BATTLE OR ALIVE
Chapter 16: Man In Gold Armor II

The duel had been completed, Jell and Mai went towards the guild to settle their actual affairs.

Entering the guild, the atmosphere was silent and no one opened their voices as Jell and Mai entered. As if someone told them to shut up, everyone there kept quiet and looked at the two of them.

Although the atmosphere was calm and filled with gazes, Jell did not at all feel that the gazes were aimed at with hatred, and instead, their gazes were filled with cheerfulness and warmth.

Walking among the crowd of people who had stepped aside to give them a path, facing in front of them was Yinn who was standing in front of the counter. Jell who saw him immediately met him and intended to tell him about the settlement of the dungeon they were doing. However, on that occasion Yinn exclaimed and her voice filled the entire guild building.

“Alright, it looks like they have come ... First, let us from the guild side thank you. With the defeat of Lhava who was dubbed as the most powerful person in the guild, then the threat and calmness of the guild is now gone.”

Everyone heard Yinn's exclamation, and they clapped their hands together and shouted with great pleasure. As if they had been freed from the invaders, they exclaimed right after Yinn had said of Jell defeating Lhava in the duel.

“And one more thing we will tell you. We congratulate adventurers Jell and Mai, who have completed the S-level quest, completing and tracing the dungeon that appeared on ‘Tree Kaze’. And therefore, in appreciation of your hard work, adventurer Jell and adventurer Mai. You have officially become adventurers with black rank (Black).”

Being an adventurer with a black rank of no more than two months, became the greatest achievement ever recorded. With the hike it also made everyone who was inside the guild building to cheer with excitement.

Welcome from them. As if their cold gaze all along was a lie, making Jell and Mai difficult to understand and feel awkward with this very lively cheer.

With the hustle that occurred in the guild, the guild organizers still did not escape their duties. They confirmed and opened the contents of the bag carried by Jell and Mai, as evidence of the dungeon conquest.

In the absence of the big bag, and what they witnessed was a surprise and something very impossible.30 kg of magic crystals were inside the bag.

Everyone who had been about to start the party immediately fell silent with the cry of one of the organizers who checked Jell and Mai's bag.

Everyone was stunned and could not believe what they saw, as well as Yinn who was just staring at the bag full of magic crystals.

“I-This is really?”

Yinn saw and confirmed for herself what she saw. Examine one by one chunks the size of two fists, and still do not believe what he holds.

“This is the best quality magic crystal I've ever seen. How can you two get this much treasure?”

Yin excitedly looked over and asked how Jell and Mai could obtain magic crystals of this much quality. Jell who answered him told him how he got it without the slightest lie in it.

Hearing him Yinn just made a wordless gaze. He and the people who were there were all silent hearing all Jell's stories of magic crystals in the dungeon that were as abundant as the crystal's agility was just a lie.

Listening to how rich the dungeon Jell was saying, made adventurers get excited and go crazy for wealth that was as easy as picking leaves on a tree. But the spirit was destroyed by Jell with his next words.

“Then, increase the monsters in the dungeon can be said to be at the level of A rank, even more. The power of monsters to make my adventurer clothes burned was scorched, and there are conditions that make me and Mai can not use the job, if we use the job then we will both die in the swallow by the sand. And many more, Ogre 16 meters high, giant worm troupe 6 meters high, colossal worms 20 meters high and a horde of birds that can blow the house with one attack.”

Jell explained about all the monsters that were inside the dungeon that she and Mai had been browsing through. And the sight of the adventurers instantly faded into black and despair.

As with the others, Yinn also listened carefully to Jell's story, and the expression on display seemed to smile? Or maybe it was just Jell's fault.

“Alright, Jell-san and Mai-san can come with me to the office?”

“Ah..”

Leaving the horde of people, Jell, Mai, and Yinn went to the office. For a moment Yinn whispered something to one of her employees, and continued to leave.

