Everyone nervously opened their eyes. They all observed their surroundings.
A sigh of relief. Fortunately, no immediate danger was waiting in front of them.
A voice then called out,
"Ha! So you were able to stabilize it in time for the event, you bastard."
"No thanks to you!"
Yoshino Aruven replied to Benjo Roxas. The male student was the one who did grab his shoulder a while ago.
Of course he was still here. Yoshino had also extended his buff skill towards the mage-merchant after all.
And Roxas was able to follow the team because he was expecting the boost. He did keep the sealing stave under his possession for some time. There was no way a self-proclaimed merchant would not have any means to appraise the contents of his 'goods'.
"Does that mean you trusted Roxas too?"
Alshura Soura asked. She seemed bothered by this idea.
"Not really. I have recovered my Master Core Skill now. My requirements for sharing any buff-type skills are not as stringent as before."
"Huu, I still feel annoyed for some reason."
"What was that supposed to mean?"
Yoshino was confused when the female lieutenant gave her comment. What was wrong with his explanation exactly?
However Steven O called out their attention,
"Apologies for the interruption, but thou should be moving now."
"…Indeed. Let's move."
Yoshino agreed upon hearing the suggestion. He remembered that there were other participants that was chasing them. Although they were able to escape the pursuit, they had inevitably shared the location of a dungeon entrance.
It was just a matter of time before the others figured out the key to entering this place.
His teammates nodded. They were probably aware of their situation as well. The team was about to move when.
"That you cannot do."
Roxas stated. He looked like he was not planning on any taking step further. He then added,
"You have to decide on something first."
"What is it?"
Yoshino asked on behalf of the team. He was annoyed by this uncooperative attitude. But he do want to hear the mage-merchant out at the very least.
Roxas grinned. He began to explain his intentions,
"Would you take back your bags now or would you prefer them to stay with me? Fair warning though, my rates as a porter will cost you."
"What rates? I thought you were doing this out of the kindness of your heart?"
"No can do. I was caught off guard before, I'll give you that. But it's different now. If I am to carry your belongings during the entire event, then I should make a profit out of it."
"You..."
Yoshino felt dejected on how shameless the mage-merchant was. How could he still have the gall to ask for compensation?
Although a part of him actually wanted to applaud the male student. The path to become a merchant was probably difficult on its own way. Or else how could someone still think of making profits at this situation.
Thus he decided to speak on the language that traders would understand. He bargained,
"Tell me why we could not just leave you here?"
"Because you still owe me. I'll simply hunt you down after this event, if that is what you want."
Yoshino winced that his argument was easily countered. He tried another,
"What if we just drag you together with us?"
"I'd like to see you try."
He was countered once again. Dragging an unwilling person was indeed more troublesome than carrying their own bags. He was about to try another way to bargain.
However O reminded him sternly,
"Yoshino, thou really had to move. Now."
"…Alright I understand. What is your thoughts about taking the deal, O?"
"A walking supplies storage shall benefit thou the best."
"Soura, are you fine with this deal?"
"Huu, we do need a porter if we want to move quickly."
Yoshino accepted that his time for bargaining had ran out. Thus he proceeded with asking the opinion of his teammates. He was not the only one who had to put up with the mage-merchant after all.
O and Soura had answered respectively. The choice that the team would be taking was decided.
"Alright. I accept your services as a porter. Let's go. We can discuss your rates as we move."
From that point onwards, Roxas had became their merchant-porter. For better or for worse, the consequences of this decision was yet to be revealed.
***
The artificial dungeon prepared for the Border Run could be described as a botanical garden of trials. The floor was made of concrete but there was no ceiling. The blue sky was up above their heads.
The corridor was around five meter wide. On each side were tall rows of flower pots that stretched along the floor. Beyond these pots were tall trees and fences that served as the wall of the dungeon.
The dungeon do have a labyrinthine setting. Following the flower pot corridor would lead to intersections with a fountain structure at the middle.
The dungeon also contained monsters. So far, Yoshino and his team had encountered hamster-type monsters, squirrel-type monsters, and plant-type monsters.
These plant creatures were around 20 centimeters in height and was covered with flowers that came from the pot. They would often disguise themselves as regular plants along the corridor and then ambush the unsuspecting participants.
However such petty tricks were useless to Yoshino. His combination of Scanner + Danger Perception could detect the fake plants from the real ones.
