Endless Leveling Done Right!-Chapter 23: A Family Heirloom

"Here you go, Alex," Dahlia said as she placed a pouch on top of the counter. "This is your earnings from the two gathering missions, the goblin ears, the forest wolf bodies, and the Red-Eyed Zebra Jumping Spider's body."

The young man thanked Dahlia and checked the contents of the pouch.

'I hope I at least earned five gold coins after all that trouble,' Alex thought as he opened the pouch.

As soon as he saw its contents, he immediately closed it and stuffed it into his storage ring.

[You gained 10 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze coins.]

With the notification screen confirming what he saw, it finally dawned on him that he wasn't imagining things.

Dahlia couldn't help but giggle after seeing Alex's reaction. His dumbfounded expression made him look like a country bumpkin who had earned a sum like this for the first time.

The receptionist then gestured for Alex to come closer, wanting to whisper something in his ear.

"The three wolves are worth a gold coin each," Dahlia murmured. "And the spider is worth seven gold coins. I'm telling you this so you'll know the prices in the future."

"But you shouldn't hunt Rank 2 Monsters until you're truly ready to face them. I don't want you dying anytime soon, okay?"

The receptionist then pulled back and winked at Alex before asking for the next Adventurer to come forward.

News of the teenage boy returning to town with his clothes covered in blue blood had already reached the Adventurer's Guild, so Dahlia knew the young man must have done something reckless again.

Knowing the young lady's words were a subtle reprimand, Alex left the Adventurer's Guild and headed to the clothes shop, intending to buy some new clothes.

The spider's blood was quite difficult to wash off, so he decided to just throw the clothes away and buy new ones.

Since he had earned quite an impressive amount, he decided to buy three sets of traveling clothes, which cost him eighteen silver coins.

While he was at it, he also purchased three sets of casual clothes, which cost him an additional twelve silver coins.

Alex didn't feel bad about it because it was a necessary purchase. Spending the amount he did was much better than running out of clothes to wear in the middle of a journey.

He then took a stroll on the market with Dim Dim, buying meat skewers at the food stalls as a reward for defeating the spider that had almost killed him.

Since he had enough funds for the time being, he decided to wait for his Master's return instead of claiming more gathering missions and going to the Floating Forest to gather herbs.

"Have you heard the news? The monsters in the forest have been getting active recently," one of the people in the marketplace said to his friend.

"Yeah. One of my friends was barely lucky enough to escape from a group of goblins led by a Hobgoblin," a chubby person replied. "That was really a close call. Fortunately, he escaped before they noticed him."

"I just hope there won't be a stampede."

"By the Gods, can you not say something like that? The last thing we need is a monster stampede."

"Sorry."

Alex frowned as he listened to the discussion of the people around him.

Monster stampedes and dungeon outbreaks were like natural calamities that could happen anytime, anywhere.

The Town of Thaloria was protected by high walls, and there were dozens of guards patrolling the town and manning the gates.

As a transportation hub, there were also plenty of Adventurers passing by who could also help during emergencies.

As long as they worked together, handling a monster stampede wouldn't be difficult.

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Not to mention, Alex had never heard of an event like a monster stampede happening in Thaloria in the storyline of ELO.

After he and Dim Dim finished eating, the young man headed to the Library to read books once more, since it was already part of his routine.

*****

Somewhere in the Kingdom of Avalon...

"So, you're back," said a Catkin wearing an eye patch on his left eye.

"Yes, Grandpa," Cairo replied. "I have returned."

"Are you going to participate in the annual hunting mission of our tribe?" Cairo's grandfather, who went by the name Ramza, asked.

"I will," Cairo answered. "Also, Grandpa, there is something important that I need to tell you."

"And that is?"

"I have taken in a disciple."

"Huh?!"

Ramza looked at his grandson in disbelief. In his eyes, the Catkin was still too young to have a disciple under him.

"Grandpa, I know what you're thinking," Cairo said in a calm tone. "But when I saw Alex, I just felt as if he was very different from the humans that I had met in the past. It's like... he is meant for great things."

"Swordsman's intuition?" Ramza arched an eyebrow.

"I can't explain it properly with words." Cairo shook his head. "I just know that he's special."

"If you really felt that way, then it must be so." Ramza gestured for Cairo to follow him inside the house. If they continued their chat outside, chances were others could overhear their discussion.

As Cairo walked past their living room, his gaze landed on the shield that hung on the wall.

It was a round black shield that didn't have any redeeming features. Of course, their family had tried to use it in the past.

The shield was just average and had been damaged more times than they could count.

However, the shield had an auto-repair function, so it had been able to repair the damage received during those battles.

In the end, their family had come to believe that this shield was more of a ceremonial item than a true defensive equipment.

They no longer used it in battle and simply treated it as a family heirloom meant for decoration.

"Grandpa, can I have that?" Cairo asked as he pointed at the shield on the wall.

"Are you using shields now?" Ramza asked in confusion.

"No. But I think my disciple might want it."

Ramza pondered for a while before glancing at the shield hanging on the wall.

It was supposed to be a family heirloom, but they didn't actually need it. Also, it didn't even look that good as a decor.

After a few minutes, Ramza decided to compromise.

"I have two conditions," he said. "The first one is that you should be the King of the Hunt this year. The second one is that your disciple must promise to return Svalinn once he no longer has any use for it. As long as these two conditions are met, I will allow you to take it."

"Deal!" Cairo replied before his grandfather could even change his mind.

"Good." Ramza nodded. "I expect good things from you this year, Cairo."

The old Catkin patted his grandson's shoulder before asking him what he wanted to eat.

Although he was curious about Cairo's disciple, he decided to put this matter aside and ask him about the adventures he had experienced when travelling the world to look for his Dao of the Sword.