Chapter 350 Extra Meal

Xia Nan ultimately accepted Horac's greeting gift.

It wasn't out of greed. Under normal circumstances, if some random person on the street offered him money, his only reaction would be resistance and suspicion, wondering if they had ulterior motives.

But right now, as a proper Class Holder whose combat prowess was recognized by his peers, he had joined the caravan as a temporary guard without demanding extra pay. He simply wanted to hitch a ride, and in exchange, if they encountered any trouble along the way, he would help resolve it within his capabilities.

Given the average compensation for an Adventurer of his level, the caravan was undoubtedly making a massive profit.

Under these circumstances, if the caravan owner, Horac, insisted on repaying him in various ways, Xia Nan wouldn't push back too hard as long as it stayed within reason.

On the other hand, the wealthy merchant's greeting gift—that Silver-Chained Pocket Watch adorned with pearls—was mostly just for show.

If converted to actual gold coins, it was probably worth around fifty gold. Xia Nan didn't know the exact market price for such items, but regardless, it certainly wouldn't reach triple digits.

It couldn't even compare to the payout of a Grade F task on the Association Second Floor.

Compared to what Xia Nan would normally earn for taking on a long-distance escort mission at his level and strength, the caravan was still coming out far ahead.

Seeing Xia Nan accept the Pocket Watch, the rather generous Mr. Horac looked extremely pleased, as if accepting the gift was a huge favor to him.

He even offered to pay Xia Nan the same guard compensation as the Oathkeeper Blackwood Squad.

However, Xia Nan flatly refused on the spot.

A greeting gift was one thing, but formal compensation was a completely different matter.

He had already discussed it with the caravan's manager, Horac's assistant. He was just tagging along for the ride and didn't need extra pay.

Even without a formal contract, he had no intention of going back on his word.

More importantly, through his observations over the past two days, Xia Nan had learned the exact details of Margaret and her teammate's commission. The Oathkeeper Blackwood Squad was tasked with escorting the fully loaded caravan to the destination town, staying briefly, and then escorting them all the way back to Rivervale Town.

It was a complete round trip.

Meanwhile, after resting in that same town, he would leave the caravan and continue heading south.

His was just a one-way ticket.

It wouldn't be fair to take the same pay for only half the workload.

He had only managed to hitch this ride because those two had vouched for him in the first place.

Xia Nan couldn't possibly abandon his conscience for a few extra gold coins.

Whether it was intentional or not, after hearing this, Horac clearly realized his offer of extra pay had been inappropriate.

Seeing Xia Nan's refusal, the merchant showed no hint of annoyance. Instead, as if it had all been a lighthearted joke, he smoothly and subtly changed the subject, flashing an apologetic smile to the two Blackwood Squad members nearby.

The dwarf Thordin, dense as a rock, entirely missed the underlying implications. He simply thought Xia Nan was a man of principle—when he said he wouldn't take the money, he meant it.

Margaret, on the other hand, seemed to pick up on the nuance after Xia Nan's refusal. However, judging by her expression, she wouldn't have cared even if he had accepted the money.

The one person in the Oathkeeper Blackwood Squad who would have actually haggled over every copper and clashed with Horac over this was already dead, slain by the claws of a Purgatory devil.

Xia Nan had arrived at the relay station right on time.

After exchanging a few brief pleasantries, the caravan's second-in-command—the thin, stern-faced man—walked over and signaled to Horac that the group was ready.

The plump yet upright merchant followed his assistant's cue, tossed out a few final polite words, and smoothly wrapped up the conversation.

They all returned to their respective carriages.

The shouts of drivers and servants drifted through the windows, mingling with the bustling noise of the station. Amid the rolling of wheels and the neighing of pack horses, the caravan officially set off, gradually leaving Rivervale Town behind.

The journey was exceptionally smooth.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

When it came to unexpected accidents on the road, Xia Nan's experiences over the past year since his transmigration left him with zero confidence.

Ever since his very first task in this world, much like the truck that had given him his status as a "transmigrator," bizarre things always seemed to crash into him at the most delicate moments, in the most inexplicable ways.

