Chapter 152: Money problems.

Crule looked at his reflection in the pool of water. He has aged. His original bright teen facade has been replaced with that a sinister looking young adult. Five years huh? His narcissism took over as he admired his reflection.

Crule now looked like a young adult in his early twenties. His original pale body is now bronze from the time he spent in the desert trial.

“I need money,” Pondered Crule with while rubbing his chin.

In the current world, money was everything. No matter how hard you try to deny it, money controls every aspect of your life. Crule understands the reality of his situation. The last time he was this broke was when he first came to Noxia from that prison long ago. If it wasn’t for Shin giving him a job and a place to call home, he might have starved to death. Ironic for someone who has control over famines.

“I need a job.”

Crule stood up. He was wearing nothing but his underwear now. He had nothing to his name but some useless trinkets he has kept in his dimensional storage.

With a twisted and renewed look on life, Crule strolled back to the harbor.

And of course, he got stopped by the guards at the gate.

“Halt, who goes there?”

“Just an adventurer who is passing by,” Crule waved his hands to show he wasn’t carrying a weapon.

“What kind of adventurer goes out nearly naked?” The guard couldn’t help but ask.

“I got robbed.”

The guards tried their best to hold in their laughter.

“Well, you should have taken better care of your stuff, ‘Mr. Adventurer.’”

Crule sighed and walked into town. The guards could no longer control their laughter after he left.

“Poor sap, looks like he’s in for a rough year huh?”

Crule’s first task was to go to the adventurer’s guild. He needed money ASAP. He couldn’t remain in his underwear the entire time.

Upon walking in the hall, all the people there stared at him. It’s not every day you see someone walk into the prestigious Guildhall in only his underwear. Crule ignored the stares and walked to the billboard.

While looking at the jobs, a receptionist walked up to him about to question his…attire.

“Uhm, sir?” Before she could finish her sentence, Crule grabbed a post off the board and shoved it in front of her.

“I’m taking this job,” Crule said without a hint of emotion in his tone. He didn’t want to make a scene, but his current outfit makes that difficult.

The receptionist looked at the post and frowned. It was a mission to hunt and bring back the corpses of ten Titan Bristle Boars. Usually, this type of task would require and entire team of adventurers. If one who to attempt to solo, due to the goodwill of the adventurers guild, they will stop you unless you can prove your rank.

“Sir, you aren’t allowed…” Once again, before she could finish her sentence, Crule pulled his bronze medallion out.

“Sir…bronze rank isn’t enough to…” Her headache continued as Crule once again stopped her mid-sentence as he pulled out the head of a snake.

The receptionist’s eyes wavered at the sight of the head. With her vast experience in working at the guild for four years, it was the first time she saw up close the head of a Triton Serpent. Those beasts have terrorized the fishermen for years. After the last tide rise, the creatures at the tier above the serpent in the food chain was nearly hunted to extinction. This caused a massive boom in their population and strength. They were easily equal to the Titan Bristle Boars in strength when in the water.

The head Crule took out was fresh. Warm blood still dripped from the wound on its neck.

“This enough evidence?” Crule smirked. It would have looked cool if he wasn’t in his underwear right now.

The receptionist blanked. “Uh…Yes?” She wasn’t sure of her answer.

Crule threw the head down and started to take more out. Soon the floor was littered with about a dozen snakeheads.

“Enough?”

The receptionist didn’t know how to answer. This was way out of her pay grade.

“Clara, just let the young lad accept the mission,” A shout from upstairs resounded.

The receptionist quickly nodded.

“Oh, sell those heads for me will ya?” Crule added before the receptionist could leave.

The receptionist frowned. She was going to have to carry the dozen or so slimy snakeheads all by herself to the storage in the back.

She wanted to say no, but it was the guild policy…

“Yes, sir,” She said through her teeth. “That will be fifty gold.”

She reached into her pack on her waist and pulled out five golden tokens with ten labeled on them.

Crule stared at the coin and pondered. It would seem the game has advanced to this stage already. Due to the difficulty of different currencies, Metallurgy INC quickly introduced a common currency. It was very simple. Copper, silver, gold, and platinum.

Crule accepted the gold and walked out of the hall with his copy of the quest he took.

The people were still staring at him, then at the snake heads on the floor.

“I was wondering why old man Cytex was so happy this morning. It seemed his massive hull of fish today appeared to be caused by the thinning of the serpent population…” One of the adventurers sighed.

______

The first thing Crule did after leaving the Guildhall was to find a tailor. He saw a quiet little hut with a scissor symbol in front of it. A small bell chimed as he walked in.

“Welcome to…” Before the girl could finish her sentence, the sight of Crule in only his underwear shocked her.

“I’d like to purchase some clothes,” Crule said nonchalantly.

“Y-yes sir,” The girl quickly snapped out of it. “What type of clothes sir?”

“Leather, preferably a full set or two.”

The girl quickly walked to Crule with a measuring tape. After taking his measurement, she walked to the back and returned with a pair of jeans, a brown shirt, and a leather vest. Crule tried it on, and it fitted perfectly.

He threw a gold coin to the girl and walked out. The poor girl remained shocked at what just happened. She looked at the coin in her hand, at least the weird customer paid the correct amount…

Crule now looked like your average handsome adventurer lad. With a deep breath, he walked out of the gate and towards the prairie fields to the southeast. The sight a large moving blobs of fur could be seen for miles away. The Titan Bristle Boars were large furry spiked pigs the size of buildings. They were hard to kill but were the primary source of food for a lot of people. Since they were too difficult to domesticate, adventurers were used to hunt them as a primary food source. Those boars breed too fast to go extinct anyway.

Crule looked upon the furry lumps across the horizon.

“Let the money making begin.”