Arriving at the office, like no manners, Mai happily ran in Yinn's spacious office, and immediately lay down by dropping her entire body on the sofa that was in her office. Jell who saw him was like a mother who scolded her disrespectful son when she visited people's homes. Yinn just smiled sweetly at the behavior of the two of them, like she missed not seeing this scene.

Sit down and Yinn says the talk she wants to say, which no one else wants to know.

“Alright, since Mai-san's condition seems to have been exhausted, I will say it straight to the point. Jell-san and Mai-san, you will get 75% of the results of the entire quest this time. Of course the quest main prize will be given as well, so the agreement will not be void.”

Jell listened and just stared at him fixedly. He could earn 75% of the quest results, and quest rewards. And that was 75% magic crystals and 75% of the main reward of this subjugation quest. (The ques reward for the dungeon conquest is 80,000 Rumiah.) and if totaled can make Jell and Mai can match the total wealth of a noble.

[In addition, this is the financial system of the guilds in this world.

A. The Guild financial system.

Guilds would prepare adventurers of varying degrees, ranging from Rocky to Black.

There will be oarangs who order adventurers, to do the work. Jobs start from trivial things, such as cleaning, catching fish, and so on. And also difficult work. Difficult jobs have some level of difficulty. From Lv.D-SSS. And quest acceptance will also be applied with that level.

The quest fee will be provided by the booker, and will be given to the guild. From the results of receiving the quest, the Guild would take 40% of the proceeds from the adventurer's income.

B. The income of an adventurer is also divided from several levels, namely.

Rocky will get a 40% cut%

Bronze - 35%

White - 33%

Yellow - 30%

Red - 28%

Balck - 25%

It was more or less the guild's financial system in this world. And there are also some regulations regarding the income of an adventurer is also adjusted from their respective regions or kingdoms.]

***

And additionally, if a guild has high popularity. Then bookings and adventurers will be more. And this would benefit the guild. And not only earning income from quest fees, the guild would also earn income from the kingdom, the amount of income was also in the share of how popular the guild was.

But Jell still did not understand what Yinn said. Seeing from the cuts he got, he was immediately officially an adventurer with a black rank right now.

“But, Yinn-san what are you saying exactly. We get that much reward, but isn't it with that many magic crystals, it could make the guild's popularity go up? And more than that, with that kind of money you can renovate the guild, or do something else.”

Jell asked him something with what he could think if he became the guild leader who earned that kind of money in an instant. But, Yinn did not seem to want that. Is there anything more to it than that? That's what Jell thinks right now.

And it was not only Jell who refused, Mai who was lying on the sofa the other side of their sofa, also added her objection.

“Yinn-san, isn't that the same as you worrying about the two of us? And what if other adventurers knew this, how did the minister know this, how did the kingdom know this, what if the King knew this?! And the worst thing that would happen if that happened, you'd be punished, and we'd both be punished, I hate you for always taking me and Jell in big trouble.”

Yinn listened to Mai's words and she just said a word “Ara? Am I like that?” which made Mai upset. However Yinn improved her posture and made a very authoritative impression.

“True, I did this probably because I was worried about you two. But I have the right to give such a great gift to you. You guys have done a sudden dungeon conquest and the dungeon level is unknown, and I can only conclude that it has a level equivalent to S.” level

“But it has nothing to do with such a gift.” Mai denied and started to seriously speak.

“True. But the gift was the same as our deal back then, wasn't it? To make you the strongest adventurers. In this guild Lhava was the strongest adventurer, and the guild gave various kinds of rewards to him. We spend millions of Rumiah in a month just to fulfill the wishes of that person. And with the end of Lhava's glory days, then now you two will be my golden sons, no, but the guild's golden sons. And therefore, to give you a gift it is our obligation.”

Yinn explained all the reasons very clearly. Right, and Jell felt that Yinn's words did not contain any lies. That was because when Jell had a duel with Lhava, the sword that Lhava used had extraordinary magic energy, if it was estimated that the price could reach 1 million Rumiah. And not only that, the clothes used by the women were not cheap clothes, just like the Lhava adventurer clothes, which could have reached 2 million rumi.

