As Callum continued down the path that led back to the village, he considered the best way to return the blacksmith's ring and pondered the odd lack of monsters in the surrounding area. Perhaps, he thought, local adventurers had recently thinned the slugs.

Upon his return to the city, Callum was accompanied by the guard Larry again. Seeking guidance, he asked the other man for directions and was quickly directed to the general store. After his long day, Callum had little energy left to haggle and barter for the best price possible. Instead, he offered all of his items to the merchant and accepted the purchase price given.

The gleam in the merchant's eye left Callum confident he had essentially been legally robbed, but he didn't care. He had never had a looting ability before, and even the tiny amount of money he had now was more than he would have had without such a power. Regardless, he would have killed the slugs for the bonus quest. As he left the shop, Callum smiled at the gleeful older man behind the counter and waved, receiving an overly friendly wave in return as well as an offer to return 'any time'.

The sun had begun its descent, and Callum's body showed signs of fatigue. His low endurance stat was starting to catch up with him as the day's constant action took its toll. He told Larry and set off for the inn, where he intended to rest.

Larry seemed unusually happy with that turn of events, which Callum found curious. When he asked why the other man seemed so happy, the guard revealed his infatuation with one of the waitresses at the inn. Callum couldn't help but chuckle at Larry's eagerness, wondering how such slight differences could drastically separate cultures and planets. While some might seek power, others seek the simple pleasures of the flesh.

As Callum entered the inn, he felt a pleasant warmth envelope him, washing away some of his fatigue. The ground floor was bustling with activity, even more so than Larry had implied. He waved the guard goodbye. Looking toward the back of the tabled section, Callum saw Raul and several friends sitting at a table, drinking. He groaned inwardly.

Before he sat down for food and a drink, he wanted to settle his debt with Hamish.

Larry pushed through the thick crowd of tables and groups toward a specific corner of the inn, leaving Callum to his own devices. Callum couldn't help but glance at Raul again, seeing that the big man and his companions were all deeply engrossed in their cups. An excessive number of empty mugs littered their table.

Callum made a mental note to avoid the blacksmith for the time being, opting to first pay off his debt with the innkeeper. He approached the bar and he smiled at the burly bartender, "Hello Hamish, good evening."

"Hey there, laddie. Thought fer sure ye'd skip town after gettin' a warm place tae rest and recuperate last night. Especially after I heard how things went wi' Big Raul over there." Hamish gestured towards the blacksmith and his drinking companions.

Callum couldn't help but grimace. "It was an unpleasant beginning, but I hope we can refreeze the ice." He glanced toward the blacksmith again, who was now looking directly at him. When he returned his attention to the barkeep, he noticed an odd expression on Hamish's face.

"Ye're a strange one, are ye no'? On to ma favorite part, though. Where's ma money?" Hamish gave Callum a large grin, hinting that it was meant as more of a joke than a shakedown.

"I've got your money; and some extra if you can tell me how much I need to pay to reserve the room for two nights extra."

A brief bit of haggling ensued, leaving Callum feeling as if he had come out on the worse end once again. After making the arrangements, he had only seven copper left to his name.

Hamish bellowed a deep laugh at Callum's sour expression and then inquired with his usual bluntness, "Why, only two days? Ye plannin' on leaving our wee slice of heaven so soon?"

Callum knew he had to tread carefully, not wanting to insult the larger man or give away too much information. "Unfortunately, yes," he replied with a half-truth. "I've got other things to do; I've got a cottage to find!" Callum grinned and gestured toward the back wall where the mugs were kept. "Any chance I could call for that food and drink we negotiated?"

Hamish accepted Callum's vague response without further questioning and quickly instructed a serving girl to extend Callum's stay and bring him a plate of food at whichever table he chose to sit at. Callum breathed a sigh of relief as he accepted the mug of beer from Hamish and headed toward the common space to find a table.

As he turned to walk into the crowd, he nearly collided with the blacksmith who had been standing a few feet behind him. Callum quickly took in the man's posture, facial expression, and the location of his two friends, who were watching the interaction with interest. Callum felt it was a good sign; at least three people wouldn't attack him simultaneously.

