One hour later, I finally arrived at the edge of Ovar Forest, my heart racing with anticipation as I prepared to tackle the Boar Quest I had eagerly accepted. The sun filtered through the thick canopy of leaves above, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor, but there was one glaring issue: I couldn't spot a single boar anywhere. Instead of wasting time, I decided to employ my class skill as a Tamer—Interspecies Communication. My plan was to communicate with a nearby bird, hoping it could serve as a scout to locate the elusive boars.
As I scanned the treetops, I noticed a flurry of avian activity above me. Among the bustling birds, one particularly caught my eye: a striking pure white bird with feathers that glimmered like freshly fallen snow. With a deep breath, I activated my Interspecies Communication skill, focusing my thoughts and sending them out to the bird. Almost immediately, it responded with a curious tilt of its head before gracefully landing on my shoulder.
Feeling a rush of excitement, I then utilized my Tame skill, and to my delight, the bird accepted me as its companion. It felt almost surreal to have such a beautiful creature by my side. I conveyed my request clearly, asking the bird to scout the area from above for any signs of the boars, and it chirped in agreement before taking flight, soaring into the blue sky.
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the bird returned, its wings fluttering in excitement. It landed back on my shoulder and chirped animatedly, relaying that there were boars approximately a quarter of a mile ahead. A thrill of determination surged through me at the news. I adjusted my gear, steeling myself for the impending confrontation, and set off towards the location the bird had indicated.
Upon nearing the boars' territory, I slowed my pace and carefully slipped into a nearby thicket, camouflaging myself among the dense foliage. The sounds of the forest faded into the background as I focused on the rustling noises that hinted at the boars' presence. My heart raced as one particularly large boar wandered closer, oblivious to my watchful gaze.
In a swift motion, I gathered my energy and cast Summon Water, channeling my mana to lower the temperature of the air around me. Within moments, shimmering ice spikes began to form, glistening in the sparse sunlight. As the boar drew near, I unleashed the icy projectiles, hurling them skillfully toward my target, confident that I would secure my victory in this encounter.
The ice spikes impaled into their skull killing them immediately, seeing that this was not a difficult task I then summered five more ice bolts with temperature control and water summoning and hurled them all towards the boards, they all eventually reached their targets and impaled them in the skull the same way as the first boar. once the fight ended I then walked out of the Bush quietly and began to each bore in my infinite storage bag, afterwards I then repeated this cycle of the bird finding boars, me then sneaking up behind the boars and finally me killing the boars and putting them in my infinite storage bag until evening.
I began my journey back to the guild, fatigue creeping in from a long day of hunting, but the anticipation of turning in my quest kept my spirits high. As I approached the towering gates of the city, the city guards, clad in their distinctive armor, eyed me curiously. I reached for my identification and presented it confidently. With a nod of approval, they granted me passage into the bustling heart of the city.
Upon finally arriving at the guild's grand entrance, I pushed open the heavy wooden doors, the familiar scent of polished wood and parchment enveloping me. The guild was alive with activity—adventurers and merchants clamoring about—yet I made my way through the throng to the receptionist's desk, where Asa awaited. She was a young woman with bright eyes and an inquisitive expression, well-known for her efficiency.
"Welcome back! Do you have proof of your hunts?" she inquired, her eyes scanning me expectantly.
I smiled, realizing I needed a larger space to showcase my haul. "Actually, I think we should head to a bigger area; I have quite a collection," I explained.
Her curiosity piqued, Asa raised an eyebrow but agreed. Together, we walked toward the right wing of the guild, navigating through narrow hallways adorned with trophies and portraits of legendary adventurers. We soon reached The Butchery, a vast warehouse that served as both a processing area and a storeroom for the guild's resources.
As we stepped inside, Asa looked around, confirming, "This should be sufficient for your collection?"
I nodded, grinning as I felt a surge of pride. "Absolutely." With that, I set to work, unloading the spoils of my hunt—an impressive assortment of boars, arranged into a small mountain of goods. Asa watched with wide eyes, clearly taken aback by the sheer quantity.
"How on earth did you manage to transport all of these?" she asked, her voice laced with disbelief.
With a knowing smile, I replied, "I have a bag of holding. It can hold way more than it seems."
Her astonishment deepened, as she recognized the implications of such a tool, noting that bags of holding usually cost a hefty price in Ran—something she never expected me to possess. After she regained her composure, she returned to her responsibilities, preparing to process my impressive catch.
"Oh, just so you know," she said, her tone shifting to business, "the guild charges a 5% harvesting fee on all goods, and there is an additional 5% selling fee."
I readily agreed, understanding that such fees were standard in this line of work. Once we settled on the charges, Asa efficiently began instructing her team of butchers to break down the boars and tally the results.
After what felt like an eternity but was only an hour, Asa returned, a bright smile stretching across her face. "You won't believe this! We processed a total of 1,936 boars!" she exclaimed, holding a stack of papers that detailed the breaks down of my haul.
She continued, "That means 3,872 tusks, 1,205 horns, 1,545 pieces of normal quality leather, 282 pieces of great quality leather, 108 pieces of perfect quality leather, and 1 advanced perfect quality leather. Plus, we got a whopping 132,320 pounds of meat and 1,209 rank 0 mana crystals!"
I could hardly contain my excitement at these results. "That's incredible! Is it alright if I keep the advanced perfect quality leather and about 100 of those rank 0 mana crystals?" I requested, knowing how valuable they could be.
"Of course," Asa nodded after making quick adjustments to the ledger. Then, she listed the prices: boar tusks were valued at 58 Ran each, horns at 77 Ran, normal quality leather at 35 Ran, great quality leather at 57 Ran, perfect quality leather at 98 Ran, meat at 25 Ran per pound, and rank 0 mana crystals at 1,023 Ran each.
After processing the fees, she calculated the total, revealing a staggering sum—4,356,541 Ran. I felt my heart race as I did a quick mental conversion; it equated to approximately $43,565.41 in US dollars. The sheer amount of money made my head spin, especially when she asked me to follow her to receive my payment, as well as the advanced perfect quality leather and the mana crystals I'd requested.
Climbing the stairs to the main office felt like an exercise in anticipation. Asa stepped out briefly, returning with a gleaming suitcase that housed 43, million Ran coins. In her other hand, she balanced a silver tray elegantly arranged with the remaining 565,541 Ran, organized into stacks: five 100,000 Ran coins, one 50,000 Ran coin, one 10,000 Ran coin, and the rest in smaller denominations.
I couldn't help but marvel at all that money, realizing how much this world could benefit from a structured banking system. However, I pushed the thought aside for the moment, knowing I had bigger plans in mind that would require the king's approval.
"By the way," I said, redirecting my thoughts to more immediate concerns, "are there any craftsmen nearby who could turn that advanced leather into armor?"
Asa smiled, a glint of excitement in her eye. "If you're willing to invest a significant amount of Ran, there's an excellent leatherworker just across the street, in a place called 'Don's.'"
Her suggestion was exactly what I needed. I carefully stored all the coins and items in my infinite storage bag, feeling the weight of my day's work ease off my shoulders, and excused myself to make my way over to Don's, eager to see what could be crafted from my hard-earned resources.