CHAPTER 33: MARKET DISTRICT

And so, Wade spent the rest of his walk back to the guild building thinking about all the ventures he could start to unlock his first dungeon key.

He knew his honey mead idea had potential. It had the power to shift his entire narrative. To flip his script entirely on its head.

He smirked at the notion. He was a Dimensional Merchant. He simply needed to use his skills as a merchant, in order to get access to the dimensional part of it.

Approaching his destination, he looked up and saw Rowan heading to the building from the opposite direction.

Their eyes met, and a smile appeared on Rowan’s face as the man waved at him.

They’d agreed to meet here after breakfast.

"Wade." Rowan grinned as he neared, with them exchanging nods. "Top of the morning to you."

"And to you." Wade tipped an imaginary hat to him, and they shared a laugh.

"So, what’s the plan?" Rowan asked as they stood there, the traffic of people flowing around them on the wide street.

"Yeah, an apartment." Wade nodded. "The guild dorms are not very... private."

"Perfect." Rowan grinned, turning. "Follow me."

As they walked down the street, Rowan continued. "Which of the districts do you want? Near the guild towers? The market districts? Or the outer districts?"

"Which is more comfortable?"

"Depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for peace, quiet, and privacy, it’s definitely the market districts. But that also makes it pricier. You can see single rooms starting from 35 coins a week, but if you need proper space, they’re more expensive."

"How much should I be looking at for a studio apartment?"

"Hmmm. Honestly? Around 70 coins a week, with an added deposit of 70 coins."

Wade mentally tallied the sum. Adding his deposit, renting a studio apartment would cost him 350 coins a month, and 280 coins in subsequent months.

With the money with him, he had enough for at least three months, as long as he didn’t spend too much on other things.

And with the fact that he could take quests and they could make other dungeon runs to earn additional money during that time, it wouldn’t take a lot of effort to maintain his new lifestyle.

The problem was the quests and dungeon runs in question.

Yesterday, after they’d all been dismissed, Sebastian had taken him aside for a talk.

The man had told him that the rest of the party had to work overtime during the dungeon run in order for him not to be overwhelmed, but since this was his first dungeon run, that was to be expected.

But now, he knew his deficiencies in combat, and where he had to improve. So, the ball was in his court.

In the dungeons, it was every man for himself. That means he was expected to be in charge of arming himself, even if he had to put himself into debt to do so.

Sebastian had recommended him using the skill stone he’d received for himself, then investing in stat stones, in order to raise his stats to a level that allows him to hold his own in dungeon runs.

They would not be coddling him anymore, so if he died, it was sorely his fault.

This all meant he’d have to take on debt and spend more money, in order to not die. It was basically a circle of life and debt.

But right now, he had enough for an apartment.

"Here we are." Rowan grinned, and Wade blinked, brought back to reality.

He looked around, trying to find any notable landmarks. They were in the market district, but unlike one would expect, it wasn’t loud.

Instead, it was a street filled with quiet shops, each one with a sign above the door that held its name, and was enough to tell what kind of clientele frequented the place.

This was the kind of place that catered to middle class folks who leaned more towards rich than poor.

Wade stared at the glass windows of the apparel shop, a small frown on his face. "So, we’re here to rent a... shop?" He asked in confusion.

"Of course not." Rowan snorted. "We want the apartment above it."

Wade blinked, lifting his gaze upwards. Sitting above the shop was another floor, with similar thick glass windows, and a small balcony that overlooked the street.

"See that red curtain covering that window?" Rowan pointed, and Wade nodded, taking in the curtain. "That’s a sign that the shop owner is using to tell people that the apartment above is available for rent. Most of them usually have a house in the residential districts, which the city built and provided for non-adventurers, so this is another source of income for them."

Wade nodded in understanding. But then, a question occurred to him. "Adventurers generally make more money than non-adventurers, right?"

"Yes."

"So, why not buy a house? Why rent?"

"Multiple reasons, actually." Rowan grinned. "First, most adventurers are single, and when they die, if they have a house, it usually goes to their non-adventurer relatives. And since the death rate of adventurers is high, this does happen."

"The second is that due to quests, adventurers do end up making enemies, and having a permanent base where your enemy could find you for one reason or the other is generally a bad idea. So, with this method, the adventurer can immediately change locations easily."

"There’s also the fact that sometimes, adventurers can be assigned to another location that houses a branch of the guild, based on the need for adventurers in that location. And yes, it’s a clause in our contracts. We’ll be paid, but we can’t refuse. And if you have a house here but you’re assigned somewhere else, it’ll just be a waste."

"I see." Wade nodded.

Being an adventurer wasn’t the safest profession. It was the major reason the majority of the population are not adventurers. The death rate is very high.

"Now that the explanation is behind us," Rowan motioned to the shop, his smile wide, "shall we?"