Five days later, that evening, Raymond headed to ComrcialStreet as usual, only to find Manik already there, looking unusually distressed. He was scratching his hair in frustration.
"Mr. Rose, you're here!" Manik greeted him imdiately, but his tone was far from cheerful.
Raymond raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
Manik hesitated, looking sheepish. "Well… I only managed to collect six herbs today."
Raymond was surprised. "What happened? I thought with the price I offered, gathering herbs wouldn't be an issue."
Manik let out a sigh. "It's been tough. I heard a group of powerful bandits have appeared outside Wittes Town. They've been attacking caravans and adventurers over the past few days, and now, many adventurers are too scared to take on commissions or go out on missions."
Raymond's thoughts imdiately drifted back to the robbers that Freya had ntioned when she left the guild. "Hasn't the Knights already sent people after these robbers?"
"Yes, but that group of bandits is extrely cautious," Manik replied with a frustrated shake of his head. "Every ti the Knights approach, they seem to know in advance and retreat just in ti. The Knights have returned empty-handed more than once."
Manik looked exasperated. He was eager to catch the bandits before the Knights did, especially since the earnings from helping Raymond buy herbs and sell potions over the last week were nearly as much as a full month's inco from his previous underground pharmacist work.
He'd cut ties with the old underground pharmacist a few days ago, choosing to work solely with Raymond now. Instead of scouring the streets for herbs, he booked a private room at the tavern, where adventurers ca to him to sell their goods. Even old custors, who had previously walked away, were returning.
"What should we do, Mr. Rose?" Manik asked, scratching his head.
Raymond thought for a mont, then shrugged. "For now, let's take whatever we can get in the next few days. There's not much else we can do."
"Alright," Manik said, nodding in agreent.
Raymond took the leather bag from Manik, which contained six herbs and eighty silver coins from potion sales. He also handed over eight bottles of 'Primary Magic Recovery Potion' that he'd crafted the previous night.
---
When Raymond returned ho, Arya noticed there were only six bottles of potions today. "Raymond, why are there only six bottles today?"
He explained the situation with the robbers and ntioned how the Knights were struggling to deal with them. He and Sylph had decided to hold off on accepting commissions until the bandits were dealt with.
"I didn't realize the bandits were so powerful that even the Knights couldn't take them down," Arya said, her voice filled with concern. "It's a good thing you didn't take any commissions."
Raymond nodded. They quickly refined the six bottles of 'Primary Magic Recovery Potion' with Arya's help, and as the night ca, Raymond's gaze fell on the longbow hanging on the wall. "It's ti to awaken the archer."
This was the longbow Raymond had found in the baboon territory, and after inspecting it, he was confident that it was in perfect condition, with no damage. It had once belonged to a Black Iron or Bronze-level adventurer, so its quality was top-notch. The bow and string were tough, and Raymond could easily pull it to its full length with just half his strength.
The arrows he had made himself, using his 'forging' skills. He had crafted three types of arrows. The first was the armor-piercing arrow, thinner and more powerful, designed to penetrate tough scales and shells of monsters like snakes and crabs.atc
Raymond noticed sothing unusual as soon as he stepped into the sewer entrance, there were nurous fresh footprints scattered across the bluestone slabs. Normally, there would only be a few faint prints that had barely evaporated, but today the tracks were much more nurous and recent.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who had the idea of visiting today," he muttered to himself.
He glanced around cautiously, then touched the dagger at his side and the longbow slung over his back. "Guess it's ti to see what's going on."
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As he ventured deeper into the sewer, Raymond could feel the air shift. The familiar dampness and echoing sounds of dripping water were replaced by a low, unsettling quiet. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed his surroundings. The footprints seed to lead deeper into the tunnels, and the scent of sothing unfamiliar lingered in the air.
"I need to be careful today," Raymond thought, tightening his grip on the bow.
His plan had been simple: use the mutant rats to awaken his archer profession and later his assassin profession. But now, with the increased activity in the sewers, he couldn't help but wonder if there was sothing else going on.
"Mutant rats have been great for my progress," he reflected. "Almost half of my professions were awakened thanks to these creatures. Who would have thought a bunch of rats could be so useful?"
