After another day of toiling away in the fields and peddling his crops, Axel breathed a sigh of relief as he finally scraped together enough [Gold Coins] to settle his debt for the search of Tillage Town and its outskirts. Plus, as an added bonus, a few of his [Skills] had even ranked up.

[Basic Sword Proficiency] - Rank B

[Basic Dual Wielding Proficiency] - Rank C

[Copper Body] - Rank E

[Strength Boost] - Rank C

[Slash] - Rank C

[Block] - Rank C

[Basic Whirl Blade Proficiency] - Rank E

"Please sign over here," Fen said, sliding over the contract.

Axel happily did so and handed over the required coin.

"Thank you for your patronage of Blue Rose and its services." Fen bowed after he received the coin and his copy of the contract.

"Um, thanks. Why are you acting so formal-ish?" Axel couldn’t help but ask.

"Guild policy. Got to treat customers with respect whenever they patronize us."

"So why are you acting not formal-ish, now."

"Cause you're done patronizing us, and now we're just a couple of guys chatting."

Axel chuckled, "OK, and good luck for tomorrow."

"Thanks, I don't really need it though, not when I have Blue Rose and it's wonderful support. Join the guild and we'll guarantee you'll get the necessary training and resources to grow stronger inside the barrier."

"Really?" Axel rolled his eyes.

"I am still on the clock." Fen shrugged his shoulders. "So how're your skills coming along?"

"Pretty good, pretty good. Just not sure when I should face the Boss Monster."

"You've got a party or are you going at it solo."

"Solo, I guess. Maybe I'll be lucky and end up making friends with another solo person who wants to party up."

"Maybe you will, but if you want to go at it alone at least get most of your skills to rank B, and please stock up on some potions. Just the basic red and blue potions, plus an antidote will do. As long as you go at it prepared, you'll come out fine."

"I'm close. Most of my skills are around C now."

"Good, good. If you need more info about the boss just hit up the receptionist at the inn, she'll hook you up with some info. For a price of course."

Axel rolled his eyes. Everything had a price.

"Hey, man. That's just the way the world rolls. I don't make the rules, I just follow them."

"I get it, but I was hoping for some sort of discounted or maybe even free service just for a friend."

"Maybe just a small one. Remember to use the materials you get from the Dreamspinner to make some new gear. They're normally a bit stronger. Anyway, I've got to head back to Pavhorn to finish up some work, still on the clock here you know. If you want to find me after tomorrow, I'm heading towards the Seasonal Forest.”

"Oh, ok. Good luck, Fen."

"Thanks, Axel. The results of the search should be done in about a week, don't forget." Fen waved as he walked out of the inn, leaving Axel alone in the lobby.

With a smile on his face, he kept his copy of the contract in his [Inventory], and enjoyed the rest of the night. He kicked back in the dining area, then retreated to his room, taking a moment to think about his big sister before drifting off to sleep.

***

Axel woke up and continued his usual routine. Actually having enough money to spend on breakfast had been a real blessing. Before, he had to go out to the farm and start harvesting on an empty stomach, only to snack on some of the crops he harvested. The crops weren’t that bad but having a nice warm meal to start off the day really lifted his mood, that and the [Mood Elevation] buff.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

It was going to be his last day of harvesting with most of his skills ranking up throughout the day to his desired levels.

[Slash: Rank C → Rank B]

[Strength Boost: Rank C → Rank B]

[Block: Rank C → Rank B]

[Copper Body: Rank E → Rank D]

[Basic Whirl Blade Proficiency: Rank E → Rank D]

[Basic Dual Wielding Proficiency: Rank C → Rank B]

[Basic Sword Proficiency: Rank B → Rank A]

Maybe I should use [Copper Body] more often? Even my [Basic Whirl Blade Proficiency] has caught up, but why use my body when I got a perfectly good shield?

As the day wound down, Axel made his way to the Farmers Market to collect his hard-earned earnings. It felt good to actually have money, now he only hoped he would still have some after his next shopping spree.