"Good evening, Smith."

The man's eyes bore into Callum's, his gruff voice laced with hostility. "Thought you'd leave. Don't you know that your kind ain't welcome here?"

Callum sensed the man's eagerness for a fight and tried the friendly approach again. "I'll be leaving soon enough. I was just speaking with good man Hamish over there. I should be gone in two days."

The man's sneer deepened, his words laced with a threat. "If I hear of so much as a lick of trouble caused by you, I'll kill you."

Callum was taken aback by the man's open hostility, especially with others in the room clearly eavesdropping. He spread his hands in a helpless gesture, careful not to spill his drink. "I doubt I could cause anyone trouble here. My level is far too low to be anything more than a nuisance. Even then, I don't plan to cause trouble."

The man's fury faltered as he registered Callum's honesty and admission of levels. Typically someone's level was guarded as a secret. Telling someone you were at a lower level than them was seen as an invitation to be taken advantage of. As his anger faltered, Callum saw an opportunity to mend their relationship by returning the man's quest item. Though he had planned to wait until the next day, when Raul was sober, he sensed this could be a great time to do so.

Callum's hands slowly descended to a more neutral position as he faced the burly blacksmith, Raul. He delved into his pocket with his free hand while maintaining eye contact. It struck Callum as peculiar that despite Raul's towering stature, the two of them were almost at eye level. The dark elf's lean and sinewy frame starkly contrasted with the blacksmith's heavily muscled physique.

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Their gazes locked, Callum spoke, "I am deeply sorry for the loss of your wife and child. It was a terrible tragedy." The man's face twisted with renewed anger, but Callum quickly lifted his hand, revealing the ring he held tightly.

Raul stepped back suddenly, twisted his hips, then lunged forward with a tremendous hammering blow aimed at Callum's jaw.

Callum was caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. Despite his meager level, he was astonished that his intelligence and dexterity prevented him from the brunt of the blow. While it was meant to land squarely on his jaw, his quick reaction saved him. He twisted his body just enough that the impact hit the side and top of his head, grazing him instead. But even then, he found himself completely disoriented and sprawled on the floor, his beer spilling, and he was sliding a couple of feet into a nearby chair.

As he tried to gather his bearings, Callum's terror deepened as he realized that he had lost six of his ten health points. It was a sobering reminder that he was not invincible and still only level one. He could have died right then and there, in the midst of the quaint tavern on his second day on this newly integrated planet.

Acting quickly, Callum scrambled backward, his heart pounding in his chest. But his efforts were in vain as he looked up to see the blacksmith looming over him with a look of panicked horror on his face. The big man stepped back, stammering, "I, I didn't-" It was clear that the blacksmith had not intended to harm Callum, but the damage had been done.

The air in the room was thick with tension. Conversations ceased as all eyes turned towards the altercation, save for a few tables on the other side of the room who remained blissfully unaware. Callum rose slowly to his feet, his eyes locked onto Raul, ready for another attack. The hulking blacksmith's muscular frame now seemed to dwarf his own, whereas only moments ago Callum felt that they were almost similar.

One of Raul's friends sidled up next to him, his voice low and insistent. "Come on, Raul. He's probably just a level 1 or 2. You almost killed him with that punch." Raul winced, looking momentarily ashamed. He shook his head and allowed himself to be led towards the exit, his broad back disappearing into the shadows beyond.

Callum felt a surge of shame wash over him, threatening to drown him in a sea of regret. He called out after Raul, his voice surprisingly authoritative given the circumstances. With only four hit points left to his name, Callum knelt by a table and picked up the ring, his fingers closing tightly around the precious metal.

He made his way over to Raul, his hand outstretched. "I was trying to give you this. I'm sorry for your loss." Callum winced as he touched the top of his pointed ear, still tender from where it had been smashed against the unforgiving wooden floor.