But today felt different. Raymond had awakened many professions, including warrior, craftsman, and magician; all through his experiences with these creatures. Now, he was adding archery to the list.
He smiled to himself. "I guess I really do love rats."
As he moved forward, he pulled the scarf tighter around his neck and adjusted the white stone around his waist. He didn't want any distractions or mishaps today. The stone's power had served him well in the past, and he trusted it to guide him.
The sewer was eerily quiet, and the fresh footprints only made it more ominous. With every step, Raymond's senses heightened, and he gripped his weapons tighter. Sothing felt off, but he wasn't going to back down now.
The second type of arrow Raymond had crafted was a double-edged barbed arrow. The sharp, sword-like arrowhead had barbs on both ends of its tail, designed to lodge deep into the body upon impact. Once the arrow pierced, the barbs would ensure it stayed stuck, making removal almost impossible without surgical intervention. Any attempt to pull it out forcefully would lead to severe bleeding, and even if left in, it would continue to cause hemorrhaging due to the diamond-shaped design.
The third type was a heavy arrow. With a large, bulky arrowhead, these arrows lacked the ability to pierce armor but more than made up for it with sheer force. A direct hit from this arrow would create a massive wound. However, the sheer weight of the arrowhead and its inability to penetrate deeply ant that only a strong archer could effectively use it. Without enough strength, the arrow wouldn't be able to cause significant damage, no matter how hard it hit.
Raymond had crafted five of each type of arrowhead, and the shafts were all made of wood, ready for use.
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, Raymond donned his leather armor and gloves, slung his bow and quiver of arrows over his back, and grabbed his dagger. He applied his disguise, ready for another day in the sewers.
"Are you going alone again?" Arya asked, noticing his preparations.
"Yeah," Raymond nodded, giving a small smile. "I don't want to reveal my other professions to Sylph and the others just yet."
"Be careful," Arya said, her voice steady but filled with concern.
Raymond smiled reassuringly. He knew Arya was more at ease now, understanding that with his high magic power and array of skills, he could handle almost any situation, even if he faced a giant mutant rat or a horde of them.
"Don't worry," he said, giving her a quick nod before heading out.
Soon, he arrived at the familiar sewer entrance.
"I'm back again," he muttered to himself, a grin spreading across his face. "But this won't be the last ti."
This ti, he was preparing to use the mutant rats to awaken his archer profession, and later, perhaps even his assassin profession. It felt strange to him, how many of his professions had been awakened through these very creatures? At least half of his seven professions, including warrior, craftsman, and magician, had all been thanks to the rats.
"Honestly, I think I have a special connection with rats," he chuckled to himself.
Raymond adjusted the scarf around his neck and tightened the White stone at his waist, heading deeper into the sewer. But as he walked, sothing caught his attention.
There were fresh footprints all along the bluestone slabs; far more than usual. Normally, the footprints were sparse, fading quickly, but today they seed new and nurous.
"That's odd," Raymond thought, narrowing his eyes. "Soone's been here recently."
His curiosity piqued, he glanced around carefully. Sothing was off, and Raymond wasn't going to ignore it. He followed the tracks deeper into the sewer, ready for whatever lay ahead.
Raymond couldn't help but laugh at the situation.
"It looks like, because of the robbers, no one's brave enough to take other jobs. So, we're stuck with cleaning up the rats in the sewers," he said, shaking his head.
Despite the mutant rats being close and the low risk of failure, most white porcelain-level adventurers wouldn't even consider the job. The sewers were foul-slling, the rats were disgusting, and getting injured ant spending money on antidotes.
However, Raymond didn't have to worry about those things anymore. Thanks to his awakening as a "Pharmacist," his resistance to abnormalities had greatly increased, and poisons below high-level no longer affected him. That ant no more spending money on antidotes for rat bites.
"It'll save a lot of money in the long run," he said with a grin.
As he moved deeper into the sewer, the lights from adventurers around him dimd. Most were hanging back, hesitant to venture further. But Raymond pressed on, choosing a branch path with plenty of mutant rat footprints leading the way.
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