Thankfully, Thunder had reacted quickly back then—otherwise, he might have fallen for the archer's convincing act.
This wasn't a high-tier magic item, but if it could negate a decent amount of magical damage, it was still valuable.
"Sisi, you don't want this, right?" Thunder waved the breastplate mirror in front of the crouching beauty.
Sisi shook her head and rolled her eyes. *If I wore this thing, my already modest chest would look as flat as the steppes of Lama—completely one-dimensional.*
"Eric, it's yours." Thunder tossed the magic gear to Eric, who caught it with a gleeful grin.
Good magic gear wasn't easy to come by. Even a mercenary group like the Silver Serpent only had one piece—and it belonged to their archer. Since selling it would be risky, better to let one of their own benefit.
As Thunder continued sorting through the spoils, his grin widened.
Dozens of decent-tier magic crystals, high-quality beast hides, and a pile of miscellaneous items—some even Mentor Maria couldn't immediately identify. There were herbs, specific monster parts like tails, claws, and fangs.
Most importantly, Thunder found what he needed most: over a dozen vials of monster blood. The Silver Serpent's strength far surpassed the Thunder Class, meaning the creatures they hunted were higher-tier. Judging by the color and mana fluctuations, several vials contained sixth-tier monster blood.
*Jackpot!*
Gold, however, was scarce. The mercenaries had probably stored their assets before the mission—only about a hundred loose coins were found in their spatial bags.
Thunder organized what he recognized and set aside the unknowns. The group made camp, lit a fire, and rested.
Neither Thunder nor Maria had properly recovered since their injuries. This spot was half a day's travel from the battle site—safe enough.
Maria had grown even gentler. Seeing Thunder's tattered robe—now more rags than clothing—she approached him softly. "Change your clothes. This... isn't very proper."
*Not proper? More like an assault on the eyes.* His robe hung open at the stomach, and most of his thighs were exposed—a *very* bold fashion statement.
During their escape, he hadn't noticed. Now, though, even Thunder felt embarrassed.
Stepping away, he pulled a spare set of clothes from his spatial bag and changed. His first apprentice robe—his very first clothing in this world—was discarded without ceremony.
*Ten gold coins for this thing. That old headmaster really scammed me.*
The group rested for most of the day. Thunder and Maria needed recovery time, and Thunder took the chance to craft a few scrolls.
The battle with the griffin had nearly depleted his stock. Without that dark-attribute scroll against the Silver Serpent, things could've ended badly. Now, he only had two auxiliary earth-attribute scrolls left.
Without hesitation, he used griffin blood to inscribe two large thunder spells and fire-attribute beast blood for a sixth-tier **"Blazing Sky Fortress"** scroll. Only then did he feel secure again.
Exiting the Breton Forest proved harder than expected. No one remembered the way. Luckily, sporadic paths began appearing—likely from frequent travel, meaning they were nearing the outskirts.
Following the trails, they finally broke free of the forest, returning to a world without constant danger.
Fortune smiled upon them. A group of adventurers preparing to enter the forest had arrived—on horseback.
Horses couldn't be taken deep into the woods, and the adventurers were debating what to do with theirs. Abandoning them was a waste, but leaving them tied up risked theft or wild animal attacks.
"Wait here. I'll ask for directions." Thunder, now the de facto leader—even Maria followed his lead—approached the group.
The adventurers looked honest and simple, unlikely to be trouble. Thunder trusted his instincts.
"Brother!" Thunder called out to a burly man hesitating with his horse's reins.
"Yeah?" The man turned, his expression friendly.
"My friends and I just got out of the forest and lost our bearings. Could you point us toward Faelir City?"
The man glanced at his companions, and all three burst into laughter.
"Young man, not much adventuring experience, huh?" The big man tightened his light armor, grinning.
"Yeah, first time," Thunder admitted.
"First time..." The man's eyes grew nostalgic. "Our first time, we nearly got lost forever in there. Happens to everyone."
Another chuckled. "I almost starved to death. Ah, good times."
"You'll learn directions with experience," the third reassured.
"We wandered forever just to get out. Now we don't know which way Faelir is," Thunder said sheepishly.
The big man's eyes twinkled. "Heading to Faelir? On foot, that's at least a day and a half. Tell you what—buy these three horses from me, and I'll give you directions. Deal?"
*Sly!* Thunder cursed inwardly. Still, he was sure these weren't bad people.
"Deal."
"Great! That'll be fifteen gold!"
*Fifteen?* A single horse cost at least ten on the market—three would be thirty. The man was practically giving them away at half price.
**Will this shortcut lead them home—or into another trap?**