The decision taken, Jell and Mai getting what had been theirs, getting rich suddenly was what could be said to the two of them.

***

Walking in the hallway after exiting Yinn's office, Jell and Mai wanted to go straight home and sleep to rest their bodies. But what was in front of them was Lhava waiting there.

Jell noticed him and so did Lhava who had been waiting.

“Yo, you finally came.”

Lhava greeted Jell first, but in contrast to the usual greeting Lhava did, this time he was a little more polite. Jell who noticed that did not believe his attitude, but Jell still responded to the man's greeting.

There seemed to be something he wanted to convey, was it possible that he did not accept defeat? Jell could not guess what he wanted to say.

“Ahh, so, what's up until you wait here?”

“Ha?!”

Jell who asked the reason she was waiting for Jell to be answered with Lhava's scream and annoyance, she instinctively raised her voice. The screamed Jell made a grim and gripping face to Lhava.

“You stupid? I'm here to pay for the duel.”

“Eh~?”

Jell was embarrassed by what he did, he forgot the important thing about their duel, the bet. As said before, the bet Lhava wants is Mai, and Jell's wish is... (Did he ask for something during the duel?)

“So as per the pledge, I lost and I will give you this sword.”

“I refuse.”

“Ha?”

Jell rejected the outcome of the duel bet which made Lhava once again bring out his confusion.

“What are you saying, you don't want to take the result of the duel."

“No, the end of the duel results that you gave was wrong.”

“Ha?! What you said. You obviously want this sword, don't you, boy. After all you can't take anything away from a non-baked outcome in the pledge, are you stupid?”

Again from the many cries of Lhava, he this time raised a voice that made the entire guild look at them. That was only natural, it was because Jell wanted to take out an item that was not at stake.

“You are stupid. Since when do I want that sword, after all, don't you want my sword?”

“No, it's obvious you want to take this sword instead. Anyway you can't take anything else.”

“Hah. From the beginning I never gave a bet.”

“I told you what you said boy! You saw my sword when I added the bet, that's the reality!”

Lhava began to shout and began to be enveloped in anger, it was because of Jell's behavior that he thought made a stupid conversation with him wanting to take something other than the sword he had bet on.

“Ha..?”

Jell asked a question, but that question could have made people not understand what he meant by “not responding” it made everyone around him make a confused face. But only one understands Jell's words and of course he can know what Jell was doing when the second battle happened, it was Mai.

“No-no, you are of course mere–”

Lhava's words were not to the end and were cut off with memories appearing in his head, the memories of the second gamble said.

Lhava's face instantly made a gloomy and dark expression, making the surrounding adventurers able to feel their anger they lifted their bodies in fear. It seemed that he was already aware of Jell's vague words, and Jell was already making a grinning smile expression.

“From the beginning... You're not risking anything... In the second gamble, only I thought you responded with that view... So from the start, I subconsciously risked everything.”

A grin with intimidation came out of Jell's face. Lhava could see it and he instantly felt something very frightening from that smile, really very frightening, the intimidation that Jell took out of his smile could instantly make Lhava fall out of his balance.

“So you're conscious. Is correct. From the start you're the one who starts taking bets without knowing what I'm going to take. But instead you casually took Mai when I said nothing. In other words~...”

“You can ask me anything twice.” Lhava replied by making a gloomy face mixed with a frightened face.

Jell had been aiming for that from the start, by not risking anything, indirectly the opponent voluntarily gave up all their possessions.

The cheating that Jell did was, he did not take a bet from his duel with lhava. In other words, it was Lhava who had casually started the duel and bet without asking what Jell would take from him as a duel reward. In other words, Lhava does not give “something” but “everything”, he will take Mai as Jell's bet and he will give anything from his bet.

The faces of the people who saw this scene made complicated faces, they never expected there to be such a thing in this world. By looking at Jell who could easily manipulate him, making their view of Jell much bigger.

