Bones' plan to head straight to Stonefalls was unexpectedly interrupted when he stumbled upon a beleaguered adventurer party, concealed behind the foliage of a bush. The group comprised the quintessential adventuring ensemble: a stalwart defender, two damage dealers, a supportive class, and a healer. They were currently engaged in a goblin tribe subjugation quest, a task that resonated with Bones from his own past adventures. However, it was evident that they had underestimated the challenge.

Observing the scene unfold, Bones noted that the goblin chief boasted a formidable level eleven surpassing even the highest-ranking member of the party, the defender. Despite their valiant efforts, the adventurers found themselves on the brink of defeat, particularly as the struggling healer faced imminent danger from the goblin’s crude spear. Without hesitation, Bones sprang into action, seizing the goblin by the head with a grim resolve. "Ah, damn it. Looks like I'm getting involved..."

A surge of mana surged through Bones' arm and into his hand, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that obliterated the goblin's head. The healer shrieked in horror, blood splattering across her visage. But it wasn't her blood; it belonged to the vanquished goblin.

With a swift and calculated motion, Bones directed his attention towards the besieged damage dealers, summoning Bone Spikes to immobilize the encroaching goblins. The creatures wailed in agony, their plight drawing the gaze of both the goblin chief and his cohorts. These aides, though formidable at level ten, failed to comprehend the vast discrepancy in power between themselves and Bones. Ignoring the defender, they charged recklessly towards the new, more potent adversary.

Meanwhile, the goblin chief opted for a strategic retreat, abandoning his bewildered companions. Bones, observing the chief's tactical withdrawal, unleashed a lethal Bone Lance in his direction. Within moments, the chief collapsed, a gaping cavity in his torso sealing his fate.

The demise of their leader prompted a brief moment of hesitation from the aides, during which Bones swiftly dispatched them with precision strikes. Seizing the opportunity, the rogue and the dual-wielding warrior among the adventurers swiftly eliminated the remaining goblins. In the ensuing chaos, the goblins scattered in retreat, and those who lingered met a swift demise.

With the battle concluded, the defender succumbed to exhaustion, swiftly followed by the two damage dealers. Bones turned his attention to the healer, inquiring about her well-being. Though visibly shaken, she composed herself and offered a grateful nod, expressing her gratitude for Bones' intervention. Similarly, the support mage approached, extending his thanks for saving their party from certain peril.

Bones waved off their gratitude with a casual gesture. "Don't mention it. It's what anyone would do, right? You were fortunate we crossed paths when we did. I assume you were on the subjugation quest? Completed?"

Glen, the support mage, affirmed with a nod. "Yes, indeed. We've wrapped up for the day."

"In that case, how about I accompany you back to town? I was headed there myself," Bones offered.

Observing Bones' mask, Glen hesitated momentarily, but the guilt of endangering his team pushed any doubts aside. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, then yes please, and thank you!"

Bones trailed behind the party as they journeyed onward. Periodically, they halted to fend off monsters. As Bones had anticipated, the adventurers proved capable, save for the minor hiccup with the goblins. He had no particular motive for assisting them; perhaps it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, or perhaps the memories of young adventurers meeting their demise had affected him more deeply than he realized.

Now that he had aided them, he pondered putting his new level 20 racial skill to the test. After hours of traversing the forest, he sensed a growing unease among the adventurers. They conversed in hushed tones, and as time wore on, he noticed the healer and surprisingly, even the defender, growing increasingly jittery.

Observing them closely, Bones realized that their mental state had been affected by the fight with the goblins. As the frontline and backbone of the group, they were particularly vulnerable to the aura he emitted. Gradually, discomfort grew among the party members, and they began to distance themselves from Bones, unable to articulate the reason behind their unease.

Their enthusiasm for monster hunting waned, replaced by a sour mood and deepening frowns. This persisted for hours until they neared the road, prompting Bones to cease focusing his skill on them. Once out of the forest, their mood noticeably improved, and they marched toward the town gates with renewed vigor.

Bones remained silent throughout their journey, unsure of what to talk about with the young adventurers. Meanwhile, the group chattered amongst themselves, expressing their relief at returning to town. They whispered to each other, casting nervous glances at Bones as they quickened their pace.

