My Magic Has No Upper Limit

Regarding the Cave Pollution Cleanup

For the past half-month, the quality of this town’s backup water source has significantly deteriorated and developed a foul odor.

A preliminary investigation has confirmed the presence of Slimes in an abandoned cave through which the underground river for the backup water source flows. Their secretions are the primary cause of the contamination.

To ensure the safety and health of Black Stone Town’s residents, we are now recruiting a reliable and efficient Adventurer Squad to travel to the abandoned cave and undertake the following mission.

Quest Level: Normal.

Quest Objective:

Exterminate all Slimes within the abandoned cave and investigate the situation.

Bounty:

Three Silver Coins per Slime, with their Demon Cores serving as proof for the count.

Association Notes:

The abandoned cave is dark and damp inside. Be sure to bring adequate lighting equipment.

"Not bad. Let’s take this one," Zelir said, nodding.

’Slimes aren’t too much of a threat, and I’ve learned the Lighting Skill, so it’ll come in handy.’

"By the way, is it just the two of us for this mission? Won’t that be a bit risky?" Zelir asked, suddenly thinking of something.

"Then count me in," another familiar voice chimed in.

The Half-Elf Ranger, Valles, had also just arrived at the Adventurer’s Association. He carried a longbow on his back and still wore that same unapproachable poker face.

Zelir, however, approved of Valles’s skill and character.

’He seems cold, but he’s a good person at heart. He’d even help heal Gray, who he can’t stand. He’s not the type to leave someone to die.’

"So that makes three of us."

Marcus mulled it over for a moment, then looked at Zelir and Valles. "Should we find more teammates?"

"This should be enough, right? Slimes aren’t that dangerous. Bringing anyone else would be a waste," Valles said.

Zelir agreed.

’The danger level isn’t that high, anyway.’

’Besides, the fewer people there are, the more money each of us will get.’

"What about Gray? Have you guys seen him lately?" Zelir asked.

"I saw him at the tavern entrance last night."

Valles snorted.

"That guy’s got the Constitution of an ox. His chest and shoulder were all bandaged up, but his Spirit was as high as ever. Even injured like that, he didn’t forget to go see his old flames."

"Gray can’t sit still. For him, being forced to rest is no different from being dead."

Marcus shook his head. "Then it’ll just be the three of us for this mission."

Marcus the Junior Warrior, Valles the Junior Ranger, and Zelir the Magic Apprentice.

After confirming the team, Marcus led them to the counter to accept the quest. They agreed to meet at the Black Stone Town gate the next morning.

After leaving the Adventurer’s Association, Zelir began preparing for the quest.

’Even though I’m a Mage, I still need to buy some essential gear until I reach the level where I can casually sling Low Level Magic and keep myself wrapped in Protective Magic.’

’Can’t afford to get taken out by something trivial.’

Zelir wasn’t very familiar with Black Stone Town, but finding the Blacksmith Shop was easy. He just had to follow the CLANG CLANG of hammering.

On a street not far from the Night Flower Inn, Zelir picked out a Blacksmith Shop.

The shop was open-fronted, like a three-walled stone grotto that completely exposed the fiery scene within.

Just by standing at the entrance, Zelir could feel a wave of scorching, metallic air wash over him.

Flames licked out from the mouth of the furnace, making the surrounding air shimmer and distort from the heat.

A shirtless man was working the bellows, sweat tracing paths across his muscles, creating a sense of rugged beauty.

"I’m the owner, Brown."

The man’s gruff voice rang out. "You buying ready-made gear or placing a custom order?"

"Uh... buying gear." Zelir was a little taken aback by the intense atmosphere.

"The finished pieces are all in there. See something you like, tell me, and I’ll get it down for you to try."

Brown pointed to a room on the right. "Go ahead and browse."

The room was divided into two sections: the front half for displaying Armor, and the back half for weapons.

Zelir’s goal was to find a suitable piece of protective gear and a handy weapon.

When it came to Armor, Zelir didn’t even consider Cloth Armor.

’It offers too little protection. Plus, since I work with fire, I’d be at risk of accidentally setting myself ablaze.’

’Chain Armor is too expensive, and it’s overkill anyway. I’m not a Vanguard meant to tank damage up front.’

After thinking it over, Zelir chose a piece of Studded Chest Armor.

Its main component was hardened cowhide, boiled and soaked in wax, with several riveted iron plates. It would offer decent protection against slashing attacks.

As for a weapon, Zelir looked around and picked out a foil.

’It was relatively light and didn’t take much effort to swing.’

’Even without any basic Swordsmanship, I can handle it easily. It’ll be mainly for situations where I don’t need to cast Magic.’

These two pieces of equipment cost him eighty Silver Coins in total.

As he walked out of the Blacksmith Shop, Zelir looked at his increasingly empty coin purse and felt a wave of melancholy.

He now had only a dozen or so Silver Coins left.

’It feels like I didn’t even buy that much... how am I out of money already?’

’As expected, being a Mage really burns through money... My biggest expense these last few days was the White Wax Wood Base Material, which cost me a whole Three Gold Coins.’

’And that’s just for one part of a finished Magic Wand.’

Zelir sighed.

’Sigh... I have to take on more quests and earn some money.’

At noon the next day, Zelir arrived at the meeting point on time, where Marcus and Valles were already waiting.

On their last mission, Marcus’s Small Round Shield and Battle Saber had both been destroyed.

This time, he had upgraded his equipment, switching to a larger One-Handed Shield and buying a better Battle Saber.

Valles, meanwhile, still had his usual setup: a Curved Saber at his waist and his Bow and Arrow.

With the squad fully assembled, they set off toward the abandoned cave.

According to the map provided with the quest, the location wasn’t too far from town; it would take about three or four hours to get there on foot.

If they were quick, they could even get back to Black Stone Town in time for dinner.

The journey was uneventful, and after passing through a sparse forest, Marcus finally spotted the outline of the abandoned cave.

"This is the place." Marcus put away the map.

Directly ahead was a dark cave mouth, about three to four meters high and wide enough for several people to walk abreast. The terrain wouldn’t hinder their ability to fight.

The exterior rock wall of the cave was covered in slippery, dark green moss, but the rock surface underneath had a deep red hue, giving it a strange appearance.

Valles crouched down to carefully inspect the ground.

"What are you looking at?" Zelir asked, crouching down beside Valles.

"Slime."

Valles pointed to the glistening trails on the ground.

"Slimes leave trails of slime when they move. We can use them to get a rough idea of their numbers."

Following Valles’s lead, Zelir also took a closer look.

There was indeed a lot of viscous liquid, and the trails led deep into the cave.