But the response of the people was different from the response of these three women, they were Lhava women who had been with him since the beginning of the second meeting. In the conversation the three of them simultaneously made an annoyed and angry face.

“What you said, it's obviously cheating isn't!” The first woman raised her objection by saying that Jell had cheated in a duel based on a sacred pledge.

“Really! Benari once you say that to Lhava-san. From the beginning it was Lhava-san who won this battle, and not a rancid brat like you!” The second woman conveys her objections as well, but with the spice of anger and mockery by reversing the fact of Jell's victory.

“again it is clear that you saw the Lhava-sama sword with your dirty look, you are truly a jerk!” Not inferior to the other two women, the third woman also conveyed her objection from Jell's victory.

Jell heard their words and just made a dull face, she looked foolish by responding to the three women. But only one of the four women who were with Lhava objected, it was the girl who had caught Jell's attention from the first time Jell saw her.

“You shut up! I'm the loser and he wins, that's it, nothing else.”

Lhava shouted to his three women, which left the three speechless. Stand up and stare at Jell again, but this time with a complicated face.

“So what do you want?”

He asks what Jell wants, in a difficult tone he conveys.

“Then I will take all the money you have.”

“...”

The silence that occurred when Jell conveyed his request, that of course, asking for all of one's wealth would certainly make a surprise by just saying it, but Jell was serious.

Jell looked at him with her sharp gaze and Lhava who received the gaze was cornered with pressure, she did not think that Jell would take all the money she had, she said, and instead will only take the armor or sword alone.

Lhava made a difficult face on his face and immediately took something in the pocket that was inside his armor, what he took out was of course money. A bag of money was spent and he handed it to Jell.

“I only brought this... The rest I'll drop off.”

“No need, just deliver the rest to the guild on my behalf. Then the problem is over, and for the second request I still haven't thought of anything, so just look forward to it.”

Jell took the money and they left the guild.

***

Being in town, Jell and Mai decide to go to a jewelry store to sell their magic crystals.

The jewelry store is at the end of district A where Jell, Mai and the guild are located. So to go to such stores should take a little longer. The distance is about 4 km, but it is not too heavy if compared to walking in the dungeon, but there are still a few problems, heavy bags. The bag contained magic crystals, although it was already 25% lighter, but still this magic crystal was heavy.

In those conditions only one person complained about their bag, it was Mai. He brought a little more than Jell's, but he still complained, not only did he complain by issuing the *******breath, he also often whined to pay people to bring their things, he also often whined to pay people to bring their goods, but of course rejected outright by Jell.

“You are, not that we have agreed on this, do you want to abandon the promise? Anyway this isn't what you want, a walk in town.”

“But, his subordinates are still heavy, this hurts ... Ha? A walk? Uh! Right, we're on a road trip right now, it's not, it's a date, it's really our first date in the world. I can't wait to get around this city.”

“No, not dating anyway.” Jell replied in a slow tone and slightly laughed with Mai's demeanor.

Both of them looked at the contents of the city from District A, and will be said again, this city is very large. And they passed through more than a variety of shops.

[Additional on the layout

In this kingdom has 6 districts namely,

District A: located in the western part of the gate of the royal palace. This place cleans all sorts of places for battle and places most people to find work.

It was in because district A was the largest district in the kingdom of Athera, and the population here amounted to 25% of the total population of the kingdom.

District B: located in the northern part of the gate of the royal palace. This place contains various kinds of luxurious places for visitors and people in the kingdom, and this place is where the nobles live.

Here more focus for tourist attractions and places to stay for people who want to enjoy life in the kingdom of Athera with a long time.

District C: located in the eastern part of the gate of the royal palace. This village contains a variety of land and markets, bribing more than 70% of food, district C contains the right with gardens, farms and markets.

However, the district was not as large as the previous two districts, and therefore, although the amount given was quite large, it was still not enough to meet all the quotas in the entire kingdom.

