The Adventurer's Mission Log

Chapter 1 The Outsiders of Laghettia

In the city of Laghettia, the slums were not peaceful at dusk.

The stingy landlords and wicked gangsters are all very hospitable and dedicated to teaching every outsider the new rules.

Ternor's body is that of a stranger, and his soul is that of a visitor from another world. He has no relatives or friends in the area, so he is inevitably taken care of by the kind-hearted citizens of Laghettia.

Therefore, the landlord tampered with the contract, causing him to incur high-interest loans, and slum real estate tycoons often have connections with gangs and the city's defense forces.

If a debtor from out of town doesn't pay off their debts, they'll have no way to escape.

Look, that old fox has already brought his thugs to block the door.

Tenor, inspecting the holy oil, flint, and simple crossbow, said to the landlord in front of the door without looking up:

"Could you grant me a one-day extension? I have ten silver coins that I can use as collateral."

"Once I catch the water ghost at the dock, my employer will give me a generous reward; paying your rent won't be difficult."

If they cannot persuade the landlord, they may forcibly seize all of Tenor's valuables as payment for the debt.

At that time, Tenor will have nothing left. Forget about finding a new job or completing his commission; he might even be killed by monsters roaming the streets tonight.

"A water ghost?" The homeowner, Gaius, was quite knowledgeable. He scrutinized Tenor's physique with a critical eye—this was no warrior, and someone this poor couldn't be a wizard.

"You think you can take me?" Gaius scoffed, his bald head gleaming under the lamplight. "By the Lord of Light! Don't you know why the port official offered a ten-gold-coin bounty?"

Ten gold coins are equivalent to 100,000 yuan in the previous life. Copper, silver and gold coins are based on a base-100 system. The weight of coins varies from country to country, but the Empire is the most standard.

Water ghosts are dangerous undead ghosts. They fear fire and light, but they are as strong as oxen and have skin of copper and bones of iron. Ordinary people can only run for their lives when they encounter them.

His predecessor was an exile who was not afraid of death but only of poverty. He accepted the bounty without thinking. Tenor's decision to continue the mission was not reckless.

He focused his attention and examined the data stream that appeared before him.

This is the mission panel he discovered after transmigrating, which determines the quality of rewards based on the assessed difficulty of the mission.

[Mission: Eliminate the water monsters in the port of Lagetia]

[Difficulty: Medium]

[Reward: Awakening Potion]

[Status: In Progress]

The difficulty of the mission is like a precognitive tool for Tenor; if it's more difficult, he'll abandon the mission, as he can't afford the higher risks with his current abilities.

Compared to the benefits of awakening potions, the moderate difficulty is acceptable—it's like performing high-altitude work without safety protection; a mistake could lead to death, but there's still a glimmer of hope.

Awakening potions are scarce and in high demand, monopolized by nations, churches, secret cults, and powerful military organizations.

With just one bottle of awakening potion, an ordinary person can awaken their alien bloodline and become a powerful half-human warrior or sorcerer, comparable to the years or even decades of hard training of a typical professional.

Of course, taking shortcuts comes at a price; otherwise, half-humans would have become rampant long ago. Becoming a half-human means reproductive isolation from humans, as well as the possibility of physical alienation, and eventually, one might even become a completely different species.

—Kertnor doesn't care. Why be picky when you can become stronger?

Under normal circumstances, he would have lived an ordinary life, with no chance of becoming extraordinary.

Living in a magical world as an ordinary person?

The Rogers family next door were ordinary people; their deaths were as insignificant as roadside weeds, and no one cared.

Thinking of this, Tenor felt a pang of sympathy, glanced at the landlord, and replied with a hint of sarcasm:

"I don't know why the port authority offered a ten-gold-coin bounty, but I know that the water ghost is much easier to deal with than Mr. Gaius."

The water ghost couldn't send Roger's family to the gallows, but you vampire can kill people without getting your hands dirty!

We outsiders would rather live with water ghosts than keep you company.

...You think I'm a 'fool' and can't handle a water ghost? But why should I deal with a water ghost by myself?

The ship's officer paid a high price, so there must have been more than one "fool" who took the job. All I had to do was catch fish in the murky water; a juvenile was no problem.

"If you give me some more time, I can pay you back; otherwise, none of us will benefit." Tenor's words ended with a hint of a desperate threat.

He spoke with conviction, but he was actually lying.

