Chapter 13 - Rosan

As Paul approached the eyeless horses, he took a deep breath and fired an arrow from his crossbow. It struck one of the horses in the head, killing it instantly. When he attempted to fire a second arrow, the crossbow malfunctioned. He switched to the other crossbow and successfully killed another horse, but it too failed to fire a second time. Putting down the crossbows, Paul turned to his daggers and swiftly dispatched the remaining horse.

After collecting the guild points and absorbing the bodies, Paul inspected the malfunctioning crossbows. He discovered that each crossbow could only fire one arrow effectively before its reliability dropped significantly. He traveled a few minutes further west, found a safe spot, and used his blacksmithing tools to recreate the crossbows, modifying them to fire only one arrow but retaining their impressive power.

After a day and several hours of travel, Paul reached the edge of the forest and spotted a city in the distance. He cleaned himself up and made his way towards it. The city was larger than the village he had seen so far. As he approached the city, he absorbed everything except a dagger and his clothes. He took out a pouch and placed three gold coins inside, attaching it to his side. When he arrived at the city gates, the guards barely glanced at him as he entered.

The city was named Rosan and was connected to other cities by a road that circled through the forest. Paul realized he had traveled directly through the forest, missing the road.

Inside the city walls, the noise was overwhelming. Near the gates was a bustling market with small shops and vendors shouting about their goods. Paul decided to explore the market and assess the items and prices. Though the prices were slightly higher than in the village, the quality of the items was better. Paul was not poor; after finding some gold in the forest, he had accumulated 350 gold coins. He could afford many things but chose to keep a low profile and save some money for emergencies.

While exploring, Paul found a place to sell the pelts and bones of the creatures he had killed. He went to an alley where he wouldn't be seen, pulled out a large bag, and filled it with the pelts. Another bag held the bones, and a third contained other useful items. The bag with the pelts was the heaviest. Struggling to carry the bags, Paul emerged from the alley, attracting suspicious glances from the market crowd due to the large bags.

He approached a store and, upon entering, noticed the owner’s gaze fixed on the bags. Paul offered to sell the pelts. He laid them on the counter, excluding the one from the Alpha. The store owner began counting and examining them.

"May I ask where you acquired such a large amount of pelts?" the owner inquired.

"I collected them while traveling with my friends," Paul lied, hoping to avoid suspicion.

"I can offer you 30 gold for the wolf pelts and 10 for the rest of the pelts," the owner said.

"Deal," Paul agreed. The owner handed him 40 gold coins. Paul then produced the other two bags and placed them on the counter. The owner examined them and offered 50 gold for both. Paul accepted and thanked the owner before leaving.

As evening approached, Paul asked around for an inn and soon found one. The room rate was higher than he expected—10 silver per night compared to the 1 silver he had paid in the village. He went up to his room, checked his stats, and noticed some recent gains.

**Name:** Paul Silver

**Title:** Noble Peasant

**Guild Level:** G

**Guild Points:** 1350

**Strength:** 321

**Agility:** 395

**Endurance:** 198

**Stamina:** 480

**Wisdom:** 424

**Intelligence:** 446

**Charisma:** 155

**Leadership:** 0

**Luck:** 338

**Fighting Spirit:** 391

**Fame:** 1205

Seeing that he had enough guild points, Paul decided that his first task the next day would be to raise his guild rank, confident that he was no longer merely a G rank.

The following morning, Paul headed to the guild testing facility. With a bit of help, he found it easily. The facility was busier than he expected, with at least ten people present. Inside, people were testing their ranks—some with bows, others with large swords. Many had fancy armor, while others, like Paul, appeared less well-off.

After six people left, the next individual became frustrated and yelled at the crystal, evidently failing to advance in rank. Most of those remaining were around F rank.

When it was Paul’s turn, he lowered his luck to 50 and used the crystal. After testing, he left the building, sat on a bench, and checked his stats.