Raul cocked his head, eyeing Callum warily. But as he took the ring, his eyes widened in realization. His face flushed crimson with shame, and he stepped back before nodding curtly at Callum. At that moment, the tension in the room dissipated, and the din of conversation slowly resumed. But for Callum, the sting to his pride lingered, a bitter reminder of his current fragility.

A notification flickered into his vision as the ring was pulled from Callum's hand. With a quick thought, he dismissed it, not wanting to be distracted. He knew better than to let the System's snark get under his skin at a time like this.

The three men departed from the inn without a word, leaving Callum behind amidst a hushed crowd. He felt awkward and ashamed of his lackluster performance in the brief altercation. Sighing, he turned and headed toward his room, hoping to avoid further embarrassment. Once inside, Callum released Book from his pocket, allowing the bird to transform fully.

Callum couldn't help but chuckle at his companion's antics, sensing the frustration in their bond. "Yeah, I definitely could have handled that better," he muttered.

A knock came at the door as he began to undress and clean off the slug-splatter from his gear. Callum positioned himself behind the door, ready to defend himself if necessary. He checked his health status and noted that he was still regenerating but not fully recovered. It always took longer to recover health compared to his mana pool.

With caution, he opened the door, unsure of who might be on the other side.

A young girl stood there. He still found the pink humanoids strange, and he wasn't quite able to guess their age. Callum assumed she was young, given how her cheeks reddened at his assessment of her and her overly slim frame. She held a plate of food in her hands.

"Sir? Master Hamish asked me to bring this to you up here. He said if you wanted another drink, you'd have to pay for it. Since you spilled the first one all over his floor." She smiled nervously.

Callum chuckled, acknowledging the innkeeper's stingy behavior. "Not a problem; I don't need anything else to drink for the evening. Thank you for the food." He began to close the door, but the girl interrupted him.

"I, uh-" she stammered, "Master Hamish didn't say it, but I think he approved of the way you handled things downstairs. You probably also got the respect of a good number of the patrons with how you handled things."

Callum felt a slight weight lift from his chest at her words. Perhaps things hadn't gone as horribly as he thought.

"I've been here since the first week we were brought into this nightmare. Hamish is a good man, and I've been serving at the inn since Niles built it. Everyone here loves Raul; we know that he's grieving. But the thing is, everyone's lost people. I lost both my parents in the first three days here. I think the fact that he almost killed you with one punch might've scared him straight a bit. Typically, he's just a gentle giant."

The girl smiled shyly, realizing the amoshing tone of her words. Callum nodded, grateful for her explanation. He closed and locked the door, feeling a sense of relief wash over him.

Callum walked across the room and settled into the chair beside Book. The scent of food wafted over to him as he began to eat, exchanging words with his companion about their next course of action. Together, they weighed the options and decided he should attempt one of the other quests at dawn.

As the day wore on, they could make their way to Raul's and see if he could buy the wrench from the man. Callum knew it was a long shot, but if his reputation with the smith grew, it might just sway the man's decision.

With that notion in mind, Callum pulled up the quest notification he had quickly dismissed earlier:

Look who's back from their little adventure! Congratulations on completing that quest for the Blacksmith Raul. You really knocked it out of the park, didn't you? Finding and returning a little ring may not seem like a big deal to some, but we know better, don't we?

And, as a little bonus, it seems like you've also taken care of some slimy slugs while you were at it. Killing 20 of those suckers is no mean feat, but you made it look easy. You're on fire, Challenger!

Quest Reward: 15 copper

Bonus Reward: Discount on a single purchase from Raul's smithy

Reputation Increase | Raul Smith: Hated > Despised > Tolerated*

Wow! That's a big jump in reputation. You must've really impressed him!

Callum felt a thrill of satisfaction as he noticed the improvement in his reputation with the blacksmith. He stifled a yawn and settled down, ready to rest and review the day's gains.

It was strange, he mused, how the System required a rest period before any advancement in levels and stats could be achieved. Perhaps the body needed time to prepare itself for the necessary changes.

With his eyes closed, Callum eagerly anticipated the day to come.