Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Let Loose and Have Fun
Soon, Marian arranged a reasonably clean wooden table for them.
Large mugs of ale, a platter of roasted meat piled high, and various fruit pies were brought to the table.
"Don’t hold back, everyone dig in!" Gray declared with a grand wave of his hand.
Zelir speared a piece of roasted meat with his fork and brought it to his mouth. Rich juices burst forth, filling his mouth with a fragrant aroma.
The meat was also cooked to perfection, with skin that was crisp but not charred. It was absolutely delicious.
Washing down a piece of meat with a large gulp of ale... the word "satisfying" didn’t even begin to describe how Zelir felt.
He even felt a bold, carefree sense of, ’This is the life.’ The feeling washed away most of the fatigue from his battle with the Demon.
Marian, who was clearly close with Gray, said a word to the tavern owner and then came directly to Gray’s side.
Laughing, Gray pulled her into his arms, then snapped his fingers toward another part of the tavern.
Before long, a few more tavern girls answered his summons. One of them, a petite redhead, sat right on Marcus’s lap.
Surprisingly, Marcus didn’t refuse her. He even began to banter with her in a low voice.
"Your chest is so firm, hehe..." The redhead’s hand was already halfway inside the collar of Marcus’s shirt.
Zelir was a little surprised at first, but after a moment’s thought, he understood.
An Adventurer’s life was a constant dance with death, fighting Demons day in and day out. Everyone needed an outlet for their stress.
Marcus wasn’t one for debauchery, but he didn’t need to restrain himself, either. When it was time to have fun, he cut loose.
"Zelir, remember my promise to make a man out of you? Now’s the time to make good on it," Gray said, beckoning with a wicked smile.
A slender hand landed on Zelir’s shoulder from behind, followed by a voice so enchanting it sent a shiver straight to your bones.
"How about I join you for a few drinks, handsome?"
A jolt went through Zelir.
She was a rather sweet-looking girl, with rosy lips that made you want to steal a kiss.
But Zelir waved his hands, refusing repeatedly.
"Er... no thank you. I’m fine by myself."
"Oh, come on, don’t be shy."
The girl leaned in closer, nearly whispering in his ear. Zelir could even smell her perfume. "I’ll be very gentle."
"No... I’m really fine on my own," Zelir politely refused again.
It wasn’t as if Zelir had been some clueless virgin in his past life; he just wasn’t in the habit of fooling around in situations like this.
"Alright, then."
The girl looked quite disappointed. "If you change your mind, come find me."
With that, she pressed a finger to her lips and blew Zelir a kiss.
You couldn’t blame the girl for being persistent. Zelir was exceptionally handsome—a world away from the usual drunken patrons—making it hard to resist the urge to have a taste.
Valles, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. Looking completely uninterested in female company, he had refused with stern righteousness.
By most standards, Valles was also quite handsome.
His Elven blood gave him features far more refined than those of an ordinary person. Paired with his dead-serious expression, he had a distinctly ascetic air about him.
After a few rounds of drinks, more than half the roasted meat on the table had been demolished.
Gray was already starting to look tipsy. He chugged another large mouthful of ale and let out a belch.
"By the way, Valles... what was up with you this afternoon? You almost got yourself killed."
"I know. I owe you—"
Gray cut him off before he could finish.
"Don’t give me any of that ’owe you’ talk. Have you forgotten your own words? Adventurers are supposed to have each other’s backs."
Gray waved his hand dismissively. "I’ve just never seen you zone out during a fight before. Did something happen?"
"It’s nothing... I was just stunned by the way the Giant Winged Bat attacked," Valles said.
"You mean those flying bone shards?"
"Bone Spikes wrapped in Wind Blades," Zelir corrected.
"Right."
Valles’s eyes flickered. "Seeing the Giant Winged Bat wrap its Bone Spikes in Wind Blades and launch them at high speed... for some reason, that method of attack made me think of my own class. That’s how a Middle Level Ranger attacks."
"You mean... a Ranger who has mastered Fighting Qi?" Marcus suddenly chimed in.
"Yes," Valles nodded.
For the Warrior, Ranger, and Assassin classes, the biggest difference between the Junior Class and the Middle Level Class is Fighting Qi.
Without Fighting Qi, one could never advance to the next level.
"To have an epiphany in the middle of a battle... you’re much stronger than I am. Looks like Black Stone Town will have another Middle Level Ranger soon."
Gray roared with laughter and raised his mug high. "Let’s call this an early celebration for your breakthrough. Cheers!"
He drained the ale in his mug.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The whole group raised their mugs in celebration.
"And another thing! I want to propose a toast to Zelir!"
Marcus stood up, swaying slightly. He was also getting drunk.
"We couldn’t have made this much bank lately without you! Here’s to keeping up the good work and getting stronger with every fight!"
Before, the party Marcus led usually only took on ordinary quests.
Culling beasts, handling a few gathering requests, and at most, taking down some [Simple] ranked Demons. If they ran into a [Difficulty] ranked Demon, they’d have to think long and hard about it.
But now, they were taking down [Difficulty] ranked Demons one after another. They had earned over ten Gold Coins from just three quests—something that would have been unthinkable before.
"To Zelir!"
"To Zelir!"
Once again, they all raised their mugs in a toast.
"You’re too kind. I wouldn’t be growing this quickly without all of your help," Zelir said with a smile.
Just as the celebration was in full swing, a lewd whistle suddenly cut through the noise.
"Hey! Marian, you can’t play favorites! Come over and have a drink with us!"
The speaker was a burly, bald man dressed like an Adventurer.
His eyes roamed over Marian’s body with a shameless grin. "We’re not short on coin for your time!"
The smile on Marian’s face froze for an instant, but she quickly regained her charming composure.
She raised her mug to their table from a distance. "Sirs, I really can’t get away today. How about I introduce you to an even more beautiful lady?"
"No way! We want you today!"
The burly bald man walked right up to Marian and reached out to grab her, completely ignoring Gray at her side.
"Are you deaf, baldy?"
Gray spoke up. "Didn’t you hear what Marian just said?"
The burly bald man’s face flushed with fury.
"Who the fuck are you calling baldy, you blond-haired brat?"
The tavern’s atmosphere tensed in an instant. Many patrons turned to watch, hoping for a show.
