The midday sun was blazing and bright, warming the air on this chilly, windswept early winter day.
Barrett pushed open the pinewood door of the Adventurer's Guild and stepped onto the street. He had just checked in the Last Defender of the Way adventuring team at the guild and had briefly browsed the task board for any interesting quests.
Barrett strolled leisurely down the main street, not worried about getting lost. As a seasoned adventurer accustomed to wandering, he had visited the capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom many times over the past five years.
Clearly, the kingdom's treasury had no extra funds for renovating buildings, so most of the roads remained as they were, even showing more signs of wear. Only the mansions of the nobility remained grand and luxurious, constantly being expanded.
Barrett casually turned into a small tavern by the roadside. The tavern was sparsely furnished and had few patrons.
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He pulled out a chair and sat down, calling out to a middle-aged woman at the counter wearing a light purple headscarf, "One mug of malt beer, please."
Before long, a large oak mug was set down on the table with a thud, and a few drops of deep red liquid spilled out. Barrett was surprised—it wasn't the malt beer he had ordered, but an expensive red wine. The hand holding the mug was thick and powerful, with a patch of unruly black body hair on the arm.
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Barrett looked up and met the eyes of a semi-bald, burly man. The man wore a thin cotton silk coat, his beer belly stretching the coat's buttons. He pulled out the chair across from Barrett and plopped down, holding another glass of red wine, clearly intending to drink with Barrett.
The man seemed vaguely familiar... Barrett thought. In a flash, he remembered the man's name and pushed back his chair, standing up to leave.
"Hey! Barrett, old buddy, why are you leaving right after seeing me?" The burly man called out Barrett's name and grabbed his arm. Barrett smiled wryly and sat back down.
"It's really been a while!" The man with the thinning hair sat back down, leaning forward and pushing a large oak mug of red wine toward Barrett. "Let me think, it's been at least four years, right?"
Actually, it had been five years. Barrett looked at the warm-faced man across the table, memories surfacing in his mind. He replied, "Long time no see, Hank."
The man drinking the wine was Hank Lawrence, a former mithril-level adventurer who had worked with Barrett for many years. They had been part of an adventurer team called "Magical Gorgon," working well together and completing many dangerous missions, forming a bond of life and death. Unfortunately, they had to part ways later due to some unfortunate circumstances.
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"Let me think, the last time we parted, you left a note," Hank said, taking a sip of the red wine and savoring the taste of memories. "What did the note say again? Oh, 'Wait for me, let's meet in two days!'"
Hank set down his wine oak mug, his face losing its jovial expression. "Do you know how long we waited? Seven months! And we never met you!"
His heavy, solid hand slapped the table with a bang. "Then the captain heard you were spotted in the Kaya Forest south of the Holy Kingdom. My Gaia, I don't even know how you made it over there. In the end, the captain disbanded the team, and we all went our separate ways."
Barrett gave an awkward smile, unsure of how to explain.
That was indeed an awkward chapter in Barrett's life. At that time, the "Magical Gorgon" adventurer team was in a small town in the Re-Estize Kingdom, having taken on a secret mission from a group of wizards to collect shapechanger blood from the Wildwood Forest.
After overcoming numerous hardships, they completed the task, and Barrett went to collect the payment on behalf of the team. The greedy wizards claimed the blood quality was poor and demanded a reduction in the reward, while the greedy adventurer argued that their efforts far exceeded expectations and deserved a higher payment.
Barrett argued with several wizards and ultimately got the payment he wanted, but the cunning wizards tricked him into a small teleportation circle and sent him straight to a primitive forest in the south of the Slane Theocracy.
Barrett eventually made his way out of the vast forest, but the substantial reward had been largely spent on food, water, and maps from a local elven tribe, leaving him with very little.
Naturally, Barrett didn't dare to return to find his old teammates. He was left to continue his solitary journey as an adventurer.
Looking back on his days with the "Magical Gorgon" team, Barrett felt a sense of nostalgia. It had been a truly elite adventurer group, with every member being a solid, rugged fighter. Even the only cleric in the team was a fierce man who wielded a staff for casting spells from a distance and a short sword for close combat.
What Barrett remembered most vividly was their captain, an orichalcum-level adventurer. Not only was he highly skilled, but he also had a humorous, amiable personality and an extraordinary ability to unite the unruly members of their team. In terms of leadership, he was miles ahead of Barrett's current captain, EeDeChi.
Their adventurer team had a rather odd name, "Magical Gorgon," because the captain owned a Gorgon-hide armor. Though worn and tattered, the armor had saved the captain from several fatal injuries. The captain initially wanted to name the team "Magical and Impervious Gorgon Hide Armor" to bring good luck, but after strong objections from the team members, the name was shortened to "Magical Gorgon."
Lost in nostalgia, Barrett couldn't help but smile. He took a sip from his wine glass and recounted how he had argued with the wizards, been tricked into the teleportation circle, and escaped from the primal forest.
Hank listened attentively, nodding occasionally with a look of concern. When Barrett finished his story, Hank generously said that the past was behind them. Everyone has their moments of misfortune, and the fact that old friends could meet again was a blessing from Gaia.
"So, are you no longer an adventurer?" Barrett asked, noting Hank's outfit, which was far from adventurer attire. His once fierce face had grown a bit chubby, and his linen cotton coat now revealed a burgeoning belly.
"After you left, we took on a few more jobs, and lost two or three people. Everyone got a bit disheartened, you know, the adventurer life never lasts. Eventually, the captain divided all the money evenly, and the team disbanded. I stopped being an adventurer, took my share of the money, and came to the capital to open this tavern."
Hank leaned back in his chair, gesturing toward the bar behind him, his tone suddenly turning a bit somber.
Barrett was surprised to learn that Hank owned the tavern. Hank had once been a heavy drinker and prided himself on his knowledge of wines. It seemed fitting for him to end up running a tavern.
The now-pudgy former adventurer placed his oak mug on the table with a sigh. "As the saying goes, only retired adventurers live to a good end. Those who keep fighting end up either crippled or dead."