The Golden Bait
"Is that guy the hero's friend from his hometown? I don't know about anything else, but damn, he's got a face that could launch a thousand ships. The ladies would lose their minds over him."
The sturdy-built priest glanced at Johann while speaking. The first impression of the man who introduced himself as a porter was intensely radiant, like the sun itself. There was no way you'd forget that face after one look.
Tall and statuesque, with chiseled features like a sculpture, hair shimmering like flowing gold, and a refreshingly clear voice that stuck in your memory.
He seemed like the personification of pure likability, bundled up into human form. As a fellow male, Johann's overwhelming presence made any competitive spirit crumble away.
"Good thing our party's got no girls. If there were, they'd all ditch us to follow that guy."
The mage whistled playfully, half-joking but half-serious.
After a brief chat with Vints, Johann approached the hero's party to say hello. Vints introduced them one by one.
"From this side to that—from the priest, the mage, to the thief. As you can see."
It was a straightforward introduction, just like Vints. Johann, who had already gathered intel on them through the information guild, matched their faces perfectly to the portraits in his mind. He planned to catalog these obstacles by imprinting their real-life details into his brain.
Of course, he didn't let any of those sinister thoughts show on his face. Instead, he flashed a friendly, affable smile and extended his hand to each party member.
"I'm the porter. Nice to meet you all."
"If you're the hero's friend, you're our friend too. Nice to meet you."
The easygoing priest was the first to shake his hand. Johann's intimidating good looks might have been off-putting for a handshake, but the priest's laid-back vibe broke through that barrier. The fact that he was Vints's buddy helped melt away any walls even more.
Johann shook hands with the mage and thief in turn.
"If you've got any questions, feel free to ask. Looks like it's your first time at this frozen lake dungeon, and since we're the seniors here, even if just barely, I'll tell you everything I know."
That was the mage speaking. He had a casual, approachable personality, much like the priest— the type who got along with everyone anywhere.
"That's awfully kind of you. Normally, valuable info like that costs a fortune at the guild."
"Can't hold out on the hero's friend."
They openly showed the trust they had in Vints. The hero shrugged sheepishly and stepped back, weak to any praise directed his way.
"Then, mind if I ask about the monsters that appear here and some strategies?"
"Of course. Let's start with the boss monster, the White Fang..."
The priest and mage shared everything they knew without holding back. They weren't experts since it was their first time here too, but they gave solid, practical advice from an adventurer's perspective.
In truth, none of it was appealing to Johann. He could hunt dungeon trash like this without any info. He listened patiently, just biding his time to drop the bait.
"...That's the gist. Especially with their heavy-hitting combat style—you'll be in serious trouble if you're not agile enough."
"Thanks. That's incredibly valuable info. Makes me want to repay the favor."
"For real? Heh heh. We wouldn't say no to that."
"Hey! Priest!"
"Just kidding, mage. Don't glare at me like you wanna kill me."
"What kinda stunt are you pulling in front of the hero's friend? Your flakiness is dragging down the whole party's rep."
"Harsh much? No need to go that far."
The mage and priest bantered amiably. Johann lowered his voice and broached the subject with them.
"You've given me such precious info, so I'd love to return the favor, but my pockets are a bit light right now. That said, I do know some info that could make you money—how about that as payment?"
"Money-making info?"
The priest and mage tilted their heads in unison. For cash-strapped adventurers, nothing perked up the ears like talk of profitable intel. Johann exaggeratedly glanced around, signaling a big secret.
"It's about a wanted criminal who's been making waves in Wandering Village lately."
"A famous wanted guy in the village? Who? Priest, you know?"
"Beats me..."
"He got put on the wanted list around the time you two arrived. Highway robber. The guards haven't even pinned down his identity properly yet."
"Wanted criminal... How big's the bounty?"
"Word is, the merchant guild slapped 20 gold on his head."
The mage and priest exchanged shocked looks at Johann's words.
""20 gold!?""
20 gold was an enormous sum—more than they'd make selling all their dungeon loot from this run. It laid bare the merchant guild's wealth without shame.
"That big?"
"Apparently, the robber had the balls to kill one of their guild reps."
"No way! Wow! But how'd you get the scoop on this wanted guy?"
"I happened to witness the scene myself. Hand him over alive to the merchant guild, and boom—20 gold falls from the sky. If I didn't have this dungeon dive scheduled, I'd have nabbed him already."
