Chapter 184 – Too Much Money.

“Thank the gods, we made it out of there in one piece, Rika.”

“Yeah, my heart almost stopped when they started looking at us. That was really scary.”

“Yeah.”

Two people were talking quietly together. One of them was holding a small satchel that clearly had a spatial enchantment on it. Their eyes were fixed on it as if a precious treasure were inside.

“Hey, guys.”

A feminine voice called out from the side.

“What is it, Tally?”

Rika turned her head away from the young man with the satchel.

“I think we should leave. I feel like people are staring at us. What do you think, Oliver?”

Their leader, the boy holding the satchel, quickly placed it into a larger pouch strapped to his armor. All three stood just outside the adventurers’ guild, but for some reason, many others were watching them.

“Perhaps we should.”

The group lowered their heads and began to move. They were not sure if people were staring because of the recent events or because of the money they carried, but fear gnawed at them. They walked at first, then quickened their pace to a hurried step, and before long they were running. Eventually, they ended up in the slums, hiding behind an old brick wall.

“What should we do? Are they trying to kill us?”

Tally shouted the words but was silenced quickly by Rika, who pressed a palm firmly over her mouth.

“Be quiet, what if someone hears us?”

Rika kept her palm over Tally’s mouth while slowly leaning to peek past the wall. Luckily, there was no one there, so she quickly ducked back and turned to her two friends.

“We need to get rid of all this money!”

Oliver only nodded.

“We probably should. By now, everyone must know we sold that rainbow water crystal to the guild.”

All three sighed in unison and slid down against the rough brick wall. Exhaustion weighed on them after everything that had happened in the dungeon. They had managed to get out alive, but now they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“We were lucky to even make it out alive. They say it was a unique monster, but no one has ever found it.”

Oliver spoke as he remembered how they had fled from the darkness that swallowed the dungeon chamber. None of them had seen the rare creature, yet if it could destroy an entire D-rank team on its own, it had to be terrifyingly strong.

“It serves them right. They tried to rob us. I bet they would have killed us if that monster hadn’t appeared.”

Rika muttered with a deep frown.

“W-well, it’s fine now. We survived, and we have money. How about we use it to buy some new equipment?”

Tally said, trying to change the subject. The three of them sat in silence for a few moments as they gathered their thoughts. Rika narrowed her eyes, still scanning their surroundings while her cat-like ears twitched at every sound, listening for the slightest sign of pursuers. Oliver kept one hand on the pouch strapped to his armor, his fingers tightening as if holding it closer might keep them safe.

“That might be a good idea, but what kind of equipment and where would we get it?”

Oliver asked. The other two began to ponder and soon Rika replied.

“Not sure, but perhaps it would be best not to buy anything flashy. We don’t want to stand out more than we already have.”

All three of them nodded as they examined what they were wearing and carrying. They had lost some of their weapons in the recent incident inside the dungeon. Oliver had lost his old spear and had not yet found a replacement. Rika still had her bow, but the string was ready to snap, and the wood was badly worn. Tally’s daggers were lost during their escape, and their armor was in poor condition as well.

“I think we need to get you something better, Oliver. You are the one at the front lines, and you should have equipment that will not alert the monsters.”

Oliver could not deny Rika’s words. His gear was mismatched, and his boots were too large for his feet. During combat, he always felt discomfort, as though he could never exert his true power. He was a fighter type who could benefit greatly from heavier armor and a better spear with more weight behind it.

“But good equipment costs a fortune. Will just one rainbow crystal be enough to cover everything?”

Asked Tally, who continued to whisper while mentioning the rainbow crystal.

“We could buy something less conspicuous. Most E-rank adventurers use iron or steel gear. Should we do the same?”

Oliver added, glancing down at his rusted breastplate.

“Iron or steel… Well, anything is probably better than that half-rusted thing you call an armor. So yes, we should. But where should we go?”

Rika leaned her back against the wall and tapped her chin in thought.

“Not the guild shops. Too many eyes. Everyone there saw us bring the crystal in. If we show up flashing coins, someone will follow us again.”

Oliver frowned and pulled his pouch tighter against his side. The three were quite paranoid about the situation. They had heard rumors of people vanishing at night, killed for owning far less than they did. While they felt that they had already stepped into the E-rank, without proper gear, they couldn’t really consider themselves as such.

“Then where? One of the main shops? But won’t they toss us out like last time?”

The three of them did not look very wealthy. In the past, they had been thrown out of a well-stocked shop almost instantly.

“Won’t any store do? We’re not looking for anything rare, just something that will get us by for now.”

Oliver said, and they fell silent again, each lost in thought, until something caught their attention.

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“Hey, there’s someone over there!”

Tally whispered, pointing toward a spot just beyond the wall.

The young adventurers froze and pressed against the bricks to conceal themselves.

“Who is it?”

Oliver whispered, glancing at Tally. She edged closer to the corner, carefully peeking around it. After a quick look, she pulled her head back and turned to her companions.

“Well? Who is it?”

Rika asked this time, her ears twitching as she perked up.

“Um… it was some children and… a silver ant.”

Rika and Oliver both raised their eyebrows. Once the ant was mentioned, however, the same thought crossed their minds.

“An ant? Wait, is it that ant?”

Rika asked while Oliver leaned out to see for himself. A silvery ant moved on the other side of the wall. It looked a little different from the one he remembered, but its movements were familiar. This was a tamed monster that often stayed near a certain armored adventurer they knew.

“It’s Gleam. That means Mr. Edmund must be nearby. But why is it here?”