CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 65

Clayton could only shake his head helplessly as he watched Rodent walk away.

What he had long anticipated had finally come to pass. His good intentions had been twisted—as if he were someone to be ordered around at will.

With a heavy sigh, Clayton reflected on the opportunistic nature of people.

Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, he turned to Arthur, eyes filled with gratitude.

"Thanks, Arthur. If you hadn’t shown up, things could’ve gotten a lot more troublesome."

"Don’t mention it," Arthur replied. "I was just doing my part as a neighbor. Besides... I get the feeling you could’ve handled it without me."

Clayton chuckled softly, brushing it off like it was nothing.

Arthur, watching Clayton’s calm demeanor, felt his respect grow. At first, he’d come merely to check in, maybe test Clayton a little—but the results had surprised him. Somehow, whenever Clayton got involved, things always seemed to work out. It was no wonder Arthur’s curiosity kept growing.

Now, having seen firsthand that Clayton wasn’t as weak as he’d seemed, Arthur’s attitude shifted—toward genuine admiration.

"Still, I really appreciate your help. If you hadn’t stepped in, that guy might’ve lost it and destroyed my entire field," Clayton added sincerely.

Arthur glanced at the field almost instinctively.

He hadn’t meant to comment, but once he saw it clearly—he was stunned.

Clayton’s field showed no signs of damage from the locust attack. If not for the piles of sacks and the scattered insect corpses, you’d never guess it had been hit at all.

"Wow, Clayton... you’re amazing. You actually managed to protect your entire field from that massive swarm."

Arthur was genuinely impressed. Even after using fire magic himself, plenty of locusts had slipped through. In the end, he’d only managed to save about 70% of his own crops. Compared to Clayton’s pristine field, his efforts felt lacking.

His respect for Clayton deepened. In Arthur’s mind, it was only a matter of time before Clayton became a respected and influential figure in the city.

Initially, Arthur had come to build a good relationship. But now, seeing Clayton’s capabilities firsthand, he knew he’d made the right call.

Arthur’s tone turned more serious.

"By the way, Clayton... have you heard the news lately? There’s been a string of robberies and murders in the city."

Clayton furrowed his brows. "Robberies and murders? That’s not exactly unusual for the city. Why mention it?"

"It’s true those things happen often, but this case is different."

Clayton’s curiosity stirred. "Different how?"

"Lately, they’ve been finding bodies on the outskirts of the city. All their valuables are gone, but the weird part is... the corpses are completely dried out. Like someone drained all the blood."

Clayton shivered at the thought.

"And the city guards haven’t done anything?"

"They’ve tried, but nothing’s worked. The perpetrators vanish without a trace—like ghosts."

Fear crept into Clayton’s chest. After a moment of silence, he asked again, more carefully this time.

"You said ’they’? So it’s a group?"

"According to the initial investigation, yes. I don’t know all the details, but a friend of a friend was one of the victims. That’s how the news started spreading through our circle."

Clayton nodded slowly, mentally noting to avoid isolated areas and limit his time outdoors.

If it were just common thieves, he might’ve been able to deal with them. But something mysterious and organized? That was far more terrifying. After all, people feared the unknown most of all.

After chatting a bit longer, the two eventually parted ways.

Clayton continued working until nightfall. Though his body was tired, he didn’t rest. Instead, he sat down to train in earnest.

Before starting, he drank a magic potion he’d recently purchased. Then he crossed his legs and began to meditate.

For a full hour, he remained still.

When he finally opened his eyes, a sharp glint had returned to his gaze.

"Huff... the potion’s acceleration effect is wearing off. And now, the buildup of erisipelas and resistance in my body is starting to slow me down..." he muttered with a frown.

He had been using too many potions lately. His body had begun building resistance, and the side effects—especially erisipelas, a toxic byproduct of overuse—were beginning to show.

The symptoms weren’t critical yet, but if left unchecked, they could become dangerous.

There were two main reasons mages failed to break through: a lack of talent, and poor physical condition.

Typically, a Level Five-qualified mage like Clayton would hit a wall at Three-Star Apprentice. Level Fours capped at Six-Star. Level Threes at Nine-Star. Level Twos at Three-Star True Mage. And Level Ones at Six-Star True Mage.

But damage from poison, injuries, erisipelas, and resistance buildup could make that plateau come even sooner.

Only rare natural treasures could restore the body to its optimal state—and those were outrageously expensive.

Clayton knew that with his average talent, he couldn’t afford to worsen his condition.

A thought struck him: Maybe I should become an alchemist.

If he could brew his own potions, he could save money, reduce risks, and maybe even earn income.

Most importantly, if he could craft high-grade potions—Gold quality, perhaps—the side effects like resistance and erisipelas would be significantly reduced.

He locked the idea into his mind and returned to his work with his usual quiet diligence.

...

One month passed.

Nothing major happened in Clayton’s life. He continued farming and training steadily. For now, he enjoyed a rare sense of peace.

That day, Clayton was working in Grass’s field with extra care and enthusiasm. Three of his skills linked to the [Divine Experience Bar] were close to leveling up—which meant six new entries would unlock. He was looking forward to it.

As he worked, Old Man Wood suddenly appeared, bringing someone familiar.

"Clayton, this guy was looking for you. He went to your house but no one was there, so I brought him here. Says he’s your friend and has business."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Wood. Sorry for the trouble."

Old Man Wood nodded and left.

Clayton turned to his guest.

"Hey, Monkey Brother! What brings you here? It’s rare to see you show up out of the blue. Something important?"

"Hehe, sorry for dropping in like this. But yeah, I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

Monkey Brother’s expression was sheepish at first but quickly turned serious.

"So, I have this friend from the academy who runs a farming business inside the city. He left a few people in charge, but after that locust outbreak, things are a mess. Even though the crops were saved, there are still tons of problems."

"I’ve been hearing from people that you’re really good at farming. So I came to offer you a job!"

He grinned. "Don’t worry, the pay’s worth your time."

Clayton was tempted—especially since his finances had taken a hit after buying supplies for farming and training. But he quickly remembered: he was already managing three hectares of his own land, plus another six for other people. There was no way he could take on more.

With a heavy heart, he declined.

"Sorry, Monkey Brother. I don’t think I can help this time. I’m already committed to managing nine hectares total. I just don’t have the capacity."

Monkey Brother looked disappointed.

But before the conversation could end on a sour note, a calm voice cut through the air.

"What if I take Clayton’s place?"