Chapter 46: Interlude

Xia Nan frowned, his dark eyes scanning the man before him who reeked of alcohol and looked like he was spoiling for a fight.

He knew clearly that under the influence of alcohol, certain areas of the human brain are affected, leading to aggressive and irrational behavior.

Although he had only recently transmigrated to this world and his own strength was not particularly formidable,

he was already prepared to deal with potential provocations from strangers.

He subconsciously began to assess the combat strength of both sides.

"Hmm... severely intoxicated, unlikely to be a disguise."

"Unsteady on his feet; I can exploit that whether I need to retreat or attack."

"Against a humanoid enemy, the decapitation longsword is more suitable, but its length might be inconvenient for fighting at this distance; I need to create some space first."

"Judging by the opponent's build and attire..."

Meanwhile, Chaputun watched the two people before him who had fallen into an eerie silence.

He began to feel a sense of unease.

He recognized the man who was drunk to the point of incoherence.

Bernie, a well-known drunkard in town.

Despite being a legitimate adventurer who survived on quest bounties, he spent almost every waking moment soaking in the various taverns of Hegu Town.

Only when he was truly out of money would he follow his former squad on a couple of missions, and once he earned some drinking money, he would go right back to loitering in town.

And he was a mean drunk.

In the half-year since he had come to Hegu Town, Chaputun had already thrown him out of his Baishanque Tavern three times for causing trouble while drunk.

If it weren't for the fact that the man was actually a decent person when sober, Chaputun would have blacklisted him long ago.

As for the black-haired youth on the other side...

Chaputun suddenly noticed that the youth had already leaned forward slightly, clearly in a combat stance, his hand even raised slightly as if ready to grip his sword hilt at any moment.

"No need for that, no need for that."

Behind him, two middle-aged men dressed as adventurers hurried forward.

They grabbed Bernie, who smelled of booze and looked like he was about to pass out, and said with a sheepish laugh:

"Sorry, he's had too much to drink. We were just joining the crowd and lost track of him for a moment."

Then, turning to Chaputun behind the bar, they patted their chests and said loudly:

"Put this friend's tab for today on my account."

They then offered a few words of apology to Xia Nan before dragging Bernie back to their seats.

It wasn't because they had gauged Xia Nan's true strength.

These experienced low-level adventurers might turn on their own companions over a priceless piece of equipment during a mission.

But that was because there was enough profit on the other side of the scales.

Having survived mission after mission, they certainly weren't the type of fools who would let their brains be governed solely by their emotions.

To avoid a trivial matter that could be resolved with a wave of the hand, only to gain an enemy of unknown origin and strength—

even an idiot would know how to choose.

They were all in the same line of work; who knew where they might run into each other again, or what state they might be in at that time?

Under these circumstances, with two companions present, Bernie naturally couldn't get into a conflict with Xia Nan.

Of course, if one were to think these men were "good people" just because of this, they would be sorely mistaken.

After all, if a massive profit that could sway their moral compass were to appear, they wouldn't hesitate to strike.

The scene he had imagined didn't happen, and the small interlude in the tavern ended there.

Although Xia Nan felt surprised, he didn't dwell on it.

Since someone was offering to pay, he naturally went along with it.

"One Number Three combo," he said to the tavern owner.

After eating dry rations in the forest for so many days, it was truly unbearable.

No lie, one night he even dreamed he had returned to his previous life and gorged himself at a restaurant he used to frequent.

Now that the mission was finally over, he naturally had to treat himself well.

Come to think of it, it was just that the timing was poor; most shops on the street were already closed, leaving him nowhere to process his loot.

Otherwise, following the 【Adventurer's Handbook】, running through various shops would have taken up half his day.

*Sizzle—*

Steam rose, and the aroma of food flooded his nostrils with every breath.

It was the same combination of stewed meat, mushroom soup, and white bread.

He soaked the bread thoroughly in the mushroom soup.

One bite.

"Tsk."

The soft dough almost instantly melted into a milky richness in his mouth, intertwining with the sweet, savory flavor of the mushroom soup as he swallowed it down.

Xia Nan squinted his eyes in enjoyment.

"This is the life a human should be living."

He sighed inwardly.

At the same time, the tavern owner, Chaputun, placed a glass of what looked like expensive liquor in front of him.

"This one's on the house, from us at the Baishanque."

He said this in response to Xia Nan's puzzled look.

"Many thanks."

Seeing no reason to refuse, Xia Nan nodded in gratitude.

The glass landed on the table, the crystal-clear liquid swaying gently.

As he ate his dinner, his thoughts drifted, his eyes slightly unfocused.

It was already late when he returned to Hegu Town, and with nowhere to process his loot, he had decided to stay at the Baishanque for the night.

The bandages wrapped around the "Green Pine" wooden sword on his back were his way of masking its true nature to avoid suspicion.

He would keep an eye out over the next few days; once he had the chance to find a blacksmith to custom-make a scabbard, things would be much more convenient.

The liquor went down, leaving a fiery tingle on the tip of his tongue.

Yet, his body showed no reaction at all.

Xia Nan guessed that his Constitution, now at "8" points, was taking effect.

Previously, the 1 point of Strength and 1 point of Agility from maxing out 【Spinning Slash】 had made him feel as if he had swapped bodies, drastically increasing his combat power.

Now, after absorbing the dewdrop, the accompanying 3 points of Constitution provided a significant boost.

After a full day of traveling, even Wood, who had already attained a professional level, was heaving and panting by the end.

Yet he himself felt relaxed and effortless, as if he had just taken a stroll.

While part of this was due to the dewdrop replenishing the stamina he had consumed along the way, it was enough to prove the strength of Xia Nan's current endurance.

On the other hand, although he didn't have the intuitive, massive health bar from a game, the increase in Constitution would allow Xia Nan to withstand more damage in combat.

Although he hadn't tested it yet, he was certain that he could now cast 【Spinning Slash】 multiple times in a short period without affecting his physical functions.

The embarrassing predicament of his arms feeling sore after just a few extra swings was a thing of the past.

Thinking further, the increase in Constitution also meant an increase in his body's ability to withstand impact.

If he were to return to the Mist Forest now and let that Shihua Xiyi ram into him from behind again...

Xia Nan suddenly shuddered, a phantom pain throbbing in his back.

"I definitely wouldn't die, but let's just skip that."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 47 =====