"That's huge! Wow! We can't just sit here—let's go catch the bastard!"
"No need to rush. The guards don't have a single lead on him anyway. He's probably feeling safe right now. To us, he's money in the bank."
"But money with legs. Can't relax till we chop 'em off."
"This might take a while to explain here. We're planning to wrap up the dungeon early anyway... How about we finish this talk outside?"
"Fair point. We wanna head back soon too. Meet at the adventurer guild in Wandering Village? We'll buy you a beer then."
"Sounds good. See you in the village. Oh, and maybe keep this from Vints if you can. He's a real stickler—won't like his party members taking side gigs."
"Haha. Yeah, that's Vints alright. We know his personality. Guy's got a stick up his ass sometimes. Though that's part of his charm."
The priest thumped his chest boisterously. Johann nodded with a small smile. The bait's set perfectly.
The hunt at the frozen lake wrapped up quickly. They needed to head back to Wandering Village with Vints's group.
The dungeon's high difficulty meant decent earnings from just a short hunt. But the mage seemed unsatisfied with the take.
"Factor in all our expenses, and we need more. We came all this way to this dungeon—why head back so soon?"
"Didn't we make enough for a week's living expenses?"
"Not enough. Adventurers never know when expenses hit. Porter, you seem distracted. Because of your hometown buddy?"
"Can't fool the mage's eyes. Yeah, that's right."
I admitted it straightforwardly.
"Sigh. Can't be helped. Running into a fellow countryman in a place like this ain't easy. Fine, let's head back."
The mage grudgingly accepted my pushy argument. Building up that goodwill had paid off. If it were just the hero instead of me, they'd have butted heads big time.
Back in Wandering Village, the mage rushed off to sell loot and collect pay at the adventurer guild. The diligent mage always handled the party's finances. It was his specialty.
"Priest. I'm stepping out for a bit. Gonna see my friend."
"Take care~!"
I left the priest and headed to the inn where Vints's group was staying. I'd already scoped it out.
First, lure Vints to our party. Keep him close and wait for a chance to steal his power.
To do that, I had to remove the impurities. And those were obviously the party members tagging along with him right now.
I turned into a filthy alley. Time to meet my fixer. I knew a reliable one for jobs like this.
I prowled the moldy backstreets. Homeless folks with dead eyes littered the corners, hope long gone.
Wandering Village was packed with adventurers chasing the big score. Not all made it big. The adventurer's path was riddled with gaping risks. One slip, and you're broke and in the gutter.
Just like the hero now.
"Hey, fancy-lookin' sir. Spare some coin?"
A one-eyed bum leaning against the wall called out.
Eyes were precious for adventurers. Lose one, and your depth perception goes, dooming you to obsolescence. This guy looked like a loser who'd blown his combat career.
"Got a question."
The local king rat here probably knew plenty. Time to pump him for hero intel.
"Coin first, and I'll tell ya your wife's panty color."
"You got a wife?"
"Had one. Heh heh! Probably screwin' some other chump now, moanin' away. Watch yourself, sir. People leave in a heartbeat. Especially adventurers."
"True enough. People leave in a heartbeat."
I replied, thinking of the hero.
Easy to handle trash like this.
I flashed a silver coin. Greed lit up his one eye. One silver was enough for a real meal or a whore in this dump.
"Big spender, eh? What's on your mind?"
"Looking for a one-armed cripple who's shown up around here lately. Can't be far..."
I'd tailed him, but lost track during the dungeon run.
"One-armed cripple? Plenty of those. Hmm... Ah! You mean that guy who was boozin' with Vints?"
"Ex-hero."
"Yup, that's him. Been here less than a week. Slips around at night like a rat—never catches the eye. Gotta be up to no good."
"Where is he?"
"Probably right behind this alley. Vints tried draggin' him out beggin' once, but he shot it down cold. Like a vampire hatin' sunlight! After playin' hero, crashin' in this shithole—makes sense he'd hate faces."
"Thanks for the info."
I flicked him the silver. He snickered, adding,
"Oh, watch out. Beatdowns are trendy in these alleys lately."
"A filthy rat hole without beatdowns would be weirder."
"True, but the new trend's vicious. We don't usually go for kills. Unless it's an accident. But lately, they're straight-up murdering. Be careful, sir."
I knew exactly who was behind it.