Quintin didn't linger over-much and left the Adventurer's Guild after confirming the details of his new contract. The requirements were fair, as far as he knew, and he could get away from PanQuil to continue growing stronger. The first thing he needed was to find some odds and ends things; torches, flint and steel, rope, canteen, dry rations, and other items he may need for different objectives.

When Quintin was initially on his way to the Guild, he had seen the signage for a [General Store] along the way. A place called Percival's Sundries, where he quickly bought a number of those most characteristic of goods. With the help of all of his [Intruder Teeth], he was also able to buy a [Minor Healing Potion]. He wasn't aware, nor did he really care if he got a good deal or not. He had more significant worries aside from saving a few silver at the end of the day, and to be perfectly honest, it wasn't a great concern of his either.

According to Identify, I get three uses out of this healing potion. Each use heals a small amount of [HP]. The bottle and color remind me of a cherry; let's just hope it tastes much the same.

He also figured he had no chance at buying any [Magical] gear with his meager funds.

Unfortunately, I'm running on fumes in regards to Coin. Regardless, I was never going to be able to afford a useful magic item. I'd much rather get a few hours of sleep before I head out to hunt down some Goblins then look at stuff I have no way to buy. I also need to give Vissitri some time to return, but I'll head out anyways if he doesn't. I'm sure he has a way to find me if he really needs to... Probably.

While wandering around the tunnels of PanQuil, he eventually found an inn called The Underlook. Quintin opened the creaky door with barely anyone in the common room or even generally around. A perfect place for peace and quiet. He couldn't help but feel a tingle on the back of his neck like he was being watched, but everything was coming back ordinary via [Sinisphere], so he chalked it up to weariness.

The few coins he had left were left to a very cheery and helpful woman that received him. She told him some handy information about the surrounding areas, of potential routes he could take to leave PanQuil, and ultimately, this highly elevated valley if he so desired. He had asked for a map at the General Store but was surprised to find it would cost way more than he had even before buying everything else.

Quintin nodded his head in farewell and went to his room. It didn't take him long to find comfort on the bed but decided to force himself to stay awake for a few moments longer as he regarded a prompt he had minimized awhile ago.

Would you like to absorb the [Bag of Holding]? Yes||No

—doing so will void the physical item and unlock: System Storage.

—30 slots, stacks up to 100, and currency is a free slot with no cap.

The only downside that immediately stands out to me is that I can't sell it. Not that I'd want to. Keeping my possessions safe and under control is worth losing the bag. The sooner I bite the bullet, the sooner I can stop worrying about it.

Yes.

The magical bag in his hand began to dematerialize and turned into a stream of particles that flowed into his empty left eye socket. A soft ding of completion passed through his mind with the last bit of the bags' disappearance. Soon after, Quintin also disappeared into sleep, much more tired than even he realized.

It had been a while, hadn't it?

***

A roving eyeball under a lax, half-lidded parting was the way Quintin awakened. He felt at his chest and slowly sat up on his elbows to peer around the room.

"Are you here, Vissitri?" He got no answer to his query.

Although he did wonder what that invisible, Emerald furball was up to, he wouldn't demean Vissitri's intelligence by needlessly worrying about it further. He sat up from the bed and passed his hands over his possessions. He was briefly startled to find his [Bag of Holding] missing before he chuckled with remembrance.

I almost deserve a smack to the forehead for that one, ha. If all goes according to plan, I'll be back in half a day, find Vissitri, and, hopefully, figure out where to go next. I was kind of hoping to ask him what he thinks, but I don't really want to stand idly by.

With all that in mind, he left his room, only stopping when he passed by the kitchen and came away, chomping down on a loaf of bread. That out of the way, Quintin went back up to the staging area where the guardhouse and entry point was. Once again, in the familiar terrain of the valley, he heard was called Draketail Valley. From the way it was described, it was called that because of the way it narrowed and curved into a slender tip that led to a mountain pass.

He began in earnest back to the inland cave entrance an hour or so of travel away. In the meantime, he had gotten one more notification about his [Job]. It seemed that he had completed one of the requirements, which allowed him to see the other two.

[Job: ???? Requirements]

1. [Class Lv. 25]

[√] Integration with five distinctly different materials. [5/5]

3. Two choices in line with [Pneumatics]— unique progression. [1/2]

4. Requires [Pneumatic: Core] body enhancement skill choice.

-Counts for purposes of Requirement #3, but necessary.

Good to know, but after last time, I don't think I want to go through that pain again. In the end, the pain is fleeting, though. Forget it. First, I'll see what options I get for furthering my strength.