Try It Yourself
One week.
Seo Hwarang had finally pushed every single one of his skill proficiencies up to 59.
Fire Bolt's proficiency had originally been the front-runner, but by this point they were all dead even.
We're at the tail end of the intermediate range now.
From 60 onward, the advanced range began.
"Noona."
"Yeah?"
"How much mana have you built up?"
"Around 9,000? One more day of gathering and I should hit 1st Circle."
Perfect timing.
"Bella."
"Yes!"
"That city ahead — anything we should watch out for?"
"A lot, actually..."
"A lot?"
"Yes, it's a populated city, so pickpocketing and crime are rampant, and, well, we're commoners... We should avoid any conflict with the nobles or the wealthy merchant class. Oh, and there'll be an inspection at the city gate. They collect a toll there too, and depending on what goods you're bringing in, the taxes vary quite a bit."
Taxes, huh.
Seriously.
Earth or Etherion, wherever you went, the structure of squeezing the common folk was exactly the same.
Well, their pockets were still comfortably full, so...
"Let's go, guide."
"Yes!"
Whiiiip!
Bella nodded and cracked the whip.
***
The toll was cheaper than expected.
Two copper per person.
Well.
Charge the common folk much more than that and no one would be left living in the city at all.
They wandered the city and picked out an inn where they could leave the carriage.
Not too shabby — somewhere that looked reasonably decent.
After more than a week of camping out, they were exhausted beyond words.
"Ughhh, I want to wash myself clean!"
"...Same. I feel like I'm dying."
Yoo Seon-ah in particular had all her makeup worn off and her hair a tangled mess.
Seo Hwarang had had it rough too.
It almost feels cozy. Like home.
When a crumbling basement apartment in a run-down neighborhood started to feel cozy, that told you just how bad conditions were here.
Honestly, even now the whole city reeked.
A mingled stench of cow dung, pig dung, horse dung, and human waste.
So why could they still put up with it?
Because Seo Hwarang was here to read books, and Yoo Seon-ah was here to learn magic.
Creeeak!
They pushed open the inn door and stepped inside.
"Welcome. Are you looking for a room?"
A middle-aged woman greeted them with a smile.
Travelers this shabby-looking — but then, it was a big city. She probably figured they were just another ragged party passing through.
"We don't have many rooms left today. Shall I show you to something suitable?"
"No."
Seo Hwarang shook his head.
He was too worn out.
Even if it cost money, he wanted to sleep in a proper room for once.
"Give us three of your most expensive rooms. And have warm water ready for bathing."
"The... most expensive rooms?"
The innkeeper was flustered.
Prices in a big city were steep.
An ordinary small room ran about 10 copper.
And that was just for the lodging itself.
Warm bathwater cost 5 copper, stabling the carriage another 5, and with meals on top, a day easily ran 30 copper or more.
But the premium suites?
The nightly rate alone was on a different plane entirely.
One silver per day.
Three rooms meant three silver.
Could these bedraggled travelers in front of her really pay that?
"If you insist... um, it will be quite expensive, you know?"
"One moment."
Seo Hwarang pulled a single gold coin from his inventory.
"...!"
The innkeeper's expression transformed.
"Oh my! I've been terribly rude! Right away, of course! You'll naturally be wanting dinner as well?"
"What's on the menu?"
"We have meat stew, bread and cheese, and grilled fish as the basics. But for confirmed premium-suite guests, we serve a special menu. And if you'd like a drink, we have various ales and wines on hand."
"The special menu and wine, then. We'll be staying five days."
Ting!
Seo Hwarang flicked the gold coin.
"I-I'll attend to you with my very best!"
Thud.
The innkeeper bowed at a full right angle.
***
Truly.
Money was king.
Whether it was really worth 4.07 million won, who could say...
Yeah.
Money was meant to be spent.
Spend it well, rest well, eat your fill — that was how you learned magic and cleared harder quests without breaking a sweat.
The premium suite wasn't spectacularly large or anything.
But there was a simple bathing facility inside the room, and a huge wooden tub filled to the brim with water.
They agreed to meet Bella and Yoo Seon-ah in the dining hall in about an hour.
Swooosh.
He stripped off his clothes and lowered himself slowly into the water, and in an instant it felt like every ache in his body melted away.
"Haaah... this is the stuff."
Nothing to write home about compared to the modern world, but after a grueling week-plus of hard marching, even this filled him with profound gratitude.
"While I'm at it, might as well clean the clothes too."
Aqua Splash, proficiency 59!
By now he wasn't just hurling waves around — he could control the fine details.
In other words, like this.
1st Circle.
Master Aqua Splash.
KWAGAGAGAGA!
The water balled itself into a rounded surge and began scrubbing his clothes.
It pounded them with surprising force, and the garments caked in dirt and sweat gradually came clean.
I'll need to buy new clothes at some point, too.
Not just clothes.
They'd run out of spices entirely, and the camping gear needed replacing as well.
Using two horses instead of one seemed like the better call, too.
For today, though — eat, rest, sleep.
Tomorrow.
Then he'd properly explore the city.
He should visit the Magic Guild too, if he could.
For now.
He just wanted to rest.
Of course.
Even mid-bath, he kept grinding skill proficiency.
No matter how exhausted he was, this was the one thing he couldn't give up.
***
"Waaaah."
Bella let out a cry of wonder at the special dishes laid across the table.
"So even the inns are on another level in a big city? This is incredible!"
On meat seared so crisp the juices looked ready to burst free at any moment, herbs had been sprinkled, their fragrance rising thick and rich.
"Hmmmm~"
Beside it, perfectly roasted vegetables glistened golden-brown, flanked by warm bread, rich cheese, and nutty butter.
