You sneaked into my simulation world and started spamming the panel?

A thick fog, unlike anything ever seen before, enveloped the entire forest, obscuring the view and making it difficult to see anything.

Bard began, "Mr. Lott..."

"Just call me Lott."

"Then you can call me uncle."

?

Seeing Lott's puzzled expression, Bard laughed heartily twice, "You're getting off easy. I'm the most popular man in town."

"Is it because of Miss Chloris?"

"Perhaps, but who wouldn't like a man who's a good cook and reliable?"

Lotte silently slowed his pace, moving behind Bard to guard against any unexpected events.

As for why he teamed up with Baldr, the main reason was that Baldr was a part-time adventurer, so at least he didn't have to worry about being killed by him.

As Bard parted the branches, he said, "When fighting a Bloodvelvet Beast, be careful not to get scratched by it. It will enter an excited state after smelling blood, which will greatly increase the danger level."

"I understand."

"You'll stay behind me, and I'll hold off its attacks. Even though the mission is worth 20 silver coins, you still have to run. Don't risk your life."

There's another reason why Lotte and Baldr teamed up: at least Baldr wouldn't risk his life for money.

It's not the teammates who are bad that I'm afraid, it's the stupid teammates who suddenly come up with a brilliant idea.

The fog in the forest was so thick that it was almost impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. Bald held the warhammer tightly in front of him and slowed his pace considerably.

Lott thought of the adventurers who set off this morning. Were they really sure they would be alright fighting the bear spirit in such thick fog?

The humid air kept filling my lungs, and after only a few minutes of walking, I felt completely soaked.

In the suffocatingly quiet forest, Lott suddenly heard a faint sound.

The heightened senses came into play at that moment; the sudden, strange change made Lotte abruptly turn his head to look to his right.

He patted Baldr, who was still moving forward, to signal him to be careful.

Baldr frowned and squinted in that direction, but saw nothing and heard nothing.

The Bloodvelvet Beast is entirely white, making it even harder to spot in the fog.

Just as he was about to speak, a pair of red eyes suddenly parted the thick fog and appeared before his eyes!

The Bloodvelvet Beast's fangs were fully exposed, aimed directly at Bald's neck.

Bard hurriedly tried to defend himself with his warhammer, but at such close range he couldn't react in time. He could only protect his neck with his hands and was bitten by the Bloodvelvet Beast.

Blood began to drip down his arm and onto the fur of the Bloodflesh Beast.

The Bloodvelvet Beast raised its head, sniffed, licked its lips, and its eyes grew increasingly red, making it look like a vengeful ghost in the thick white fog.

Bald took out a healing potion and poured it on the wound to prevent further bleeding. But those red eyes drifted over again, giving Bald no chance to react.

"Lotte, run!"

Bard grabbed Lotte by the collar, ready to leave. It was impossible to fight the Bloodvelvet Beast in the thick fog.

"If we try to run away now, it will catch up with us from behind!"

"Tch." Bard stopped and stood back-to-back with Lotte to avoid exposing their backs. "Don't worry about the integrity of the fur anymore. We might all die here. Just cut it down if you see it. Bloodvelvet Beasts are cowards. If it realizes it can't win, it will just run away."

As soon as the words were spoken, those scarlet eyes reappeared in the white mist.

“Lotte, let’s bet on who it will attack this time, 10 copper coins.”

"To attack you."

“I’m not that unlucky…”

Bard lost. The man behind him had a golden talent called "King Killer," which means that under equal conditions, higher-level monsters will attack the other person.

Thanks to the glowing eyes of the Bloodvelvet Beast, Bard was able to pinpoint its location. However, after blocking three attacks in a row, he was instead torn open by the Bloodvelvet Beast, and blood kept flowing from his body.

"Why is it only hitting me?!" Bald said breathlessly. "Lotte, if this continues, it will attract more monsters. Can you block one of my attacks? I need to use a healing potion."

"it is good."

Bard quickly dropped his warhammer and took out a life potion to heal his injuries.

The Bloodvelvet Beast's eyes drifted over again. Nourished by Bald's blood, its strength grew stronger and stronger. Its charge was almost a full-force attack at its peak!

Bard believed that as a mage, Lot must not have trained his body much, and even if Lot could deal with the Blackthorn Wolf, it would be difficult for him to fight against the Bloodvelvet Beast.

He sensed that Lott might not be able to hold off the attack, so he hurriedly threw the life potion aside and picked up the warhammer to help.

"call!"

Suddenly, a white sword shadow appeared below Bard's field of vision, slashing upwards and creating a gust of wind.

Keep your oath

"when!"

A dull thud rang out as the Bloodvelvet Beast's fangs clashed with the sword in Lotte's hand. Lotte didn't retreat; instead, the Bloodvelvet Beast was thrown to the ground!

Seeing this, Bard picked up the potion of life again, drank it down in one gulp, and then exclaimed in surprise, "Lotte, you're so strong? Aren't you a mage?"

Bard thought he might not even be able to block Bloodveld's attack.

A week ago, Lot could barely hold off the Blackthorn Wolf, but now he can easily block the Bloodvelvet Beast's attacks.

Not only did he increase his physical strength, but he also became a mage on the side? How did he do that?

"Although I am a monk, I do 500 squats every day."

"Be careful not to get scratched by it!"

Lotte doesn't need to worry about this at all. When his [Oath] is activated, it will heal his wounds, giving the Bloodfat Beast no chance to go berserk.

After several rounds, the Bloodvelvet Beast, its tongue lolling out, began to pant heavily from exhaustion.

Lotte frequently activated [Oath Keeper], which also consumed mental energy, but the mental energy consumed by sword skills was far less than that recovered by [Breathing Meditation].

