The caravan's trek remained mind-numbingly tedious. They didn't even halt for a proper lunch. Instead, everyone simply fished out some dry rations and began gnawing on them on the move.
Even the horses were only given brief moments to lap up some water and munch on soybeans before being nudged back into motion.
This non-stop march finally ground to a halt when they reached a patch of ground near a body of water, marked by a collection of abandoned, crumbling watchtowers. Immediately, the caravan crew split up—some fell out to rest, others set up sentry posts, and the cooks began preparing dinner.
Li Ke pulled out his tent and started pitching it alongside Roche.
As he worked, he noticed that the vast majority of the other adventurers hadn't brought tents or anything of the sort. Even Miss Ruohua hadn't bothered; she had only packed a single blanket and a ground mat.
While they were setting up their camp, the surrounding adventurers shot them incredibly bizarre, judgmental looks, leaving Li Ke completely baffled.
Just as he was about to ask what the deal was, Ruohua walked over with her arms crossed.
"Adventurers are required to pull watch duty. Tents are nothing but a massive liability. If monsters launch a surprise attack, it is incredibly difficult to detect their approach from inside. It also severely delays your ability to assess the situation and react instantly. Because of this, standard adventurers pack a blanket and a mat at most. They never carry tents."
Having delivered her lecture, she looked down at Li Ke.
"The caravan master also expects the adventurers he hires to be reliable, battle-ready fighters—not people lounging around in luxury inside tents and carriages like himself. Additionally, the three of us have been assigned a two-hour watch for the first half of the night. It's an early shift, so it won't be too grueling."
Li Ke felt a bit speechless, but he had to admit her logic was flawless.
"Got it."
Giving her a thumbs-up, he and Roche helplessly dismantled their half-pitched tent. Once that was packed away, they began digging a fire pit to cook dinner.
Roche didn't lose any sleep over the tent issue. She quickly unwrapped the supply bundles she had purchased using Li Ke's funds, revealing the contents packed inside.
Dried tofu, flour, jerky, an assortment of dehydrated vegetables, and various seasonings. There was even a jar packed to the brim with braised pork...
Ruohua stared at the spread, genuinely unable to comprehend what kind of mindset Li Ke and Roche possessed when they originally planned out their expedition supplies.
Watching this unfold, Ruohua painfully massaged her temples, her voice dripping with pure exasperation.
"Generally speaking, adventurers only carry standard dry rations and basic jerky, supplemented by whatever wild greens they can boil when a cooking fire is permitted. Packing like the two of you makes it mathematically impossible to ever recoup the baseline cost of an adventure. Furthermore, unleashing such potent, savory aromas in an uncharted wilderness is practically an open invitation to every monster in the vicinity..."
She was truly at a loss for words. This kind of premium jerky and dehydrated produce was incredibly expensive because its preservation relied heavily on magical processing. Not only that, she even spotted shredded squid among Roche's purchases. While such an item wasn't rare on the West Coast, it certainly wasn't cheap either.
Worse yet, to creatures like Goblins and Minotaurs, spices and salt were highly precious commodities. It was actually quite common for monsters to ambush adventurers solely to plunder their salt and seasonings.
"Huh?"
Roche glanced at the braised pork she had already tossed into the cooking pot, then looked over at the flattened patch of grass where their tent had almost stood. She instinctively looked up at Miss Ruohua with wide eyes.
"We don't have to throw this out too, do we?"
Staring at the girl's utterly pitiful, pleading expression, Ruohua let out a helpless sigh.
"No, that won't be necessary..."
"Awesome!"
Li Ke: "..."
With so many rules, endless inconveniences, and a thoroughly brutal working environment, the life of an adventurer was truly far from easy.
The fact that simply trying to live a little more comfortably could attract a mountain of trouble was mind-blowing.
Seriously, who in their right mind willingly becomes an adventurer?!
"But with this kind of spending, your expenses will probably completely wipe out the payout of a single mission... Are you two actually planning on adventuring for a living?"
Ruohua was genuinely perplexed. The way Li Ke and Roche behaved made them look less like adventurers and more like they were out on a casual picnic.
"Well, it's a bit complicated. I'm mainly just looking to gain some real combat experience."
And farm some monsters along the way, Li Ke added mentally while stirring the soup pot in front of him.
"I see... In other words, you aren't tight on cash. Then why didn't you just hire a tutor? Hiring a swordsmanship instructor usually only costs around ten or twenty gold coins a month, right?"
Miss Ruohua finally looked at Li Ke with a sudden realization, piecing together his situation.
However, another detail still baffled her: Li Ke didn't look like he came from a prominent, wealthy family. If his household was affluent enough to throw money around, how could he possess such an untrained physique and casual attitude?
"Well, there are a lot of different reasons for that."
Unwilling to expose his unique abilities, Li Ke smoothly deflected the topic.
"But everyone has their own reasons for venturing out. I'm actually quite curious—why did you choose to become an adventurer?"
He could sense that Ruohua was somewhat disconnected from the surrounding adventurers as well. It wasn't just her rigidly serious personality; there was an underlying grace to her. How should he put it?
Even if Ruohua didn't explicitly draw attention to it, she clearly strove to maintain her personal cleanliness and grooming, and her manners were exceptionally polite and considerate.
The other adventurers, on the other hand, couldn't care less about such details.
Glancing out of the corner of his eye at the surrounding mercenaries, Li Ke noted their rugged—practically filthy—appearances.
Miss Ruohua was a complete contrast to them.
Even now, as she sat down, she maintained a perfectly textbook, disciplined seiza posture.
"As for me..."
Ruohua blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Li Ke's question. While her facial expression barely shifted, her tone grew noticeably solemn.
"I want to eradicate every single monster in this world. I want to avenge those who have lost their loved ones to them."
Finishing her statement, Ruohua turned her gaze back toward Roche and Li Ke.
"What about you two?"
Roche proudly raised her hand high into the air without a moment's hesitation.
"To never go hungry again! And to eventually return to Pandemonium so I can help make sure no one else goes hungry either!"
Her declaration brought a rare, genuine smile to Ruohua's face. She even playfully pinched Roche's nose with a chuckle.
"That is truly a magnificent goal!"
She offered her praise, prompting Roche to let out a smug, proud giggle. Then, the two of them turned their eyes in unison toward Li Ke.
Immortal life, the ability to resurrect if I die, a massive harem, infinite wealth, a flawlessly conditioned body that stays eternally young, eating and drinking whatever I want without gaining weight, and never getting sick...
These words flashed rapidly through Li Ke's mind. However, staring back at the two smiling faces—one older, one younger—and their deeply curious expressions, he found himself slightly unable to keep a straight face.
Are your goals seriously all this high and mighty?!
After screaming internally, Li Ke reflected on the lofty dreams they had just shared. Weighing his vocabulary carefully, he formulated his response. Finally, he set down his soup ladle and delivered a thoroughly serious answer to the waiting pair.
"A successful career, true love, and good health."