As the group passed, Bones subtly initiated a Soul Link with the most mentally vulnerable member, the healer. The moment the link was established, he paused her movement. Glen, noticing her sudden halt, turned to her and asked, 'Jackie, are you okay?' The healer shook her head, and the Soul Link was severed. 'Hm? Yeah, I'm fine. Probably just overwhelmed by everything that happened. Let's keep moving."

Bones discerned a mix of emotions emanating from the healer: confusion, anger, shame, and a sense of guilt for harboring such feelings towards him. Despite this, Bones maintained his smile and trailed behind the group. Upon arriving at the adventurer guild, Glen gestured for Bones to accompany him inside, while the others remained outside, visibly relieved. Intrigued by their behavior, Bones followed Glen into the guild.

Glen approached the reception and conversed with the clerk behind the desk. "Excuse me, I'd like to complete the subjugation quest and report that this adventurer," Glen gestured towards Bones, "saved us during the quest and safely escorted us back to town."

The receptionist nodded, jotting down notes. Once she finished, she requested their badges. Glen handed over his badge first, which she scanned against the crystal plate. Then, she scanned Bones' ID card. "Hmm, what is..."

"Is there an issue?" Bones inquired.

The receptionist turned to Bones, dumbstruck. "I don't…I don't know?" She was left baffled seeing "undead" listed as his race on his ID card. She turned to her colleague, her voice tinged with urgency. "John. John!" John turned to her, frowning, and she quickly added in a hushed tone, "Could you come over here for a second?" John reluctantly approached her, and she showed him Bones' ID. They both stared at the ID and then at Bones for a few moments.

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"Um, sir. Would you be so kind as to remove your headpiece so we could verify your identity? There seems to be a discrepancy in our database," John asked cautiously.

Bones shrugged, complied, and observed as their eyes widened in shock. "Would that be all?" he asked. After receiving confirmation and an apology, he put his mask back on and pulled the hood over his head. With a sense of intrigue lingering in the air, Bones left the guild, leaving the two receptionists puzzled and Glen sweating behind.

"Now then, where was that alchemy shop?"

With a fresh supply of mana potions procured, Bones departed from Westbrook and set his course towards Stonefalls.

----------------------------------------

The sun was setting when Bones reached Stonefalls. Contrary to his expectations, the two dwarves weren’t drinking at the table in front of the smithy. Instead, the sound of a hammer hitting steel emanated from inside. Bones pushed open the door, causing the bell to ring. The clanking sound of the hammer ceased, and a dwarf with dirty hands and dirt smeared all over his face poked his head out of the workshop. cough 'Boney! It hadun been that long, whaddup?'"

"Nothing much, brought you something but...it can wait," Bones replied, observing the dwarf's busy demeanor. Hem nodded and instructed him to make himself at home, promising to join him once he finished his work. Bones was surprised to see Hem so engrossed in his tasks. The few times they had met before, the dwarf had seemed laid back and less concerned with work. "Must be an important commission," Bones mused to himself.

An hour later, Hem emerged from the workshop and joined Bones at the table. "Sorry fer makin ye wait! I may not seem like it, but I'mah pretty wanted dwarf! I get custom orders once er twice a week, ‘nd they earn me mah food and drinks, ye ‘no? So, up fer a round?"

"Sure, why not. I have a few things I’d like to celebrate," Bones agreed.

"Great! Lemme call Dar over so we can get hammered! He has the good stuff!" Hem joyfully replied before rushing out of the smithy. Not even ten minutes later, he returned, dragging Darsumi with him.

With a sigh, Darsumi greeted Bones and sat opposite him. "Greetings Bones, doing well?"

"Greetings Dar, it’s been busy the last couple of days but worth it," Bones replied.

“Oh? Something good happened? I apologize, it will take a bit longer to deal with all the mana stones you gave me. It’s a delicate process after all, I’m sure you understand?” Darsumi said, his voice tinged with curiosity.

“Hm? I’m not here because of the stones! I’m on my way back to the capital and thought I’d stop by, say hello. I actually have something to talk to the both of you about. Well, drink and talk, anyway,” Bones clarified.

