The next day, I woke up at around 8 p.m. and went down to eat breakfast. After I ate, I went to the washing area to wash my body. Most cheap inns don't have a bath, so most people only wash their bodies with cold water to rinse sweat and dirt.
Afterward, I changed my clothes and went to the Blacksmith to buy a new sword. I browsed through the stash and checked the quality through [Appraisal] and stumbled upon a good sword.
Iron Sword
Durability: 607/607
Strength: 10+2
Quality: High
I checked the price tag and it was 50 copper coins or around 5000 bronze coins. I went to the Blacksmith to purchase the sword. He was kind of small, around the height of my belly, and had a thick brown beard covering him so I had a hunch he was a dwarf.
"Hm? A new face?"
The dwarf noticed me along with a sword I was going to buy.
"You are a good picker. That's one of my apprentice's finest work."
"Ah. Thank you for the compliment. I want a good sword to use for my adventurer work and I noticed this sword. The sword was not only sharp but also hammered at the right spot to make it more durable."
The dwarf widened his eyes in surprise and laughed.
"You sure know your stuff, young man! I'll give you a 5 copper coin discount."
"Thank you. Here are 45 bronze coins."
"Thank you, young man. My name is Dagan."
"Artorius is my name. Nice to meet you, Sir Dagan."
"I also have weapon and armor maintenance services so come back if you want to maintain your weapon"
"Yes. I gotta go now. Thank you once again."
"See you again, young Art."
I went out of his smithy and headed to the Adventurer's Guild. Sistina and a party of 5.
"Sir Artorius. You're here."
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Am I late?"
"Not at all. You're just in time. This is the Rising Sun party. You will work with them in this investigation request."
A samurai-looking man approached me.
"Nice to meet you, Artorius. My name is Yuuji, a C-rank samurai as well as the leader of this party."
"I'm Maine, the mage of this party. C-rank."
"Erica, I'm the archer of this party. Nice to meet ya, Arty. I'm only D-rank by the way."
"Bronca, the tank of this party. C-rank."
"Ulius. Rogue and scout. D-rank."
Yuuji seems to have good leadership as the party leader. Maine and Ulius seem to be the quiet type. Erica might be the most energetic type here at this party. Bronca might be the serious type.
"Nice to meet you all. My name is Artorius."
Sistina then gave us the briefings for this request.
"According to sir Artorius here, the amount of goblins per square kilometros is very high. This request is to investigate if this is true and if a leader is leading them if this is true. That way, we can plan a proper Goblin Subjugation to lessen their numbers."
Yuuji replied to Sistina.
"Hmm... It might be worrying if someone is leading the goblins like a Goblin General or Goblin King."
"Yes. You can start the investigation now. Please be careful."
We then headed to the forest where the goblins were.
After a few minutes, there are already six goblins present.
"Prepare to engage."
We started fighting the goblins. I killed 2 of them.
"You sure know how to fight, Art. There are still some flaws in your swordsmanship but with some daily practice, you can be quite good."
Yuuji complimented me. That sounds nice getting complimented by a C-rank.
"Thank you. Oh, by the way, I have some potions that could help us with this investigation."
Maine seems to be surprised by my statement.
"Art? You have... potions?"
"Ah yes. I made them."
I gave them the potions that would help them in this investigation and they drank it.
"Hmmm... For a low-grade potion, this quality is crazy good! Not only that, the taste is even better!"
Yuuji seems to be surprised.
"It feels like I'm more durable as well."
The Rising Sun Party seems to be impressed with my potions.
"Ummm... Shall we start the investigation?"
"Ah.Yes. I forgot about that."
After that, we went further deep into the forest. So far, we killed around 40 of them, 12 of which were killed by me.
"This sure is strange. There shouldn't be that much goblins here. Your statement must be true Art."
Yuuji made a worried face after this statement.
"Umm... Sir Art?"
Maine seems to want to talk to me while we're walking.
"Oh. Miss Maine? What is it?"
"Your potions are very impressive. My magic efficiency boosts drastically even though... they're low-grade potions. The effects are the same as a medium-grade potion."
