8 Storage Pouch
Pol requested a quest to be done this day, but he didn't expect Vincent to succeed. Pol asks a 15-year-old kid to kill 5 Orcs. Moreover, the kid wasn't someone who'd mastered martial arts, nor he was a person who had mastery in magic. He's only a 15-year-old Jobless kid.
That's why when Vincent successfully brought 10 Orc eyeballs were quite a shocking sight.
Vincent's state looked awful. He'd become a dirty beggar after the battle. He's face were smeared with dirt and his body stench with blood and sweat.
"Are you sure you 'DID' it?"
"Yep"
"You pick this from the ground aren't you?"
"Nope"
"Or maybe you've come across a corpse"
"You just don't want to give the Storage pouch didn't you?"
Vincent asked.
Pol then began to laugh and shook his head while saying.
"No. It's a promise and you risk your life for that. So I will honor my promise and give this to you"
Pol then pulled out something out of his Storage Bag.
"Here's a Storage Pouch worth 300,000 Pangesis"
Vincent grabs the Pouch as soon as it neared him. He then check if it's true and shove it in his pocket.
"Thank you!"
"Ohhh. You like a child when smiling."
"What'd you mean by 'like a child?' I am a child.
"Well. It's been about 2 weeks since I'd known you and... I've never seen a child mature fast just like you?"
Vincent smile internally and said.
"I think it's normal"
'It was hard acting like a read kid'. Vincent thought of that as he took out 5 axes out of his bag and said.
"Buy these... please"
"Hey you shameless kid. Who would buy that? The edge is broke and a lot of cracks on the axe like it's about to be broken..."
"You can just buy the steel"
"Whose idiot would buy that kind of steel that not even clean"
"But... I even carry this heavy thing just for you.."
"Not buying it..."
Vincent thought that maybe he could sell this axes off to Pol due to him knowing Pol kindness to him, but it seems like a failed thing. He sighed.
"Eyy."
Pol grumbled as he saw Vincent sigh.
"How about becoming a mercenary"
"...mercenary?"
"Yeah"
Mercenary... Vincent knew about them. In his previous life, he joined the mercenary guild.
It's one of the easiest guild that a Jobless Otherworlder could join. There were many merits on joining and becoming one. The guild would take commissions, but it would be easier to trade items through mercenary guilds.
It was easy to get 'jobs' too. There was usually at least one mercenary guild in every city. The task assigned by mercenaries were different, but they would still be able to carry out jobs to earn money and lastly... recognition.
"I have no plans of joining yet..."
Vincent previous self was a C rank mercenary. It wasn't the best and most of the Mercenaries were rank C.
Rank C. It's the limit of being a Jobless. Perhaps, if he had come across a fortuitous encounter, he might have reached a higher rank than that.
Vincent would be Rank F mercenary if he signed up now.
The lowest ranking was H. Previously, he started from H rank and climb up to C rank. The Mercenaries within the same rank also had great gap in strength between one another. There were different levels of strength as C-, C, and C+. He's only a C rank mercenary.
Vincent already knew the procedure on becoming one and that there wouldn't be that much benefits in joining. Though it was simple to enter the guild, the issue is how difficult it is to rise up the rank. Contrary, dropping in ranks was easy. Failing mission etc. may cause a person to drop by a whole rank.
It's better to power up now and sign up later. He first needed to have a strength of an D ranker, which would put him in a better situation than starting as a H ranker. And until then he doesn't plan on entering.
"If you don't want... it's fine too"
"But..."
"Becoming a mercenary isn't bad. And you will get a lot of benefits that's come along in being one."
"I guess..."
Vincent already knew about the said benefits. But, the bad odor clung on his body distracting him.
"... can I leave?"
"Leave then..."
Pol waved his hands and Vincent bowed while grabbing his bag from the ground. He then started walking, but he heard Pol shouting at him from the back but ignore him.
"Hey! Get your trashy axes out of here"
He intentionally left the axes due to it being heavy and trash...
...
"Hey! You smell gross"
Vincent heard suck a remark once he returned to the Inn.
A girl with fair skin looked at Vincent and said.
He knew that he smell bad, so he didn't react much to it.
"I know"
"You spoke rude to me again"
The girl said in a sharp voice. Her name was Lola, she was the Inn Owner Ben's Daughter.
"The difference in our age is only a year. It's funny to call a kid just a year older than you, your Older sister"
"What's about that? But still In the end you're younger than me"
"You first need to act more mature before people younger than you starting to call you their Older Sister."
Lola was 16 this year and 1 year older than him. However, he had no intention on calling her as his Older sister. He's currently 15 year old, but he was actually a 30-year-old man. So calling a 16-year-old girl his Older sister is the thing he can't bear to do.
"Where's your father at?"
"In the kitchen. The meals today is stew and chicken. It's a good as always."
Lola said proudly. Ben's cooking was delicious. And if Vincent had to pick out two things he liked the most, it would be the increase speed of his strength or Cultivation speed and Ben's Delicious Food.
He didn't eat properly this morning as he left the Inn early in the morning. Therefore, his breakfast is only hard bread. His lunch is the same too. A hard bread.
"What did you eat this morning?"
"Fried eggs and potatoes"
"Probably taste good"
"Father's cooking is the best. You shouldn't leave early, so we can eat breakfast together."
Sitting on the table, Lola grumbled. Vincent smiled as he saw this.
There's a reason why he had to leave early. Because, in the morning, there were fewer people. In usual case, the forest would be crowded by Otherworlders during the later day. If he were to come across another person in the forest... issues might arise.
So... instead of having to deal with that possibility. It was better to leave early with some hard a** bread.
And... with the help of his newly acquire Storage pouch, hunting will be a lot easier. It would be convenient for him to bring food along his journey.
"Why do you have to fight in the forest every day? And you always return with bad smell on you"
Lola asked. She's probably bored on waiting, hence he asked some minor question. Customers in the Inn weren't many as the location was far away from the forest. And the usual customers who visited Ben's Inn is just wanted to have a meal.
And of course, there's not near Lola's age. Vincent was friend that she did not have since a long time ago.
"I am a Otherworlder. So Hunting monsters is our way to earn money"
"I'm not stupid! Otherworlders doesn't have to hunt to earn money. They can just apply and get a job"
Lola retorted. And Vincent could only smile bitterly.
Lola was right. There were easier ways to live your life in this world. Becoming mercenary and hunting monster like Vincent did was just one of the various methods for survival.
And... other Otherworlders who had no power like him, would get jobs.
"How about working at our Inn? I think that my dad likes you"
"I don't know how to serve or cook"
That was a big lie. He knew to do it. It's one of the first task that mercenary guild made him to do after the registration.
That's why... he didn't want to. He didn't want to waste this precious time of him being able to return and just do some menial task such as hard labor.
"What if... you die?"
"I try my best not to"
"Easier said than done"
"It of course I know that."
"I don't get it. Isn't it better to work on a safe environment like a Inn than hunt monsters that put your life at risk"
"Lola said. Vincent thought that she might be right but...
"Call me when it's time"
He said that as he climbed up the stairs.
He knew that the outcome might be bleak, but he wanted to know... if he can live...
Live and be alive.
And having a life better than before.