District D: located in the southern part of the gate of the royal palace. It is a residential place for the people living inside the gate, the district accounts for 40% of the kingdom's population.

And there are various issues that say, even though the people here live inside the gates of the kingdom, there are still cases of poverty here, and there's also the issue of dark places in district D, which makes the number of crimes and deaths in the kingdom quite high.

District E: located in all parts of the North from the direction of the main gate of the kingdom, which is at the main gate in district A. This place is 60% abandoned forest, and includes forests that have never been occupied by humans, and become a nest of monsters.

It is the largest district of the outer district of the royal gate, containing a total of 5 villages from many villages in the kingdom of Athera. Poverty in this area is very alarming.

District F: located in all parts of the South from the direction of the main gate of the kingdom, which is at the main gate of district A. Just like the E district, this place also contains forests, but unlike the E district, the forests in this district have begun to be processed into various things and some are sold in the capital.

But even so, poverty and crime in this area can be said to be worse than district E. The number of open jobs is vast, but the population is less eager to work, and the district has the largest unemployment rate in the kingdom. The number of villages here is 6 villages. ]

***

Jell and Mai are currently walking on a trail in district A, a major road connecting districts A, B, and D. And the place over there is the shop that Yinn recommended to them.

By being black-ranked adventurers, yet they still had not officially earned that rank, it took them about 1 week to truly be recognized as black rank, it was, and for the moment they still have the yellow rank.

Up in front of the store, as well as all the shops in district A, this store also has a signboard in front of their store, the difference is that the board looks luxurious. Not only the front of the store that has interesting and luxurious decorations and models, in the store is also the same.

Comfortable and quiet but a little stressful because this store is a jewelry store that has a defense against high-level robbers, it can be seen from three burly shopkeepers who are able to defeat robbers with just one attack.

Being in the store, Jell and Mai went straight to where the cashier was. The tight, six-pack body about two meters high, wearing a white shirt and a black vest, illustrates how classy the store is.

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen, welcome to “Royale Domestic” can I help you?”

The cashier in a very memorable style how a noble they knew, the cashier told the name of their store to two young guests who entered their store.

Their impression is polite and Jell feels good to be in this store, although listening to his name makes Jell amused a little.

“Ah, we came here to sell jewelry.”

“Oh~? The jewels? You both came in the right place, so where is she?”

Cashiers seem impressed by Jell and Mai's assessment of their store, selling in our store you won't regret it at all, it was just like that they told Jell and Mai who wanted to sell jewelry in their store.

Jell took out and so did Mai who took out their bags on the cashier's wooden table.

The cashier looked a little confused as to what they wanted to sell, and the reaction he showed instantly changed when he found out what they were carrying.

“K-Magic crystal this much, how can you?!”

The shopkeeper was shocked and he carefully inspected every chunk of magic kristak. Not only the cashier, but the other shopkeepers were also startled and instantly gathered in front of the cashier, and sure enough they were shocked to see the magic crystal they both carried.

“So, we can sell it here right?”

“Y-Yes! Of course, but is it okay?”

That okay? What he said, Jell did not understand the words of the cashier, furthermore, the cashier explained his words earlier.

“If you two sell it to a jewelry store in district B you can get double the profit from my store.”

Hearing the words of the cashier Jell understood it, but for now to be able to go to district B takes longer, and not only that, but for now to be able to go to district B takes longer, the distance was also further than the guild's distance to this shop.

But for now money is what Jell wants. He planned to sell half of their magic crystals, and they aimed to go to district B where the cashier called to sell them again.

Returning home from the jewelry store, Jell and Mai sold half of their magic chirstak amount and they got 1,125,000 Rumiah. Holding this much money, it felt too heavy for Jell, but in contrast to Mai, she looked very excited.

(He's been trying, so getting paid for his hard work is natural, isn't it? Ahh.. For some reason I want to pamper him a little, it seems that life in this world is quite pleasant.)

Jell spoke in her heart, smiling as she walked over and they were finally able to go home.

***