Chapter 40

Satisfied, the group made their way back to town.

Upon returning to the safe zone, Justin immediately spent every last magic stone he had.

Since the stones he had used yesterday were still counted, the quest completed instantly.

《Main Quest ‘Income and Consumption’ Completed.》
《Quest Reward: Skill – Automatic Magic Stone Collection》

A small, satisfied smile crept onto his face.

“Finally.”

From now on, nobody in their team would have to dig through monster corpses for magic stones.

With that out of the way, Justin picked up the food he’d ordered for his team and began heading back.

But as he walked through town..

“…?”

He felt eyes on him.

Several civilians, huddled together, eating nothing but boiled potatoes and water, were staring.

The moment their eyes met his, they quickly looked away—but not before he caught the envy in their expressions.

“…”

Right now, they were just looking.

But how long until that changed?

Every day, while they ate boiled potatoes, the pioneers were choosing whatever they wanted from the menu.

“The cracks are already forming.”

Despite Nathan’s successful advancement, the group didn’t immediately move on to stronger enemies.

His Precision Shot skill, while helpful, was far from perfect.

“The aiming assist works, but hitting moving targets is way harder than I thought.”

The problem?

While the skill aligned his aim, it didn’t keep his hands steady.

If he flinched, hesitated, or if the target moved unpredictably, his shots missed entirely.

“Guess we’ll be sticking to Hobgoblins for a while.”

“But I can land at least one shot, right? That should be enough—”

“Not even close.”** Justin** cut him off. “You need to be able to land consecutive hits. Two-legged enemies are fast—you won’t get a second chance if you miss.”

The ideal scenario was for Nathan to fire mid-battle, supporting his team without missing a beat.

But as a first-time archer, that was too much to ask for.

So instead—They trained.

Day after day, they repeated the same drills.

• First, he practiced on still targets until he could hit dead center every time.
• Then, he moved to slow-moving enemies—gradually improving his tracking.
• Eventually, he could reliably hit a running Hobgoblin in the head.

By the third day, he could land every shot on a still target.

By the fifth day, he could hit a moving enemy without hesitation.

By the seventh day 

“If it’s walking on two legs, I can hit it no problem now.”

His confidence had finally caught up to his skill.

Of course, since training involved real combat, their levels continued to rise.

Even with the occasional delays, experience piled up.

By the time the week ended—

• Derek had already hit Level 10 and unlocked Berserker Rage—a skill that massively boosted his strength for short bursts.
• Nathan had reached Level 8, rapidly catching up to the rest of the team.

“HAHA! Bring it on! I’ll smash every last one of them!”

Ever since unlocking Berserker Rage, Derek had been drunk on his own power.

Sure, it was a temporary boost, but for those brief moments?

He felt unstoppable.

Cocky?

Yes.

But at least he wasn’t scared anymore.

While their team grew stronger, the town’s atmosphere shifted.

Arguments became more common.

Fights broke out more often.

And most importantly, the pioneers had split into two factions.

“I should’ve known this was coming.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Zachary, but why do you keep distributing magic stones for free?”

“Is there something wrong with that? Just think of it as community service.”

“Of course there’s something wrong with it! What happens when those freeloaders get used to receiving handouts without lifting a finger?”

“And what exactly have they done to deserve being called trash?”

“The fact that they’re doing nothing at all is the problem! In a situation like this, if you’re not contributing, what else would you call it?”

The argument broke out early in the morning, loud enough for Justin to idly clean out his ears.

Looking over, he spotted two groups squaring off against each other. On one side was Nox, the one who had previously suggested forming a group with him. On the other was Zachary, who had silently passed by without so much as an offer.

Justin’s gaze lazily scanned Zachary, sizing him up.
“Looks like a model straight off the pages of a magazine.”

From his physique to his face, the man seemed like someone who wouldn’t look out of place on a fashion spread. By contrast, Nox, currently shouting in his face, was so plain he practically blended into the background. The intensity of his frustration suggested more than a little bit of insecurity.

As the tension simmered, Nathan leaned over and whispered,
“They’ve been at it like this every day lately.”

“Yeah, you’d think they’d spend that time hunting instead.”

“It wouldn’t be a problem if one side was clearly stronger than the other.”

“I didn’t expect things to split this evenly, though.”

Six pioneers stood behind Nox and four behind Zachary—twelve in total when including the two leaders. The remaining three pioneers, excluding Nathan, were members of Justin’s team, meaning the factions were fairly balanced.

Though Zachary was slightly outnumbered, the difference wasn’t large enough to make him feel cornered.

“Let them fight if they want to. We’ve got hunting to do.”

“Right, you said we’re going after gnolls today?”

“Yeah. Your archery’s gotten better, and with three of us at Level 10, we’re ready.”

“Finally! I’ve been waiting forever. Hobgoblins are so weak now; there’s no thrill left.”

Derek cracked his knuckles with a grin, confidence radiating from his every movement. Their recent massacres of hobgoblins had made him cocky.

“Confidence is fine, but don’t get reckless. One hit from a gnoll could break a bone.”

“What do you take me for? I’m a warrior, not a squishy mage like you. We’re built tougher.”

“Oh, really? Want me to blast you with a spell? Let’s see how tough you really are.”

“N-No, no thanks!”

The sudden backpedal made Nathan stifle a laugh. Just then, Ethan approached, holding up a small pouch.
“We’re ready, Justin. Got the jerky packed.”

The jerky had been bought from the shop as a quick and easy meal to eat while hunting. The gnoll hunting grounds were too far for them to return just to eat, so it was essential to bring food along.

Derek looked at the jerky with obvious disappointment.
“Man, I wish we had some proper food—like burgers or sandwiches.”