Rising god-Chapter 163: Veilroot Wyrm

Aires and Drake prepared to embark on their mission to hunt the Veilroot Wyrm in the Rildom Forest two days after their alliance.

As dawn broke, they gathered their gear, but a problem arose.

"I don’t have a weapon," Aires said.

"Oh yeah, I saw that too." Drake glanced at him, eyebrows raised. "I thought you were a fist user or something."

"I use a sword," Aires replied, thinking of how he would get one. When he woke up as a slave, his belongings were no longer with him, which included a sword his grand-aunt left him, the sword he won in the Darkan tournament, the armor, some clothes, and the money he won.

They were all gone.

"Then take a loan," Drake suggested casually.

"A loan?" Aires asked, incredulous. How could someone in debt collect a loan?

"Didn’t I tell you the raiding team is different from the miners?" Drake said.

Aires nodded. He remembered him saying something like that, but he didn’t think getting a loan would be among them.

Drake continued, "Depending on your debt level and repayment rate, you can request a loan, especially if you want to get a gear. After all, you can’t repay if you’re dead, right?"

"So, how do I get one?" Aires asked.

Drake pointed to the counter where the woman handling registrations sat. "She handles loans, too. Follow me."

At the counter, Aires asked, "Can I get a loan?"

The woman flipped through her ledger, her eyes scanning his record. "Yes, you can borrow up to 1,000 gold at 20% interest," she said, her smile sharp and curved, like a loan shark.

"Wow, a thousand? Your debt must be really low," Drake said, impressed.

Aires gave a tight smile, avoiding details. "I’ll borrow 50 gold."

"Alright," The woman said, her smile faltering, and her voice was tinged with disappointment. She wanted to milk him dry, after all, 20% of 50 gold was only just 10 gold. "Alright. Your debt’s now 5,040 gold, including 10 gold interest," she said, handing him a sack of coins.

Drake’s breath hitched. ’His debt is that low?’ He shook off his surprise when Aires asked after thanking the woman behind the counter, "Where can we get a weapon?"

"Follow me," Drake said, leading Aires out of the building to a small shop behind it.

Smoke curled from its chimney, and the clang of metal echoed faintly. "Unless you wait for the evening market, this is your only option," Drake explained, pushing open the door.

Inside, weapons lined the walls—swords, shields, bows, spears, gauntlets, even harpoons of varying sizes and designs.

A bald man behind the counter nodded at Drake, then turned to Aires with a deep, gravelly voice. "Welcome. What can I get you?"

"Yes, hello, can I get a sword, about this long?" Aires said, gesturing to indicate a two-meter blade.

"Oh, we have that," The man stepped to a rack, selecting a plain silver sword with a black hilt.

He handed it to Aires, who swung it experimentally, feeling its balance. "This’ll do. How much?"

The man considered for a moment. "Thirty-five gold."

Aires’ eyes lit up with an "O" expression. He counted out the coins, leaving 15 gold coins in his sack. "Thank you. I’ll be back," he said, waving as he and Drake left.

Moments later, a figure in gleaming white armor entered the shop.

The bald man’s eyes widened, and he bowed deeply. "I greet you, Holy Paladin Commander Claive."

The figure’s voice was low, authoritative. "I want you to..."

*

With his new sword in hand, Aires and Drake set out for Rildom Forest.

[Veilroot Wyrm: A serpent that burrows through roots and trees, emerging to ambush from underground.

Location: Rildom forest. Reward: 150 gold]

As they traveled, Drake broke the silence. "You’re not from here, are you?"

"How’d you know?" Aires asked.

"Anyone with debt that low isn’t from here? Were you just passing by and committed a crime or something?"

"No, I—" Aires hesitated, unsure how to explain.

Drake nodded, sensing his reluctance. "Well, depends on how you see it."

"What do you mean?"

"This time I’m serving, I’m using it as my training, and honestly, there’s nothing better."

’Training?’ Aires pondered the perspective as the conversation lapsed into silence.

After thirty minutes, Drake stopped abruptly.

Aires glanced around, confused. "Is this Rildom Forest?"

The area was more garden than forest.

The trees were sparse and towering, their leaves branched out like canopies around the forest. In between the trees was a neat garden.

Water gushed from a small rock, feeding the plants, and formed a pond at its center. The plants were of various colors, further beautifying the garden. It was just difficult to call it a forest.

"They’re here," Drake said suddenly, nocking an arrow and firing it fifty paces ahead.

The arrow sank into the ground, and Aires frowned. "There’s nothing there—"

The earth Drake aimed at quivered, and a creature erupted with a screech. The Veilroot Wyrm was four meters long, a meter wide, its brownish body segmented with countless legs and a serpentine head.

Drake’s arrow had struck near its eye, drawing a pained Kiiii... It opened its maw, spewing sharp needles.

"Dodge!" Drake shouted. Aires leaped back, the needles embedding dangerously in the ground where he’d stood.

"How’d you know it was there?" Aires asked, gripping his sword, curiously watching out for the wyrm.

Drake smirked, tapping his crimson eyes.

’His eyes?’

"They are most vulnerable when they are underground. Attack where I shoot," Drake spoke and fired another arrow, and Aires followed its path with his speed.

Just like previously, the ground shifted, and the wyrm emerged. Aires was already upon it. He swung his sword in a wide arc, severing its head cleanly. Before he could speak,

Drake shouted, "Follow my arrows!" Drake shot again, and Aires followed with another precise strike, beheading it cleanly. They felled fifteen in quick succession, their teamwork seamless.

As they caught their breath, Drake began retrieving his arrows, sensing no more wyrms along the way.

"Right, so you have questions for me?"