Back in the Ragtag Party, before he even had time to fully figure out his Attribute Panel golden finger, they were ambushed by goblins. The gnome in their squad died on the spot. After struggling to kill all the attackers, the half-orc had a sudden brainwave, assuming the Goblin Lair would be vulnerable with its main force wiped out—and that led to the Bugbear. It was a creature that had left Xia Nan with such deep trauma that it later warped into a bizarre, sadistic obsession with slaughter;

Then there was the time he tried taking a simple gathering quest meant for rookies, only to accidentally run into Hai'an and Wood. That culminated in an encounter with the Petrification Lizard—a beast he had since successfully taken revenge on, but which had forced him to flee for his life at the time;

Not to mention all the other weird phenomena he had stumbled into since then.

Sometimes, Xia Nan even wondered if that Halfling short-stack giving him the [Fate Coin] had drawn the gaze of the Goddess of Luck—and simultaneously caught the attention of her paranoid, jealous divine sister who ruled over the complete opposite domain of "luck."

However, considering he was still standing here with all his limbs intact and his strength had grown to an absurd degree, it clearly wasn't a bad thing.

His experiences over the past seven days seemed to prove his theory. Why would the goddess of misfortune ever bother with a nobody like him?

The clear, meticulously planned route formulated from the experiences of countless past Adventurers and merchants; the well-equipped guards and highly skilled drivers; the thorough and complete supply preparations—

For seven full days and nights, traveling steadily along the trade route without rushing, the caravan hadn't encountered a single danger that threatened the safety of its cargo or personnel.

There had been attacks, of course. Those green-skinned goblins infested every corner of the world like cockroaches and mosquitoes. Unlike the forest bandits, who at least had enough brains to retreat after sizing up the caravan's defenses, the goblins didn't know when to back down.

To those disgusting green-skins driven purely by primal urges, there was no fundamental difference between a donkey cart from a nearby village, a heavily armed merchant train, or a marching platoon of soldiers.

Naturally, their fate was the same as the countless dead kin in their subterranean lairs who had already become fertilizer for the forest: their heads were mercilessly chopped off.

With two Level 4 Class Holders and Xia Nan—whose actual combat power far exceeded his level—serving as a safety net, the attacking goblins were effortlessly wiped out before they could even scratch a single member of the caravan.

Their overwhelming and clean performance in battle elevated the Adventurers' status within the caravan even higher.

Having three such Class Holders as escorts in the wilderness provided an immense sense of security for ordinary people without any powers.

It was worth noting that, because there were too many prying eyes, Xia Nan hadn't fully unleashed his dark urges. He held back a little while clearing out the goblins, settling for merely chopping off their heads.

Given the time constraints, he couldn't follow the vine to find the melon and track down the Goblin Lair, which left him feeling a bit disappointed.

But knowing he only had to endure a few more days until the caravan reached its destination, he held on. Once they parted ways and he was traveling alone, he could hunt green-skins to his heart's content and vent his bloodlust.

As evening approached, the caravan found a relatively open and easily defensible location to stop and rest.

Under the manager's orders, the drivers circled the wagons, placing the wealthy merchant Horac's carriage dead center. The remaining wagons formed a semicircle at set intervals, and the horses were gathered together to be fed.

The guards and servants set up camp nearby. Bright campfires and sturdy tents sprang up across the clearing with impressive speed.

With a physique far surpassing that of an ordinary person, the multi-day trek hadn't tired Xia Nan out in the slightest.

Even after wearing heavy metal armor for so long, his face showed no signs of fatigue.

He simply sat by the fire, quietly wiping down the Gray-Black Straight Sword resting on his knees, meticulously maintaining his gear.

His movements were practiced; this clearly wasn't his first time cleaning his weapon. Only when he moved to the silver-gray armor on his upper body did his hands grow a bit clumsy, showing his lack of experience in maintaining it.

He glanced up at the sky.