Try to take advantage of the chaos to steal the water ghost's corpse, get ten gold coins from the ship's officer, and then return the money?

No, all Tenor needs to do is kill the water ghosts.

Tenor's panel quest only requires him to kill the water ghost to complete the task, which means that he only needs to use ranged weapons to finish off the water ghosts and can achieve the goal by taking advantage of many adventurers who accept the quest.

The shipping officer's request was merely incidental.

Hearing this, Gaius's mocking smile widened, his eyes filled with contempt, but his words became more amiable, even showing a hint of concern, as he spoke up to defend himself:

"Little Tenor, you should speak with your conscience!"

I didn't kill that stupid donkey Roger. It was his fault for not paying back the money and for stubbornly refusing to pay. I had no choice but to ask the sheriff to explain the rules.

Who would have thought they would dare to smuggle themselves out of the city?

"You can renege on my debt, but you can't renege on the sheriff's debt." Gaius smacked his lips; dead men were of no value to him.

Seeing that Ternor remained silent with a cold smile, he continued:

"Silly child! In the past, shipping officers would not commission a water ghost. They would only outsource their difficult tasks to reckless fools."

Water ghosts are said to appear at night, but they're not the only things that appear at night...

The outer city has been rather unsettled lately. After 8 p.m., only professionals wander around this corner. Ordinary people should travel in groups of at least five, fully armed, to avoid encountering demon worshippers.

At this critical juncture, only desperate criminals dare to accept the bounty. How can you possibly outmaneuver them all by yourself?

"Here's the deal: if you're willing to work for me for three years, our debts will be wiped clean, so you don't die in a hail of swords because of a moment of impulsiveness."

He eyed Tenor greedily. One laborer was worth more than dozens of silver coins. Once this country bumpkin signed the contract, he would be no different from a slave. When the contract expired, he would have to renew it. He would never be able to escape in this lifetime!

Ternor knew Gaius was full of bad intentions, so how could he possibly take on a long-term job?

Besides, his main goal was to kill the water ghost, not to steal the water ghost's corpse from the outlaws for the reward.

Once he gets the awakening potion, what can a mere "desperate fugitive" do to me?

"If you really have a kind heart, let me go out and catch the water ghost."

All my possessions combined are not worth 20 silver coins, but once the commission is completed, I can pay you 80 silver coins in interest.

"Think about it—Gaius, you're a businessman, you know the trade-offs between risk and reward." Tenor's words were a veiled attempt to persuade him, though inwardly he planned to renege on the debt once he became a superhuman.

But these words truly resonated with Gaius.

If Tenor doesn't cooperate, even if we forcibly take his share, it will only be a dozen or so silver coins...

As for this kid getting lucky and completing the commission? He can't escape it. At that time, Gaius will not want 80 silver coins, but ten gold coins.

Gaius stared at Tenor with his cunning blue eyes. "That makes sense, but I'll put the sword in front of the olive branch first—you should know the rules, it won't be 80 silver coins tomorrow."

He made way, and the thugs stopped blocking the road, scrutinizing Tenor like wolves eyeing lambs as he went out, not worried that he would take the opportunity to sneak out of the city—that would be what happened to old Roger.

Tenor remained outwardly calm, but inwardly sneered; these people seemed to think he was a fish on a chopping board.

If he obtains the Awakening Potion and gains extraordinary power, Tenor will no longer be a pushover.

Local gangs certainly have professionals who act as the powerful's secret agents. Gang leaders are often retired soldiers or sorcerers, but the ordinary gang members are mostly ordinary people.

For gangsters, it's more valuable to cooperate with professionals; only a fool would risk getting involved with an unknown superhuman for a few dozen silver coins.

The church bells rang on time. In the afterglow of the setting sun, Tenor carefully avoided the children who "accidentally" bumped into him from time to time. These were all pickpockets kept by the gang.

The crooked wooden and stone houses on both sides were almost touching head to head. The slum was located at the eastern dock of the city, just a few blocks away from Tenor.

The taverns in the port close as soon as it gets dark, and some mercenaries are already loitering by the water.

Sure enough, there were many competitors; he only needed to sit back and reap the benefits.

After familiarizing himself with the port's layout, Ternor climbed onto the flat-roofed house as night fell.

He chose what he considered the most secluded hiding spot with the best view.

Once on the roof, looking around, I saw five other people on the other rooftops...

"Those old bastards!" Tenor cursed inwardly, wondering if there weren't even more cunning old dogs lurking in the shadows.