Chapter 29

It is so strange that I level up from fighting so many of these hounds, but I can't level up from fighting a lot of wolves and bears. Leveling up must have something to do with fighting new monsters and gaining new experiences. I decide to use the points on wisdom, to see where my mana takes me.

>**Status**

>Name: Homogeneous Khalidius

>Level: 7

>Class: Novice

>Credits: 5930

>Health: 50/50

>Stamina: 50/50

>Mana: 13/75

>Strength: 25

>Dexterity: 15

>Vitality: 10

>Inteligence: 15

>Wisdom: 15

>Luck: 10

>Stat Points Available: 0

Almost 6k credits, which is huge! I see that my mana has increased at a rate of 5 per 1 point in wisdom, which is great. I can now use magic for 50% longer, and my recharge rate for mana also increased. I don't have any for sure way of telling, so I will just have to observe it in action.

For the 33rd day, I decide to visit the far away town. I want to turn in the quest from the Adventurer's Guild and buy ingredients for alchemy. Although Alchemy was a skill, ingredients were not something I could buy from the shop. It's a shame, but some things just can't be bought. While I'm at it, I might as well look for other magic books that can't be bought from the shop.

It takes me about 20 hours to reach the far town, so I arrive some time in the early morning of the 34th day. I could spend the night at the tavern, but this time, I decide to spend the night working on the hides of the Iron-Hide Devil Hounds. From each of the hounds, I am able to get approximately 60 pounds of iron! Screw mining, killing these things is where it's at!

Thinking about the quest reward, a measly 1000 credits for ten of these gold mines! Screw that, I'm telling the bitch I'm dropping the quest! I take the iron from each hide and get 780 pounds! With such a bomb-ass source of iron, I won't ever have to mine, unless I can find a location for orchelium or demon ore.

When morning comes around, the Adventurer's Guild is the first place to open. I go inside, walking tall, and I slap the quest poster on the desk.

"I want to cancel this quest," I say to the woman at the desk, and she looks up.

"It too hard for you?" She says, and she turns the paper around to read it.

"I just don't feel like it," I say, and then I walk out of there.

A few minutes later, I realize I didn't get another quest. Well, I can never go back there again. As I walk around the town, I am a little disappointed at how small it is. There really isn't much here. I decide to visit the alchemy shop, because why not.

"We need 34 Valburner, 17 Flounfly, and 6 Frostglow." Someone is already in the shop, and he is talking to a very old woman at a counter. On the counter is already four piles of strange materials.

"Right, right," The old woman says, and she makes a note on a piece of paper, and then takes out three jars from under the counter. She counts each of the materials and puts them into piles next to the other four. "That'll be 1,830 credits."

Damn, alchemy is expensive!

"Transfer, 1,830 credits." The man says, and then he takes the ingredients into his own inventory. He turns to leave, and he looks at me. "You, are you a lone adventurer?"

"Yeah," I say back to him, not sure what to say. He is the first adventurer I've talked to, at least knowingly. He has a sword in a sheath on his side and is wearing steel armor. I don't have a sword or even a bow equipped, but I do have leather armor on and not clothes like a regular person.

"Good, how would you like to earn some credits by traveling with my party?" I don't know what to say. I want to explore, but I just learned about this great source of iron. I could make so much money from those hounds!

"Well, where are you going?" If he is going somewhere nearby, then I'll bite. If not, I'll pass.

"We are going to visit the Holy Sword of Nordas." Oh, what luck. I've been darn close to there before, and I can get back home easily. Shouldn't be a problem.

"Sure I'll go. I live quite close to there, actually." The entire trip should take two or three days, including the time it takes to go from the holy sword back home.

"Excellent," The man says, and he walks behind me. "Finish your business here and come follow me."