Chapter 36 – Ranger Glady

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“Supreme, what are you going to do with that money?”

The day after clearing the dungeon, Isolin had asked me this question.

She was probably asking about how I planned to use the share of the gold we got from selling the ruby.

“Hmm…”

When 500,000 gold is split among three people, each person gets 166,666 gold.

The leftover odd amount went to Isolin, as the party leader.

It was an amount that could be considered both large and small.

Even if I hadn’t lost all my money in a reckless gamble, I would still have over 200,000 gold right now.

“I’m thinking about whether to invest in equipment or just save it.”

“Hmm. I see.”

If I used this gold to buy equipment for the next level range, I’d be able to hunt much more efficiently than now.

At the very least, I’d be able to stay a step ahead of others until I found a dungeon where I could farm better gear.

Though I probably wouldn’t be as far ahead as the advance team players.

As I stared at the heavy pouch of gold, Isolin made a suggestion.

“What if we start a guild? We could pool our money with Glady’s too.”

“Even Glady’s money? Did Glady agree to that?”

“No, I’m going to ask her now.”

Isolin answered confidently. She seemed ready to go find Glady right away, fidgeting excitedly.

Before we entered the dungeon, Glady was level 22.

Even though she reached level 23 after clearing the dungeon yesterday, it doesn’t change the fact that players at that level don’t have much gold.

Even considering the share we gave Glady yesterday, she probably only has around 200,000 gold at most.

“How much gold do you have?”

Even if we combined the gold I, Isolin, and Glady had, I doubted we’d be able to gather the 1,000,000 gold needed to create a guild.

“I have 160,000 gold!”

Isolin answered cheerfully, and I facepalmed.

It was obvious where all the gold she had saved up had gone.

“What happened to all the gold you saved?”

“I spent it all on jars. Oh, and this came from a jar too… a pinwheel… and some shiny pebbles…”

As if she had been waiting for my question, Isolin’s eyes lit up as she started pulling out random items.

The items from her inventory were things like paper pinwheels, shiny pebbles, and pink hair ties—things no shop would ever buy.

“Unfortunately, even if we add Glady’s gold, we won’t have enough.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Glady’s only level 23 now, right? At that level, you and I only had about 30,000 gold. Even if she got 160,000 gold yesterday, she probably doesn’t have much more than that.”

In this situation, it would be better to invest in equipment to boost the party’s overall stats rather than waste gold on creating a guild.

Yesterday, while being chased by the Death Knight, I realized something painfully clear.

The only way to survive unexpected accidents is to maximize your stats.

If Isolin and I had been above the average level, we might have stood our ground against the Death Knight instead of running away.

I stood up and said, “Let’s go. Time to level up.”

“Huh? Weren’t we taking a break today?”

Isolin’s eyes widened at my suggestion, and she tilted her head.

She was sitting at the inn table, swinging her short legs back and forth while blowing on a pinwheel.

It was natural for Isolin to be confused.

Normally, after a big event, the two of us would take a few days off to rest.

But we couldn’t afford to do that now.

The equipment we got from the dungeon yesterday had a level requirement of 30.

I needed two more levels, and Isolin needed one more to equip them.

How could I possibly wait for that?

I decided to ask Isolin just in case. If there was a problem, I was willing to take a day off.

“Don’t you want to equip the new gear? The level 30 magic wand?”

“Well, of course I want to use it. But… are you sure you’re okay?”

Instead of answering, Isolin looked at me with concern. I tilted my head at her question.

“Me? What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? You always say it yourself. After a dangerous situation, we need to rest and recover.”

“Did I say that?”

“Yeah.”

I chuckled at Isolin’s response. It was touching that she remembered something even I had forgotten.

“I’m fine today. We’re just going to hunt with Glady, so we won’t be going anywhere dangerous.”

“Are we going to team up with Glady regularly now?”

Isolin’s eyes sparkled as she asked. Her reaction surprised me.

“Wasn’t that why you introduced her?”

“Well, that was the plan, but you’re usually so reserved around new people. I thought we’d take it slow.”