As if realizing something, he shot a quick look at Margaret across the campfire. The swordswoman was busy organizing her backpack and wasn't paying him any mind.

He lowered his head, feigning focus on cleaning the straight sword. At the same time, he concentrated, staring at the blade's reflection to summon his Attribute Panel:

[Gravity Etching] Lv.3 (29/100)

— Remaining uses: (3/3)

It had been over a month since [Gravity Etching] leveled up to Lv.3. Perhaps due to the many battles he'd fought in between, its proficiency had risen rapidly, already approaching a third of the progress bar.

Even though they were in the middle of a mission, the pressure was relatively low, so Xia Nan didn't bother saving all three charges.

Instead, just like always, he tracked its "once every six hours" cooldown and spent the charges on a strict schedule, as if he had set an alarm.

He even made minor adjustments to his timing, trying to ensure the cooldown finished right before their early morning departure, during their lunch break, and after they set up camp for the night. That made it convenient for him to slip away and train.

Right now was the perfect time.

The area around the caravan's camp had already been scouted, showing no signs of dangerous monsters. He could safely go out and practice.

Even if an emergency occurred, as long as he didn't stray too far, his Perception would allow him to quickly notice the disturbance and rush back in time.

Thoughts flashing through his mind, Xia Nan dropped his right hand, which held the sword grip, behind his back. With a soft click, the straight sword slid smoothly into its sheath.

He slowly stood up and dusted off his pants and leg armor.

Noticing the movement, Margaret looked up instinctively from across the fire. The dark-gold strands of hair framing her face swayed, and the flames danced in her bright eyes.

"Going out to train?"

After seven days on the road, she had grown used to the dark-haired young man's boundless energy and his rare, intense drive to seize every spare moment for self-improvement.

Without Xia Nan even needing to explain, Margaret already guessed where he was headed.

It was no wonder he possessed such strength at his age.

Her own father had been an Adventurer, and she had practically grown up in taverns.

Margaret knew exactly what it meant when a young, brilliantly talented Adventurer—one who already held a certain amount of fame and status in their circle—still demanded absolute discipline from himself after becoming a Class Holder, pushing himself as relentlessly as a novice just starting out.

In seven days, she hadn't seen Xia Nan touch a single drop of alcohol.

If not for the occasional shifts in his mood she noticed during meals, she would have suspected this dark-haired youth named "Xia Nan" was actually a humanoid golem crafted by some powerful mage.

Of course, from another perspective, it was perhaps exactly because he worked so hard that he was able to defeat the Material Plane projection of a devil noble in direct combat at his age.

Margaret couldn't help but recall that day over a month ago—the dark red flames that swallowed the entire Goblin Cave amidst the Purgatory devil's shrieks;

She remembered the sharp shadow of the sword that left trails of sparks in the air;

She remembered those two fallen figures—

Her breathing suddenly quickened, and her knuckles turned slightly pale from gripping too tightly.

Between the tips of her thumb and index finger rested a badge issued by the Association, engraved with a shield bearing the emblem of a black oak tree.

It was the Adventurer Squad badge of the Oathkeeper Blackwood.

It was the most precious and important relic her father had left her.

It was also the legacy Margaret had sworn to protect.

As long as she lived, the name "Oathkeeper Blackwood" would never die out.

Standing across the fire, Xia Nan looked at the valiant swordswoman who had suddenly fallen silent after asking him that single question.

He was about to ask if something was wrong, but in the next second, his sharp Perception picked up the intense emotional turbulence hidden beneath her silence.

After a moment of thought, he decided against prying.

He turned around and swept his gaze across the nearby woods, getting his bearings while searching for a suitable place to train.

Right then, a stout figure—one that had vanished the moment the caravan manager announced they were making camp—suddenly pushed his way out of the tall grass nearby.

In the fading twilight, his short, broad body looked like a rolling ball. Before he even got close, Thordin's gruff, muffled voice rang out through the air, accompanied by the metallic scraping of armor and hurried, heavy footsteps.

"Quick, follow me! I found something good!"

"We're having a massive extra meal tonight!"