Chapter Twenty: Gurgle Gurgle

The next morning, Oran and his two companions parted ways with the veterans of Desert Fin and set off in their sand skiffs back to Lockrock.

The return journey was uneventful, but the three humans and one cat on board—including Asa, the loudest of the group—were noticeably quieter than on the way out.

It wasn’t due to a heavy atmosphere; rather, the experiences from this mission, combined with the stories from the veterans, had sparked significant reflection within them.

The phrase “find your rightful place” lingered in Oran’s mind for a long time.

Yet it was Nuri and Asa, the two brothers, who felt its impact most deeply.

Though reluctant to admit it aloud, both understood quietly that they belonged to the majority of “ordinary folk.”

Nuri was nearing twenty, holding a one-star rank; Asa was just over twenty with a two-star rank. Neither was dull-witted, but neither had achieved anything worthy of praise.

Their collaboration with Oran during this mission made the gap between them and the “geniuses” painfully clear.

At this rate, they might spend years serving as guards in the city fortress guerrilla squad, or perhaps leave after a few years and only reach three-star ranks before thirty.

They would spend a long time gathering experience and honing skills, and if luck favored them, perhaps reach four-star rank in their prime years in their forties.

But like the Desert Fin veterans, they might face repeated failures or even death at the jaws of dragons. At best, they would remain obscure throughout their lives, retiring without injury but without glory.

For young men around twenty, still brimming with vigor, such a future felt suffocating.

Yet the veterans’ words offered another direction.

Who said ordinary people could never achieve something of their own?

Back in Lockrock, the three settled their mission accounts and collected their pay. They sold the fish dragon livers, now only of average quality, for a total income of just over three thousand z.

Nuri distributed the earnings simply and fairly: one thousand z to each of the three, and the remainder all to Sandthorn.

As captain and the only two-star among them, it would have been reasonable for him to claim a larger share.

But the mission’s success was not solely due to his skill; everyone had contributed much, so equal shares felt right to all.

“Usually, after a mission, we get three to five days to rest and recuperate. The city fortress guerrilla squad doesn’t have fixed teams, so in the future you can operate solo or in groups—just give us a heads-up. But don’t slack off too long, or the boss will get mad.”

Handing Oran his share, Nuri continued, “Asa and I plan to go home for a few days. Our address is... Come find us anytime if you need.”

“If you’re bored with nothing to do, come hang out with us!” Asa put his arm around Oran’s shoulder and bumped him playfully.

“Alright, thanks for your hard work, seniors,” Oran bowed slightly.

“Don’t be so formal—let’s go!”

Watching the two brothers leave, Oran turned to Sandthorn. “What do you plan to do these days?”

Perhaps because of similar past experiences, their bond had grown closer through this mission.

Sandthorn scratched his ear. “I’m thinking of mining some ore. This acorn cat armor’s been worn for a long time, and the herbivore dragon bone pickaxe is getting too dull. If I can find some higher-quality ore, I can upgrade my gear.”

Oran was momentarily taken aback; Sandthorn’s words reminded him of something.

Originally, he had planned to replace his weapon immediately upon becoming a formal hunter, so his hunter’s dagger had remained in its initial state without upgrades.

But a message from his teacher before departure had changed his mind.

He quietly asked himself if he was really ready to switch weapons.

At present, besides the single-handed sword, he had only two other practical weapons—the dual blades and the greatsword—both favored by his teacher and the ocean magic mentor.

If he switched to dual blades, could he still use the charged techniques of the greatsword? It seemed unlikely. He couldn’t always drop his off-hand sword and raise the main sword high for a charged slash.

If he switched to the greatsword, even with his demon transformation, he’d probably be too slow and unwieldy to wield it effectively.

By contrast, the single-handed sword appeared most suitable for him now, especially as he had made some progress with lethal combos, integrating charged techniques into them—a clear direction for improvement.

Since he planned to continue using the single-handed sword for a while, neglecting to upgrade the hunter’s dagger didn’t seem right.

That sword was forged using only iron ore, so its blade wasn’t hard enough; its sharpness was poor, dulling after cutting even small monster bones.

However, it had a strong advantage: it was easy to reinforce.

As long as he could obtain higher-quality ores like sparrowstone, dragonshine, or even azureflash ore, he could easily enhance its performance.

“Did my teacher consider all this too...” Oran murmured.

“What did you say?” Sandthorn asked.

“Nothing,” Oran adjusted his mood. “If you’re going mining, I’ll come with you. I’m planning to reinforce my hunter’s dagger too.”

“No problem! But we should check in with the boss first, so he knows where we’re headed,” Sandthorn said cheerfully.

Having a companion to look out for each other—even just to talk—made the task less lonely.

The pair went to find Jorda, who was busy handling official business in his office.

Hearing they had just arrived in the city this morning and wanted to leave again, Jorda sighed, “Young people have boundless energy.”

“For mining, I recommend the northeastern Gobi Desert. There are many exposed veins there. With luck, you might even find high-grade ores like light crystal.”

“Since you’re both going there, hmm, wait a moment...” Jorda pulled out a blank mission form from a drawer and began filling it out. Soon he slid the completed form across to Oran.

“Why not take this mission along?”

Oran took the document with both hands.

—

Mission: Extermination: Gurgle Gurgle, Boom! (★)

Objective: Exterminate 5 Shield Beetles

Location: Northern Gobi Desert, Lockrock

Duration: 5 days

Reward: 600 z

Possible Monsters: Yellow Velociraptor, Herbivore Dragon

Client: Your boss here—no need to waste ink.

—

Oran was speechless.

It was his first time seeing a client fill out a mission form on the spot. Was this really proper?

“No worries. Don’t forget, our city fortress guerrilla squad is an official organization,” Jorda said, stamping the form. “Everything’s proper, legal, and legitimate.”

Seeing Oran’s lingering doubt, Jorda smiled and explained, “The guild sets the kill quotas for shield beetles—seventy in total across a large area north of Lockrock. If the target is fifteen, the mission ranks two stars. If large monsters are present, difficulty rises to three stars.”

“The Gobi you’re heading to had hunters return yesterday with no signs of large monsters. It’s very safe.”

“Since the target is just five shield beetles, it’s a one-star mission. Correspondingly, the reward isn’t high.”

“I understand,” Oran nodded. “Thank you, boss.”

He knew Jorda was looking out for him, lowering the target number to reduce difficulty and thresholds.

“Find ore veins and gather stones as you go. By the way, do you know much about shield beetles? Their shells are tough—don’t try to brute force them,” Jorda warned.

“I know. My teacher showed me how to handle them,” Oran replied.

“Good. Saves me the trouble of explaining,” Jorda waved them off.

Leaving the office, Oran looked at Sandthorn. “Rest half a day, maintain our equipment, prepare supplies, and set out early tomorrow?”

“No problem! Don’t forget to bring a couple more iron pickaxes!”

They smiled, ready for the days ahead.