A large wine bottle stood at the center, and ruby-red wine already filled the glasses.
The three of them had gathered in the dining hall.
Everyone had washed up properly and was completely fresh and dry!
Yoo Seon-ah's hair was neatly combed, and even without makeup her face glowed with life.
Bella's cheeks were flushed pink, and her still-damp hair flowed down in soft waves.
"Master Mage! Let's have a toast!"
Bella immediately raised her wine glass.
Hm?
Yoo Seon-ah stared at Bella, baffled.
Isn't she sixteen?
"Are you allowed to drink that?"
"Eh? Why wouldn't I be?"
Sluuurp!
Bella quenched her thirst with total confidence!
Seo Hwarang smirked.
"It's fine, noona."
He'd read it in a book.
In the medieval era, alcoholic beverages like wine and beer were consumed as a matter of daily life.
Even young children drank ale instead of water.
It was because the water wasn't clean.
Alcohol was simply safer than water.
Besides, a sixteen-year-old in medieval times was as good as a full adult.
But still.
Seo Hwarang frowned.
"Hold on."
"Yes?"
"Don't touch the food."
He'd been cycling the cooldown on his non-combat skills out of habit, and something had caught on one of them.
1st Circle.
Master Detect Magic.
Master Detect Magic.
He'd sensed a faint current of mana there.
The target: the roasted meat.
A violet aura hovered above it.
Well, look at these people.
Poison.
He'd read it clearly in a skill book.
If it shimmered violet, it was poison.
And with a faint jade glint mixed in, odds were high it was a sleeping poison.
"Hoo."
Seo Hwarang exhaled slowly.
The situation was obvious.
The innkeeper's doing, presumably.
Hand over a gold coin and you'd think she'd serve them faithfully — but no, she had the gall to get greedy?
And right at that moment—
➤ A new Quest has arrived!
"...!"
Seo Hwarang's eyes flew wide open.
A quest!
It had finally appeared!
The quest he'd been waiting for, waiting for, and waiting for some more!
The Poisoned Food (Grade D)
➤ Description: The innkeeper has laced the food with a sleeping poison. But this was not by the innkeeper's greed alone. Behind her lurks a vicious criminal syndicate. You must now locate and deal with the three syndicate operatives standing behind the innkeeper. They are watching her from around the inn. Eliminate them, then collect your just reward from the innkeeper for resolving the situation.
🎯 Objectives:
☐ Deal with the syndicate operatives (0/3)
☐ Report to the innkeeper and collect the reward (0/1)
🎁 Rewards: Free lodging, refunded lodging fee (1 gold coin), Black Seal Gloves (Rare)
⏳ Time Limit: 12 hours
'The Poisoned Food,' huh.
Excellent.
It even came with a Rare item right there in the rewards, and free lodging on top of that?
There was no reason not to do it.
D-grade is manageable.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?"
"Master Mage, is something the matter?"
Since Yoo Seon-ah hadn't noticed anything either, the quest had clearly come to Seo Hwarang alone.
"If you're eating, stick to the bread and wine. Don't touch the meat."
"Why? Is there something wrong with it?"
"Yeah. It's poisoned."
"...What?"
Yoo Seon-ah froze solid, fork still in hand.
Unbelievable.
How could anyone announce 'there's poison in it' so calmly?
"Innkeeper."
Tearing off a piece of bread and popping it into his mouth, Seo Hwarang raised a hand and called the innkeeper over.
"Yes, what can I do for you? Is something wrong with the food?"
"Oh no, it's roasted to a perfect golden brown, you can see it at a glance. The spices are well balanced, the seasoning is spot-on, and the poison has been added with real care. What kind of poison is it, exactly? Deadly fern? Or belladonna, perhaps?"
"Y-yes...? Wh-what are you talking about?"
The innkeeper's face began to stiffen.
Seo Hwarang rose slowly from his seat, a smile on his lips.
"Did you think we wouldn't notice?"
"I truly have no idea what you're talking about..."
The innkeeper could no longer hide her growing anxiety.
"You don't? Well then — here. You can just try it yourself."
Seo Hwarang picked up a fork and speared a generous piece of the meat.
"Here you go."
The atmosphere in the inn's dining hall had already gone ice-cold.
The handful of guests who'd been eating grabbed their bread and beat a hasty retreat toward their rooms.
"Now, wait a moment... I believe there's been a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding, schmisunderstanding. I said eat it, didn't I?"
It was obvious.
Whether the operatives had ordered it or whatever else —
the innkeeper herself had put the poison in.
She was the one who'd cooked the food, after all.
"Shall I just force-feed it to you?"
1st Circle.
Master Fire Bolt.
FWOOSH!
Two balls of flame bloomed to life above her head.
"M-Mage!"
Only then did the innkeeper drop to her knees in horror.
"I-I'm sorry! It wasn't my doing... someone made me do it... n-no, I did put it in, but it was half against my will... Please, I beg you, forgive me!"
"Forgiveness, schmorgiveness. I told you to eat it yourself. How many times do I have to say it?"
"Hiiiieek!"
The flames in the air blazed even hotter.
The innkeeper finally understood there was no way out.
With trembling hands, she chewed and swallowed the meat — and a few seconds later she wobbled, then collapsed.
"There you go."
A sleeping poison, without a doubt.
She probably wouldn't die.
If it were lethal enough to kill from a single serving, it would have been flagged as a deadly toxin.
"...It really was poison."
Bella gazed down at the fallen innkeeper with eyes full of contempt.
"How could a person do such a thing..."
"Let's wait. If we keep watch around here, someone's bound to show up."
If the syndicate operatives were the ones behind this?
They would surely come to make contact with the innkeeper.