s a modular one. Just pull it like this, then twist it like that—look! It’s done!” Karlina took the short stick and, with a few maneuvers, actually assembled a bow. Kells took it and tested its strength—it seemed decent! Don’t be fooled by this kid’s skinny frame; his strength wasn’t small. He was at least twice as strong as his peers. Kells’ knack for escaping was mentioned earlier, and this strength came from escaping too. Back when Kells couldn’t outrun the fastest girl in town, that period was his strength-training phase!


    All sorts of beatings—if his resilience hadn’t been up to par, he’d have ascended to heaven years ago…


    The bow’s strength wasn’t weak. With sharp arrows, it should reach within 300 meters. Kells estimated its power; its portability and concealability were indeed its greatest advantages. It was fine for dealing with monsters, but for fighting people, not so much. In low-end battles, archers were always the first to be taken out, followed by mages in higher-tier fights.


    Ranged attackers were forever the primary targets—that was the rule. But Karlina didn’t quite understand why he chose a bow. Typically, mercenary leaders were tank types, like various knights…


    “Captain Kells, why not use a sword-type weapon?” Karlina asked. As a leader, a sword and shield were indeed cooler; a bow seemed a bit sneaky.


    “We’re not fighting people. Low-tier monsters don’t have much intelligence. To take on foes above our level, we need ranged power. Going melee with our group is just asking for death. Lina, your close combat skills aren’t great either, right?” Kells asked.


    “Hm, Captain Kells, you’ve thought it through so well. Hehe, if I hadn’t met you, someone like me really wouldn’t suit the mercenary life,” Karlina said, feeling immensely fortunate.


    “No worries. With my leadership, you’ll be able to perform at twice your strength. Heh heh, in a few days, our mercenary life will begin. Oh, what equipment did you get for yourself? Besides our stuff, I don’t see anything else.”


    “I don’t need any, Captain. I already have my own gear. Female stealth classes can’t even wear leather armor; we can only use these lightweight clothes with no defense at all. As for weapons, I use poisoned daggers—upon striking, they cause hallucination effects. This dagger is good stuff too; it cost me 100 gold coins back then. In one mission, it was all thanks to this dagger!” Just as Karlina was about to continue, Kells interrupted her.


    “This foolish woman—how can she casually talk about her past of killing and abducting? If Ailiya finds out, she’ll never team up with her!” Kells fretted inwardly, fearing that one day this woman might slip up and cause a misunderstanding with Ailiya.


    Karlina didn’t mind too much. Since Kells didn’t let her continue, she stopped. “This time, we spent a total of 125 gold coins. We have 375 gold coins left—enough for the three of us to live in a big city for a long time. The cost of living in a one-star city isn’t too high.”


    “Hm, very good. Thank you. The start of this adventure is all thanks to Lina’s support. Hehe, tonight we rest well, and tomorrow we set off. Oh, Lina, come here—I have something to say to you.”


    Kells and Karlina stepped outside. “You didn’t complete the mission. How does the underground guild handle that?” Kells wasn’t familiar with their rules; he was worried Karlina might get into trouble.


    “It’s fine. Every time we take a job, we have to pay a deposit. The higher the reward, the higher the deposit. If you give up midway or fail the task, the deposit gets confiscated by the guild! For this job, I paid 5 gold coins—about a 1-to-100 ratio.”


    “They won’t hold you accountable?”


    “Nope, not at all. I’m free now,” Karlina said with a smile.


    “That’s completely different from the legitimate guild. There, if you fail too many missions, your mercenary squad’s rank drops, and mercenaries get put on a blacklist. Once you’re blacklisted, it’s trouble—no one will hire incompetent mercenaries,” Kells mused.