**Name:** Paul Silver

**Title:** Lone Wolf

**Guild Level:** D

**Guild Points:** 750

**Strength:** 321

**Agility:** 395

**Endurance:** 198

**Stamina:** 480

**Wisdom:** 424

**Intelligence:** 446

**Charisma:** 155

**Leadership:** 0

**Luck:** 338

**Fighting Spirit:** 391

**Fame:** 1205

Paul was pleasantly surprised to see he had achieved D rank, despite the usual requirement being 600 in a single stat. He attributed it to his stats being in the 400s. He liked the new title, feeling pleased with his progress.

Feeling content, Paul visited a tailor to get custom armor. The tailor initially judged Paul’s appearance unfavorably but was quickly impressed when Paul revealed 50 gold coins. Paul looked around but didn’t find anything he liked.

"Do you make custom armor?" Paul asked.

"Yes, of course. If you provide the materials, it’s cheaper," the tailor replied.

"I’d like you to make armor using this," Paul said, producing the Alpha pelt. The tailor examined the pelt and offered to give a discount in exchange for its rarity. Paul requested armor that was light, allowed for high mobility, and featured a design similar to his current armor on the chest.

After a few minutes of measuring, Paul left the tailor, who promised the armor would be ready in three days. Paul then went to a blacksmith and asked if he could observe for a day. The blacksmith, though initially wary, agreed.

Over the next day, Paul observed the blacksmith’s precise and efficient movements. By the end of the day, he had improved his blacksmithing skill and achieved intermediary status.

**Crafting - Beginner LVL.8 (40%)**

You can craft various items. Advanced skills result in better final products.

**Crafting Skills Available:**

- Tailoring - Beginner LVL.4 (30%)

- Blacksmithing - Intermediary LVL.1 (5%)

**Blacksmithing - Intermediary LVL.1 (5%)**

By understanding weapons better, you can now use higher-grade ore. Your weapons have increased durability and damage.

*Special:* +10% damage with any weapon you create

Paul then set up in a secluded corner to craft new weapons. He used his blacksmithing skills to create daggers, doubling the materials and effort compared to before. After five hours, he produced two black daggers with white edges. The handles were crafted from wolf bone, which proved challenging but successful.

**Black Bone Dagger (2x)**

*Damage:* 200-230

*Durability:* 400/400

*Description:* Crafted with high-grade steel and wolf bone.

*Special:* 1/10 chance for the first hit to kill the target

Paul then tried crafting a small sword, a cross between a sword and a dagger. After five hours of failures, he successfully created a pair of short swords. These swords did more damage than the daggers but were slower to use.

**Gemini Swords (2x)**

*Damage:* 290-300

*Durability:* 600/600

*Description:* Twin blades suitable for anyone with two-handed weapon mastery.

Paul packed up his tools and headed to the quest board. He scanned the listings from lowest to highest rank and found a D rank quest to help a group of soldiers clear a dungeon that had been sending creatures to attack merchants. The quest offered gold and fame.

Applicants had to show up at the gate at dawn two days later. Paul decided to take on the quest. He went back to the inn, reviewed the last 24 hours, and went to sleep, preparing for his first dungeon experience the following day.

The next day, Paul returned to the tailor to check on his custom armor. It was finished and exceeded his expectations. The Alpha Armor Set was a combination of white and black, with fur from the Alpha pelt around the neck offering additional protection. The armor set included boots and pants in matching colors and did not restrict his movement.

**Alpha Armor Set**

*Protection:* 600-650

*Durability:* 1000/1000

*Description:* Crafted by a highly skilled tailor using the Alpha pelt. It provides high protection and increases speed by 15%.

The armor cost him 25 gold, but its effectiveness made it worth every coin. Paul spent the rest of the day buying ingredients for food, as the dungeon would have no provisions. He spent around 10 gold but purchased a substantial amount of supplies.

Next, he headed to the guild testing facility to train with his new short swords. He spent the entire day honing

his skills, realizing that while the Gemini Swords were powerful, they were heavier and required practice to wield effectively.

Satisfied with his preparation, Paul went to bed early, ready for the dungeon quest ahead.