“I’m reserved? Why do you think that?”

“Well, you’ve turned down every offer to join a fixed party so far. Every single one.”

“That’s…”

“And it’s the same when I suggest forming a party with someone. Whenever I ask you what you think of someone, you always shake your head.”

“Hmm…”

“Is there some special reason Glady’s different?”

I fell into thought at Isolin’s question.

Images of the people who had offered to form a fixed party with me flashed through my mind.

Most of them were so tall I had to crane my neck to look at them.

“Well… Glady’s short.”

“Ah…”

Isolin nodded as if she had realized something. She hopped off her seat and said, “That’s a valid reason.”

“Right?”

“Yeah.”

Isolin smiled and nodded as our eyes met.

“Shall we go then?”

“Sure!”

Isolin and I quickly left the inn.

---

The place we headed to was a farmhouse in a corner of Fox Tail. Glady lived in the barn there. Probably to save on inn fees, just like I used to do.

“Glady!”

Standing in front of the old barn, Isolin called out Glady’s name energetically. But there was no response.

“Is she not home?”

“No, she’s usually here at this time. Glady!”

Standing on her tiptoes, Isolin called out again in her clear voice. The nearby livestock reacted.

Moo~

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

After a while, just as Isolin was starting to look uncertain, a faint voice came from the barn.

“H-hello? Is that you, Isolin?”

Isolin and I exchanged glances. That was definitely Glady’s voice.

It seemed something had happened. We nodded and slowly approached the barn.

“Oh…”

As we got closer, we could see Glady’s figure inside the barn. Her upper body was sticking out of a small hole, limp and powerless, while her small face was bright red.

(tl:~~ brother i’m stuck ~~ :3)

“Ah, hello… Good morning…”

Glady greeted us nervously as she noticed us.

What on earth was she doing with only her upper body sticking out of the wall?

“What are you doing here?”

“I, I was trying to catch a mouse…”

“And you got stuck in the wall trying to catch a mouse?”

“Y-yes…”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Glady’s answer.

She had seemed so reliable in the dungeon, but apparently, she was quite clumsy in everyday life.

“Should we pull you out?”

“Yes! Please! Get me out! Please!”

Glady answered urgently, as if she had been waiting for those words. It seemed she couldn’t get out on her own.

“Isolin, help me out.”

“Ah, sure!”

Isolin and I approached Glady. Each of us grabbed one of her limp arms.

“On the count of three, we pull, okay?”

“Okay!”

“One, two, three!”

We pulled Glady’s arms with all our might.

“Hngg!”

“Hyah!”

But our strength wasn’t enough. Glady’s body didn’t budge.

Frustrated, Isolin pulled out her staff and asked Glady, “Hey, wouldn’t it be easier to just break the barn?”

She looked ready to cast a fireball at any moment. Glady quickly spoke up.

“N-no! I’m renting this barn!”

“You’re renting this?”

“Yes, for 100 gold a month… C-could you pull me from the back instead?”

In the end, Isolin and I went inside the barn. Glady’s lower body was slumped against the wall.

“Glady! Can you hear us?”

“Y-yes! I can hear you!”

Luckily, the barn’s soundproofing wasn’t great. We could clearly hear Glady’s voice from outside.

“We’re going to pull you out now. Ready?”

“Yes! Please!”

As I approached Glady’s lower body, I couldn’t help but make a troubled expression. I wasn’t sure where to grab her.

Meanwhile, Isolin didn’t hesitate and immediately grabbed Glady’s right thigh.

Once she was ready, Isolin said to me, “Supreme? Aren’t you going to help Glady out?”

“Ah, I’ll pull her out…”

Gulp.

I swallowed hard and grabbed Glady’s left thigh. Her thigh, exposed under her shorts, felt soft and squishy.

“Let’s pull her out. One, two, three!”

We pulled Glady with all our strength.

At that moment, there was a loud crack! from the barn wall, and Glady’s body popped out of the hole with a pop!

Immediately after, the barn wall collapsed.

Crash!

“Ah…!”