“That’s good to hear. You can ask us about anything that’s bothering you, anytime you feel like asking.”

They’re good dwarves. If I want any other future business endeavors with them, I should be as honest as I can. Bones thought to himself.

“Will do, thank you! First, drinks!” Bones expressed his gratitude, and Dar responded with a smile, retrieving a distinct-looking bottle. Handing it to Bones, he watched as Bones inspected it with curiosity. Uncorking the lid, a familiar scent wafted out, causing Bones to recognize it immediately. “This is...for me, Dar?” he asked in surprise. Darsumi nodded, explaining that he noticed Bones frequently drinking mana potions during his stay and wanted to offer him a drink he would enjoy more than their usual fare.

Bones poured himself a drink with gratitude, taking a gulp before setting it aside. He then stood up and began to unpack the body parts of the monsters he had looted, laying them out on the ground beside him. The two dwarves observed in surprise but didn't intervene.

Hem stood up and approached the chitin body part, giving it a thump with his knuckles. "Chitin shell makes for good defense on bronze-level gear," he remarked. Then, turning his attention to the proboscis beside the chitin, he exclaimed in surprise, "Wut the hell is dis?"

Darsumi raised an eyebrow and joined Hem's side to inspect what had surprised his friend.

"That's...a proboscis?" he asked, to which Bones nodded.

"Gobrick's beard...is it the—"

"Yep," Bones confirmed, already anticipating the dwarf's question.

"Wut? Wut is it?" Hem asked, feeling left out.

"Hem, what does this look like to you?" Darsumi asked. Hemdus took the proboscis in his hand and inspected it from every angle before saying, "Well, it looks a bit like a prick, them little..." He stopped mid-sentence and glanced at Bones and then Darsumi. "Is the body—"

"Yes. The body is proportionate to the proboscis," Bones confirmed.

"Gobrick's beard..." Hem muttered, a hint of disgust visible on his face. Then he added, "We coulda make a long straw from the—"

"No!" Both Bones and Darsumi strongly interjected.

"Is it squishy like the little ones?" Darsumi asked, and Bones nodded once more.

Bones waited until the dwarves had inspected the items on the floor before speaking up. "This isn't everything, of course. I want to ask you how usable these are in crafting? To be more precise, would they fetch a good price?"

Hem pondered for a moment, considering the potential applications. Then he nodded. "Aye, they coulda fetch a pretty sum if ye can find a master smith and a tailor!"

Bones observed the smugness on the dwarf's face, anticipating his thoughts. With perfect timing, he made a proposition. "I'd like to propose a business deal between the three of us."

"What do you have in mind?" Darsumi inquired.

Bones leaned back in his chair as the dwarves did the same. Over the next two hours, he outlined his vision: to open a shop with the two dwarves and sell equipment crafted from the body parts he would provide, along with other items. He admitted he was unsure about the procedure for opening a shop and frankly, couldn't be bothered with it.

"Not a problem," said Hem confidently. As the crafter, he could easily open a shop with minimal difficulty. "Boney, I haven't mentioned, and ye haven't even asked, mind ye! But yer looking at the second-tier silver rank armorsmith!"

Bones observed the proud-looking dwarf, puffing his chest out, and realized he was expected to compliment him. “Second tier? Amazing. Absolutely amazing! If I had eyes, they would be popping out right now!"

Darusmi snickered beside him, and Hem's proud demeanor slowly deflated. "Yer being funny, eh? No matter! Sounds like a good deal, but…"

"...but what?" Bones asked, and Dar sighed, replying in place of Hem. "In short? He's lazy. He doesn't want to work much."

Hem, upon hearing Darsumi's blunt explanation, quickly jumped in to clarify. "Hey now, it's not that I'm lazy, ye ‘no? I just feel like making newbie equipment is beneath my skill level! Now, if I could delegate me work to apprentices, then yes, I see it working out, Boney!"

Well, that was just underwhelming... Then, do we have a deal?" Bones remarked.

Dar and Hem exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement.

"By the way, I've been 'dying' to ask you, but what did you mean by second tier?" Bones inquired curiously.