Without the nourishment of blood, the Bloodvelvet Beast gradually returned to its normal state. It stared intently at Lot, retreating step by step, trying to escape.

But this time, Lott didn't come alone.

Bard quietly appeared beside it, then suddenly lunged forward and pounced on the Bloodvelvet Beast!

The Bloodvelvet Beast's attention was focused on Lotte, and coupled with its exhaustion, it was too late by the time it saw the giant object in the sky.

Bard was a cook, and his arms were frighteningly thick. Those huge hands gripped the Bloodvelvet Beast's neck tightly, making it impossible for it to break free.

"Lotte, stab it in the heart and lungs!"

If the blood isn't drained, the skin will leave blood clots.

Lotte stepped forward and activated [Oath].

The Bloodvelvet Beast immediately stopped breathing and couldn't even make a sound. It struggled a few times in Bald's hand, and then went still.

Bard held the Bloodvelvet Beast in his arms, lay on the ground, and gasped for breath.

"So good..."

"Ok?"

“Don’t tell Chloris,” Bard added. “It feels so good to have escaped this ordeal. It’s like I’m young again.”

"What do you and Miss Chloris usually do in the forest?"

"Picking mushrooms, fighting slimes, going on adventures—if you had a niece like Chloris, would you be willing to let her face monsters?"

Bard stood up, tucked the Bloodvelvet Beast under his arm, and grinned at Lotte, "Go back, Lotte. This is 20 silver coins. I'll give you an extra 5 silver coins if you keep what I just said a secret."

“No need.” Lott shook his head. “Can I get a discount if I pay 3,000 gold coins in the future?”

"I'll give you a 10% discount. But don't mess with Chloris, or I'll charge you double."

Lotte and Bald headed toward the Adventurers' Guild; for them, today was undoubtedly a happy and fruitful day.

But deep within the Maple Forest, the group of adventurers who had set out to hunt down the Misty Bear Spirit lay dead on the ground.

"Klein, are you sure you can still walk?!"

“Don’t worry about me…cough cough…go back, go back and ask Ya’er for help…otherwise, nearly 20 of us…are going to die here…”

Chapter 13 The adventurers encountered a major crisis

Almost half of the adventurers in Maple Town were away on quests, making the Adventurers' Hall quite quiet.

Miss Yar carefully examined a blood-velvet beast pelt on the counter, then gently wrapped it up.

"Such a complete pelt, it's up to standard."

Bard said, "No one in this town is better at it than me."

Bard was a master chef. After bringing the Bloodvelvet Beast back for three thousand gold coins, he used his gleaming knife to skin it, following the trajectory of Lotte's sword strike.

Yar put the fur into the cabinet behind him, took out twenty silver coins, and placed them in two stacks on the counter.

"This is your reward, the agreed-upon twenty silver coins."

Lott was somewhat surprised, "Can we settle the account immediately?"

"Hmm. When the noble lords issue quests, they always pay the reward in advance. The adventurer's guild keeps a portion, and the rest is paid out as quest reward. Isn't that how it always is?"

No.

Tasks where you get paid immediately after completing the work can be considered high-quality tasks.

Bard picked out four coins from his stack and placed them on top of Lotte's coins.

"Bard, what is this?"

"I wasn't much help, just take it. Becoming a monk requires a lot of money, right?"

Lotte stopped refusing and put all 14 silver coins into his pocket. "I feel a little bad if you don't ask for anything."

Bard grinned. "How about teaming up with me again next time?"

Ya'er chuckled softly, "Mr. Bard is quite fond of Mr. Lott."

“You have no idea how strong Lot is.” Bard leaned against the counter, recounting his recent experience. “Lot could almost fight a Bloodflesh Beast all by himself. I was just bait and didn’t help much.”

"Hmm?" Ya'er turned to look at Lotte. "Didn't you say you hadn't learned magic? How did you deal with the Bloodflesh Beast?"

"He uses a sword, and his swordsmanship is amazing, even stronger than the warriors like Sgar. Miss Ya'er, you've misjudged him this time, haven't you? Lotte should be rated 'easy' against the Bloodveil Beast."

Bald recounted the whole story to Yar in detail.

Ya'er, resting her chin on her hand, looked at Lotte with great interest. "Master Lotte, it was wrong of me to give you a [Rejection] before. Who knew that a mage like you would have such good swordsmanship? You should become a beginner, no, an intermediate warrior."

"I need to learn some swordsmanship for self-defense."

Ya'er leaned against the counter, her collar lowered, "You're so young, and as a mage, you also have impressive swordsmanship. I feel like you have unlimited potential. I can share wealth with you. Have you considered finding a wife?"

Lott looked away: "Miss Ya'er, your chest is showing."

"I did it on purpose~"

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ya'er, the two left the Adventurers' Guild. Lott was still a little unaccustomed to carrying the heavy load of silver coins.

How should we spend this huge sum of money?!

Lott subconsciously wanted to save up to buy a house, but inwardly he cursed himself for being so useless.

As a monk, one should be ashamed of saving money! It's all gone!

Bard spoke up, "Lotte, you haven't really explored Maple Town much, have you?"

"Yes. I've only been here for three months, and during this time I've been going back and forth between the hotel and the forest."

"Maple Town is quite large. The north side is a residential area, and the south side is close to the Maple Great Forest, which is where we adventurers live. I'll have Chloris show you around another day."

"Thank you, but I'll be fine on my own."

Bard patted Lott on the shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief. "I was testing you just now. Luckily, you didn't fall for Chloris."

Cunning!

"Keep walking along this street. There are blacksmith shops where you can upgrade your equipment, and there are also potion shops in town. They're all cheaper than the Adventurers' Guild's stuff."