Isekai For Hire Chapter 9: Making Friends

Read chapter 9 of Isekai For Hire by wk_rust on NovelPedia.

Making Friends Your dreams are sad. Lorena checked the clock in her interface. She’d slept for nine hours. You can see my dreams? Unfortunately. Most of the time I don’t watch though. Uneasiness rolled in like a cloud; never being alone with your thoughts was exhausting. She opened her notifications to see that not only was she now level 11, but she had unlocked something new. A Stealth skill tree. She turned her focus inward toward Ren. The woman was still clearly upset about yesterday, and Lorena couldn’t blame her. Would you like to weigh in on our new Stealth tree? It’s the least you could do since you didn’t pick Hunter. Lorena ignored the snark and opened the skill tree in her interface to find two options available. Deepening Contrast (0/3) - The barrier to the shadow world blurs slightly, allowing you to take advantage of less dim light as shadows. Quick Step (0/10) - Move faster through the shadows, reducing the movement speed penalty from 30% to 25%. Ren curled up against Lorena’s soul as she looked over the options. Quick Step seems good, you’re so slow in Stealth. Tempting, but Deepening Contrast seems like the play. Having more shadows to work with is really valuable. Ren let out a sigh. Fine. You’re the killer. Lorena ignored the bait and put her point into Deepening Contrast. She made her way through the market which was already bustling and rounded the corner for the stables. “There you are.” Lorena turned to see Jade approaching from a side road, walking too easily for someone who nearly died the night before. Say something. Ren urged. “Feeling better?” The words came out thin. Goddess Tevra, Ren muttered. That’s not what I meant. Jade nodded and shot her a smile that seemed a bit too cheery. “Much better. Thanks for getting me home safely.” Lorena nodded, the motion feeling stiffer than her failed attempt at comfort. How do you live like this? Her mouth went dry and her back ached with tension. Ren withdrew slightly, acutely aware of the trickle of anger flowing through their shared body. Jade glanced at her, a frown quickly replaced with the same slightly too cheery smile. “What do you have to sell to Jeremy?” “I have 25 pieces of leather left over, the giant wolf’s heart and fang, and 60 Tough Wolf Meat.” Jade’s eyes lit up and she licked her lips. “My mother makes the best wolf steak from those. Ugh I miss it.” Ahem. I know, I know. Not now. She had debated endlessly about offering to take the note to Jade’s family and finally landed on making the offer. But now didn’t feel like the right time. You’re stalling. And you’re impatient. As they approached the stable’s large wooden doors, Jade leaned in close, “let me do the talking, I’ll get you a good deal.” “Thanks. Oh, I only want to sell half the meat.” Jade shrugged, then walked inside. “Ah, you’re back, and in one piece it looks like,” Jeremy said, poking his head out from the stall. “Barely, but yes,” Jade said with a light and airy tone. Lorena had to work to hide her surprise at Jade’s answer. She’s smiling and going on like nothing happened, like we didn’t almost die doing his quest. Killers aren’t the only ones who learn to wear masks. We’re forced to forge ours from the moment we can talk. And it can never slip. The man’s eyes flared. “So you did it? The monster is slain?” Jade nodded, and held up her glowing eye. The man stared, jaw slack. “By the Goddesses. Thank you.” Quest [Rendclaw the Demonic] Complete! +50 gold +739 experience Lorena stared at her experience bar. It had jumped to 95% complete from a single quest. “So, you said you had some goods you were looking to sell?” “Yes, my friend here has a few items.” Lorena’s interface prompted her to share the items with Jeremy. He scratched the back of his neck as his eyes glossed over, studying his interface. A moment later prices appeared next to each item. Giant Wolf’s Heart (1) - 40 gold Giant Wolf’s Fang (1) - 0 gold Light Leather (25) - 20 gold Tough Wolf Meat (30) - 20 gold Jade’s nostrils