Earning money was bound to be a problem. Rinidan had a branch of the mercenaries guild—the one Joshua wanted to enter—but you could only apply in the capital. That meant that the best money-making guild was unavailable. Joshua pondered for a long time, using the most brain cells he could. In the end, the only option available for them was the mines. Rinidan had a lot of mines. Perhaps they could mine some ores for money, or maybe someone would pay for them to clear some monsters off the mines. These were all things Joshua considered, but he wasn't sure that they would let a stranger like him inside the mines. To avoid the possibility of embarrassing himself, Joshua stopped some random peasant on the street and asked them. All of them assured him that they would let him enter the mines. The reason behind it was that he had a class. Most miners were people without one. Ordinary people would always want the help of those stronger. The mines of Rinidan had tons of Aetherium, a magical component. Beasts mutated due to the mana. They would be drawn towards the Aetherium, like a moth to a lamp. The mines were a compound of natural caves. Men only constructed things to make them more convenient. "The mines most have another way out. That's where the beasts enter." Joshua thought. Aurora wanted to come with him, but it was too dangerous. They met once again with Khali and parted ways, leaving Aurora to his care for the time being. They traveled together for a long time, and at that point, Joshua trusted Khali. He did not see a reason for him to want to harm Aurora. But still, he felt down for leaving her behind, even if it was for the best.
After settling everything, Joshua walked through the busy streets of Rinidan, straight towards the mines. It did take him some time. Rinidan was far different from the small village he used to live. At the front of the mines, two guards stood gazing at everyone passing by. They were probably there to check if someone had the means to enter the mines. Enter illegally was something stupid.
Joshua approached them, and when they noticed that Joshua was a Knight, they acted more respectfully than before.
"Hello, fellow Knight. Is there something he could do to help?" one of the guards asked, smiling brightly.
In this world, people respected power. Joshua was far from being a high-level adventurer, but still, he trained to achieve his class and even got to level 5. Most of the miners were ordinary citizens that were far weaker than Joshua. Being strong had its perks, after all.
Joshua looked at them and asked in a friendly manner. "I was wondering if I could enter the mines. To be honest, I'm looking for a way to make some money."
The guards looked at each other, and one suddenly said. "You know what." He then gazed at Joshua and said. "There are some monsters making trouble to our miners. I would deal with them but I have to stay put here at the entrance. I'm proud to say that the city pays well its guards, so if you clean up the monsters for me, I'll pay you a good sum."
Joshua was happy to hear that. He only wanted to chat with them to maybe enter the mines without trouble, but they offered him a job.
"All right. Consider it done," Joshua said.
~~~~
The guards let him enter after that. Joshua noticed a lot of ordinary folk mining non-stop. He felt pity. The place was hot, and spending all day mining would sure be something.
Joshua had received the directions towards the part of the mines that the monsters were attacking. The guard said that it would not pose a problem for someone of his level, which made Joshua feel more at ease. But deep down, he had a feeling that things were not as simple as they looked. Or else the guards would already have cleaned up the mines. Even if the guards couldn't do it, there was also the mercenaries guild in the town, which only meant that something was off about these mines.
These were mere thoughts as Joshua needed the money. There was no other option for the time being, and he was not a normal adventurer, after all. If things got hairy, he would use his divine powers and bust that place open. While his job was to get the money, Khali, Hanrog, and Aurora were gathering information. They were also monitoring the gates to see if someone strange entered Rinidan. Someone was chasing them after all.
The tunnels were dark, and the only light source was the torches attached to the walls. The miners gazed at the stranger entering the mines, but as soon as they saw ??? information above his head, they moved their gazes away. It was not worth it to make trouble with someone of that caliber due to curiosity.
Joshua had no time to waste with them. Not that he was an arrogant brat that looked down on the citizens, but truly, he had no time. Someone was chasing them, and who knows if they would reach Rinidan. Getting the money to leave to somewhere safer for Aurora was his priority. He was also looking forward to joining the mercenaries guild.
"Money, sweet money." Joshua thought.
The mines were huge, but the place where the monsters started to appear was not that far away from the entrance. As Joshua walked, fewer and fewer miners could be seen. That meant that he was getting closer to the problem.
"Monsters are already here in this part of the mines? If that's the case then most of the mines are already taken over by monsters. Wouldn't the authority of Rinidan do something about it?" Joshua pondered as the first monster appeared before him.
[Skeleton]
[Level: 4]
[HP: 270/270]
A skeleton was something Joshua hadn't expected.
"All right, baldy. Let's fight."