"Are you done setting up the perimeter yet, Elwin?"

Amelia asked. After a nod in confirmation, Coryas looked grim as he headed into the goblin lair to lure their horde out. They had accepted a job at the adventurer's guild to eliminate the local goblin population. It was unlikely to get rid of all of them and there would likely be other groups pushing into their territory in a few month's time. However, the guild didn't really mind so long as the forests were kept safe for the merchants and locals.

Wild [Monsters] were impossible to truly get rid of. Too much of their planet was overtaken by pockets of aether too dense for anything but [Monsters] to live in, providing them sufficient space to live and breed. Amelia wasn't sure why they didn't just remain in relative safety instead of taking their chances out here. The widely accepted theories tended to be something along the lines of overpopulation, territory disputes, and certain [Monsters] simply being too greedy to sit still. There were, of course, some instances where even intelligent and powerful species would descend upon well-established cities, but that was usually because they had been drawn by the powerful dungeons found nearby.

A small group of eight goblins came running out of the cave, hot on Coryas's trail. With how much blood was splattered across him, he had likely already taken out several others. Amelia quickly summoned an earthen wall to separate the goblins from her friend and team leader. He nodded to her as a show of appreciation before turning back around, preparing to take out the remaining goblins.

Elwin had several [Traps] behind them and to either side, reducing the likelihood of them being ambushed in the middle of combat. He was also defending their rear with his choice of crossbow in hand and his hunting knife secured to his hip, easily within reach. Amelia herself wasn't very combat-oriented due to a lack of luck in her class skills, but she was hardly defenseless. She could use her magic staff as a bludgeoning weapon in a pinch and she was actively working on a skill quest that would allow her to unlock a weak rock projectile spell.

When her rock wall was brought down, Coryas easily became the star of the show as he smashed his heavy hammer down into one goblin before using the momentum to turn and hit another. Amelia made sure to throw up walls to protect his blindside anytime she could while knocking back any enemies that came her way. Despite all the excitement in the moment, the battle only lasted a few short minutes. Setting everything up and then tearing it back down tended to take far longer than the combat itself ever did, but no one was going to complain at Elwin for doing his job.

Wiping some blood off his face, Coryas announced

"Right, well, I'm going to go double check that's all of them. You two start cleaning up. It's getting late and we should turn in soon."

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Amelia glanced at him with concern, but didn't argue. It wasn't like she'd be of much help in such cramped quarters. Throwing up walls would just make it easier for them to end up trapped, should anything go wrong. Elwin would be more helpful in that situation, but no one else could handle his [Traps]. Besides, it was dangerous to stay in the forest after dark as it was easier for [Monsters] to ambush you and they were hardly experienced enough adventurers to properly defend themselves. Thus, their priorities were already predetermined.

When they got back to Bluecove City, they made sure to stop by the guild to turn in their quests. They had managed to take down three goblin encampments today, which ensured they had sufficient pay to afford a hot meal. They planned to stop by the local dungeon to rent rooms for the night as well. While they all had homes they could return to, the dungeon's prices were cheap and they had recently heard there were now baths they could use.

Amelia hadn't really used the previous inn that had been in town. It was too expensive and there wasn't really any benefit to it unless you were from out of town. Even then, if you were planning on staying any real length of time, you were better off renting a house for your entire party to share. Since their parents all lived in the area, though, they would usually just go back home after working hard all day. None of them lived anywhere fancy, just a basic hut with a wooden bedframe and straw mattress. There was no plumbing or magic appliances. If they wanted a hot meal, they had to hunt their own meat, chop their own firewood, and cook their own meals. A bath usually meant finding a secluded enough spot near the ocean to wash up. Even washing their clothes meant fetching water and then hanging the clothes to air dry on a sunny day. It was certainly not a life of luxury.

In comparison, the beds in the dungeon were like sleeping on a cloud. The sheets and pillows always felt cool to the touch, the blankets were warm, and the mattress was plush. The fireplace always had a small stack of firewood provided free of charge that they could freely use, although the dungeon was hardly cold enough to warrant it. Mostly, it was just a nice luxury they could enjoy, if they wanted to. If she knew how to cook, she likely could have roasted some rabbit over the fire or something, but that wasn't exactly something she was skilled in.

Her parents hadn't seen much need to teach her how to do housekeeping. Normally, if you didn't awaken a class, women would be taught domestic skills while the men would be taught how to hunt, chop firewood, fish, farm, etc. If you had any sort of skill in a craft, you might get lucky enough to be hired on at a local business, but, otherwise, your options tended to be very limited. So, it was important for you to know how to fend for yourself and your role became more so one of raising the next generation.

Since she had been lucky enough to awaken a magic skill, Amelia was instead expected to earn her living through the guild and the new local dungeon. If she was successful enough, she might even one day have a small estate that rivaled those of rich merchants and human lower ranking nobles. She might end up with one or two servants to take care of the household chores, help her raise children, and even be able to enjoy a modest level of luxury. That was supposed to be the dream that all adventurers had anyway. Right now, though, Amelia couldn't help but feel all of that was rather far off and that she was rather unremarkable. Still, she was happy for the small luxuries the new dungeon had already brought her group.