Per Fen's advice, Axel started looking for some merchants selling potions. Following the many signs planted in Tillage Town, Axel finally found a stretch of road that was dedicated to selling various potions. As usual, the stretch at the front was dedicated to guilds who were fortunate or maybe wealthy enough to afford the shophouses that lined both sides of the street. Even at this hour, they catered to a long line of people wanting to purchase their goods. Deterred by the long wait, Axel headed towards the back of the road, hoping to spot a tent that housed a large number of independent sellers, just like at Smith Street. Thankfully, he was greeted by the sights and sounds of all sorts of alchemist stalls that housed an assortment of different colors of liquids.

Axel strolled through the street, walking past several tents, trying to gauge which ones offered the best products, and the most bang for his buck.

"Step right up folks, step right up. We've got a wonderful assortment of potions just for you. They're good, they're cheap, they're simply the best." A young man with black curly hair, wearing deep blue colored robes was holding up a potion bottle of red liquid in one hand, and another filled with blue liquid.

"Step right up folks, step right up. We've got a wonderful assortment of medicinal pills just for you. They're good, they're cheap, and they're better than potions." A young lady with black hair that went past her shoulders, who wore beige colored robes stood next to the man in blue. She held up a bunch of red pills in one hand, and a bunch of blue pills in the other.

"Step right up folks, step right up. We've got a wonderful assortment of food just for you. They're good, they're cheap, and their effects are better than potions and medicinal pills." Another young man stood next to the man in blue robes, his hair was obscured by a chef's hat while wearing some white colored robes. A bowl of stew in one hand, and a plate of some sort of meat in the other.

The three of them had stalls neighboring each other, but what drew the most attention to Axel was their similarity. Siblings were what he guessed, they were not exactly identical, but they looked close enough for him to give out that judgment.

"Hey you, pink guy," the blue-robed lad yelled, "Come buy some potions, they're better than whatever nonsense these two are selling."

"Dammit, Ganial. We had an agreement, no dissing each other's products," the beige-robed lady yelled back.

"Laniel is right," the lad with a chef's hat said, "You can only say that yours is better, but you can't call what we're selling bad. No more bad-mouthing or you're closing up shop for tonight."

"Fine," he grunted. "Hey you, pink guy. Come buy some potions, they're the best potions in the whole town. Is that better? Daniel, Laniel?"

"Yup," the two said in unison.

Axel watched the three siblings arguing, and from their conversation, he learned that the one in blue selling potions was named Ganiel, the lady in beige selling medicinal pills was called Laniel, and the last one with a chef's hat who sold food was called Daniel.

"I'll take some potions," Axel spoke up.

Ganiel shot an evil grin at his siblings.

"Why certainly, sir. What kind of potions can I interest you in today?"

"Just some basic red and blue potions, plus an antidote."

"How many each?"

"Umm... maybe 10 each."

"Very good, sir." Ganiel ducked under his table and produced 10 bottles of [Red Potions] and another 10 bottles of [Blue Potions], followed by 10 [Basic Antidotes]. "That'll be 800 [Gold Coins]."

Axel nearly choked. 800 coins? It was outrageous. Then again, he had seen how his cuts and bruises were instantly healed after just one bottle, it was certainly worth the price. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Axel paid up, spending almost all that he had earned that day.

"Hey, good sir. Why not take a gander at some medical pills, they'll definitely help you in the future," Laniel said, placing a finger on her cheek trying her best to act cute.

"Never mind medicinal pills. Why not take some food into battle, their effects are as good, if not better, than potions and medical pills," Daniel said.

"Sorry, I only had enough for the potions."

"Potions win again!" Ganiel triumphantly announced.

"Oh, shut up, Gan!" Both siblings shouted back.

"Not my fault, I chose the better class. I'm just simply more wise and forward thinking, than you two. I'm just the superior triplet."

"Shut it, Gan," They both shouted back again.

Axel evacuated from the scene, not wanting to be involved any longer. He just hoped that the sibling's relationship wouldn't be estranged in the future.

Walking back to the inn, Axel was a bit dejected, the weight of how much lighter his [Inventory] felt after having to stock up on supplies. While he couldn’t physically feel the weight of his [Inventory], it still weighed heavily in his mind and heart. Axel chose to drown his worries in more food, before retiring for the night. Tomorrow was going to be the day he took on the Dreamspinner, and from there he could finally progress out of Tillage Town.