“You…” Cass Brooks slammed his fist on the ground and said angrily, “You’ll regret this. You’ll definitely regret not going to the grove!”

　　“Boss, then should we…”

　　“What’s the rush?” Cass Brooks stood up, patting the dust off his backside, looking very confident. “I’ll definitely find a way to get him to the grove! This time, I’ve got help. I won’t stop until I beat him so badly he has to rest in bed!”

　　“Boss… he seems pretty tough…”

　　“What’s there to be afraid of? Tough?!” Cass Brooks spat on the ground in anger. “He’s just someone ranked tenth among the first-year warriors. The people I found this time are also in the top ten! Gavin Brooks is barely hanging on to the bottom of the top ten—what’s there to be afraid of?”

　　“Boss, you’re wise.”

　　“Boss is right.”

　　The three of Cass Brooks’s followers nodded repeatedly. At Auckland Academy of Magic and Warriors, each grade selects the ten best fighters. Although they’re all in the top ten, there are often huge differences in fighting ability between them. For example, sometimes the eighth and ninth are right next to each other in rank, but the eighth can instantly defeat the ninth—this kind of thing isn’t unheard of.

　　Although Gavin Brooks made it into the top ten fighters last year, he was at the very bottom. You could even say he barely made the cut. If he were to face someone ranked higher, beating him would be easy.

Chapter 15: The Job No One Can Get

　　Auckland is a small border town. Although it’s close to the northern barbarians and beastmen, it has no real strategic value, so it gradually developed into a small trading city. Its proximity to the Sunset Mountains brought in a variety of travelers—adventurers and profit-seeking merchants.

　　As a result, inns, blacksmith shops, and other weapon stores gradually became one of Auckland’s main sources of income. Even the army of the Four Seas Empire would place a small number of orders with Auckland.

　　After leaving Rodney Brooks, Gavin Brooks didn’t go straight back to the dormitory. You still need bedsheets to sleep—there’s no way he could just lie on the mattress at night. Plus, he needed to find another job.

　　Ever since he was knocked out by that strange hat flying from the sky during the last trial, Gavin Brooks had locked himself in the dorm for three days straight. He hadn’t gone to work at Old Ford’s Bar for three days, so according to the agreement, he was considered to have quit and had to find another part-time job. The allowance from his family wasn’t even enough to fill his stomach, let alone provide any nutrition.

　　Walking along the bustling streets of Auckland, Gavin Brooks quickly found a cheap bedsheet in a shop, paid a few copper coins for it, and then wandered the streets near the school, hoping to find a part-time job.

　　But Gavin Brooks wasn’t the only student at Auckland Academy of Warriors and Magic who was short on money. The easy jobs were almost all taken by other students ahead of time.

　　After walking down several streets, every time Gavin Brooks went into a shop to ask, the answer was always that they didn’t need anyone and suggested he try somewhere else.

　　“We don’t need anyone else right now…”

　　The same answer came again. Gavin Brooks sighed, turned, and walked out of the shop, not even bothering to listen to the rest of the reply.

　　“You could try the blacksmith shop down the street… I think they’re still hiring…”

　　Gavin Brooks froze with one foot out the door. Blacksmithing was different from most other jobs—not only did it require strength and the ability to withstand the heat of the forge, but it also needed skill. The pay was much better than other jobs.

　　Gavin Brooks remembered that when he first enrolled, some students who couldn’t find work near the school had tried to get a job at the Franklin Brooks blacksmith shop at the street corner. They thought all they needed was to swing a hammer, but when they got there, they realized blacksmithing required real skill. After several students failed, everyone knew that the blacksmith shop job wasn’t suitable for Auckland Academy students.

　　“Blacksmith… forging…”

　　Gavin Brooks muttered to himself, thinking of that strange virtual game, Endless World, where he had spent sixteen hours forging iron. The old blacksmith Black seemed fairly satisfied with him. Maybe he could try for the blacksmith job that no other student had managed to get?

　　Gavin Brooks turned and gave a slight bow to the middle-aged man at the counter who had given him the suggestion. “Thank you.”

　　The middle-aged man behind the counter was a bit surprised. Although students from Auckland Academy of Warriors and Magic worked part-time, they were proud of their status. After graduation, they could at least become patrol inspectors, which was the lowest level of public servant in the empire. It was rare for a student to thank someone for such a small matter.

　　Plus, because of the existence of the Demon Empire, warriors and mages were the main force protecting the Four Seas Empire and all of humanity, which raised their status considerably. Even as students, they tended to be proud.

　　Gavin Brooks quickly passed by the shops along the street and soon heard the distant sound of blacksmithing—a monotonous sound to others, but with a special rhythm.

　　“Huh?” Gavin Brooks stopped in his tracks, standing outside the Franklin Brooks blacksmith shop, a bit puzzled.