Chapter Eighty-One: The Friendship of an Older Gentleman

With Silica in tow, Lancer stepped into Agil's small shop. Yet, watching a burly black man enthusiastically hawking equipment to the crowd always struck Lancer as oddly out of place.

“My friend, take a look at this piece—how do you like it? It’s a real find, acquired from the Heretic Inquisition of the clearing group. You know their reputation; though it’s only a B-rank item, quality is guaranteed!” Agil was recommending a massive scythe to a nearby player.

“Agil, are you scamming newbies again? Don’t you know that aside from the Chief Inquisitor, no one else uses scythes? And the Chief’s scythe is an S-rank magic sword, supposedly usable until the end of the game.”

“Who’s that—?” Agil hadn’t expected anyone to disrupt his sales pitch, and his tone grew less friendly.

“Um…” The man considering the purchase had been tempted, but hearing this advice made him hesitate once more.

“Lancer, it’s you.” Agil looked up, seeing Lancer accompanied by a cloaked girl. He could tell she was a girl, judging by her small, almost deliberate gestures—“Ooh~” she exclaimed, gazing at a cake on the counter with a cute sound. Two beads of sweat—something not found in the game—rolled down her forehead. Agil was speechless. If it were Kirito, he could blame him for disturbing his business and try to extort something, but Lancer’s words described Agil’s own situation, leaving him at a loss.

“Well, since I know you, I’ll make an exception. The price is still 2500G, are you buying or not?” Lancer walked over to inspect the item’s stats.

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to have such good stuff here,” Lancer commented after a glance.

“Tch, do you really think I’m scamming people? I can’t afford to ruin my reputation here—if I sell junk, how would I do business in the future?” Agil’s meaning was clear, and the potential buyer, after comparing prices elsewhere, gritted his teeth and decided to make the purchase.

“Come again!” Agil sent him off with a smile and then hung a “Closed” sign on the door.

“You show up even less often than Kirito, and when you finally come, you almost ruin my business.” Agil brought two glasses of milk to Lancer and his companion.

“Thank you.” Silica immediately picked up the glass and took a sip, her eyes narrowing in delight.

“So good~” Although milk was available elsewhere, Silica had never tasted anything like this.

“Of course! This is a special treat I got from completing the hidden quest ‘The Mad Cow’s Revenge.’ There’s a limit—only half a liter per day.” He took a sip himself.

“There’s a follow-up to that cheese quest?” Lancer recalled the cheese Kirito had sneakily collected while clearing the first floor.

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“Yes, and it’s a one-time quest,” Agil said, proud that even Kirito, the first to discover the quest, hadn’t found the follow-up, while he had stumbled upon it.

“Well, you’re quite a man, not drinking alcohol but sipping milk.” Lancer gave him a mocking look, but Agil paid no mind, chalking it up to jealousy as he calmly drank his milk. But Lancer’s next words unsettled him.

“Give me two glasses every day.”

“Why should I?”

“Otherwise, I’ll tell everyone about your marriage outside the game.” Lancer remained unruffled, sipping his milk as if he were making no threat at all.

“You win. Deal.” Thinking of those wolves outside, Agil sighed in resignation. He didn’t drink much himself, preferring alcohol, and usually reserved it for younger friends who visited. Now, nearly half his daily supply would be gone, meaning he’d have to restock almost every day instead of once every half-week.

“All right, let’s talk about why you’re here. I doubt you came just to extort me.” Though frustrated, he didn’t get angry. Few people like Lancer dropped by to drink with him—what was a bit of milk, anyway?

“Oh, I remember now.” Lancer gestured to the girl beside him, Silica. “It’s a mercenary task. I promised to help her reach the Hill of Memories.”

“The Hill of Memories? Oh, I remember that place,” Agil said, then looked at Lancer in confusion. “You can’t handle it alone? If not, wouldn’t your guild mates—those idle folks who count goblins on the first floor—help out?”

“If they find out my client is this kid, do you think I’ll survive? Last time, after just a misunderstanding, I was chased all day. This time, I’d never make it back.”

Seeing Lancer’s helpless expression, Agil recalled that farce and chuckled, then asked, “So you’re here for supplies?” Without waiting for Lancer’s reply, he rummaged through his pack and placed a box on the table.

“Two sets of standard clearing group crystals—should be enough.” He also took out a few bottles.

“Attribute potions, still thirty minutes each. Use as needed.” Agil resumed drinking his milk.

Silica stared at the items in amazement. Given the usual size of crystals, this box held at least thirty or forty, and even ordinary players treated crystals as emergency supplies—a strategic resource. Any small party’s entire supply likely wouldn’t match half of what was here.

“OK, as usual, I’ll give you something of equal value.” Lancer took the items, opened the box, and found two sealed cases inside. He handed one to Silica without a second thought.

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“All right, Agil, I’m heading out.” After a brief farewell, Lancer walked to the door and flipped the sign back to “Open.” Just as he was about to leave, Agil—who had been sipping his drink—set his glass down. Silica, turning back to say goodbye, caught a glimpse of Agil, no longer the carefree shopkeeper, but someone entirely different.

“Remember to come back alive and drink with me. Kirito’s still underage.” Though his words were casual, his expression was deadly serious.

“Of course. As your drinking buddy, escaping won’t be so easy. Be sure to save that bottle dropped by the boss for me~” Lancer didn’t look back, simply waving a hand to signal his confidence.

Only now did Silica realize that the man who always wore a smile, sometimes seeming more like a sister than a brother, could be this sentimental.

On their way back to the forty-seventh floor, Lancer suddenly asked, “Silica, how’s your equipment?”

“Um… average, I guess.” Silica looked around at the weapons scattered in Agil’s shop and answered honestly.

“All right, here.” He handed her a crystal.

Seeing Silica’s confusion, Lancer explained, “This holds all the information about the Hill of Memories. I’ll help you find some better gear for replacements—there may be times I can’t protect you, so with good equipment, you should be able to handle ordinary monsters. You know, all the monsters on that floor are plant types; their difficulty is even lower than the next few floors.” With that, he stopped talking and escorted Silica to her hotel.

As he left, Lancer glanced over his shoulder and murmured, just loud enough for himself, “Let them jump around a few more days.”

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Inside Lancer’s private forge—

“Haha~ Just as I thought! They’re a perfect match! Wahaha!” If this weren’t a game, with perfect soundproofing, the neighbors would never get any sleep.

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