That's right, that's what adventure is like!

When Roland saw old Colin again, he had already collapsed into a lump of mud.

His entire body was covered in blood, with numerous tiny, deep wounds that exposed bone from his face to his lower limbs. Strangely, he did not bleed to death; instead, he was unusually lucid, screaming and begging for mercy.

This is naturally Ramona's masterpiece.

"I had a few monsters entertain him," Ramona said calmly, leaning against the doorframe and basking in the warm winter sun. "He's not very brave; he told me everything."

"There are twenty-seven in total. Their identities, genders, ages... and even when they were raised and when they died are all recorded."

Roland offered no comment, but instead turned his gaze to Aleta, who was standing at the backyard gate.

Her complexion was better than before, and she was staring intently at old Colin on the ground. The dark blue in her vertical pupils was more intense, but it was no longer as empty as before.

"What does she mean?" Roland asked.

"Of course not," Ramona said, having lit a mahogany pipe at some point, white smoke drifting up. "She didn't say anything, just watched, so I made the decision for her."

Roland nodded, then described the hidden story behind the matter, saying, "I've set a trap, but someone needs to cover for me."

Since the association won't get involved, he can only wait and see if Ramona is willing to intervene, of course, in a private capacity.

Ramona squinted, carefully examining the young man the association favored, and smiled. "Didn't you already find someone?"

She smelled a familiar scent on Roland.

"It's just another insurance policy," Roland smiled. "To be honest, I don't really trust them."

On his way back from the Blackhorn Gang's base, he took a detour and anonymously delivered a letter to the Church of the Sun, hoping to get some assistance.

What Ramona smelled was probably the unique scent of the Temple of the Sun, a distinctive aroma similar to the smell of burnt flower petals.

But it's uncertain whether this will be effective, so he sought Ramona's help again.

Unfortunately, Ramona shook her head and declined, saying, "You should know that as a member of the association's management, I often don't have a personal identity."

She paused, then added meaningfully, "Don't worry, there are plenty of people in the association who don't approve of this kind of thing; they're probably much freer than I am."

Roland understood. This was just a prelude. The association wouldn't say anything on the surface, but someone would secretly lend him a hand.

This way, at least the risks would be within a controllable range, which made him feel much more relaxed.

Roland nodded and prepared to leave.

However, just as he reached the backyard gate, a voice came from behind him.

"...I want to go."

Roland stopped and turned around, only to see a barely perceptible emotion flash in Aletta's eyes, an emotion that was hard to discern—anger, hatred, or something else entirely.

This is a good thing.

He nodded. "Let's go."

The two of them walked out of the backyard, one after the other, and into the sunlight-drenched area.

Ramona was left watching their retreating figures in silence, her gaze then shifting to old Colin on the ground, a smile playing on her lips.

"What should I do next...?"

"Perhaps, I can make an exception again?"

……

……

After leaving the shop, Roland did not rush back to the inn, but instead went to the Mithril Corridor again.

Judging by the time, his leather armor was almost finished.

Pushing open that familiar metal door once more, a rush of dry, warm air greeted him. The middle-aged man seemed to have been waiting for him all along, nodding slightly before walking into the inner room.

Lying on the wooden platform was something he could hardly recognize.

The leather armor has been completely redesigned.

The lizard's skin, originally dark brown, now has a dark, ink-like color. The scales that were peeled off are not inlaid, but are integrated with the base, with flame-like patterns flowing along the edges.

The most peculiar thing is that the scales are not evenly distributed, but rather naturally transition along the vital areas. They are thick and dense in places like the shoulders and neck, while they are light and small in the joints.

The middle-aged man then began the introduction.

"Your scales are slightly insufficient, so we have chosen the optimal solution and used them where they are needed."

"In addition, the lining has been replaced with glandular fibers from the Shadow Spider, which are heat-resistant, wear-resistant, breathable, and have good heat retention properties..."

Roland turned the leather armor over and saw a thin layer of silver-gray material that felt soft and comfortable to the touch, and it didn't deform even when torn forcefully.

The feeling was even more pronounced after putting it on; the scales seemed to come alive, intertwining with each other as you moved, yet without making a sound.

Aside from the fact that the underlying balance stance remains unchanged, the modification of this leather armor has reached its peak under the current conditions.

