‘System,’ Damion called out in his mind to it. ‘Why didn’t I get the quest notifications right away?’
{Notifications are paused while host is performing tasks}
‘Well, that makes sense,’ Damion thought.
Getting a system notification while he was in the middle of a fight would be distracting. It might just be enough of a distraction that it could get him killed. Damion was not sure if the Magic System was really looking out for him, or if it was just programed that way. In fact, he had yet to determine if the Magic System was alive or just some sort of artificial intelligence.
‘System, will killing E Rank beasts advance the quest to simply kill Ferocious Beasts or Demonic Beasts?’
{Affirmative}
‘By that logic, then once I have quests to kill D Rank beasts, those kills will count towards the E Rank quest as well. No wonder the reward is so low. Once I can kill high rank Ferocious Beasts I’ll be working on three or maybe even four quests at once.’
Damion was quite pleased with this turn of events. He did not know what other quests he might get in the future, but even if the rewards were low, being able to complete several at a time meant those rewards would add up and quickly too.
A low rumbling from his stomach brought Damion out of his interaction with the system. He realized between fighting the Fire Scorpions and driving the PTV, he had not eaten lunch. Reaching down, Damion pulled his bag onto his lap and fished out one of the sandwiches he bought yesterday.
When Damion caught Ethan’s eye, Damion offered him the other half of his sandwich, but Ethan just waved it off. As Damion finished off his lunch and washed it down with the water from his canteen, Ethan decided to ask Damion a question.
“Do you always carry food with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“On the mission to Bufort you had apples and a sandwich. And now here again you have a sandwich. Are you a foodie, always got to have a snack to munch on?”
“It’s a long drive on the trucks from Saung to Bufort and I figured we would be outside the city today during lunch, so I packed a lunch. Does that make me a foodie?”
“Most adventurers only pack food if they are going to be gone overnight and there is no chance at fresh game. Survival gear is much more important and takes up probably the same amount of space as your sandwich.”
“Survival gear?” Damion questioned.
“Healing salves, bandages, a fire starter. Rope. A tent. I bet you don’t have any of those things.”
“Umm, no,” Damion answered realizing how right Ethan was.
He had a change of clothes and a little bit of food and water. Sure, food and water counted for something, but his bag was packed more for an overnight stay at a friend’s house. It was not packed for an excursion in the wilderness. If the convoy had broken down, or if he had fallen off, he was sure to have been in a great deal of trouble.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Did your teacher not teach you anything about being an adventurer?” Ethan asked.
“I think maybe she’s forgotten what it’s like when you are a low ranker.” Damion said trying to defend Ms. Teft. It was a decent assumption. She may have even thought all the things Ethan was pointing out was commonsense and figured Damion, being exceptionally bright for a child, would have figured this all out on his own.
The problem was, Damion was used to living in a city, where everything was just a block away. In both of his lives he had never had a need to pack a survival bag, though now it was obvious he should.
“That could be,” Ethan admitted.
Ethan knew high rankers’ physical needs were far less than a low ranker. They hardly needed a survival kit, the idea to help Damion put one together may have been completely lost on his teacher.
“Regardless, you are going to want to put one together. Other adventurers probably think you already have one, since you carry your backpack around, but you at least need a first aid kit and a way to start a fire.”
“Well, I kind of already can start a fire,” Damion smiled. He could easily use his sword to start a fire and cook meat, though his cooking skills probably needed improving.
“A nonmagical way to start a fire. You never know what might happen. Your sword might get lost or damaged. Or you might be too low on mana to activate the sword’s enchantment.”
“Alright, I’ll start putting together a survival kit,” Damion said giving up on the argument. “With this mission done, you think I’ll have enough to buy what I need?”
“In Bufort it might be hard to find everything you need. Most of the shops have upped their prices. The Adventurer Association has basic kits for sale. But they are pretty basic.”
“Something is better than nothing,” Damion said with a sigh. “I can always upgrade or add pieces later, when I have more money.”
“Is your family poor?” Ethan asked suddenly.
“Not by normal people standards I suppose but I don’t know how to compare us with adventurer families. I’ve never gone hungry or had to wear worn out shoes or anything like that.”
Ethan busted out laughing at Damion. Not sure why his friend was laughing, Damion gave a wary smile and waited for Ethan to explain.
“What you describe as poor for normal people is more like poor for adventurer families. You know how many adventurers die every year? Leaving their families penniless. Even ones that don’t, their families are often on the verge of starvation.”
“What do you mean? Shouldn’t adventurers be making a good living and be able to provide well for their families?”
“High rankers sure. But below B Rank, it is a cutthroat world. Even C Rankers like my dad have it rough. For example, if we’d lost that trade convoy, my father would be broke. He invested everything into those new trucks and cargo. Sure, in a few months the investment will start paying off. But it only takes one bad day for everything to get ruined.
“Living as an adventurer is expensive. You have to buy artifacts, healing if you get hurt, there is always a chance that when you are out on a mission of some other adventurer robbing you.”
“I guess you are right, I really don’t know much about being an adventurer. Just you watch though, I’m going to rise to the top!”
Ethan was laughing at that the rest of the way back to Bufort. When the gate guards saw the two of them driving up to the gate with Ethan laughing, they almost thought he was possessed. It was not until he calmed down that the guards let them into the city.
After returning the PTV and getting the reward for their mission, Ethan and Damion went their separate ways, at least until tomorrow when they would be on the escort of the trade caravan back to Saung. After making sure he had a bed for the night, Damion inquired about a survival kit.
“A basic wilderness pack has a first aid kit, a fire starter and a thermal blanket,” the clerk behind the counter informed Damion. “The intermediate pack comes with a self-cleansing canteen and a tent. The advance pack comes with a larger tent and larger first aid kit.”
As Damion was listening to the clerk a man behind him began laughing. “Is this your first time out of the house, boy? Buying an Association kit? You’d be better off just staying home kid.”