He had also processed that all three creatures had an affinity to the plant and/or grass element.
This meant that Soura could handle most of these creatures. Although Void Fang would land a kill from time to time as well.
The main problem here though was that burning plant-type creatures was actually not that easy to deal with.
Living creatures contained moisture. And plant creatures actually contained more. Burning dried-up corpses was fine but the living ones could resist the flames to a certain extent.
Of course this could be circumvented by increasing the intensity of flames. But this would end up producing vapors and fumes that was dangerous if inhaled.
Thankfully, O was able to neutralize these harmful substances.
"That's awesome O! I did not know that your [Soul-Wave Stance] could also deflect intangible objects."
Yoshino was surprised upon seeing the male Healer display his skill. When he first saw the stance, he thought that it was only applicable to physical-type attacks.
"That is because the stance utilizes my passive skill, [Wave of Mercy]. Very well, no need for thy pleading eyes. I shall give thou a brief explanation."
O smiled as he saw the inquisitive eyes that did not only belong to a single person. He took a deep breath and said,
"[Wave of Mercy] can neutralize any harmful effects that would be directed to the user. This could typically be used to enhance the healing potency of spells. But with [Soul-Wave Stance], this could also be used for combat."
The male Healer thrust his palm forward. A pulse-like attack flew towards a nearby flower. The plant was then revealed to be a monster.
It was incapacitated upon being hit with the projected palm strike. Yoshino finished the creature with his Zeta Blade.
The team then continued on their path. They had been walking and fighting monsters for about an hour now.
The three had obtained new skills from killing the dungeon monsters. Unfortunately none of them could equip these new skills. They could still use these for a different purpose later on though.
Meanwhile, Roxas had indeed been helpful. He provided the team with adequate replenishments while managing the distribution of their inventory properly.
He had also been collecting the corpses of the defeated monsters. He had a special method of storing items which was really fitting for this task. These could then be exchanged for resources or cash after the event.
Monster carcasses could be refined into usable items and materials. They were considered to be natural resources after all.
The reason why the Trogan Platoon that entered the dungeon named [Rah Qa] did not bother to collect these corpses was because they were on focused on their mission.
And besides, the monsters there were 'weak' for their standards. The value of their carcasses would probably be low anyway.
The reason why Yoshino did not collect them on the other hand was because he had no means to do so before. He would not be able to carry all of the corpses on his own as well.
And yeah, because he was too 'weak' to kill any monsters anyway.
But things were different now. Soura had her accounts frozen. So earning a few cash was very much welcomed to her in the time being.
In addition, O was accompanying them. They had to express their gratitude to him in some way. He may claim that worldly vices was not his thing.
But the path of cultivation required huge amounts of money. There was no reason for him to not accept some compensation here.
And then there was Yoshino. He was dirt poor from the start anyway. So there was no further need to explain his desire for money.
In short, Roxas was actually doing an important role to the team!
"Hey, now that I think about it, you just 'I' when you accepted the porter services. Are you planning on shouldering the bill on your own?"
Soura asked when they decided to take a break on one of the fountains they stumbled upon. She was sitting on the ledge after ensuring that no monster was waiting for an ambush there.
Yoshino walked closer. He leaned back on the ledge and took a gulp from an MP recovery potion. He then answered,
"Yes. It is my fault that we are stuck with the merchant anyway."
"But I thought it was my fault?"
Soura furrowed her eyebrows. She seemed perplexed upon hearing the reply.
Yoshino smiled. He reminded her,
"And I said it was a fault that I am willing to carry any time."
"Hmph!"
The female lieutenant pouted. She nimbly jumped off the ledge and walked briskly towards a corridor. She then stopped when she was about four meters away. She looked back and said,
"I'm scouting ahead!"
Scouting? But you're a Mage you know!
Yoshino wanted to retort her. But O walked in front of him. The Healer then said,
"Persevere. Thou shall prevail against thy comeuppance one day."
What comeuppance? What are you talking about?
Yoshino was about to ask these questions. But O quickly walked towards the corridor where Soura went.
What was happening here exactly?
"Haha! Time to discuss my rates now, right?"
The answer to his puzzlement had walked towards him. The answer was named Roxas of course.
The merchant-porter had provided an invaluable assistance to the team. There was no way he was not aware of this himself. Meaning, he could raise his rates as much as he wanted to.
Yoshino gulped nervously.