"Thank you, I'm very satisfied."

"Thank you, 35 gold coins."

"……good."

The price was still expensive, but Roland paid very readily, and the balance on his crystal card dropped to 230 gold coins.

After leaving the shop, Roland immediately headed to a shop that sold extraordinary items.

Last time we were unprepared, but this time we know our opponent in advance, so naturally we need to buy some tools specifically designed to target necromancers.

According to Luca, Austin made remarkable progress during this period, especially after following that important figure.

Pre-battle preparations are an essential part of any adventure that cannot be neglected.

Therefore, he did not regret losing the gold coins, because they had all been rewarded accordingly.

Secondary Soul-Binding Net, made of hemp rope soaked in special water, can temporarily bind spirit-like creatures, and is especially effective against newly summoned vengeful spirits. 80 gold coins.

Moonlight Sword Oil, when applied to weapons, can cause significant damage to creatures with an evil aura. 50 gold coins.

Developing dust, once sprinkled, will reveal traces of negative energy within a 3-meter radius, including some invisible minions summoned by necromancers. 30 gold coins.

The Holy Finger Bone, said to be the bone of a devout follower of a righteous god, can withstand one attack targeting the soul after being processed through special means. 60 gold coins.

And of course, there's one last thing...

"A roasted rib, a cheese stew, a white bread with butter, and a bitter beer, for a total of 5 silver coins."

The smiling waitress quickly spread the ordered food all over the table.

Roland forked a piece of caramelized rib onto Aleta's plate, then served himself a bowl of creamy stew and gave a brief instruction.

"eat."

Aletta looked at the silver coins that would take her seven whole days to earn, which were being spent extravagantly on a single dinner, and couldn't help but glance at Roland.

"Too much, it's a waste."

"I can finish it," Roland said, taking a sip of the bitter beer infused with tree roots and chewing on the meat. "And there might not be time to eat tomorrow."

Since his physique has been improving, his appetite has also increased rapidly, and these foods have now become a regular part of his diet.

After listening to him, Aleta remained silent for a moment before picking up her fork.

She ate very slowly, but because she was too thin, she finished eating early and turned to stare at Roland.

"That proverb," ​​Aletta asked in a low voice, "that you adventurers often say, 'If you don't eat your fill, how will the monsters eat theirs?', is that what it means?"

Roland was taken aback; he had never heard of this proverb before.

—If you don't eat your fill, how will the monsters eat their fill?

He pondered the sentence carefully and found it quite interesting: "Who told you that?"

“There was an old miner who often sunbathed at the mine entrance,” Aletta said softly, as if afraid of disturbing something. “After we gave him some food, he would often say some nonsense.”

"He said he was an adventurer when he was young," she paused, then added, "He said the most important thing for an adventurer isn't fighting ability, but eating ability."

"Is it edible?"

"Yes," Aletta nodded, "Adventures are dangerous, so we should spend our last copper coin before setting off to make sure we're well-fed."

She looked up at Roland: "So what this means is that as an adventurer, you must always be well-fed, even if you end up being eaten by monsters and all that food goes into their bellies."

Roland swallowed the rib and took a sip of beer.

"interesting."

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Actually, this sentence should be understood from another perspective."

Aletta watched him quietly.

Roland pointed to the ribs on the table and said calmly, "Adventure is something you never know if the next step will bring death or victory, so try your best to eat your fill."

"But I try to eat as much as possible not to feed the monsters, but to digest the food—the more I eat, the stronger I become in battle."

He paused.

"The more I eat, the longer the monster will be hungry."

"When the monster is hungry enough, it will die by my sword and turn into my gold coins, allowing me to continue to eat my fill."

"Adventurers eat food; monsters, on the other hand, eat the blood and gore of adventurers."

He put down his fork, looked at Aleta, and said, "That old miner was right. If you can eat, you can live; if you can live, you can kill."

Aletta remained silent for a long time.

Finally, she said softly, "Is that what you meant when you bought those things?"

"Yes," Roland said, picking up his beer. "You can only kill if you're full."

A cold wind blew in through the window, causing the candlelight on the table to flicker.

Aletta did not speak.

She simply picked up her fork again and poked at the now-cold rib.

She will live, and then kill.