"Really? Those are the first potions I made actually."
"Wow. That's... impressive."
"Yeah. I need to make potions for myself since I'm currently doing solo adventuring."
"I see. Even if you find a party, it can still be useful... like in our situation."
Seems like Yuuji found out we were talking.
"Hm? Maine? It's rare for you to talk to someone on your own."
Maine seemed to blush a bit when he said that statement.
"Ah... well... he was an impressive adventurer for his age. Not only he can fight... he can also make potions by himself."
"Haha. So you're impressed with Art?"
"Yeah..."
We continued to walk deep into the forest and this time, we killed around a hundred of them in the span of just 750 metros.
"This is weird. Not only goblins, there are also goblin archers and mages. But if it's only these types of goblins, there might only be a goblin shaman. If we find a lot of hobgoblins, there is a chance that there will be a Goblin King present in this forest. Ulius, can you scout if there are some hobgoblins in the area?"
Ulius nodded and jumped through trees.
"Art. Your statement might be true regarding these goblins. Even if there's no Goblin King, the Goblin Shaman is still a threat in the city. After Ulius comes back with his report, we will end the investigation request."
"I see. Oh. All of you must be hungry, I made some simple sandwiches."
"Oh. I appreciate that, I'll take one then."
"Oh! Me too!"
"I'd like one... as well"
"Umu. Thank you"
They each get one of the sandwiches.
"Woah! This is crazy good!"
They munched it like there was no tomorrow.
"Anyone wants seconds?"
All of them nod and get another sandwich. Ulius came back as well.
"What the hell happened here while I was gone?"
"Oh, Ulius. Twy this sandwich. It's vewy dewicious."
Erica said as she munched the sandwich.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, you dummy."
"Ehhh."
"Sir Art, can I grab a bite as well?"
"Yes. Here you go."
He grabbed a bite and he seemed to analyze my sandwich.
"Hmm... The contrast and texture between the leafy vegetables pair well. This white sauce also goes well with this. Combining it with soft, fluffy bread will make it more filling compared to ordinary jerky... Interesting."
"Haha. Even our cook seems impressed by your sandwich, Art."
"Ahh... Umm... Thank you for the compliment."
"Sir Art, no, Art. You are very versatile. You'll be a great adventurer someday."
"Oya oya. Our tough Ulius softened a bit by Art."
Erica smirked as she teased Ulius.
"Shut up. Those are my honest thoughts. Not only he could fight well using both swords and magic, but he also had good endurance and he could also make his potions and cook meals on his own. An impressive feat for being a solo adventurer."
Seems like Sir Ulius commended me. I can feel my cheeks reddening with his compliments.
"Oh, by the way, have you found some hobgobins?"
"Yes. There are around... 150 of them."
"150?!"
"Yes. I also found their main settlement and there was a Goblin King there. The total amount of goblins there is around 2500 as well"
"This is a lot worse than I expected."
"Tsk. Let's head back and immediately report this to Miss Sistina."
We immediately went back to the city.
"Sir Artorius, the Rising Sun Party. How did the investigation go?"
"It's a lot worse than we expected."
They told her the findings of the investigation.
"2500 goblins... it's much worse. I'll tell this to the guild master. Please head to the receptionist's desk to reward you with the quest."
Sistina then headed upstairs while we got the rewards for the investigation.
It was already split among the six of us.
"So Art. What do you feel about your first party experience."
"This party had good teamwork and coordination. Not only all of you could fight well, but also look at each other's back to support each other."
Broca seems to put his hands on his chin.
"Impressive. You're perceptive even in battle."
We then headed to a table to chat for a while. After quite a while Sistina called me.
"Sir Art. The Guild Master wants to meet you."
"Oh. I gotta go. Thank you for this wonderful experience. See you soon."
All of them nodded their heads, waved their hands, and smiled.
I then walked alongside Sistina and headed upstairs towards the Guild Master's office. Sistina knocked on the door.
"Sir Jogan, can we come inside."
I heard a gentle voice saying "Come in"
We entered the room and I saw a handsome, redhead man sitting on his desk. He must be the Guild Master.
"So, you're Artorius."